With Block 3 underway, we find ourselves in that familiar and fruitful middle ground of the academic year. We are finding a rhythm as we surpass 2/8 of the current academic year, yet plans for the next one are already emerging. Now is the time when course ideas stretch beyond their initial frames and take on new shapes through collaboration. Our upcoming Crown Center workshop, “Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Teaching,” offers a space to think alongside one another about what happens when we teach together, especially across disciplines, methodologies, and ways of knowing. These are the moments when our classrooms most fully reflect the liberal arts ideal. It is where curiosity becomes connectivity. 

As we sketch courses for next year, it is worth pausing to imagine how collaboration might inform that process. How might you connect an envisioned CC120 to an existing CC100 in another department? What could interdisciplinarity add to an experiential learning course, such as a Community-Engaged Learning or Career Catalyst Block? Who have you always wanted to teach with—for an hour, a day, a week, a block—but still haven’t asked?  

These kinds of experiments—from interdisciplinary modules to full team-taught blocks—are part of what makes teaching at Colorado College distinctive. Our recent move to #5 in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking for Best Undergraduate Teaching, up from our historical average of #10, offers external affirmation of what we already know: something meaningful happens here when we teach with intention and togetherness. Rankings, of course, are imperfect mirrors. But they remind us that others notice what we have built and continue to build together, highlighting our work beyond the academic calendar of the Block Plan itself. 

So, as the days shorten and our collective rhythm deepens, I invite you to take this moment to reconnect with the spirit of collaboration that defines our work. Reach out to colleagues across campus, join us at the workshop, celebrate what we are already doing, and share your ideas as we shape the next generation of interdisciplinary teaching at CC. 

Sincerely, 

Ryan Raul Bañagale 

Director, Crown Center for Teaching 

On October 6, Marion Hourdequin facilitated a Crown workshop on advising, emphasizing taking a holistic, student-centered approach to helping students navigate their CC education. Materials and a video of the workshop are available on the Crown Canvas page. Please email Crown Associate Director Jessica Hunter for access. 

“(Creativity) provides a kind of intimacy with life in a way that sometimes cognition or rational analysis simply does not.” — Dr. Jeremy Nobel

In Blocks 5 and 6, Health and Wellbeing, Arts & Crafts at CC, Creativity & Innovation, and the NEH Professorship are collaborating with the Colorado Arts Resiliency Lab (CORAL) to run a study on how arts experiences create community and combat the effects of stress. The results of the study will help shape future arts and wellness initiatives at CC. Look for more information and registration in the coming weeks, or email Jessica Hunter with questions.

CC classes have special access to all three programming areas of the Fine Arts Center: Museum, Theatre, and Art School. Curious how a visual, performing, or hands-on art experience could support your teaching? FAC staff can help identify meaningful connections to your course content. Contact Blair Huff, FAC Academic Engagement Manager, to explore the possibilities.  

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 12:15-1:30 p.m., Crown Workshop “Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Teaching” by Jameel Paulin, Cory B. Scott, John Gould, Elizabeth Coggins, and Patrizia Herminjard. Register on the Crown Website.

Thursday, Nov. 6, noon-1:45 p.m., C&I Workshop “Assessing Creative Assignments” by Jessica Hunter and Kris Stanec. Register on the C&I Website.

Join us this January by engaging in the Week of Action, Jan. 12-16, 2026. Week of Action is a week of opportunities and events that aim to mobilize and inspire staff and faculty to engage in local community-based work and build community. We encourage departmental teams and individuals to join us for a two-three hour community engagement activity. To express interest as a team or individually, please complete this form by Friday, Oct 31. 

The NEH Professorship offers Humanities in Partnership Grants (HIP) of up to $3,000 for the academic year 2025-26 to faculty projects that connect to NEH themes. Read more for descriptions of grant categories and application instructions. Applications are due by noon on the third Monday of each Block. The Block 3 deadline is Monday Oct. 10 at noon. Please contact Jessica Hunter with any questions.