Whether starting college for the first time or returning to studies after a hiatus, older students face many challenges. One that evokes great fear is the need to take at least one college level math class in order to obtain a degree.

The University Centers of the San Miguel has designed a unique summer College Math Boot Camp specifically designed to help students of all ages overcome their fear of math and prepare for future enrollment in College Algebra or College Math, or simply to improve their math skills for professional career reasons. This continuing education course is open to any high school or GED graduate and will be offered in two four-week long sessions, meeting twice a week: one evening for formal math class and the second evening for an optional math lab.

Session I, beginning in late June, will focus on General Math and Algebra Basics. Session II will take students to the next level. The classes will be taught by Deb Gesmundo, who holds a secondary teaching license in math and has taught math to adults as a Peace Corps volunteer, as well as instructing at the high school level.

College Math Boot Camp will be especially beneficial to any student planning to enter college in the fall, but who is facing the possibility of being forced to take remedial or developmental math because of low test scores. Anyone needing a refresher course before taking the GRE exam for graduate school may also want to consider this course. 

The University Centers of the San Miguel is establishing a General Studies program that will allow local residents the opportunity to pursue an associate’s degree. UCSM partners with Mesa State College and Colorado Northwestern Community College to provide college and professional training courses in the communities of the San Miguel Watershed. Teaching sites include donated community classrooms in Mountain Village, Telluride, Placerville, and Redvale, with other communities soon to be included. Faculty and instructors are local residents with advanced degrees in their academic fields and classes are taught in small seminar type environments with college and career counseling and academic support services available to all.

Continuing education courses such as Spanish Communications and Computer Applications have proven to be very popular, and many lifelong learners are auditing college courses at a reduced tuition. Courses for Fall 2008 include Field-based Environmental Science, English, History, Literature, and Early Childhood Education.

The University Centers of the San Miguel is a nonprofit organization with a mission to enhance and sustain our unique economic, multi-cultural and natural environments by insuring equitable access to higher education and training for the residents and workforce of the San Miguel Watershed communities. As a member of the National College Access Network, UCSM provides intensive professional college counseling for ambitious low-income and first generation college students. UCSM is supported by grants from Mountain Village Owners Association, Town of Telluride CCAASE, San Miguel County, Town of Mountain Village, and Telluride Foundation, and by private and business donations. Further information about UCSM is available at their website: www.ucsanmiguel.org.