CC Summer Arts Festival

The annual CC Summer Arts Festival is underway and tickets for the entire series are now on sale. See a schedule of all events, June through August, and a brochure (in PDF format) with even more information about the summer festival. Also see the festival web site for a preview of upcoming events.

On Friday, June 18, there will be both a Festival Artists Concert and the NAACP Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom Concert. On Saturday, there will be a Garden Conservancy tour of the Grace gardens, which blend formal and informal plantings evoking an Italianate environment. Other upcoming events include Krakatau, Indonesia’s premier jazz-fusion band, who will perform a free concert on July 2. See the calendar for more details on these events.

Summer Session began Monday, June 7 -- see more about Summer Programs.

To receive a free e-mail version of Colorado College's monthly events calendar, send us a note with "CC calendar via e-mail" in the subject line.

573 Receive Degrees at CC Commencement

At commencement ceremonies on Monday, May 17, 524 bachelor of arts degrees and 49 master of arts in teaching degrees were granted. Photos, transcripts, and archived web streaming video are now available -- go to the commencement page for links.

"We came together from different places, studied different subjects, challenged ourselves in different ways," senor class President Sally Gasper (pictured, front-left) told the graduates. "As we go out into the world we can remember what we learned at Colorado College, not only from each other, but from the various disciplines we studied." Complete remarks.

"I hope that all of you can come up with a broader definition of success," said author and journalist Eric Schlosser said in his commencement remarks, "a much more complex and nuanced view of what you want out of life, one that includes compassion and tolerance and humility, one that rejects violence and chooses war, always, and only as a last resort." Schlosser has written books including “Fast Food Nation,” which used Colorado Springs as its prime model, and “Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market.” Complete remarks.

KRDO TV was among those covering the event. See a feature on some of the graduating class's "best and brightest" -- and a list of speakers back to CC's first commencement in 1882, along with transcripts of remarks since 1996.

Schlosser's remarks at CC are included in a commencement roundup, along with speakers from other national liberal arts colleges at the website for the Annapolis Group.

State of the Rockies 'Report Card' Released

What happens when one of the most spectacular and fragile regions in the United States is also the fastest growing area in the nation? Release of the first State of the Rockies Report Card during a conference on campus May 3-4 generated interest in that question across the nation -- including stories in the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post, Colorado Springs Gazette, Rocky Mountain News, the Bozeman (Montana) Daily Chronicle, and other local, regional, and national news media.

In May, the first State of the Rockies Conference at Colorado College focused on the region, which is growing in population at three times the rate of the nation as a whole -- by looking at key issues such as demographic growth and decay, natural resource extraction, tourism and recreation, culture, and environmental conditions.

The report aims to provide a comprehensive and accessible annual statement on what is happening in the eight Rocky Mountain states: Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Among the guest speakers at the conference was Richard Lamm, former Colorado governor, who addressed "The Angry West, Revisited: Reflections on 20 Years of Change in the Rockies."

See a more about the report project.

Colorado College Receives Major Grants for Cornerstone Arts, Palmer Hall Renovation

Two foundations have announced major grants to the college, one for construction of a new facility and the other for renovation of an historic structure.

The Inasmuch Foundation has awarded a $4 million grant to Colorado College to help fund the Cornerstone Arts Building, a multi-million dollar arts teaching and performance facility. See more information about the Inasmuch grant. See a story in the Rocky Mountain News.

(The April 2004 issue of CC's alumni magazine, The Bulletin, features profiles of numerous alumni who have excelled in arts-related careers.)

Colorado College also has been awarded a $400,000 grant from Denver-based Boettcher Foundation to help fund the renovation of 100-year-old Palmer Hall. See more about the Boettcher grant -- and more about the renovation of Palmer.

