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Craig — Two public forums scheduled for 2 and 6:30 p.m. at the Colorado Northwestern Community College Craig Campus on Tuesday will help determine if a four-year elementary education program could be offered in Craig, a CNCC official said.

If the program is approved, it could benefit the college's largely site-bound student population and may help build the workforce locally, said Gene Bilodeau, dean of CNCC's Craig campus.

The purpose of Tuesday's forums will be "to get a feel of what mode of delivery works best for students ... and see what Mesa's expectations are," the dean said.

The program, if approved, would be offered by Mesa State College in partnership with CNCC. Through it, students would earn a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Mesa State after earning an associate degree in liberal arts at CNCC, Bilodeau said.

Mesa State educators would teach the course, using CNCC Craig Campus facilities and technology. The cost of the program has yet to be established.

"It's up to Mesa State whether or not the program comes here," Bilodeau said.

Tuesday's forum will help Mesa State representatives "gauge (the community's) true interest" in the program, Bilodeau said.

Initial interest in the program has already been established. A survey conducted by Mesa State College in June indicated some Craig residents have an interest in earning their bachelor's degrees in either elementary education or business.

According to the summary compiled by Mesa State, 52 of 102 responders showed an interest in completing a bachelor's degree. Of these, 15 respondents indicated a bachelor's with elementary education licensure was either their first or second highest interest.

The survey conducted by Mesa State showed 18 of 52 responders interested in obtaining their bachelor's degree were most interested in obtaining a bachelor's degree in business. Bilodeau said Mesa State has a business program in place but is not ready to offer it as an extension program as it does with the elementary education program.

Bilodeau estimated 75 percent of CNCC's student population is site-bound - unable to pursue a four-year degree at an off-site university.

"Most students attending (CNCC) work or raise a family while going to school," Bilodeau said. "They have obligations. To leave would be really difficult."

In response, more students are turning to online programs.

"I've seen more and more students doing more distance learning programs," like those offered through Regis University, he said.

"As a community college, it's our mission to meet the needs of the community we serve," the dean added.

The program could also build a workforce from the local population instead of trying to draw employees from outside the area essentially "growing our own educators," Bilodeau said.

Cindy Vorhies, personnel assistant at Moffat County School District, said individuals in the community - including school paraprofessionals - are interested in earning degrees to become fully-certified teachers.

"We have a huge amount of teachers in the district that started as paraprofessionals," she said.

"We have several people working to get their teaching degree ... online," she added.

Bilodeau said he hopes that if the program proves successful, it will "open the door" for other four-year programs in the Craig area.

Bridget Manley can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 207, or bmanley@craigdailypress.com