Governor Polis Meets With Students, Staff at Morgan Community College, Highlighting Colorado’s Leadership in Higher Education

FORT MORGAN - Today, Governor Polis visited Morgan Community College. While meeting with students, faculty and Morgan Community College President Dr. Curt Freed, the Governor highlighted Colorado's investments to save Coloradans money on training and strengthen the state's robust workforce.

"We are making higher education more accessible, including making the first two years of community college free for Coloradans who make less than $90,000 per year. I am proud to be here today at Morgan Community College to speak with students and staff and see the ways our community colleges are creating new and relevant pathways for Coloradans to get skills for good jobs," said Governor Jared Polis.

"What makes visits like this so meaningful is seeing the impact of these investments firsthand. When we make education more affordable, align programs with workforce needs, and support innovation at our institutions, we create more than academic pathways, we create pathways to prosperity. Morgan Community College is a powerful example of how higher education is helping build Colorado's future, one student at a time," said Colorado Department of Higher Education Executive Director JB Holston.

In 2023, Governor Polis signed legislation to create Career Advance Colorado, which fully covers enrollment costs for training programs in sectors with significant workforce shortages. In 2025, Governor Polis announced that Colorado made community college free for over 10,000 health care professionals through Care Forward Colorado. The initiative produced more than 10,000 newly credentialed workers in health care. In 2022, Governor Polis signed SB 22-226 into law, which allocated $26 million in state recovery funds to provide zero-cost, short-term healthcare training programs across the state.

Morgan Community College was also awarded a $739,917 Opportunity Now grant through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. This funding provided resources for curriculum development and student support services for the Bachelor of Applied Science in Education program. Opportunity Now supports the creation and expansion of higher education programs that prepare Coloradans for in-demand, good paying jobs and careers.

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