By Alexa Gromko

The American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching have recognized Colorado College with a Research College and University (RCU) Designation. The organizations have released the 2025 Research Activity Designations, unveiling an updated methodology that better reflects the diverse and expansive research landscape in U.S. higher education.

The RCU designation is a newly established classification that highlights research contributions from institutions that have historically not been recognized for their research activity. Unlike the traditional R1 and R2 classifications, RCU status acknowledges colleges and universities that invest significantly in research, even if they do not offer many or any doctoral degrees. To qualify, institutions must spend more than $2.5 million annually on research. CC is one of 216 institutions across the country that have been awarded this designation.

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The African American Youth Leadership Conference (AAYLC) will have about 700 people on campus tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 8, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. They will be utilizing spaces in Armstrong, Cornerstone, Olin, and Worner.

This exciting event, part of a movement to empower and uplift the leaders of tomorrow, is a day of interactive workshops including Leadership Development, Fine Arts, College Prep, Black History, STEM, and more. This is the ultimate opportunity for students in grades 6-12 from all backgrounds to connect, grow, and shape their futures. The AAYLC is open to all students who want to engage, learn, and be inspired.

Join us for the Campus Safety Open House today, Friday, Mar. 7 from 2-4:30 p.m. at our new location in Boettcher Center (1106 North Cascade Ave. ). We will have Sasquatch Cookies and Cotton Candy.

Register to win a $50 Uber Eats Electronic Card. 

Jennifer Leichliter ’08 working in the labs at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany, where analyses of Sterkfontein M4 fossils were conducted. Photo provided by Leichliter.

By Julia Fennell ’21

Former Anthropology major Dr. Jennifer Leichliter ’08 was recently published in Science, the world’s leading journal on scientific research and discovery. In their article “Australopithecus at Sterkfontein did not consume substantial mammalian meat,” Leichliter and her colleagues argue that early human ancestors may have had primarily vegetarian diets. Leichliter is the second author on the article and the researchers are part of the Emmy Noether Group for Hominin Meat Consumption, which is led by Dr. Tina Lüdecke.

Leichliter is a post-doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) in Mainz, Germany. Her research investigates the hypothesis that the incorporation of animal-based foods into the diets of our very early human ancestors (hominins) played a significant role in driving important evolutionary events such as the expansion of brain size. Leichliter and her colleagues at MPIC analyzed the chemistry of tiny amounts of organic material preserved in the tooth enamel of one of our early human ancestors, Australopithecus, to reconstruct their diet. Using nitrogen isotopes in tooth enamel, she and her colleagues determined that Australopithecus at Sterkfontein, a paleoanthropological site in South Africa, did not regularly eat meat. In fact, their research shows that these hominins may have been mostly vegetarian.

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Coronado High School has over 300 students that need judges for their Final Capstone PowerPoint Presentations.

This year, students are required to complete a presentation concerning a career they are interested in. They need multiple 3-person-panels of judges to come to Coronado High School and listen to presentations. There are opportunities to help multiple days, one day, or even just half a day. A minimum of 14 judges from the community are needed each day during the times listed below:

Monday, Mar. 10, 9:30 a.m.–3:10 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday, Mar. 11-13, 7:30 a.m.–3:10 p.m.

Contact Mary Troublefield for more information or to sign up.  

Photo provided by CC Athletics

By Megan Clancy ’07

When I returned to campus nearly twenty years after graduating, one of the first faces I saw was one that made the time away feel like just days rather than decades. Eyes still shining with joy and energy radiating from a mile away, Stuey had not changed. Susan “Stuey” Stuart, Head Coach of the CC Women’s Lacrosse team, was a mainstay during my time as a student-athlete at CC. Her impact on her own players as well as all the non-lacrosse athletes like me, who she has trained and guided over the years, is immense.

This year marks Stuart’s 30th year as Head Coach. Hers is a career marked by record-breaking seasons, numerous awards, and great service not only to her lacrosse teams, but many others within CC Athletics. Few people can match the impact that she has made on Tiger Athletics and the sport of women’s lacrosse. Now, as she enters her final season at CC and announces her retirement from coaching, I sat down with Stuey to reminisce and reflect on her time as a Tiger.

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Artist Margarita Cabrera collaborates with local communities to encourage conversations about migration, labor, border politics, food justice, and other social issues. At the FAC, Cabrera is presenting two ongoing projects that connect our local communities to broader social issues. They will be on display from Mar. 7 – Dec. 13.

The Space in Between (2010–ongoing) are soft sculptures of plants native to the Southwest region, including cacti, aloe vera, and agave, made from fabric sourced from US Border Patrol uniforms. Cabrera led workshops for members from the Colorado Springs community who have personal or family connections with immigration and migration to create the new plant sculptures presented in the exhibition.

In the adjacent gallery, Cabrera’s CARE (2021–ongoing) builds on her recent collaboration with Ollin Farms to explore food sustainability, justice, and access in Colorado. The installation includes a series of ceramic spoons and will culminate in a feast performance in November.

Don’t miss the opening celebration tonight, Mar. 7, from 5–8 p.m., where you’ll have the chance to hear Cabrera speak about her compelling projects.

Students having fun with a RoCCy cutout at the Tiger Lookalike Contest on Friday, Feb. 7. Photo by Jamie Cotten