CC Alumni Receive Big Boost from Boomtown Startup Accelerator

Two Colorado College alumni and former student leaders, Ben Quam ’12 and Alex Kronman ’12, were recently selected to participate in a 12-week program from Boomtown, a startup accelerator in Boulder, for their startup company, College Press Club. Roughly 170 companies applied to participate in the inaugural program this year, with only six teams being selected. Each team that was selected received $20,000 in seed money, as well as additional services and perks like the opportunity to get advice and tips from Boomtown’s network of mentors.

College Press Club, according to their website, “makes it dramatically easier to buy and manage ads in college newspapers” by connecting advertisers and student-operated publications.  Congratulations to Alex and Ben!

Building on the Block: Our Progress

Today is our all-campus lunch at which we will update faculty and staff on our progress on implementing our strategic plans. We’ve come a long way since we first presented the Colorado College Plan: Building on the Block last fall.  Thanks to the community’s continued support, we’ve moved forward with a number of our key initiatives. We will continue to keep everyone updated with our progress on the Building on the Block: Progress webpage.

Coach Owens Steps Down

Sunday’s Press Release:

Scott Owens, head ice hockey coach for the Tigers, has announced he will step down from his coaching position effective immediately.

Owens and Athletics Director Ken Ralph agreed upon conclusion of their annual post-season review that it was time for Owens to step down.

“I have been fortunate to have had the best job in college hockey for the past 15 seasons. It is time for a new coach to enjoy working with our players,” Owens said. “I appreciate the support and encouragement I have received during my tenure and I hope the new leader of the team will be treated with the same respect. This is a tremendous institution and I am proud of what we accomplished here. I will always be a Tiger.”

Colorado College President Jill Tiefenthaler expressed her gratitude for CC hockey players’ success in the classroom as well as on the ice.

“The academic achievement of our student athletes always comes first, and under Coach Owens our players were consistently honored for their performance as students,” Tiefenthaler said. “I am grateful to Scott for keeping academics a top priority and supporting our players in their studies.” During Owens’ tenure, 15 players earned WCHA Scholar-Athlete distinction a total of 27 times from 2005-2013. This year, the first for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, 17 players were named to the NCHC’s inaugural Academic All-Conference Team.

“We are thankful to Coach Owens for his years of dedicated service as our head hockey coach,” said Ken Ralph, CC athletics director. “His accomplishments during this time behind the bench for the Tigers speak for themselves.”

Over previous years with Owens at the helm, the Tigers claimed three regular-season championships in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and seven appearances in the NCAA tournament, including a trip to the Frozen Four in 2005 and a return to the quarterfinals in 2011. From 2005-06 to 2012-13, the team had 16 All-America selections, and two Hobey Baker Award recipients. Owens’ overall 15-year record at CC is 324-228-54.

Owens, a 1979 graduate of Colorado College who served as goaltender for the Tigers for four years when he was a student, is the longest-tenured coach in the team’s history.

The Tigers finished the 2013-14 season with an overall record of 7-24-6. The season ended March 16 with a 4-3 loss to University of North Dakota in Game 3 of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s inaugural first-round playoff series.

Colorado College will immediately initiate a national search for its next head hockey coach.

Celebrating Boettcher Scholars

Last night, I hosted our Boettcher Scholars dinner. This annual event celebrates our relationship with the Boettcher Foundation and honors our senior Boettcher Scholars. Only 40 Boettcher Scholarships are awarded to Colorado high school graduates each year, so it is very competitive. The scholarship can be used to attend any four-year college in the state.  For those scholars who choose CC, the Foundation’s scholarship covers 67% of the cost and and the college picks up the other 33%. In addition, through the Boettcher Foundation’s leadership program, Boettcher Scholars have access to a $3,000 Boettcher Enrichment Grant to make possible an “extraordinary learning opportunity directly related to the Scholar’s major or career interest.”

This year’s seniors (pictured in our selfie below) are Sean Buck, Jena Fleiner, Thamanna Vasan, and Teo Price-Broncucia. This group has made many contributions to our campus community and each has taken advantage of the opportunities available at CC. Collectively, they have studied in Spain, London, Kenya, Botswana, Ukraine and Russia and have researched alternative energy, culture and policy, global health, and economic development.

The Big Idea Competition

Yesterday, we held the second annual Big Idea Competition in the Cornerstone Arts Center. The Big Idea is a competition for $50,000 in seed money. Last year, three teams shared the $50,000 prize, with the largest portion going to Trevor Barron ’15 and Jessie Marble ’08 for their venture to create the world’s first pocket EEG (brain monitoring) platform.

This year, the winner of the Big Idea Competition with a $25,000 prize was Get Outfitted,a business which “lowers barriers of entry to the outdoors by renting ski and snowboard gear directly to your door using an online service.”  In second place with a $15,000 prize was Koldsnapp, a venture that “helps small businesses avoid freezer and refrigeration disasters and meltdowns in the food business through a fully automated sensor and cloud software intelligent monitoring system.”  Third place and a $10,000 prize were shared between two non-profits; Colorado Springs Food Rescue, which facilitates the sustainable redistribution of food “waste,” and CC2 SEE, an off-campus semester in environmental education program.  Congratulations to our students!

For more information on the Big Idea Competition and last night’s competitors, please visit the Big Idea website.