Latest News – March 11

Dassance Leads CMC, Meeting Students’  Needs

Former Fla. College Pres. Started as Interim CMC Pres. Feb. 18 

In his first weeks as interim president of Colorado Mountain College (CMC – all 11 locations), Dr. Charles “Chick” Dassance has hit the ground at a gallop.

Dr. Charles “Chick” Dassance is the acting interim president for Colorado Mountain College. He will continue to oversee operations at all of the college’s 11 learning locations, including Leadville’s Timberline Campus.

He has learned quickly about the college, its students and employees, and the communities it serves. He’s been meeting with as many people as he can, reading reports and budgets and documents of every stripe. 

“The role of an interim president, in general, is to prepare the college for its next CEO,” Dassance said. “My role is not to restructure the college but to bring stability to college operations. This does not imply that we should not address issues that need to be addressed, nor that we should stop innovating and improving.” 

Dassance will continue to oversee the 11-location community college, including Leadville’s Timberline campus while CMC’s elected board of trustees seeks and appoints a president for the permanent position. “The board of trustees clearly wants CMC to be a college that will be a source of pride for the citizens of our service area, and I look forward to working with the board on finding the right leader for the college’s future,” Dassance said.

 The role of president became available in December upon the resignation of Dr. Stan Jensen. During the interim period, the college’s trustees will conduct a nationwide search for a long-term candidate. Details of how the search will be conducted will be determined over the next several months. 

Before CMC’s board of trustees voted unanimously to appoint Dassance, trustee Pat Chlouber of Lake County said, “Dr. Dassance seems to understand and can fulfill the mission we have in mind for the next few months, and we’re confident he’ll work well with our communities and add strength to our staff.”

 About Colorado Mountain College 

Colorado Mountain College is a two-year, comprehensive community college that also grants bachelor’s degrees. Through its 11 learning locations grouped into seven physical campuses, as well as via distance learning, CMC serves the educational needs of a population spread across 12,000 square miles in north-central Colorado – an area the size of Maryland. 

The Timberline Campus has experienced much growth and progress during Mike Simon’s tenure as the Leadville Campus Vice President and CEO.

The college provides liberal arts and science certificate and associate degree programs, bachelor’s degrees in business administration and sustainability studies, basic and lifelong learning, and customized business training. Colorado Mountain College prepares Colorado’s workforce through apprenticeships, internships and experiential learning in beautiful mountain settings.

Colorado Mountain College is located in Steamboat Springs, Rifle, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Springs-Spring Valley, Aspen, Edwards, Dillon, Breckenridge, Leadville and Buena Vista. Of these locations, three campuses are residential, including Leadville’s Timberline Campus. 

Last year, the college was named by CNNMoney.com as one of the nation’s Top 20 community colleges in achieving student success. The college has been offering classes since 1967.

 

 

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