| MARCH 2003 |
President's Page
Dedicated Faculty and Engaged Students
are the Heart of CC
Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends:Half a year on the job, and I am already brimming over with pride for Colorado College and its remarkable people! The cover story for this issue highlights three extraordinary CC graduates: Margaret Liu ’77, Jane Lubchenco ’69, and Marcia McNutt ’74. Notably, of the “50 Most Important Women in Science” chosen by Discover magazine, only one other undergraduate institution (M.I.T.) has more alumnae represented on the list. I think that says something very powerful about a liberal arts and sciences education at Colorado College.
Complementing these scientific achievers, Norv Brasch ’78 at the Watson Fellowship Program and the Buntport Theater illustrate the strength of their CC background in other areas. All these graduates are the embodiment of what CC does best — in-depth teaching and experiential learning in the liberal arts and sciences. Each is a living, breathing answer to the question, “What do you do with a liberal arts education?”
What our students do while they are getting that education also continues to astonish me. At the same time that they are meeting the academic demands of the Block Plan, CC students are involved in extensive volunteer service, outdoor recreation, performing arts activities, journalistic and leadership work, and both varsity and intramural athletics, to name a few. These pursuits not only broaden, enhance, and balance out their intellectual lives, but also arguably help students manage their time well and even do better in the classroom.
Take the student athletes profiled throughout this Bulletin issue. They are excelling in their studies just as they excel on the rink, the soccer field, or the basketball court. I recently asked for statistics on the graduation rates of our student athletes as compared to the student body overall. These data confirm my instinct: our student athletes graduate at an 87 percent rate, compared to 80 percent for the overall student body.
In the case of student athletes, I believe an additional factor contributes to their success: their coach. A coach recruits, guides, and pushes a student to fulfill her highest potential, looking out for the athlete’s welfare in all areas.
What if we were to re-envision the role of a professor as coach, a consistent guiding presence for each CC student? Coaches seek the best lacrosse or soccer players for their teams; why shouldn’t faculty recruit the best philosophers or economists or physicists? Although some may find the coach metaphor anti-intellectual, I contend that the same benefits and attributes apply to that or any mentoring/nurturing/encouraging relationship. I have posed this challenge to CC faculty, and many already have stepped forward to become more involved in the admission recruiting process this year. This could have an important effect on the breadth and quality of students we attract and how they thrive at Colorado College. Especially at a place like CC, where small classes and one-on-one faculty/student interaction are the norm, professors have the opportunity to make a profound impact on students – and usually do. Those of you who are alumni remember your favorite professor or professors for their transforming effect on you.
Dedicated faculty and engaged students are the heart of this enterprise. Alumni are the measure of our success. When you finish reading this issue, you will know why I am so proud of our CC.
Best wishes,
Richard F. Celeste
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