Announcing the 2023 Commencement Speaker

Dear CC Community,

At Colorado College, we encourage courageous conversations and bold actions. We know that these conversations are not easy. However, they are essential for us to bridge divisions and make progress in our polarized, quick-to-judge, reactionary world. When we listen, debate in a respectful manner, and try to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, we still may not agree – but we will learn, and gain better understanding of the issues of our time.

 

I’m delighted to announce that our 2023 Commencement speaker is former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, Colorado College Class of 1988. Cheney, who graduated with a political science degree from CC and a law degree from the University of Chicago, served as a Republican representative of Wyoming from 2017 to the beginning of this year. She recently joined the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics as a professor of practice.

 

Representative Cheney is someone who has pursued courageous conversations and taken bold actions. In recognition of her “consistent and courageous voice in defense of democracy,” she was awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in 2022.

 

After the election, she called on former President Trump to respect the rulings of the courts and to support the peaceful transfer of power. After the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, she stood against violence and took on the role of House Jan. 6 committee vice chair.  

 

Also at Commencement, Colorado College will confer honorary degrees upon the following notable individuals:

 

Dr. Mike Edmonds, retiring senior vice president, joined Colorado College in 1991. As acting co-president from 2020 to 2021, he led the campus community through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and became the first Black president in the college’s 147-year history. Prior to the presidency, Edmonds served as dean of students and vice president of Student Life. Deeply involved in collegiate speech and debate, he was inducted into the National Speech and Debate Association Hall of Fame.

 

Robert G. Moore, retiring senior vice president for Finance and Administration, chief financial officer, and chief operating officer, joined the college in 2009. His work improved CC’s physical campus, the compensation and benefits of employees, college finances, financial aid, and the student experience. Moore served as acting co-president of Colorado College in 2020-21, navigating the difficulties of COVID-19. Moore is a national leader, having served in 2020-21 as the chair of the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

 

Hilaree Nelson, Colorado College Class of 1995, North Face team captain, National Geographic Adventurer, first woman to climb Everest and Lhotse (both over 8,000 meters) in a single 24-hour push, and first to ski from the summit of Lhotse. Nelson was an all-time great in ski mountaineering, mentor to other women mountaineers, and an advocate for climate-change awareness. She died in September 2022 in a ski fall caused by an avalanche near the summit of Manaslu in Nepal.

 

Robin Wilson, professor emeritus, the Open University (UK), world-renowned mathematician, historian of mathematics, and from 1982 to 2016, a frequent visiting professor at CC. He gave numerous lectures to the wider college on a range of mathematical, historical, and musical topics. He authored or co-authored 50 books and 80+ articles on topics ranging from abstract algebra and graph theory to popularizations of mathematical ideas.

 

Watch for further details about Commencement from our Events team.

Sincerely,

L. Song Richardson

President

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