Dear Western Alumni and Friends, As we celebrate Western’s 100 years, I am completing my 10th year as the President of Western, and 21st year at the College. Please know that I am still grateful, proud, and humbled to serve as the President of this College. Philanthropy will play a major role in Western’s future as it will for the future of most of public higher education. The 19th and 20th century model with sufficient public funding to make higher education accessible to students is, like many things in history, behind us. This means that Western and our sister public higher education schools must adapt to a new world with new realities. Philanthropy will be front and center in this new world. Public higher education now operates in a new reality of heightened expectations and demands from our constituents. Ironically, these heightened expectations come with diminishing funding for the past several years, and that situation will not change anytime soon. So, despite diminished funding support, there are increased public expectations for access, accountability, and affordability. The Age of Accountability coupled with lower public funding support is the new normal. To be clear, the Age of Accountability means that our public expects us all to educate a more diverse and broad student population than ever before; and to assure that these students succeed irrespective of college preparedness when they begin. Among the many challenges the College faces, it is clear that we must shape Western in the coming years to clearly demonstrate how we differ from our competitors and bring value to the region and the State. Our programs must be relevant; they must be rigorous; and learning outcomes must be clearly established and assessed. The Western faculty understand this and stand ready to deliver. It is critical that we forge onward with the kind of vision and imagination demonstrated by those who founded the Gunnison Normal School in 1911, evolved it into Western State College of Colorado in 1923, and set the College on a course that has brought us to this 100 year anniversary. We must continue the legacy of commitment, vision, and resilience that has brought us to this point and launch Western into a robust, relevant, and successful second century of excellence in Colorado higher education. I want to thank each of you for all that you have done for Western, and all that you continue to do. We are surrounded by a cheering section of 100 years of faculty, students, alumni, community members and donors. They encourage, empower, and challenge us to carry the torch of Western forward to future generations. You carry it with me. The early years of Gunnison Normal School and then Western State College of Colorado were difficult and challenging. So too are times challenging as we face our second hundred years. Much like those before us, we will continue to make history together. Thank you for believing in Western. Sincerely, Jay Helman President
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