Moving On After Graduation

At Western you will make friends for life and gain diverse skills and interests. After you graduate from Western you will be ready for whatever the world has to offer!93% of our graduates are placed in careers 6 months after they graduate.  10-15% go on to graduate school immediately and the average salary for new graduates is $30,000. 

Elva Dryer

Alum Elva Dryer (1996) is a current member of the U.S. World Cross Country Team and was a U.S. Olympian in 2000 and 2004.  Dryer ran the 5,000m in the 2000 Olympics, and ran 32:18 to finish 19th in the 10,000m in the 2004 Olympic Games. She has also represented the U.S. at three World Track and Field Championships, and has finished as high as eighth in the short-course race at the World Cross Country Championships. She set an American road best of 19:40 for four miles in 2001. At Western she was a seven-time Division II National Champion in cross country and track.

Local Restaurant Owners

Many of our grads run successful restaurants in the Gunnison Valley.  Nancy and Tim Lapello (1995) are owners of “The Bean” coffee shop, Tom and Kathy Rais (1961) own Mario’s, and Barbra Carroll (1995) owns Mocha’s coffee shop.

WSC Board of Trustees

Four of the nine WSC Trustees are Western grads. Peter Dea, Peter Kirchhof, Paul Rady and Valerie Schmalz are successful in business, politics, science, and philanthropy.  Schmalz (1993, pictured here) graduated with a degree in Business Administration and is the owner of Schmalz Construction, Ltd and Schmalz Leasing of Gunnison.  The Board of Trustees has full authority and responsibility for the control and governance of Western State College of Colorado.

Lisa Lyden

Alum Lisa Lyden (1982) a Journalism major, has anchored the #1 rated evening newscast in Southern Colorado for the past 23 years at KOAA-TV, an NBC affiliate. She has received numerous awards, including the Colorado Broadcasters Association "Best Newscast" a dozen times during her tenure. She is also the Colorado Broadcasters' "Citizen of the Year" for her community service. Lyden got her broadcasting start in college as News Director for WSC's college radio station, KWSB.

 

Dr. Eric Loewen

Esquire magazine in December 2005 featured alum Dr. Eric Loewen in their ‘Genius Issue’.  Loewen is a 1983 Western grad in mathematics and is currently working for General Electric as the Advanced Plant New Product Introduction Manager in Wilmington, NC. He says about WSC, "My liberal arts education from Western gave me the foundation for a creative future."

Barry Clifford

Alum Barry Clifford (1969) is one of the world’s best-known underwater archaeological explorers. National Geographic Magazine, the Discovery Channel, Columbia Broadcasting Systems, and others have documented his works on national television.

Climbing Mt. Everest

Western grads know how to excel in the outdoors.   Some examples include John Stevens (1968) pictured here, who is the CEO for Telluride Ski Area, Inc., and Jesse Rickert (1995) who climbed Mt. Everest.

Borick Hall

Steven Borick (1975) donated $3 million dollars towards the construction of the Borick Business Building which houses the Business, Accounting and Economics Department.  His donation was matched by additional donors and the building opened in the Fall 2007.

   

Legacy Program

Prospective students whose parents or grandparents graduated from Western can participate in the Legacy Program which makes them eligible for certain benefits including: dorm room preference, early registration, half price orientation, application fee waiver, and consideration for the $500 Legacy scholarship for applicants with a 3.0 or higher high school or college GPA. 

  

Career Services

The Career Services Center has several online resources such as DISCOVER (career interest and values inventory) and VAULT (online clearinghouse for career resources) as well as career counseling for cover letters, resumes, internships, and interviewing. The annual Career Fair and job listings for on campus student employment are among some of the programs and services offered by this department to help get Western students prepared for the work force.

 

Capstone Experience

All students graduating from Western are required to do a Capstone Experience- internship or research project to demonstrate proficiency in their area of study.  Click here to find out about the academic program you are interested in.