Today at CC Digest for Students

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

A Message from the President and Interim President-Elect

Dear CC Community,  

At CC we believe a liberal arts education must be grounded in humanity, at its core and as its outcome.   

In the last eight months, our community has experienced intense grief and anguish as we bear witness to devastating losses of Palestinian, Israeli, and other lives in Gaza, Palestine, and Israel. The suffering is unbearable, and the death toll continues to rise. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed and 78,827 injured in the Israel Defense Forces’ response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Over 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the same timeframe. We have a moral obligation to stand against this violence. 

We acknowledge and feel the pain of all who have reached out to us and all who continue to advocate for the change necessary to end the suffering, famine, and continued death of civilians. We have been asked by students, staff, faculty, alumni, and parents to share our view on where we, the President and Interim President Elect, stand on genocide, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, and human rights violations. We condemn all these acts.  

As we build our path forward as a community, we are thinking deeply about our responsibility as an institution of higher education. With no colleges or universities remaining in Gaza, we have considered how we might directly support students and faculty-scholars in the region. To center our academic mission in the face of this humanitarian crisis, we are partnering with the Scholars-at-Risk program and the University in Exile program to identify a displaced scholar who we could invite to CC as a visiting faculty member. We will also leverage our HAVEN program for students who want to transfer to CC to complete their education.  

Further, it is our duty to support students’ desires to meet with the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees to ensure our endowment investments align with CC’s values. The Board has agreed to follow the same process it followed to respond to requests to divest from fossil fuels. The full Board of Trustees will meet June 12-14 for its regular summer meeting. Members of the Board will meet with student representatives ahead of the June meeting to discuss next steps and explore revisions to our investment policy. Students may also have the opportunity to engage with Partners Capital as part of a special meeting arranged in partnership with the Investment Committee.  

We also received requests to expunge the records of student protestors found to be in violation of our Freedom of Expression policy. Our conduct procedures include a process for requesting expungement of records, and, in our conversations, we encouraged students to follow that process. As a college committed to preparing democratic citizens, we believe it is our responsibility to ensure we provide space for members of our community to express their views, even views that others may strongly oppose. Simultaneously, we have a duty to protect the learning environment of all our students, which is why we have a Freedom of Expression policy with time, place, and manner restrictions. 

Our policies protect the rights of all, regardless of viewpoint, to engage in peaceful protest, and we recognize that existing policies need to be updated and clarified. A group of faculty and staff have been working for several months to revise our Freedom of Expression policy. Faculty are invited to collaborate with the Dean of Students office this summer as we revise our student conduct policies.  

We will continue to investigate, immediately and thoroughly, all reports of harassment, discrimination, and community standards violations. These reporting processes are non-negotiable and vital to keeping our community safe. 

Finally, we are committed to facilitating education and understanding across our community through guest speakers, campus events, and programming. Aligned with our academic core, we encourage the community to use our Cultural Attractions Fund and Antiracist Community Engagement (ACE) grants to bring speakers to campus. We are also happy to share that beginning in Fall 2024, our partnership with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, led by the Ombuds Office, will offer students learning opportunities that equip them with the essential skills to navigate complexities and engage across difference in an increasingly diverse and polarized society. 

Together as a community, we will keep discussing who we are and who we want to be at CC. We can make a difference without violating the rights of others, and without excluding people based on their religion, place of origin, race, or ethnicity. We can affect change while staying true to our values.  

Warmly,  

L. Song Richardson

President 

Manya Whitaker

Interim President-Elect
View this email online
14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO | 80903 US
This email was sent to commsemailarchive@coloradocollege.edu.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
powered by emma

Block 8 People Connections – Human Resources Newsletter
This newsletter contains information on the new applicant tracking system, an opportunity to join the ambassador program, and an update on compensation. 

Benefits Open Enrollment

CC makes significant investments in our benefits offerings to support you as an employee. To get the most value from these investments, we encourage you to review your selections during open enrollment, Wednesday, May 1 to Friday, May 31. Most changes will take effect on July 1. 
During this period, you can make any of the following changes in the eBenefits portal: 
  • Add, delete, or modify any of your benefits 
  • Enroll or disenroll eligible dependents 
  • This year only: You can enroll for supplemental life insurance up to the guaranteed issue amount through The Hartford. This is a one-time chance to waive the requirement for Evidence Of Insurability (EOI).  
  • Update your flexible spending account (FSA) withholding. Note: The FSA is the only benefit that must be renewed each year. 
Other than the FSA withholding, if you would like to keep your current benefits as they are, you do not need to do anything during open enrollment. 
If you have any questions, please contact Gina Lujan at elujan@coloradocollege.edu. 

New Applicant Tracking System – PageUp

Human Resources is thrilled to announce that CC will be adopting a new applicant tracking system over the summer. The new software will improve the talent acquisition process for hiring teams by consolidating search resources into a single platform and will also provide a better application experience for applicants. 
The new platform, PageUp, was unanimously selected by a cross-functional team composed of members from the Dean of the Faculty, Student Employment, ITS, and HR. Implementation work is already underway, and it is anticipated to go live later this summer.

