As executive orders that create fear and concern for our community continue to be released, we want to share our ongoing commitment to supporting your wellbeing. For additional information about how we are collectively navigating uncertainty, ensuring continuity of care, and providing clear information for the campus community, see the message from Rosalie Rodriguez in the IEB newsletter sent earlier this week. Resources for students can be found on the Student Life website, resources for employees can be found on the HR website, and all members of the campus community are invited to join the Belonging@CC Microsoft Team. You belong here. Please take care of yourselves and each other.

Colorado College will host families of our students for Family Weekend, this weekend, Feb. 21-23. While the schedule of events is specifically for students and their families, your role in creating a welcoming atmosphere on campus is appreciated! A warm greeting or helpful directions can make all the difference for visiting families. Thank you for helping us showcase the spirit of CC and making our guests feel at home!

Photo provided by Zoey Roueche ’24, Political Science Department Paraprof

For CC’s Model UN team, a recent conference at the University of Miami represented how far they have come — and how much further they want to go. What started as the passion project of two determined students in 2018 has since grown into a diverse, internationally-led group that has made a name for itself on the American Model UN circuit. But with this growth has come new challenges. They are now launching a fundraiser to support the program’s future. READ THE FULL STORY »

The winning design in this year’s State of the Rockies poster contest created by Holden Perry ’25

The State of the Rockies project invites students to submit a digital image of a vintage-style poster of a national park, monument, or forest in the eight-state Rocky Mountain region that includes a contemporary conservation message or motto. The direction each student goes is only bound by the topics covered in the poll that deal with the conservation of public lands. This year’s winners are:

1st place:  Holden Perry ’25, “Nature Heals: Protect the Places that Restore Us. Great Basin National Park”
2nd place:  Callile Dickman ’28, “Rocky Mountain National Park, Preserve the Wild, Stay on the Trail.”
3rd place:  Melissa Torres, ’26, “Grand Teton National Park, Be Aware to Take Care; Conserve Wildlife to Protect our Parks.”

Learn more about the contest and see this year’s winning entries »

Join us on Monday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. in Shove Chapel for a talk by Pádraig Ó Tuama, an Irish poet and theologian, whose work centers around themes of language, power, conflict, and religion. Author of five books of poetry and prose including Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community (2017); In the Shelter (2105); Sorry for your Troubles (2013); Books of Exile (2012); and edited Poetry Unbound (2022), Pádraig currently presents the podcast Poetry Unbound with On Being studios. From 2014-2019, he led the Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation community. This event is sponsored by the Chaplain’s Office, English Department, Journalism, Visiting Writers Series, and The Paul Frederick Sheffer Fund for Roman Catholic Studies.

Professor Blixa Minervini, 12.5 years of age, has completed ten years of teaching at CC. He first arrived in 2014 as a 1-year visitor, but after a few years, due to his excellent evaluations, his position was turned into a long-term contract. Over the years, Blixa has delighted hundreds of students with his loving interventions, never forgetting to also teach students about the importance of naps for learning (as recent research has confirmed). He has taken his job so seriously that he even decided to elevate his professorial look to include exclusively-crafted bow ties. 

Due to his always gentle and deeply generous spirit, although housed in the Italian program, Blixa has never declined an invitation to bring his wags and expertise to many other departments, showing a strong interdisciplinary inclination, and also a solid command of multiple languages. 

Over the last eight years Blixa has been joined by his younger, slightly rowdier, but equally loving and dedicated colleague, Viki Minervini. 

As they approach their retirement age, they both remain visibly excited to go to work every day, just like on their very first day. One of their favorite activities is to help students feel calmer and focused during the stressful final days of Week 4. They also never forget to make sure the trash and recycling bins of their classroom remain clean and free of odors at all times. 

Their office is located in Armstrong Hall 360 but, by appointment, they will happily meet students at the library and, much preferably, on the quad. 

Friday, Feb. 21, 1-4 p.m.

Space is a precious commodity at any museum. It takes imagination and creativity to safely store 18,000 artworks from various cultures, regions, and time periods. In this special behind-the-scenes program, museum collections staff will take visitors into museum storage to explore how we store art and share updates on current and upcoming storage projects. Learn about the challenges we face and be a part of the dialogue to find creative solutions. Collections storage tours will run every 30 minutes from 1-4 p.m. Sign up in the Agents of Care gallery starting at noon. Each tour is limited to the first 15 people to sign up.

Isa Hussain ’21 in his performance exhibit, Beneath Her Feet, on Friday, Jan. 24, in the Coburn Gallery in Worner. Photo by Jamie Cotten