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Innovation Institute

“The Colorado College Plan: Building on the Block” describes the Innovation institute as a place where students and faculty will engage in “big picture thinking” and collaborate “to produce real-world answers to complex questions.” The Institute has a proven foundation. The four elements that will form its core — the State of the Rockies Project,…

Issue: November 2013

Reimagining Half Block

I had a significant advantage coming to CC. I could code. I started writing computer code in elementary school. In high school, I took four years of C++, a powerful programming language. Since graduating from CC in 2005, I’ve started two successful technology companies and currently I’m on my third one. When I’m at cocktail parties…

Issue: November 2013

Summer Programs: Enhancing the Educational Experience

Summer programs offer an amazing opportunity to enhance the educational experience at Colorado College. For students, the summertime is no lazy escape. They pursue jobs and internships, and they catch up on the classes they couldn’t squeeze in during the regular year. Traditionally, much of this has been left to the individual student. Colorado College can help provide a…

Issue: November 2013

Scholarship and Vulnerability: Why We Need Expert Scholars at CC

This summer I watched some miracles unfold. They happened around 3 p.m. at a big table in Tutt Library. Usually these kinds of miracles involve students and a later hour, but this time it was CC faculty. Both Sarah Hautzinger in Anthropology and Ryan Bañagale in Music did something risky. As part of a program…

Issue: November 2013

The Value of Access to Blocks Abroad

I’m really excited by the “Building on the Block” plan’s commitment to eliminating program fees for blocks abroad. I’ve had the opportunity to teach several blocks abroad, and I have seen firsthand the impact of the experience on students, especially those who come from families with limited resources and who have rarely had opportunities to travel outside their own communities. While traditional semester abroad programs have a lot to offer, CC’s unique block system allows students to have shorter term but nonetheless rich and focused experiences. Since 2005, I have been regularly teaching a class on black writers in Paris. Before taking this class, many of my students had been…

Issue: November 2013

Tutt Library in the 21st Century

The electronic age is upon us, but rumors of the death of print are greatly exaggerated. It is true that more of our resources and our conversations are online. But the continuing production of printed materials is enormous. It is better to say that we are in a period of long transition and the nature…

Issue: November 2013

The Center for Immersive Learning and Engaged Teaching

The center for Immersive Learning and Engaged Teaching, to be housed in a 21st century library, is designed to help all of us achieve the collective need to “build on the block,” to push our imaginations, our intellects, and our spirits in new directions. As a faculty member, I am particularly excited by the following ways that the center will facilitate teaching. First, it will create a central space on campus that will bring together the myriad offices that assist students and faculty in the classroom experience itself. Second, it will provide the personnel and technological resources to build bridges between what happens within the block and other academic experiences…