Athens 2004: CC Olympic Connections

The CC Olympic tradition will continue in Athens this summer, with a least one alumna competing: Tara Nott Cunningham '94, a gold medallist in weightlifting in Sydney in 2000, made the U.S. team again with a top finish at the Olympic trials -- see an Associated Press story, and her U.S.O.C. athlete's bio.

Alison Dunlap '91 is aiming at repeating her 2002 Olympic qualification on the mountain bike, a sport in which she remains one of the world's top competitors. A member of the road bike team in Atlanta's 1996 games, she has struggled with injuries in the last year but still is aiming for the one U.S. spot -- her hopes were boosted with a win at the end of May at the Houffalize World Cup. See Alison's web site.

See more about the two alumna and their 2000 Olympic experiences. Also see a list of CC Olympians through history, and a story on the torch passing through Colorado Springs on its way to Utah for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

CC Dean Named Chancellor of University of Montana-Western

Richard D. Storey, dean of the college and dean of the faculty, is leaving Colorado College to accept the position of chancellor at the University of Montana-Western. Storey assumes his new position in July of 2004. "We are inordinately proud of Dick and this prestigious career advancement," said CC President Richard F. Celeste in making the announcement to campus. "Dick is a proven leader and a thoughtful human being who cares deeply about higher education."

Storey has served Colorado College for more than 25 years, as a biology professor, dean, and acting president. See a CC release and a UM-Western release for more -- along with a recent profile of Storey in the CC magazine, The Bulletin.

CC Cares: Alumni Help Out in 18 Cities

Colorado College alumni, parents, and friends from around the country participated in the sixth annual CC Cares Day on Saturday, May 1.

Eighteen alumni clubs in Albuquerque, Boise, Boston, Boulder, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Hawaii, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., served their communities in a variety of ways.

Volunteers planted trees, repaired trails, prepared community gardens and helped paint murals at schools. Alumni in San Antonio, Kansas City and Dallas/Fort Worth assisted at local food banks while alumni in Denver spent the day helping to support and supervise the painting of a mural at a downtown elementary school. See a release for more on CC Cares Day.

College Ranks Among Best Wireless Campuses

Intel Corporation ranked Colorado Colleges 11th among all U.S. colleges and universities for its wireless computing access on campus. See the list, announced in April, in which CC is the highest ranking national liberal arts college.

Intel's "Most Unwired College Campuses" survey ranks the top 100 schools. "The survey reveals a growing number of schools across the country where students have the freedom to wirelessly access the Internet on notebook PCs -- without a traditional wired connection -- and stay connected and informed whether they're in the dorm room, library or outdoors at the campus quad." Colorado Springs ranked 20th among metro areas in a similar survey.

The college completed its wireless network last summer, making virtually all the 90-acre campus accessible to laptops and PDAs with wireless capability. CC alumni and Cisco Corporation employees Rob Adkisson '92 and Gretchen Corbin '93 have taken advantage of Cisco's employee giving program to purchase wireless equipment for the college.

CC Student One of 50 Nationwide
to Win Watson Fellowship

Senior Chris Zink, a liberal arts and sciences major from Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., is one of 50 college students in the country to win one of this year's Watson Fellowships. The prestigious award funds a year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States. Zink plans to go to Mali and India, to pursue his proposal, "Studying the Ancient Language of Nonviolence."

Zink is the most recent of numerous CC students to receive the fellowship since it was created in 1968 by the children of Thomas J. Watson Sr., founder of IBM Corporation, and his wife Jeannette K. Watson. See more about the Watson Fellowship, including this year's other awardees.

Applications to Colorado College Set Record

Colorado College has received 18 percent more admissions applications than last year, setting an all-time record for the college, with more than 4,100 applications as of mid-February. The previous record was 3,913 applications in 1997. Applications increased from nearly every major market, including Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle, and New England. Continuing a four-year trend, early-action applications -- which were due in November -- were up 24 percent to an all-time high of 1,056. The college expects to enroll approximately 500 students for the class of 2008.

