Unrivaled support: While Colorado cities and universities examine ways to partner, CMU only one

Unrivaled support: While Colorado cities and universities examine ways to partner, CMU only one that directly receives city taxpayer dollars

The city of Grand Junction’s recent head nod to provide up to $500,000 to Colorado Mesa University next year for scholarship money for local students did more than reaffirm a commitment of taxpayer money to the growing institution that dates back 15 years.

More broadly, it cemented a partnership unlike any between a municipality and a public university in Colorado.

While cities and towns around the state have forged pacts with their universities that allow them to share infrastructure or split costs — as Grand Junction and CMU have — the notion of a city writing a check drawn on the taxpayers’ account to help pay for young people’s education is a novel concept outside the Grand Valley.

The Daily Sentinel polled 10 other Colorado cities about the degree to which they support — financially or otherwise — the colleges and universities. None use public dollars for scholarship money or otherwise directly financially back their respective institutions.

Read more: http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/unrivaled-support--while-colorado-cities-and-unive/