Creativity & Innovation at Colorado College
Creativity & Innovation (C&I) is part of the Crown Center for Teaching.
Mission
OUR MISSION is to support, cultivate, and amplify creative teaching and learning across campus. We do this by:
- Collaborating with faculty to research and implement creativity-building pedagogies, develop discipline-specific exercises and assignments,
- Engaging directly with students in curricular and co-curricular contexts, thereby developing capacity for the kind of possibility thinking that transforms uncertainty into multiple options for creative thought and changemaking action, and
- Amplifying creative thinking and problem-solving across campus by providing space and opportunities to engage in the creative process.
Goal
OUR GOAL is to offer pathways to build and operationalize creative courage and—whether you are faculty, staff, or student—we invite your participation and thoughts as we pilot new programs and experiment with systems that maximize our collective service to the College. Through these pathways we provide students with opportunities to develop the essential building blocks of creativity. These building blocks include both mindsets and practices.
Approach
OUR APPROACH is to emphasize the creative process instead of original products. Unlike skill acquisition or content proficiency, creative development rarely follows a linear path. C&I utilizes a multi-pronged, campus-wide approach that reaches students directly through our work with faculty to develop discipline-specific exercises and assignments, and through our co-curricular programs. When students are exposed to creativity-building pedagogies in multiple contexts, they are better able to integrate creative thinking and problem-solving practices into new situations.Programs
OUR PROGRAMS reconnect participants with their innate curiosity and cultivate their capacity for the kind of possibility thinking that transforms uncertainty into multiple options for creative thought and action. As the world becomes increasingly more complex, we will need to step outside of what is already known in order to effect positive change in it. You can peruse our programs for faculty and for students by going to the drop-down menus at the top of this page.
TOGETHER WITH the Crown Center for Teaching, we also implement programs that:
- Provide opportunities for faculty to explore new approaches to teaching,
- Leverage unexpected opportunities for engagement,
- Identify, support, and disseminate innovative and inclusive pedagogies at CC, and
- Research CC’s signature pedagogies for internal and external audiences.
Publications
C&I is pleased to announce the publication of The Palgrave Handbook of Applied Creativity in Global Higher Education. Edited by Gerard J. Puccio, Amanda Lohiser, Camille A. McKayle, & Frederik Hertsel, the book explores how colleges and universities worldwide are fostering creativity as an essential skill for success in today’s complex and fast-changing world. Featuring over 30 case studies, it includes the chapter Cultivating Creative Thinking at Colorado College by Jessica Hunter & Kris Stanec (2025, pp. 575-590). For more information and to acquire copies of the book, visit Springer Nature.
Podcasts
Contact Us
Mailing Address
14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Physical Address
Creativity & Innovation
232 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(Northwest corner of Cache and Weber)
Call or Email
innovation@coloradocollege.edu