"Colorado College has made a concerted effort in the past year to get the word out about our unique curriculum and the benefits of the one-course-at-a-time Block Plan," said Mark Hatch, dean of admission and financial aid. "Students have continually remarked that they are looking for a college experience that is 'excitingly different,' and CC's innovative structure and dynamic location certainly provide that."

See a news release for more details, and the admission site for more information about the applications process.

Kiplinger’s, Outside, others recognize Colorado College

Kiplinger's business magazine ranked Colorado College 31st on its 100 Best Private College Values list. The ranking was the culmination of an intensive study of more than 1,300 private colleges and universities and recognizes those which combine academic excellence with generous aid packages and lower total costs. "I'm pleased that Kiplinger's has acknowledged the affordability of our high quality education," said Mark Hatch, the college's dean of admission and financial aid. "CC strives to ensure education access for all students." See the December 2003 story on Kiplinger.com.

Outside ranks CC 13th in its list of the 40 best colleges in its September 2003 issue. The magazine’s staff researched hundreds of colleges and universities, chose the top 40 academic schools among them, and then ranked those based on criteria like environmental ethos, students’ sense of adventure, and proximity to healthy outdoor pursuits. See more about student life at the college.

CC also has made other lists of the most outstanding institutions in higher education. Among them, the Washington Post ranked CC among 100 colleges "that deserve a second look." U.S. News annual rankings consistently put CC among the best national liberal arts colleges, No. 27 this year.

Check out a YM Magazine feature on seven small schools, which includes Colorado College. And Seventeen magazine ranked CC No. 20 out of the "100 Coolest Colleges" in its October 2002 issue.

The college was also listed in Kaplan's "The Unofficial, Unbiased, Insider's Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges." Colorado College is one of the top 25 liberal arts colleges for Asian Americans, according to aMagazine. CC is also mentioned in the Kaplan/Newsweek College Catalog book as a hidden treasure and an academically competitive school. Colorado College is ranked No. 4 among bachelor's institutions with the largest numbers of students studying abroad, according to a story in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Profs, Students, Alumni Earn National Recognition

Colorado College debate team member Ian O’Brien Ferrin-O’Connell was one of three American students who will take on the three best debaters from Ireland in April -- see a release for more. See am update on that and CC's debate team in the May issue of Access.

Joseph "Jay" Maloney '75 has been named the 2004 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The award was presented at the international association's annual conference in Seattle last month. He has been a development professional since he took at job with CC immediately after graduation, later moving on to establish the Penrose-St Frances Health Foundation in Colorado Springs. Since 1999, Maloney has been president of Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado Foundation. Phillippa Kassover, a CC development officer, serves on the group's southern Colorado chapter, which nominated Maloney for the association's competition.

Sheldon Smith '85 set a dance piece for CC's Faculty Dance Concert and then took the piece -- "The Princess Dreams of the Future But Is Not Pleased With The Unexpected Outcome" danced by Casey Avaunt, Amy Salm, and Lane Salter -- to the American College Dance Festival in Utah. His dance has been selected for the National American College Dance Festival in Washington, D.C., this June, a first for CC in the competition, which pits even small colleges against the largest dance departments in the nation.

Joe Simitian, a 1974 graduate and current California assemblyman, has been named to Scientific American's 2003 List of Winners for his work on groundbreaking legislation addressing electronic identity theft. CC senior David Nguyen published an opinion piece in the Sunday (Nov. 16) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where he had recently completed an internship. Political science Professor Bob Loevy is quoted in U.S. News's "100 Documents That Shaped America" feature.

See more about other CC people in the news.

