Ralph Nader was the inaugural speaker for CC's new "First Mondays" initiative. Photo by Brad Armstrong.

Colorado College has initiated “First Mondays,” a campus-wide event held at midday on the first Monday of the block, designed to bring the entire campus community together around a shared academic experience. CC President Jill Tiefenthaler says the series allows the campus to gather, build community, and unify around a common theme.

“First Mondays” officially launched on Monday, Feb. 20, with a performance by the Bowed Piano Ensemble, CC’s internationally renowned experimental music group. The performance was followed by an all-campus reception. Block 7’s “First Mondays” event featured Kirk Johnson, vice president of research and collections and chief curator of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Block 8 will feature Winona LaDuke, a former vice-presidential candidate of the Green Party and member of the Anishinaabeg tribe.

The initial event, a lecture by Ralph Nader, was held on a trial basis in January and drew overflow crowds in the campus’s two largest venues. The “First Mondays” series was formally approved in February by the faculty and is the result of a joint venture between the Academic Events Committee and the Blue Key Honor Society. Inspired by Mellon team visits to peer colleges in 2008-09, CC “First Mondays” series was spearheaded by Professors Christine Siddoway and Rebecca Tucker.