Board of Trustees

Last week, the Board of Trustees was on campus for its regular February meeting. 

The board unanimously approved naming “Tava Quad” in response to a request from the Indigenous and Native Peoples of CC.  “Tava” means “Sun Mountain,” and is the name used by the Tabegauche Band of the Ute People for Pikes Peak. The area we will designate as Tava Quad is bounded by Cascade Avenue, Armstrong Hall, South Hall, Shove Memorial Chapel, Palmer Hall, and Tutt Library and is currently known informally as “Armstrong Quad.” We will begin planning signage and other improvements to Tava Quad and consult with Ute tribal members as we plan naming and blessing events. The board was thrilled to name this central, vibrant, and important area of campus activity in honor of Indigenous and Native Peoples. 

Throughout the board meetings, trustees were informed of the ways we are working towards becoming an antiracist institution. Information was included in reports given to the board by Provost Alan Townsend, Faculty Executive Committee Chair Professor Neena Grover, and CCSGA President Zachary Schulman ’19. 

Provost Townsend and I reported on the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, which we attended with trustees Marc St. John ’80 and Kishen Mangat ’96; Professor Mark Smith and Courtney Shephard '09, an environmental attorney; and students from their course on the economics of climate change policy. I also spoke with the board about the landscape of higher education, and the financial and admissions pressure faced by many small private colleges. 

Vice President for Communications Jane Turnis and Assistant Vice President for Communications Felix Sanchez ’93 gave a wonderful presentation to trustees on the Untold Stories project. The project tells the stories of marginalized members of the CC community — stories of “pain and struggle, achievement and triumph, setbacks and resilience.”  If you haven’t already done so, please visit CC’s website to learn about these CC alumni and staff: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/untoldstories/     

In addition to the naming of Tava Quad, the board approved the following items:

• Tuition for the 2019-20 academic year at $57,612 and the comprehensive fee for students living on campus at $71,042. The 2019-20 budget will include increases to financial aid, funding for a comprehensive new advising initiative and the creation of new opportunities for field study, summer research, internships and block breaks. The increase will also fund an increase in the salary pools for faculty and staff;

• Tenure and promotion for five faculty members: Krista Fish ’97 (Anthropology), Santiago Guerra (Southwest Studies), Dennis McEnnerney (Philosophy), Dylan Nelson (Film and Media Studies) and Manya Whitaker (Education);
   
• Emeriti status for faculty members who will retire at the end of the 2018-19 academic year: Professors Susan Ashley (History), Peter Blasenheim (History), Richard Hilt (Physics), Robert (Bob) Lee (Political Science), Eric Leonard (Geology), Theodore (Ted) Lindeman ’73 (Chemistry) and Andrew Manley (Theatre and Dance);
   
• Candidates for honorary degrees to be awarded at Opening Convocation, 2019, and an honorary degree to be awarded at Commencement 2019 (information about the honorees will be sent to the campus community once the candidates have accepted our invitation);
   
• Revisions to the Campus Master Plan related to the construction of Robson Arena. 

Coinciding with the board’s meetings were meetings of the Fine Arts Center Advisory Board, Parents’ Council, and Campaign Steering Committee, which provided trustees with opportunities to thank members of these groups for the important work they do for the college. 

I was also delighted that Lesley Irvine, who will join CC as our new vice president and director of athletics in June, and Lori Seager, who will become our new associate vice president for finance, were able to attend some of the board’s meetings. 

The board will next meet during its annual retreat, June 12-14, 2019. 

Jill Tiefenthaler

President