Craig — Five candidates are vying for three at-large seats on the Colorado Northwestern Community College Craig campus board.

Tamilyn Fager, Craig branch president of Bank of Colorado

1) Describe what you believe CNCC’s role is in Craig and Moffat County and what your vision is for its future.

CNCC’s role in Craig and Moffat County is to provide quality educational programs that meet the needs of employers and students. CNCC is a reflection of our community and a vital part of our local economy. CNCC encourages students to remain in the community, encourages students to come to our community, bringing in new business, new ideas and many new opportunities.

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My vision for the future of CNCC is to place major consideration in the development of new programs that will generate adequate enrollment to be successful and fill a need in our community. I would also like to see CNCC partner with various four-year colleges and universities to provide advanced educational opportunities on the campus.

2) Where do you believe the college should focus its efforts for the next four years to ensure its success into the future?

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Competitiveness for jobs today requires higher levels of skills than years ago, and education has become a top priority in order to compete. CNCC needs to focus on the best use of our capital funding to ensure that we continue to offer future programs, have the latest technology, continue to grow and become more diverse. It is our job as the Board of Control to ensure that resources are there to support these programs.

3) Enrollment is up on the Craig campus 11 percent this year. What do you think the college needs to do to support continued growth on the Craig campus?

CNCC’s percentage of enrollment growth is a step in the right direction. In order to continue to support continued enrollment growth, I believe that the college needs to focus on program innovation and strategies to market, recruit and retain students. The college should have set objectives that clearly define where they want to be in one year, two years, etc., and finally, they should consider student needs and industry needs as they develop those goals for both short- and long-term.

4) What skills or background do you bring with you to contribute to an effective board and a successful college?

I am interested in becoming a board member of CNCC due to my personal experience as a non-traditional student, returning to school at the age of 30. My experience with the community college system was so positive that I went on to obtain six college degrees. I understand things from the student’s perspective and the teacher’s perspective, as I have taught business courses for Northeastern Junior College, Morgan Community College, and Colorado Northern Community College in the past. I have assisted hundreds of students with enrollment, financial aid, and understand the college system from front to back. I attribute my success to my education that began at the community college level. My financial skills are top-notch and I have the knowledge to help this college grow.

Dave DeRose, founder and former owner of Masterworks Mechanical, former Mayor of Craig

1) Describe what you believe CNCC’s role is in Craig and Moffat County and what your vision is for its future.

CNCC is vital to the future of Moffat County and Craig as we find ways to make CNCC available as a training base for any new technology or employees that may be needed for economic growth in our area. I hold a vision of a college that creates the training needed and attracts students from outside of our community to start their college careers. With the facilities that we presently have, we have the capacity to grow programs and offerings that can make a difference in our future, as we find ways to provide housing for traditional students and bring an athletic program to the mix to increase enrollment.

2) Where do you believe the college should focus its efforts for the next four years to ensure its success into the future?

There is not a magic bullet for success, but we are in discussion and conducting the beginnings of a three-phase approach. They are: program offerings, housing and athletics. All three are needed and will provide overall success and growth and I believe need to be addressed as a package with each one brought to completion as time, money and operations permit.

3) Enrollment is up on the Craig campus 11 percent this year. What do you think the college needs to do to support continued growth on the Craig campus?

We presently have several apartments rented to provide housing for students, creating a model for on-campus housing. Part of our enrollment increase may be attributed to that, as well as the work staff is doing to create programs to attract a greater number of traditional students. This new concept of housing has worked well and filled some vacant apartments in our community. We have a great facility that can become not only a great addition to the community but also a major source of employment for our workforce. The three items mentioned in my previous answer can take CNCC from a community education facility to an attraction to Craig and Moffat County and an asset economically.

4) What skills or background do you bring with you to contribute to an effective board and a successful college?

My experience includes running a retail and service-oriented business for 27 years, 42 years in the construction industry, and service as a city councilor and mayor for a total of almost 10 years. I have also served on the Board of Directors of Yampa Valley Bank and as a founding board member and president of the Boys & Girls Club, where I helped to open a club in Steamboat Springs. My experience has helped me be able to operate in organizations that serve two communities like CNCC does and enforced in my mind the importance of keeping the needs of both locations at the front of all discussions as we will rise and fall together. I would be happy and excited to continue to use my experience to the benefit of CNCC on the Moffat County Board of Control.

Terry Carwile, former mayor of Craig, CNCC Foundation board member

1) Describe what you believe CNCC’s role is in Craig and Moffat County and what your vision is for its future.

I believe CNCC’s role is spelled out pretty well in its vision statement. The vision statement refers to innovation, outreach, partnership, economic and cultural development; all of which will offer students the means to success and prosperity in a “complex and increasingly diverse world.” In my remarks as mayor at the campus ribbon-cutting event in August 2011, I said — and I believe — that this campus will be the same sort of economic game-changer for our community in the 21st century as the Craig power plant was back in the latter part of the 20th century.

