CC EMS Student Group Stages Realistic Mock DUI Accident
Colorado College's Emergency Medical Services student organization hosted a mock DUI serious automobile accident on campus on Friday, Dec. 9. The student-run event included a realistic head-on "accident" on North Cascade Avenue, and involved simulated injuries and responses from Colorado Springs Police Department, American Medical Response ambulance workers, the Colorado Springs Fire Department and Flight for Life, which landed a rescue helicopter on Armstrong Quad. Emergency workers shared college-oriented DUI statistics and explained the consequences and rescue procedures in a real DUI accident. The event was part of CC's Collegiate EMS Week. See the CC EMS press release.
CC President's 8-Year-Old Son Raises $10,000 for Community Fountain
The 8-year-old son of Colorado College President Richard F. Celeste and his wife, Jacqueline Lundquist, is proof that fundraising runs in the family. Sam Celeste, a third-grader, raised $10,000 for one of his favorite 
projects, the Uncle Wilber Fountain in downtown Colorado Springs' Acacia Park.
Sam sent out more than 350 letters and received donations from such people as Mike Love, lead singer of the Beach Boys; Dean Martin's daughter, Gina; former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger; Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, Kerri Kennedy; Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary; and politicians from all across the country. The donations benefit the Friends of the Fountain Fund, a non-profit organization responsible for the fountain’s operational and maintenance costs. The fund has an endowment goal of $1 million.
Sam undertook the fundraising project with his mother in August, with the initial goal of raising $2,501. The young philanthropist eyed his father’s vast Rolodex of friends and contacts, then embarked on his letter-writing campaign. Within a few weeks he achieved his initial goal and decided to raise his sights to $10,000.
Sam was "toasted” for his efforts by fountain creators Kat and Bob Tudor on Dec. 2, when a six-foot piece of toast featuring Sam’s likeness popped out of a giant toaster in front of the Uncle Wilber fountain. Kat Tudor, a 1977 graduate of Colorado College, and her husband created the musical fountain and presented it as a gift to the city in May 2001. Their newest endeavor, the giant toaster, was created from an old postal van.
Edmonds Honored with Gift in his Name to Explore Development of South
Mike Edmonds, vice president for student life/dean of students at Colorado College, was honored with a $10,000 gift in his name to the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture. The gift, given by Matthew Burkley '93, a friend of Edmonds’ from Cambridge, Mass., will support an initiative to bring together leaders of the American South to explore ways to advance the region’s development.
Edmonds earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at University of Mississippi and served the university as assistant professor of theater, director of student programming, and student union programming director before being named assistant dean of students.
Edmonds joined CC in 1991.
Student's Death Saddens Campus Community
The Colorado College campus community was saddened to learn of the death of CC junior Julia Armstrong Minard. Minard, 20, died Sunday, Nov. 13 near Punta Gorda, Belize. A suspect was charged with murder. Minard was on leave of absence from the college since May 2005. She was not traveling with a CC program, but was traveling independently in Guatemala to study Spanish and weaving. She had taken a brief trip to Belize from there.
“The Colorado College community is shocked and deeply saddened by Julia’s untimely death. Our hearts go out to her family as we mourn with them,” said CC President Richard F. Celeste. “Julia was a gifted student with an adventuresome spirit who was determined to take her own journey. This tragic loss diminishes us all.”
Grief support is available from counselors at the college for Minard’s friends. A memorial service will be planned for the campus community at a time yet to be determined.
Elder Honored for Outstanding Fundraising
Steve Elder, vice president for advancement at Colorado College, received the 2005 Outstanding Fundraising Professional award from the Colorado Springs division of the Association of Fundraising Professionals on Nov. 15 at Colorado College’s Bemis Hall. The award recognizes an outstanding fundraising professional who practices the profession in an exemplary manner.
