With deep gratitude and appreciation I share that Mike Edmonds, senior vice president, has announced that he will conclude his 30+ year CC career at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.
As he expressed to me in his own unique style, “I have seen my students become parents and their children become my students. That’s been a remarkable blessing. One of my favorite R&B singers, Dorothy Moore, said it best: ‘Ain’t it funny how time slips away.’” Certainly, Mike has made a generational impact at CC.
Mike changed the landscape of Colorado College, illustrating the power of inclusive leadership. He is the first Black leader to serve as president in the college’s history and has been integral to advancing the college’s institutional initiatives including our commitment to antiracism, creating greater access for students, and our partnership with the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. He served and mentored countless students through his many years leading Student Life.
In celebration of Mike’s tremendous career and the lasting impact he has made on CC, the college has established the Mike Edmonds Legacy Fund to provide resources for future generations of students of all backgrounds and allow access to all CC has to offer.
Mike told me, “So many people made my life possible, some I knew and some I didn’t. Their commitment to young people and their potential served me well. I hope this fund will provide means for many future generations of CC students. This is a way to say ‘thank you’ to the many students who have made my CC experience a truly incredible and fulfilling one.”
I am thrilled to announce that CC Trustees Susie Burghart ’77, Phil Swan ’84, and Amy Shackelford Louis ’84 have each generously given $500,000, enabling us to launch the Mike Edmonds Legacy Fund right away.
Among his many accolades, Mike was inducted into the National Speech and Debate Association Hall of Fame, as well as the Gold Key Society at Emory University. He also received the Delores Taylor Arthur award from the Holy Cross School in New Orleans and the Martin Luther King award from James Logan Forensics in California. The classroom on the first floor in Tutt Library is named the Frank Jr. and Hattie Mae Edmonds Experimental Classroom as well as the Hattie Mae balcony at Cornerstone Arts Center, all thanks to Mike’s generous donations to the college in his parents’ honor.
Mike originally hails from Clarksville, Tennessee, holds a bachelor of arts, master’s, and Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi, where he serves on the Liberal Arts Board, sits on the Ole Miss Campaign Steering Committee, and is a double Hall of Fame graduate. Mike also completed a post-graduate institute at Harvard University and is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership. We’re fortunate to have Mike’s continued commitment to oversee the FAC and work on external partnerships and relations critical to Colorado College. Mike will start a terminal sabbatical in June 2023.
In the year ahead, we will have the opportunity to celebrate and honor Mike for his countless contributions to each of us, Colorado College, and the broader community. In the meantime, please join me in congratulating him on his plans and an outstanding career.
Sincerely,
