Women’s Soccer Joins Mountain West

Last week, we shared great news with the CC community – our women’s soccer program is joining the Mountain West Conference.

Here is our release: http://www.cctigers.com/news/2014/2/20/WSOC_0220144029.aspx

Here is the release from the Mountain West: http://www.themw.com/#!/news-detail/mw-wsoccer-coloradocollegeaffiliatemember_02-20-14_w8v6u4

The Mountain West also produced a nice video: http://www.themw.com/#!/video-detail/1tMDlyazrBhJ2JKoHpCkbBoexau6HQRX

Go Tigers!!

More on the Economics of Higher Education

Following last week’s blog post about teaching “The Economics of Higher Education”, several parents and alumni have asked for more information on the subject. With the permission of the publisher, I am posting a copy of my co-authored article (with Catherine Hill and Suzanne Welsh) “Economics and Affordability” that was recently published in Remaking College: Innovation and the Liberal Arts College (edited by Rebecca Chopp, Susan Frost and Dan Weiss). You can check out the entire book by clicking on the image below.

Senator Mark Udall Visits Campus

On Monday, I welcomed Senator Mark Udall to campus to discuss CC’s energy conservation efforts. Mark Ferguson (Campus Energy Manager) and Chris Edmonds ‘14 joined me in hosting the Senator and his staff.  As Colorado College continues to move forward with a number of sustainability initiatives, it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to update Senator Udall on our progress.

CC Professors and Recent Alumna Win Economics Award

Recently, I received some exciting news that CC Professors of Economics Dan Johnson and Kristina Lybecker and former Economics student Cassie Benson ’12 (who is now pursuing her PhD in economics at Cornell University), were awarded the 2013 “Best Paper in Economics” by the Academy of Economics and Finance in Chattanooga for their paper “Bidding for Classes: Course Allocation Under the Colorado College Auction System.” The paper examines what the CC point-auction format of bidding for courses tells us about student preferences. If you’d like to check out the paper, please visit here.  Congratulations to Dan, Kristina, and Cassie on this award!

E-Newsletter – Block Break 5

Dear Alumni and Parents,

A cold, busy Block 5 came and went faster than I had hoped, as I had the opportunity to return to my roots as a professor while teaching a course titled “The Economics of Higher Education.”

My Economics of Higher Education class toured the motor-vehicle facility at Pikes Peak Community College.

For the third year in a row, I collaborated with my husband, Economics Professor Kevin Rask, to teach students about the economics principles guiding the world of higher education. Diving deep into all facets of higher education, we went on field trips in Colorado Springs and Denver while also utilizing the expertise of the college’s senior leadership team. To explore the differences between public and private higher education, we sat down with University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak. We also learned about the issues facing community colleges from President Lance Bolton at Pikes Peak Community College and visited President Tim Grambling of Colorado Technical University to delve into the heavily scrutinized world of for-profit universities.

Perhaps the most notable experience for our students was being hosted at the State Capitol by Colorado Lt. Gov. Joseph Garcia, who is also the executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. This was an intense day! We began by sitting in on a legislative session for the College Affordability Act, a proposal that would cap the annual increase in the rate of undergraduate resident tuition at state-supported higher education institutions and appropriate $100 million to the Colorado Department of Education. Showing the intellectual acuity and poised spontaneity of our CC students, Matt Nadel ’15, unrehearsed, volunteered to testify in a room full of state legislators, lobbyists, and their staff! Following the session, the class engaged in presentations from the lieutenant governor and other senior officials at the CDHE on the general state of higher education in Colorado and various policies and proposed initiatives. Needless to say, this was quite a trip!

While returning to the classroom has been a definite highlight of the new year, I am also thrilled with the progress the college has made on several initiatives, particularly the success of the reformatted Half Block. More than 240 students enrolled in the mostly free, non-academic-credit offerings that focused on career and skill development opportunities. Among the courses offered were: Princeton Review prep classes for students who plan to take the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, or MCAT; courses in skill building and personal branding (with social media); career choices in the health professions; outdoor education; and courses aimed at helping students understand the world of finance. One of the more interesting offerings was a workshop taught by Mellon Fellow in the Arts Idris Goodwin titled “The Vocab: Critical Approaches to Spoken Word Writing and Performance.”

During Half Block, Idris Goodwin’s Spoken Word workshop visited the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center for inspiration.

The Half Block was also successful because it brings new avenues for taking advantage of the resources we have in our talented alumni and parents. For example, Rick O’Donnell ’92, chief revenue officer for The Fullbridge Program — an organization that offers professional development skills and knowledge — collaborated with Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students Mike Edmonds to plan an immersive course in finance for students interested in financial services careers. Alumni also participated in the final activity of this year’s Half Block: an etiquette dinner with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members.

In the same spirit as the revamped Half Block, I’m also excited about the additions we are making to the Summer Session program at Colorado College. As I have mentioned before, this summer, students will be able to take one of three new linked thematic blocks that will bridge the liberal arts and the professions. The new linked blocks, which are in addition to the regular summer courses offered at CC, are the Colorado Documentary Film Institute, the Outdoor Leadership Institute, and the Student Journalism Institute. I hope you will encourage students to participate in these sessions this summer!

After a refreshing break and a wonderful start in Block 5, I could not be more energized for the rest of the academic year on campus at Colorado College.

Warm regards,

Jill