CC Wins NCAA Convention Vote

Proposal 65-1, the amended legislation co-sponsored by Colorado College and seven other institutions that grant financial aid to student-athletes who compete in Division I programs, passed overwhelmingly at the 2004 NCAA Convention in Nashville on Monday afternoon. The amendment passed 296-106 with 17 abstentions. The vote preserves men's ice hockey and women's soccer at the Division I level at CC and the other historic sports programs at Clarkson University, Hartwick College, Johns Hopkins University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rutgers-Newark, St. Lawrence University, and SUNY-Oneonta. The reform package, Proposal 65, then passed as amended 304-89 with 18 abstentions.

Click here for story updates.

College Ranks #11 in Peace Corps Volunteers

Colorado College currently boasts 22 of its alumni serving as active Peace Corps volunteers, ranking #11 among colleges and universities with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates -- see a news release. Last year, CC ranked #8, and in 2000, the Peace Corps honored CC as #25 among colleges in total volunteers from among its alumni serving since 1961.

CC President Richard F. Celeste served as director of the U.S. Peace Corps from 1979 until 1981. Students often find a common interest with him based on that background, he said.

"More and more students who realize that I headed the Peace Corps at one time are approaching me to discuss it," Celeste said. "It doesn't surprise me, because these students are very interested in being engaged globally. Based on what I have seen, I think we will see more students here and on other campuses considering Peace Corps service."

Approximately 70 percent of CC students participate in some form of community service during their years on campus. See our Center for Community Service for more details.

CC Names New Vice President for Advancement

Stephen Elder has been appointed Colorado College’s vice president for advancement, CC President Richard F. Celeste has announced. Elder has served as interim vice president for advancement since November. As vice president, he oversees alumni relations, communications, and the college's several areas of fundraising.

“Steve has raised the bar for this job in the few months that he has exercised interim responsibility,” Celeste said. “He enjoys enormous respect among his staff, and great confidence among our trustees. Perhaps most important, he shares my excitement about our ambitious effort to elevate Colorado College to a position as the national leader in undergraduate liberal arts education. Steve will, in my judgment, bring the energy, conviction and skills to raise the funds we need to be successful in this endeavor.”

Elder succeeds Don Wilson, who last fall was named to a similar position at the University of Sydney in Australia. See a release for more about Elder and the appointment.

The college also has named a new director of athletics, Julie Soriero -- see more about that appointment.

Colorado College Dean of Students
Honored by American Cancer Society

Mike Edmonds, Colorado College dean of students, was honored with the St. George National Award at the American Cancer Society's 2003 Hope Gala on Nov. 22. The St. George Award is presented to an outstanding volunteer in recognition of distinguished service in achieving the society's strategic goals. Edmonds has taken a leadership role with the El Paso/Teller Unit of the American Cancer Society since 1990, having served on the board of directors, the cancer control committee, the major gifts committee and currently, the Rocky Mountain Division board. He has helped increase awareness and foster relationships with corporations; developed long-range approaches to fund-raising; and advocated diversity by working with youths and bringing forth African American and Hispanic involvement through his work with Urban League and as chair of the Cinco de Mayo celebration in Colorado Springs. See a news release for more.

Alumni Come Home to Vintage Planes,
a State-of-the-Art Building, Traditional Events

Approximately 2,000 alumni, parents, and friends took part in CC's Homecoming /Parents Weekend Oct. 9-12. Among the highlights: Pie-the-President, a fundraiser for Children’s Literacy Center in which participants purchased raffle tickets for a chance to throw a pie at Colorado College President Richard F. Celeste. The newly resurfaced Washburn Field -- the oldest collegiate athletic field in continuous use west of the Mississippi -- was rededicated, and three World War II North American T-6 airplanes flew over the field in military formation, led by alumnus Chris Barton ’83. At half-time, the 1943 CC Football Team was inducted into the CC Athletic Hall of Fame. Five members of the college family were honored by the CC Alumni Association for outstanding contributions to their fields and service to Colorado College -- see a release for more.

The college also dedicated the new 51,000-square-foot Russell T. Tutt Science Center, a new “green” facility that provides labs and smart classrooms for the psychology/neuroscience, mathematics, environmental science, and geology departments. See more about the new building.

