In the many years that I have been involved with economic development efforts in Grand County, both as a newspaper editor and an enterprise facilitator, the dream of having higher education in Grand County has been a mainstay.

But getting an actual college, community college or university branch here has been elusive. There are many reasons for this.

And yet, the dream continues. Now Metropolitan State University in Denver is making a real effort to get started on a continuing education, service skills education effort in Grand County. To be exact, the school of hospitality has stepped up to offer two classes here in the county that have honest-to-God true practical value for workers and residents in the county and their employers.

One class is the TIPS on-Premise Alcohol Server Training, set for Sept. 24. The second is the Always Food Safe Food Handler Certification, set for Oct 8. The classes take place at the Headwater Center in Winter Park and cost $90 each.

That these classes have true practical value in this county perhaps goes without saying. These are classes that service industry businesses want their employees to take. They are classes that service industry employees should want to take and probably may be required to take to work kitchens and food-based businesses in the county.

As tourism and recreation continue to grow in importance for the economy of Grand County, these sorts of classes demonstrate the value that higher or continuing education can have for our economy.

But for me this effort is really about exploration of the concept of higher education here in Grand County along the level of a Colorado Mountain College type of campus or learning center. This is important because such centers of learning and continuing education serve as springboards for business growth and expansion as students, professors and potential graduates nurture and develop the skills to serve our tourism-based economy.

Such a campus or higher learning center can also serve as an incubator for innovative ideas to flourish and for smart business ideas for our local economy to take off.

But there’s more.

There is an aspect of higher learning and higher education that doesn’t have to be so directly tied to creating jobs and earning paychecks. Such education in fields such as psychology, mathematics, literature and languages can help to create a society informed by the facts and the success of our national knowledge to create well-rounded, informed citizens.

Having a place or even a virtual environment for such learning in Grand County creates, in and of itself, something that is attractive to visitors, locals and aspiring second-home owners. People want to be part of an educated and informed community that creates and shares knowledge, both hyper-practical and, shall I say it, theoretical.

Over the years, and I mean many years, I have entertained and discussed a community college campus in Grand County, Grand County Higher Education and actual efforts to fund related campuses to the outreach programs at Colorado State University. These efforts struggled to maintain interest and financial backing. I think this MSU effort is starting with realistic goals and an honest attempt to test the market.

An affiliation with Metropolitan State University in Grand County makes a ton of sense. It is a state-backed and highly respected school in the Denver area that serves a diverse student body, many of whom are commuters and others who board in.

But the practical linkage to Denver is important because many people call the Winter Park Resort “Denver’s ski area,” (which it in fact was at one time) and the proximity of Winter Park and Fraser Valley to Denver makes it a first stop for many vacationers, both day skiers and summer day trippers. There is an organic link between Denver and Grand County in more ways than one.

And with the commuter train service starting next year with commuter-style linkage of Denver to Grand County (both to Granby and Winter Park/Fraser), the symbiosis of the Metropolitan State University effort makes sense.

And now the market can be tested to see how valuable this effort by will be received in Grand County. This could be planting the seeds, finally, for some higher education in Grand County, both super-practical and highly fulfilling.

Which, ultimately, would be good for the local economy.

Patrick Brower is the Enterprise Facilitator for the Grand Enterprise Initiative. He offers free and confidential business management coaching to anyone who wants to start or expand a business in Grand County. He is also the author of the book “KILLDOZER:  The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage.” He can be reached by calling 970-531-0632 or at pbrower@grandei.org.