The Colorado College Board of Trustees gathered in Colorado Springs for our annual summer retreat, June 11-13. These few days offered the opportunity to reflect on progress made during the 2024-25 academic year and engage in strategic discussion for the future of CC. As fiduciaries, our priority is always to support the College’s mission and responsibly steward its resources to sustain and enhance the student experience.

Of course, one of the most significant decisions at our business meeting was to appoint Dr. Manya Whitaker as the 15th President of Colorado College. As we announced on June 25, President Whitaker has earned the trust of the CC community through her authentic leadership, institutional knowledge, and commitment to shared governance. She is focused on positioning CC to meet the challenges of the higher education landscape while staying grounded in the central values of the liberal arts. We are confident she is the right leader for this moment and for the future.

During our business meeting, we also confirmed the following six faculty members who have earned full professorship as of July 1:

We are proud to recognize these outstanding educators and their scholarship, mentorship, and service to CC.

The Board also approved the 2025-26 budget and had important conversations with College leadership about pressing issues and long-term priorities, including:

The retreat also marked a change in Board leadership. After four years as Chair, Jeff passed the torch to Kyle, effective July 1. We are both appreciative of the opportunity to serve CC — past, present, and future — and for the collaborative process that made this transition a smooth one. We also thanked outgoing Vice Chair Ryan Haygood ’97 and Secretary Heather Carroll ’89 and turned leadership over to new Vice Chair Amy Shackelford Louis ’84 and Secretary Lauren Watel ’07.

We welcomed seven incoming Charter Trustees, each of whom bring deep expertise that will benefit our work:

We also certified our Student Trustee for 2025-26, Landon Hartman ’27.

Later this summer, we will share more about each of our new trustees so that you can learn about their backgrounds and perspectives.

During the retreat, we also took a few moments to recognize the contributions of our outgoing trustees: Susie Burghart ’77, Lisa Hastings ’91, P’23, Mike Slade ’79, P’28, and Student Trustee Adrian Price ’25. Each has given generously of their time and talents in service to CC, and we are grateful.

Finally, we conferred Emeritus status on former Charter Trustees Manuel Martinez ’74, Andy Stenovec ’85, and Phil Swan ’84, recognizing their enduring impact on the College and ongoing connection to governance. The presence of several current Emeritus Trustees at the retreat, including Dan Cooper ’66, P’96,  Bob Selig ’61, Neal Baer ’78, Bill Campbell ’67, P’02, and Eben Moulton ’68, added meaningful continuity to our conversations.

Thank you to everyone who made our retreat possible. We left our time together proud of where CC stands and energized for the work ahead in partnership with President Whitaker and all of you.

Sincerely,

Incoming Chair

Outgoing Chair