Jay Maloney, a 1975 graduate of Colorado College who won the award in 2003, made the presentation. Elder joined Colorado College in 1998 as director of development, became interim vice president for advancement in November 2003, and vice president for advancement in March 2004.
CC, Camp Casey Agree on Lease Amendment
Colorado College officials and college tenant Eric Verlo, owner of Toons and sponsor of Camp Casey, an anti-war camp set up on the Toons parking lot, have agreed on amended language to Verlo's lease. The amendment allows the camp to remain, as long as it adheres to all city, county and state regulations, for as long as the war in Iraq lasts, or the end of the lease, whichever comes first.
Amended language was prompted when neighbors contacted the college and the City of Colorado Springs to complain about Camp Casey. Verlo made some changes to the camp to comply with requirements. Contrary to a press release distributed by Camp Casey, college officials did not pursue or threaten eviction of the tenant. College officials and Verlo met in early November to determine a solution. For more information, contact the college’s office of communications, (719) 389-6603.
Historic Preservation Alliance Honors Eckhardt, Cutler Hall
Colorado College received two awards at the 4th Annual Historic Preservation Awards Gala, hosted by the Historic Preservation Alliance of Colorado Springs. George Eckhardt, assistant director of facilities services, won the individual award for significant and ongoing contributions to the practice and promotion of historic preservation in Colorado Springs. The award states Eckhardt was recognized for “his enthusiastic and unwavering attention to detail in the many award-winning preservation and restoration projects at the Colorado College and especially for his generosity in sharing these projects and his time with the Colorado Springs community.” Eckhardt was instrumental in the restoration of Cutler Hall, the current restoration of Jackson House and the installation this summer of a copy of a black ceramic cat that once perched on the chimney of the Van Briggle Memorial Pottery building.
The Historic Preservation Alliance also recognized the restoration of the second floor of Cutler Hall, which won the award for historic commercial restoration. Criteria for the award state that the building must be 50 years old and its restoration project completed within the past five years. Cutler Hall, built in 1879, is the oldest building on campus and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. From 1880 to 1890, it housed all of the classrooms for the student body. The awards were presented Oct. 28 in Bemis Hall.
CC on Intel's List of Top 50 Wireless Campuses
Colorado College is again listed in Intel Corp.'s annual survey of top wireless colleges and universities. The 2005 survey, released Oct. 11, ranks CC 48th. Survey findings are based on the percentage of each college campus that is covered by wireless technology, the number of undergraduate students and the computer to student ratio for each school. In this year's rankings, 98 percent of the top 50 campuses are covered by a wireless network, up from 64 percent in 2004.
CC's wireless network was installed in 2003, and it covers 100 percent of the 94-acre campus, giving students more freedom and allowing more flexibility outside and inside the classroom. The college is now working on the wireless network's next generation, which will increase speed and efficiency. See the Intel rankings.
CC Joins Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts
CC Opens Doors to Displaced Students
Colorado College offered "visiting student" status to 12 students who were displaced from their colleges and universities by Hurricane Katrina. The college is providing space for these visiting students through Block IV classes, assuming the students return to their home institutions for second semester. Colorado College is integrating displaced students as fully as possible into the CC community as one way to help in the face of Katrina's catastrophic impact.
Campus Plans Katrina Relief Efforts
CC students, staff and faculty are researching relief efforts and mobilizing to make a difference. Check out information at CC's Center for Service and Learning for ways to help.
CC Noted for Value, Service, Lifestyle
U.S. News & World Report's annual "America's Best Colleges" report named Colorado College the 13th best value among national liberal arts colleges. The report's "Great Schools, Great Prices," included in its 2006 guidebook, considered only the most highly ranked colleges overall for this category. The ranking relates a college's academic quality to the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid. In overall rankings, CC placed 27th (six notches higher than a year ago) among the nation's 215 liberal arts colleges. Here's why CC is moving up.
