Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends of Colorado College,

Richard F. Celeste

Photo by Will Powers

The Crestone Peaks. Layers of sky, clouds, and bison. There is an unusual magic about our own Steve Weaver’s photography, and particularly so in this issue’s cover shot. A poster version graces the front door of my office, and every day students, faculty, staff, and other visitors stop in their tracks to look at it.

In his photos for the annual State of the Rockies project posters, Steve captures the essence of what Professor Walt Hecox ’64 calls “our own backyard.” This beautiful backyard has always afforded Colorado College students unique opportunities for research, field study, recreation, and aesthetic appreciation. (Read more about CC’s signature State of the Rockies project)

Beyond our backyard, Colorado College students, faculty, and alumni continue to venture afar. From Professor Mark Smith’s excursion to the Copenhagen Climate Conference, to working at the Olympic Winter Games, to “taking the next step” in the Public Interest Fellowship Program and Transitions Fellowship Program, to an alumni adventure to Antarctica led by Professor Christine Siddoway, adventurous spirit abounds.

We are committed to sustaining such opportunities for unique intellectual adventure (both inside and outside the classroom), a hallmark of Colorado College and the Block Plan. To this end, on the home front we continue to exercise rigorous financial restraint, making decisions in the context of our top priorities: strengthening the academic core and providing access through student financial aid. We made some difficult decisions last year and are now in a relatively strong position as a result.

And we will maintain our diligence and constraint.

As ever, I am grateful to you, our extended family, for your engagement with and commitment to Colorado College.

Richard F. Celeste
President