See the full schedule of Homecoming activities -- and photo coverage (including a QuickTime movie!) of the weekend events.

Coretta Scott King Delivers Capstone Address

Coretta Scott King, one of the most influential African-American leaders in our world today, delivered The William Jovanovich Lecture in Public Affairs as the capstone address for Colorado College's new student orientation on August 24. In her talk, "Diversity, Social Justice and the Challenge to Fulfill the Dream," King shared experiences from her productive career and life as they pertain to liberal learning.

“I must urge you to get involved in the political process and most importantly, use the power of the ballot," Mrs. King told the overflowing crowd of mostly students. “The torch of leadership is being passed to your generation -- rise up and take a stand against poverty, war, and racism. If we can’t expect leadership from you, where will we get it?”

See news coverage from KRDO TV, and a college news release about about Mrs. King's campus visit.

Opening Convocation Features Honorary Degrees, Remarks by Alumni, President, Student Body Leader

CC's 2003-04 academic year officially opened on Monday, Sept. 1, with convocation ceremonies in Shove Chapel. Among the highlights were welcoming remarks by President Richard F. Celeste and senior Matthew Synenberg, president of the Colorado College Campus Association. Honorary degrees were presented to alumni Douglas Levi Obletz '77 and Carol Annette Petsonk '79. Obletz was honored for his work as an urban planner and economist in Portland, Oregon, while Petsonk was lauded for her accomplishments as an attorney, teacher, and environmentalist. Petsonk, who currently is international counsel for Environmental Defense in Washington, D.C., also addressed the college community in a talk, "Time, Precious Time."

As part of New Student Orientation 2003 the previous week, all 450 first-year students at CC embarked on either a four-day community service trip or a four-day backpacking experience (except for 49 athletes already on practice schedules, who performed a day of community service in Denver). These four-day activities include restoring fencing at a wildlife refuge, helping build houses, connecting migrants to library services, and feeding wolves. See more about NSO community service.

Colorado College Receives Music Library

The Colorado Springs Symphony Guild has donated a library of orchestral scores and parts to CC. The Guild was able to organize the purchase of the collection at auction through the generous support of their members and a grant from the Colorado Springs Foundation, says Jane Beeder, a Symphony Guild board member and one of the auction bidders. “The Guild felt the works would best be housed at CC where they can be preserved for use by future generations,” says Beeder.

CC looks forward to making this collection — in all approximately 1,400 works — available to orchestras free of rental charge, says Michael Grace, CC professor and chair of the music department. CC President Richard F. Celeste sees this gift as an affirmation of the importance of symphonic music in the community. “We expect to work closely with leaders in the community to ensure that this asset can be used to continue the wonderful musical heritage here in Colorado Springs,” he says.

CC Film Studies Program Produces TV Spot

CC Professor, Alumni Publish a Study in Science

CC Senior Profiled in Job Search Feature

Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV.

Three CC Alumnae Make
Discover's Top 50 Women in Science

Discover magazine's November 2002 issue lists the "50 Most Important Women in Science." Out of those 50 women, three are Colorado College alumnae -- Margaret Liu '77, Jane Lubchenco '69, and Marcia McNutt '74. The total of three graduates from CC was topped only by MIT with four. Four other colleges and universities had two undergraduate alumnae each who made the list. See a news release, and read a story in Access, the campus newspaper.

Margaret Liu gave the opening convocation keynote speech this September. Read a transcript of Liu's remarks. Denver native Jane Lubchenco received the eighth annual $250,000 Heinz Award for the Environment for her groundbreaking research on ocean ecosystems. Read a news release and a story in Access. Marcia McNutt, CEO of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, was featured in the CC publication, Success: Colorado College Stories, which profiled 15 extraordinary alumni. Read a news release about a lecture she gave at CC in October.


Next >

More Colorado College News Stories: