You speak of entrance requirements, but you fail to recognize the mission of Mesa State and the other small schools, which is to be a regional education provider. MSC’s mission is not to be a CU, so why do you keep comparing them? At CU, a great deal of emphasis is placed on research. At MSC and other small schools, the highest emphasis is placed on teaching. Yet small schools continue to attract top students. Why is that? Perhaps there are top tier students who don’t want to be on a campus of 40,000+ students. Perhaps they prefer to be in a small school taking classes from professors who care about them. It has to be a right fit. CU does not fit everyone, nor does Harvard.

And regarding your comments to Sue, you are EXTREMELY out of touch with the success MSC education majors (from all fields) have had when compared to teachers from other institutions. There are teachers from all institutions out there doing a great job, and like any profession, there are teachers out there doing a not-so-great job. This holds true for lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc., etc., regardless from where they received their diploma. One final thought regarding the “rigors of traning”. Let’s take a general education curriculum for example: At a large university class size is what? 200? 300? 400?. At a small school class size is: 40? 50? 60? At a large university these courses are generally taught by a graduate assistant. At a small school these classes are taught by professors. How does one have “rigors of traning” in a large class? Perhaps you are talking about the upper division studies? How many in an upper division class in a large university? 40? 50? 60? when compared to a small school 10? 15? 20? Again, is about the right fit.

My daughter wants to teach here in our “real” world. If at some point she chooses to go to a different city, her degree (from wherever), her intelligence, her grades and most importantly, her motivation will get her there. She’ll succeed in part because I’ve taught her that if she expects success, she’ll have to work toward that goal… it will not be handed to her simply because of ink written on a college or university’s paper. I know that I am minimalizing your point, but my point is that the name on the degree is only part of the equation in determining success or failure.

And, apparently, apologize to all the normal residents of the entire Western Slope of Colorado.

“The actual question is whether she would get a teaching job with a school district in the “real” world beyond Mesa County (or Western Colorado).

If you dislike our “fantasy world”, remember, you came here, we didn’t go to you.

But, quite obviously, in the eyes of one user, your daughter isn’t capable of setting her sights any higher than some mediocre squalor position in some podunk village on the edge of nowhere.

Personally, I think Mesa State is a very good school.

(read - no ward churchills on staff)