Washington Monthly, in a new ranking this year, named CC 26th among higher education institutions that are “engines of social mobility, producing academic minds and scientific research that advance knowledge and drive economic growth.” Colleges and universities “should inculcate and encourage an ethic of service,” Washington Monthly reported. In fact, 84 percent of CC students are involved in community service activities, and students also make a difference through the college's Public Interest Fellowship Program and civic engagement programs.
Students' Guide to Colleges, a new college guidebook from Penguin Books, reports that CC is among its Top 10 Schools in America for Outdoorsy Types. Find out what CC students do in their beautiful back yard.
Grant Improves Fire Safety at CC Cabin
A popular Colorado College facility near Florissant will be made safer from the threat of fire, thanks to a $2,400 grant from the Colorado State Forest Service. The grant is part of the forest service’s Colorado forest land enhancement program management plan.
The Stabler-Gilmore cabin, located 35 miles west of the Colorado College campus, is used for overnight class sessions, retreats, outdoor recreation trips and informal student gatherings. The grant will be used with matching college funds of $2,600 to establish a "fuel break" along the five-acre ridge on which the cabin is located. Dead or unhealthy trees and shrubbery will be removed to thin out the forest in order to reduce the risk of fire. The thinning also will improve forest health.
In 1980, students built the cabin on land bequeathed to the college. The cabin, which burned down in the spring of 1991, was rebuilt the following year and now features three bathrooms, 24 bunks, a commercial stove and sink, a large interior space and deck with panoramic views.
Freeman Foundation, Tzu Chi University Grants Extend Biology Program
Colorado College’s unique Biology in Chinese Culture program will be extended an additional two years, thanks to the Freeman Foundation’s approval of a matching grant request. The foundation will match the $70,000 contributed by Tzu Chi University in Hualien, Taiwan. Colorado College students have shown strong interest in the program; 14 students already have submitted applications for participation in the 2006 spring program.
The program allows students majoring in biology and related natural sciences to spend time studying science in the context of Chinese society. Most overseas programs in ecology and field biology are offered in English-speaking countries, such as Australia, due to the difficulties involved in teaching upper-level science courses in a second language. This program is unique in that it encourages students interested in the sub-disciplines of molecular biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience to explore overseas travel beyond English-speaking countries without falling behind in their required college courses.
Colorado College launched the Biology in Chinese Culture Program in spring 2002 after receiving a 2001 grant from The Freeman Foundation. The initial program ran from spring 2002 to summer 2004 and allowed 24 Colorado College students to study in China and 11 Tzu Chi students to study at Colorado College. Additionally, 10 Colorado College faculty members and four “paraprofessionals” (teaching assistants) traveled to China and five Tzu Chi faculty members traveled to Colorado College.
State Historical Fund Grants $150,000 for Spencer Center Repairs
Colorado College has been awarded a $150,000 State Historical Fund Grant to replace the Spencer Center’s roof and repair masonry. The building, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, is at the corner of Cache La Poudre and Tejon streets, just south of the college’s main quad. It houses administrative college offices, as well as a number of non-college businesses.
Originally a hotel, the Spencer Center was built in 1900 by two local brick masons. The Plaza Hotel, as the building was called, was the first “uptown hotel” in Colorado Springs. Located near the town’s business district and right on the streetcar line, the hotel contained 120 rooms and 23 bathrooms, a dining room that seated 100 guests. Its basement included a billiards hall and barber shop. History is embedded in the building’s composition, as well as its use. Steel salvaged from the original Antlers Hotel, which burned down in 1898, is used in parts of the building. A west wing, called South Hall, was added before the building was even completed in order to house 30 female students from the college, and was used for that purpose for three years.
George H. Keener, a 1916 CC graduate, purchased the building in 1926 and obtained an improvement loan from Colorado College to remodel seven units into special apartments for year-round residence. He also hired numerous Colorado College students over the years to work in the hotel. The building was converted exclusively into office space in 1969. The college purchased the building in March 1991, whereupon the building was renamed in honor of William I. Spencer, class of ’39, for his work as a trustee and board chairman.
