The University of Colorado concluded its 2025 Presidential Outreach Tour with a visit to Mesa and Montrose counties on the Western Slope. President Todd Saliman, Regent Ray Scott, and system administration leaders spent two days meeting with educators, nonprofit organizations, business leaders, and local residents in Grand Junction and Montrose.
During the tour, CU leadership emphasized the university’s ongoing commitment to affordability, access, and opportunity for students across Colorado. “At the University of Colorado, we know there is a place at one of our four campuses for every student from the Western Slope who wants to pursue a degree,” said CU President Todd Saliman. “We’re focused on ensuring that cost and culture are never a barrier to anyone looking for their educational path to success. Our visit this summer – and our ongoing work with community leaders – are all about growing our existing partnerships and exploring new ways we can align with community-identified needs.”
The first stop was at Grand Junction High School, which recently opened a $144.5 million facility funded by a bond measure approved by local voters in 2024. The tour also included an outdoor recreation manufacturing roundtable where industry representatives discussed how CU Denver’s Outside Lab could support the region’s outdoor sector. Representatives from Colorado Mesa University joined these discussions.
Saliman commented on these efforts: “I want to make sure that CU is connected to Colorado and that we’re doing things that are relevant for our state. What I see in meetings like that is that the answer is that we are.”
CU leaders also visited Colorado Mesa University (CMU) to observe the CU Boulder/Colorado Mesa University Engineering Partnership Program. Established in 2008, this program allows students to complete initial coursework at CMU before finishing their engineering degrees with CU Boulder faculty based on the Western Slope.
In Montrose, university officials learned about the district’s Career and College Readiness Program at Montrose High School. This initiative prepares students through hands-on learning pathways, technical education opportunities, concurrent enrollment for college credit, and industry credentials—all provided at no cost.
Efforts were made during this visit to strengthen partnerships by expanding concurrent enrollment options designed to help prepare future teachers for Montrose schools.
A business roundtable in Montrose brought together university leadership with local business owners and civic leaders to discuss economic needs in the region. Collaboration between higher education institutions and businesses was highlighted as key for workforce development through internships, capstone projects, applied research, and other initiatives involving CU’s three business schools.
“It’s through those kinds of partnerships where we can provide added value to the business community or to families or to students,” Saliman said. That’s what we’re all about.”
The outreach tour ended with a Community Info Night event in Montrose where residents met admissions staff from all four CU campuses—CU Boulder, UCCS, CU Denver, and CU Anschutz—and learned about affordability programs such as CU Promise and Boulder Tuition Guarantee as well as details of engineering partnership opportunities.
“In Colorado, it’s affordable,” Saliman said. “There are ways to go to college in Colorado. People need to pursue post-secondary education. We’re making it easier to transfer credits. We have lots of financial aid options. We’re making it cheaper to go to college and people need to check it out.”
