Jeff Bieri Named Station Manager of KRCC

Congratulations to Jeff Bieri, who has been named the new station manager of 91.5 KRCC. Bieri, a 30-year industry veteran who currently serves as program manager, was promoted to station manager for the Colorado Springs-based public radio station, which is owned by Colorado College and operated by Colorado Public Radio (CPR).

“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue working with my friends and colleagues at KRCC, and now at Colorado Public Radio. KRCC has been a source of inspiration to me for most of my adult life, and I’m grateful for the partnership that CPR has offered us. The resources and broadcast knowledge of CPR are immense, and I believe the listeners of both KRCC and CPR will benefit greatly through our combined efforts,” Bieri says.

Read more here.

Alumni Spotlight: Carlos Jiménez ’04

Carlos Jiménez ’04 has dedicated his career to college admission. He’s now using his expertise to help the Colorado Springs community as the new chief executive officer for Peak Education, a nonprofit committed to preparing under-resourced students in the Pikes Peak region for college.

When he was in high school, mentors who recognized Jiménez’s academic talent encouraged him to apply to Colorado College. He did and after he graduated from CC, went on to a 15-year career as an admission professional at both Colorado State University and Colorado College. Carlos played an important role in designing CC’s new access initiative, the Stroud Scholars.

Read more about Carlos’ work here.

CC Conversations on Racism, Policing, and Protest

Celebrating Juneteenth

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two and a half years prior, there was no one to ensure that the proclamation was known and upheld in the absence of federal troops.

Manya Whitaker, associate professor of education and interim director of the Butler Center, likened Juneteenth to the Fourth of July: “for many Black descendants of enslaved people, Juneteenth — or Jubilee — is our independence day. Just as July 4^th is celebrated in memory of the colonies gaining independence from England, Juneteenth is when the last enslaved people, 2 ½ years after slavery was supposed to have ended, were finally set free in Texas.”

Read more about Juneteenth here.

Presidents’ Alliance Statement on SCOTUS DACA Decision

As a member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, I am pleased to share this news.

PRESIDENTS’ ALLIANCE STATEMENT ON SCOTUS DECISION FINDING ADMINISTRATION’S RESCISSION OF DACA WAS UNLAWFUL

June 18, 2020 Contact: Jose Magaña-Salgado (jose@presidentsalliance.org) Washington, D.C.—

Today, the Supreme Court held that rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by the administration was unlawful, temporarily allowing for the continuation of DACA, likely into the next administration. The Presidents’ Alliance emphatically welcomes and commends the decision, particularly for its positive impact on DACA recipients, our communities, and our nation.

Below, we provide statements from the Presidents’ Alliance:

Jose Magaña-Salgado, Director of Policy and Communications, Presidents’ Alliance and DACA Recipient, stated: “As a long-time DACA recipient, today’s decision represents a shocking and unexpected glimmer of hope in an increasingly turbulent and difficult time for immigrant youth. The Court’s decision provides a desperately needed lifeboat for immigrant youth, such as myself, to remain in the only country we consider home, grow our roots even deeper, and communicates a resounding message: ‘We see you. You belong.’ It is my sincere and deep hope that today’s decision marks the beginning of a transformation of our nation’s immigration policies away from division and deportation and toward protecting all immigrants, particularly immigrants still vulnerable to our nation’s deportation apparatus, including our parents, LGTBTQ immigrants, and black immigrants.”

Miriam Feldblum, Executive Director, Presidents’ Alliance, stated: “Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is a win for us all but especially for the 216k DACA-eligible immigrants enrolled in higher education. The Court’s decision is a testament to the leadership, perseverance, and determination of the many DACA recipients and Dreamers who put their faith in the American dream. These aspiring Americans—who are Americans in all ways except on paper–contributed immensely to our campuses and communities across this nation with many of them serving as essential workers, researchers, and medical professionals during this COVID-19 pandemic. Now more urgently than ever, we need to call on Congress to pass legislation and provide these young people a roadmap to citizenship and permanent integration into the fabric of our nation.”