Teagle Foundation Grants $100,000 to CC for Collaborative Project on Assessment
In June, the Teagle Foundation announced a $300,000 grant to be shared equally between Colorado College, Kalamazoo College and Earlham College for a collaborative project designed to generate and disseminate new knowledge regarding faculty-driven value-added assessment programs. The grants are part of Teagle's Outcomes and Assessment Initiative, which promotes institutional as well as faculty collaboration in order to strengthen teaching and learning, and to enrich students' college education. Colorado College will receive $100,000, to be used over three years for the project.
OTHER HEADLINES
> Priddy Trust Awards CC $3.4 Million for Arts Positions, Programs
> Commencement 2005: transcripts, webcasts, audio, photos
> CC's Sterling Named Academic All-American
> Women's Lax Player Abel Named First-Team All American, Attacker of Year
> State of the Rockies Draws Wide Interest
> Colorado College Students Win Fulbright Grants, Watson Fellowships
> Near-Record Applicant Pool: CC Becomes Even More Selective
> Packard Renovations Underway
CC Cares: Alumni Lend a Hand in 15 Cities
Colorado College alumni, parents, and friends from around the country participated in the seventh annual CC Cares project in April and early May 2005.
Fifteen alumni clubs in Albuquerque, Boston, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Hawaii, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., served their communities in a variety of ways.
Volunteers worked with local food banks, repaired trails, helped at a camp for children with diabetes, did maintenance at a inner-city health center and an environmental education center, picked up trash along a stream and a beach, planted native wildflowers and trees, served at a soup kitchen, and assisted with a fundraiser at a botanical garden, among other projects. See more on CC Cares 2005 -- and a story on the program in the Christian Science Monitor in 2001.
Two CC Students Named Watson Fellows
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Emily Auerbach |
Tafari Lumumba |
Auerbach and Lumumba join Chris Zink '04 on the notable roster of 66 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.
Lumumba is also one of six current students sharing their college experiences in a new online feature, Colorado College Student Web Journals.
CC Sophomore Elected to National Council of Honor Society
Jonathan Rotzien, a sophomore from Des Moines, Iowa, was elected to the National Council of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society for First Year Students. The society recognizes students who have excelled in their first year of college. Rotzien was inducted into and elected president of Colorado College's Alpha Lambda Delta chapter in 2004. He is a dean's list student who is also involved in Sigma Chi fraternity on campus.
State of the Rockies 2005:
Conference Featured Richardson, Limerick, Anderson, Annual Report
The second annual State of the Rockies Conference took place at Colorado College April 5-7, and featured participants Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico -- see a transcript of his keynote speech -- Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute; Patricia Limerick, professor of history & environmental studies and faculty director of the Center of the American West at University of Colorado-Boulder; Terry L. Anderson, executive director of the Property & Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Mont.; and Terry Tempest Williams, nature writer and social activist (sponsored by the CC English department). For more about the conference, see a news release and the State of the Rockies web page.
Also see a listing of news media coverage.
The State of the Rockies project was started last year to examine what happens when one of the most spectacular and fragile regions in the United States is also the fastest growing area. Release of the first State of the Rockies Report Card during a conference the last two years generated interest in that question across the nation -- see this year's report, now available online.
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 2004 conference was Richard Lamm, former Colorado governor, who addressed "The Angry West, Revisited: Reflections on 20 Years of Change in the Rockies."
See more about the 2004 report.
College Ranks #16 in Peace Corps Volunteers
Colorado College currently boasts 19 of its alumni serving as active Peace Corps volunteers, ranking #16 among colleges and universities with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates. Last year, CC ranked #11, and in 2003, the Peace Corps honored CC as #8 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 85 percent of CC students participate in some form of community service during their years on campus. See our Center for Service and Learning for more details.