Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends,
As we move from one season into another, I am pleased to share the latest Bulletin with you. Autumn at Colorado College is a special time, and Fall 2017 was particularly memorable. Starting with Family and Friends Weekend in early October, the college held 10 days of events that included the first-ever Art Week and concluded with Homecoming. More than 2,500 members of the extended CC community, families, alumni, and friends, joined us on campus to celebrate the successes we have cultivated over the last several years.
During Family and Friends Weekend, we dedicated the East Campus Housing Community, which includes eight new residences, a beautiful central courtyard, and a vibrant community center. We named the spaces in East Campus for distinguished former students including Life Trustee and Colorado leader William J. Hybl ’64, Nobel Laureate James Heckman ’65, Olympic figure skater Peggy Fleming ’70, and former Senator and Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar ’77.
The weekend also highlighted our Outdoor Education program. We expressed sincere gratitude for the Ritt Kellogg ’90 Memorial Fund, which over the past 25 years has enabled hundreds of students to explore the natural world while honoring the memory of an alumnus who deeply loved the outdoors. We also dedicated the Ahlberg Outdoor Education Center Annex, a stunning addition to our Outdoor Education building.
Artists and art scholars, including Native American composer and artist Raven Chacon, and several of CC’s alumni artists, joined us during Art Week to launch the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Our alliance with the FAC is broadening our academic program and providing new creative opportuni-ties for the CC and Colorado Springs communities.
Homecoming was an excellent opportunity to bring past and future together. Along with numerous class reunions, and a celebration of the 50 years that Music Professor Michael Grace ’63, M.A. ’64 has spent teaching and leading at CC, we dedicated the spectacular renovation of the Charles L. Tutt Library. The new library, built specifically to support the Block Plan, has become the intellectual hub of campus and we are proud that it is built to be a net-zero energy facility.
These were exciting celebrations of significant achievements benefiting our students and faculty, but we have much more to accomplish! That is why during Homecoming we announced Building on Originality: The Campaign for Colorado College, a major fundraising initiative that will allow us to realize our mission to provide the best liberal arts education in the country. Over the months to come, you will hear much more about the campaign and the ways you can help achieve our goals.
Colorado College’s story is being written every day. I hope you enjoy the many articles in this issue that capture the energy on campus, and I invite you to continue to be a part of CC’s story.
Best regards,
Jill Tiefenthaler