Introduction

In the academic year 1998-1999, Colorado College celebrated the 125th anniversary of its official founding on February 9, 1874. The observance began with the Fall Conference and New Student Week in late August 1998 and concluded with Commencement in May 1999. At the center of the year’s observances was the symposium Cultures in the 21st Century: Conflicts and Convergences and special convocation in February 1999. The College’s aim has been not only to recall our past glories but also to think seriously about the future and the role of liberally educated men and women in that future. It will surprise no one to discover that there is no unanimity about how best to understand where we are and where we may be going. But civil discourse among thoughtful people in genuine conversation remains the mark of liberal learning at work. We thought it especially fitting for Colorado College to exemplify its commitment to the traditions of liberal learning not so much by talking directly about that commitment, but by sustaining and advancing it, inviting all who wish to participate with us in our reflections to join us.

The Colorado College Studies is pleased to publish a number of the papers presented at the symposium so that members of the Colorado College community who could not attend will be able to enjoy and benefit from thoughtful and learned reflections on the state of the world on the eve of the 21st century.

Timothy Fuller
Editor of Colorado College Studies

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