| NOVEMBER 2002 |
President's Page
Thoughts after 100 Days as President
I am happy to be writing to you in my first of many "President's Pages" in the CC magazine. As I have told many of you already, I am honored, thrilled, and privileged to be the 12th president of Colorado College.Ever since the presidential search committee first contacted me late last fall, I became curious about this unique institution. From that moment, CC graduates and friends began appearing in my life like road signs to my new adventure. Friends and colleagues from my past revealed themselves to be Colorado College alumni - like Theresa Grencik '82, my staff aide in New Delhi; Michelle Sullivan '86, daughter of a valued colleague governor; and David Nash '71, professor at University of Cincinnati. Some friends who were not CC alumni declared that they wished they were, like Subodh Chandra, a Stanford grad and now the youngest law director in the history of Cleveland.
So I rapidly discovered the ubiquitous presence of Colorado College people around the globe. The more I inquired about CC, the more intriguing things I heard. Now I am at the helm of this most remarkable liberal arts and sciences college. In India we would have called it karma.
Here I have had a parallel experience of quickly garnering a sense of the students, faculty, and staff who comprise the campus community. I write on the eve of my 100th day in office (made official at the recent inauguration), and although I still have a great deal to learn, my initial interactions have helped me develop a very strong impression of what Colorado College is all about.
Every Thursday afternoon I hold open office hours to meet with students in Worner Campus Center. Every Thursday afternoon the students line up and we talk one on one about subjects ranging from the food service to campus diversity. These students are vibrant, they are sharp, they are critical and analytical, and they are refreshingly varied in temperament, interests, politics, and goals.
Several times a week I meet with professors in their academic departments or with support staff over a brown bag lunch. From these visits I am struck by a deep commitment to teaching and scholarship, by dedication to the institution, and by the ways in which everyone on this campus - not only the faculty - teaches our students and is concerned with their development as whole human beings.
Off campus, and during Homecoming and Parents Weekend and Inauguration, I have become acquainted with equally fascinating alumni, parents, and friends of Colorado College.
The people of this place are extraordinary. But then, you know that already.
Together we have an opportunity to lift Colorado College even higher, to make this exquisite jewel even more brilliant and less "hidden." In addition to the fine ongoing learning, teaching, scholarship, and service already underway here, I am asking my new colleagues and students to focus on several key areas. Among other efforts, we are continuing and strengthening work on diversity, environmental sustainability, and fair labor on campus.
And all of these important areas intersect in the broader overarching context of CC's mission and strategic visioning. The choices we make as an institution must be informed by and imbedded in a strategic framework that is mission driven. Therefore I have asked the faculty to lead a community-wide effort during this academic year to sharpen our mission statement and formulate a strategic vision. Accordingly, we will ponder the questions:
- What is our mission?
- What do we value most?
- Whom do we choose to engage with and serve?
- What kind of college do we intend to become over the next
decade?
- How will we know when we are making progress toward our goals?
I look forward to meeting many more of you soon. For the moment, I extend gratitude for the challenge and gift of the Colorado College presidency.
Best wishes,
Richard F. Celeste
Click here to see photos and more from the inauguration of President Richard Celeste in October 2002.
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