Faculty of the Graphic Design Program.

Professor Nancy Stranger has substantially developed the Colorado Mountain College graphic design program, creatively met student needs, helped students get good jobs and has actively provided community service to the Roaring Fork Valley. She was chosen as Colorado Mountain College's 2001 Full-time Faculty of the Year.

CMC Developmental Education Professor Mary Axelson, who nominated Nancy wrote: "She took what was a tired program and pumped it up. . .She is such a good teacher because when it comes to her field she has done all of it. She is a wonderful artist, and has worked in a variety of graphic design positions, including newspapers, advertising, and printing. You name it, she's done it. And she has that intrinsic quality of turning art into an employable skill. Her students have won competitions at the state and national levels, and she has built the Graphic Design program into one that is nationally recognized.

"Because of her fine art background and ties to commercial art, she knows high school art and graphic design teachers all over the state," explained Mary. "When those high school teachers heard she was teaching at Colorado Mountain College, they sent their students here.

She's a known commodity and people want to get into her program. And she's a dynamite teacher. I used to teach high school and you want to send your students on to where they will learn and succeed, and teachers know Nancy will do that.

Nancy isn't just focused on art.
She is focused on helping her students succeed. . . no matter what it takes.

"A lot of students who want to go into art aren't always strong traditional students," said Axelson. "Nancy works with all of their college instructors to get these students to where they need to be. She isn't just focused on art. She is focused on helping her students succeed. . . no matter what it takes."

"She's the reason I am still here," said veteran adjunct graphic arts instructor and freelance graphic artist Bobbie VanMeter. VanMeter continues, "She's the glue that keeps the whole program together. She sees to it that faculty are hired who actually do for a living what we're teaching. In addition to everything else, she has successfully sought grants for the program. Our whole state of-the-art Macintosh computer lab is the result of grants she's pursued. Typically, everything at CMC is done on PCs, but the graphic design industry relies on Macintosh and Nancy is seeing to it that our students are prepared in the latest Macintosh software and technology and yet can work on a PC platform as well.

"Not only is she innovative. She sees to it that we all offer what it takes for students to succeed in the real world of graphic design. She constantly assesses what needs there are out in the community that should be met and then meets them. Her program is set up so that when her students graduate they are ready to get a job or transfer to a four-year school.

"I totally love working with her. She's the best supervisor I've ever had. She treats us as equals. She really asks for our opinions and uses our ideas. She's not only a good teacher. She's a good manager."

Nancy's talents reach far beyond the classroom. She has been active in the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts and Art Guild, and has volunteered her talents to a number of local organizations. Nancy has created logos, posters, tee-shirt designs, tickets and newsletters for organizations such as the Frontier Historical Society, First Presbyterian Church, Valley View Hospital Auxiliary, community theater, and the CMC Mini-College. Nancy tries to keep her students involved in community events as well, regularly completing graphic design projects for non-profit organizations.

Recently, Nancy graduated from Colorado State University with a Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Studies. A multidisciplinary program of study designed by Stranger has incorporated coursework in community college leadership, vocational education administration, and the integration of technology with fine art. "It’s been a tremendous experience," she says. "The integration of technology in all facets of education is a major issue in today’s schools.

"The Internet has changed the way that teachers teach, and opened up a wealth of information for both teachers and students. How we make that information accessible and use it in classrooms is an ongoing challenge." Nancy finds numerous ways to use technology in the courses she teaches, from how to design for the web to how to conduct a job search.

Nancy recently returned from San Diego where she made a presentation on web design at a national convention of teachers. "I really stressed the importance of using graphic design elements along with the basic computing skills. The audience was extremely receptive to the concept, and I have been invited back to make a similar presentation in New Orleans next winter."