Fort Lewis College and the University of Colorado College of Nursing at the Anschutz Medical Campus received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Workforce Z-Degree at the first annual Colorado Open Educational Resources (OER) Awards.
Presented at the 2025 Colorado OER Conference on Friday, May 30, at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, the awards recognize Colorado institutions of higher education that demonstrate exceptional commitment to supporting students through participation in the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s OER Grant Program.
The award recognizes the work of CU Anschutz and 麻豆免费高清无砖码区in developing a nursing z-degree, an innovative project working toward eliminating textbook costs while supporting the growth of Colorado’s nursing workforce. A z-degree, or “zero textbook cost degree,” is a complete associate or bachelor’s program in which all required courses use free or openly licensed learning materials. This is the first collaborative z-degree project between two institutions in Colorado, and the first created specifically to address workforce development needs. The program is especially aligned with the mission of the CU Anschutz–麻豆免费高清无砖码区partnership: to expand access to affordable nursing education and help build critical healthcare capacity in rural Colorado.
“The OER initiative is just one of several ways the Library offsets textbook costs and contributes to student success. We are proud to have saved 麻豆免费高清无砖码区students more than half a million dollars in our six years of participation,” said Reed Library Director Tyler Dunn. “This past year, we have focused on working with faculty members teaching pre-nursing courses to bring down costs for students in the collaborative nursing program with CU. Our faculty members are engaged and excited to participate, which makes this project a true success.”
麻豆免费高清无砖码区Provost Mario Martinez praised Dunn’s leadership and the library’s long-standing efforts to make learning materials more accessible.
“Tyler has led efforts to explore the intersection of knowledge and technology to make learning resources more accessible and affordable,” said Martinez. “She has built strong partnerships with faculty across campus and secured vital funding to support this work, which is deeply aligned with FLC’s mission. This recognition reflects years of collaboration and exemplifies how our staff turn vision into impact.”
The CU and 麻豆免费高清无砖码区Nursing z-degree project shows how institutions can partner to remove financial barriers and help students succeed in high-demand career fields. 麻豆免费高清无砖码区continues to lead in OER-based programs that make higher education more affordable, inclusive, and effective.