2) Where do you believe the college should focus its efforts for the next four years to ensure its success into the future?

I think the college is on a good path in this moment. Enrollment is up, the paleo program is off to a good start, the effort to create student housing is moving along and discussions about how to implement a four-year degree program are ongoing. These are all examples of where efforts could be focused to ensure future success.

3) Enrollment is up on the Craig campus 11 percent this year. What do you think the college needs to do to support continued growth on the Craig campus?

The 11 percent increase in enrollment is good news and shows that the campus is on a positive course. I’m sure that if we break down the 11 percent figure, we’ll find some specific areas to target for support. In general, I would say that we need to continue a strong marketing effort and continue to strengthen our partnership with the school district to encourage concurrent enrollment. There is also a need for some support in the college’s efforts to provide service to non-traditional students. Access to childcare and transportation are a couple of things that come to mind.

4) What skills or background do you bring with you to contribute to an effective board and a successful college?

My background in city government, both as a councilmember and as mayor, my involvement with other boards, including many years of service on the CNCC Foundation Board, position me well to be an effective and productive member of the CNCC Board of Control.

Mike Anson, president and owner of Anson Excavating and Pipe

1) Describe what you believe CNCC’s role is in Craig and Moffat County and what your vision is for its future.

The role of CNCC is to provide a higher education to the local community at an affordable price. In addition, I believe that CNCC should work closely with local industry and businesses to help provide continuing education and training for our local work force.

2) Where do you believe the college should focus its efforts for the next four years to ensure its success into the future?

I believe that CNCC needs to continue looking into ways to increase its enrollment. As a board, we need to explore options to help expand and build upon our current programs, while continuing our efforts to develop new programs that appeal to potential students.

3) Enrollment is up on the Craig campus 11 percent this year. What do you think the college needs to do to support continued growth on the Craig campus?

Marketing — We need to continue our efforts to inform the public as to just how much CNCC has to offer. CNCC students receive an affordable, quality education in a wonderful, small-town environment that can provide a stepping stone to success in a variety of fields.

Housing — Our successful partnership with a local apartment complex has demonstrated the need to provide affordable housing for our students. The more limited we are on the housing front the more limited CNCC will be at attracting students from outside Northwest Colorado, which is a key factor in our continued growth.

4) What skills or background do you bring with you to contribute to an effective board and a successful college?

I have been on the board for a few years now and feel that I have a good understanding of how things operate in the CNCC system and how they relate to the state higher education system. It is somewhat confusing on the CNCC side, since you have one college at two locations that receives three different tax dollars. My experience provides me with a better understanding of the funding process and the board’s overall responsibility to CNCC and the people of Northwest Colorado. My business background has also been invaluable in reviewing budgets and projections for the future. Finally, I have a very high regard for the opportunity that higher education can afford students of all ages and the positive impact that CNCC has on the communities it serves.

Zack Allen, director of educator effectiveness for Moffat County School District

1) Describe what you believe CNCC’s role is in Craig and Moffat County and what your vision is for its future.

I believe CNCC’s role is to prepare Moffat County residents of all ages for the present and the future. CNCC’s role to students is to provide them with a high quality, engaging education that meets their varied needs and interests and prepares them to be successful now and in the future. CNCC’s role in our community is to provide a skilled workforce capable of performing the varied tasks employers need now and the tasks that will be needed in the future and to be a vehicle to support life-long learners.

2) Where do you believe the college should focus its efforts for the next four years to ensure its success into the future?

First, we need to continue the great things that are already happening on the Craig campus. We need to continue and grow our early childhood, auto tech, cosmetology, emergency medical, nursing, massage, associates of arts, associate of sciences, concurrent enrollment, GED, senior and community education programs. Additionally, we should look at additional health field programs and continue the curriculum development currently underway to begin offering a bachelor of applied science degree program.

3) Enrollment is up on the Craig campus 11 percent this year. What do you think the college needs to do to support continued growth on the Craig campus?

I believe that the increased enrollment at the Craig campus is partly due to the permanent mill levy that voters approved in 2006. It allows us to offset half of the tuition for Moffat County residents who attend CNCC, supplement programs, and fund capital construction. This support enables CNCC to keep tuition down. With tuition spiking at other higher education institutions, this allows CNCC to be ultra competitive. There is opportunity to gain additional enrollment from our high school graduates who desire a four-year degree — they can complete two years at CNCC at a significantly lower cost. Also, I support the current plan to add athletics and campus housing in Craig. I believe it would significantly increase our ability to draw students from outside our region.

4) What skills or background do you bring with you to contribute to an effective board and a successful college?

I am an education leader by profession at the K-12 level. I have a passion for educational leadership and believe a strong relationship between K-12 education and higher education makes our community stronger. I also bring the perspective of being a parent of a student who is attending CNCC this year. I believe that a board is only as strong as its ability to collaborate. An individual board member has no power. Only the will of the board as a whole has power. I am a collaborative, community-oriented individual who has strong communication, problem-solving, and consensus-building skills.