What makes up the quintessential Colorado College experience? For some, it may be the rigorous and unique academics on the Block Plan, or perhaps it’s a favorite art adjunct, or maybe a study abroad experience. Whatever speaks to you, the Annual Fund plays an essential role. Each year, Colorado College relies on unrestricted gifts from alumni, parents, and friends to help support and enhance the unique CC experience that we all hold so dear in our hearts.

One thing that bonds all students with all alumni is the “silent scholarship” that every student, past and present, receives. Tuition dollars only cover 63 percent of the full cost of a CC education and that remaining 37 percent is made up from other funding sources, including gifts to the Annual Fund. On campus, we choose to celebrate the time when those dollars making up that 37 percent kick in, when generosity from our donors begins, as Generosity Day.

Generosity Day was observed during the first week of Block 7. Members of the Student Alumni Association, the Senior Class Committee, and the DIALogue Center joined forces to educate their peers about the importance of donor support  by explaining the “silent scholarship” and handing    out cookies missing 37 percent of its sugary symbolism. In return, enlightened, excited, and grateful students wrote handwritten notes on postcards to send to our first semester donors.

Regardless of what stirs your heart when you think back on your time as a student at Colorado College, we can come together as a college community to recognize this essential support. As a previous student, you too benefitted from Annual Fund support, just as current students do. Year after year, with the implementation   of new alumni classes, we, as an institution, will be forever thankful for our donors. Because when tuition ends, generosity begins.