HR Staffing Update

After 10 years of dedicated service at CC, Laurie Mozingo will be retiring on Friday, August 2. Please join us in thanking her for her service to our employees. 
As she is departing, we are shifting some of her responsibilities into new roles. We are in the process of hiring a Director of Employee Relations and Support, who will help us build transparency, equity, and restorative practices into processes that help address employee concerns.  
We will also be hiring a Director of Total Rewards, who will continue the work of enhancing our compensation and benefits practices. 
Finally, we are in the process of hiring the Associate Vice President of Workplace Culture to backfill the position left vacant when Ginger Jurecka-Blake left earlier this year. 

Did you participate in the April 2024 Performance Conversation?

We are interested in your feedback on the new process and have an anonymous survey open through Monday, May 27. Providing information about your experience will help us make data-informed decisions about this process moving forward.  
We will share performance data and respond to your feedback throughout the summer. Keep an eye out for more information related to Feedback Practices.  

Join the Ambassador Program!

During this academic year, Ambassadors have supported over 60 new employees through their onboarding experience. A recent new hire shared feedback about the program stating, “I’ve never worked in a place with a program like the CC Ambassador Program. It’s super helpful and makes connecting with fellow staff members easier!”  

We are now looking to grow our Ambassador Program so we can welcome new employees over the summer months and into next year. If you have ever been curious about what Ambassadors do, or if you have worked at CC for over one year and are interested in becoming an Ambassador, please reach out to Sara San Souci for more information about the program and steps to join.

Compensation

HR is working with divisions to finalize the banding tied to the new compensation structure. Every position is being reviewed to ensure compensation that is internally and externally equitable. We have shared updates on the process at In the Loop, the Work of the College, and the Open Forum sessions. New bands will be communicated to all employees in salary change letters in late June/early July. Please make sure your mailing address is accurate in Banner and email HR@coloradocollege.edu” style=”font-weight: normal;font-weight: normal;color: #7a6646;text-decoration: underline;color: #7a6646;text-decoration: underline”> HR@coloradocollege.edu if you need to update it.

HR Updates 

Visit the HR Updates page to check out past editions of the People Connections newsletter, along with recent updates from HR.

You are receiving this email because you are a member of the Colorado College community. Thank you for the important work you do each day. View this email online
14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO | 80903 US
This email was sent to commsemailarchive@coloradocollege.edu.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
powered by emma

2024 Colorado College Commencement Ceremony

The Gold Mine – A Resource for CC’s Research Grant Community (Block 8, 2024)

News for and about CC’s Thriving Research Grant Community

News for and about CC's Thriving Research Grant Community

Photo by Skye Studios on Unsplash

Piloting New Support for Faculty This Summer
Dear Colleagues,

One of the clear findings from my office’s self-study in 2021 was interest in mechanisms for faculty to make progress on their grant and fellowship goals throughout the year. This need can be particularly pronounced in the summer.

In addition, through the 2021 survey (and through personal communications) CC faculty with expertise in external funding programs have expressed interest in supporting their fellow faculty in applying for external grant and fellowships.

This summer we will again be offering Small Group Grant Gatherings (“Small G3s”) for discussion on a few specific funders, with the goal of providing informal support and gentle accountability. New this year, these Small G3s will have a peer-to-peer mentoring component. These small groupings will:

1) Meet as a group once or twice during the summer to discuss their scholarly work and any planned proposals
2) Serve as informal readers of each other’s grant or fellowship proposal drafts, a valuable practice for both readers and writers
3) When CC expertise is available, have access to a faculty lead with experience in the funder, who will receive a summer stipend for their support of the G3.

Faculty who are interested in applying to one of the following external funding programs in the next few years are invited to participate in these informal groups, especially those planning on a submission in 2024:

Fulbright
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Science Foundation

A few faculty have already expressed interest in serving as a faculty lead for these funders, however more are welcome and encouraged. If you are a faculty member who has been successful with an external grant or fellowship and/or has served on a review panel for a particular funder, please visit the Summer 2024 Programming page to learn more about the role of the faculty lead, the support I will provide, and the compensation offered. Please use the G3 form there to share more about your expertise. 

To learn more about these offerings and to express interest, please visit the Summer 2024 Programming page.

~Tess

Tess Powers

Director of Sponsored Research (note below on recent title change)
tpowers@coloradocollege.edu

Proposal News


Dr. Corina McKendry has been selected for a Fulbright award in Costa Rica for the Spring of 2025! As described in her proposal, “Costa Rica is renowned for its national climate and conservation efforts. Recently, it has also begun to promote climate action for urban sustainability. Through expert interviews, non-participant observation, and document analysis, I will investigate climate governance in seven cities across the country to understand the successes and challenges they are encountering in achieving equitable, sustainable urban development. I will work with faculty and students at the University of Costa Rica supervising graduate research, holding workshops, and disseminating results to municipal governments. This research will offer insights to aspiring sustainable cities in Central America and beyond.” Costa Rica is a highly coveted location for Fulbright applicants – and only one to two are awarded annually. Dr. McKendry’s proposal was excellent, reflecting months of careful planning and hours of dedicated writing and rewriting. Please join me in extending congratulations to Dr. McKendry!

I also wanted to share the wonderful news that Dr. Sarah Schanz and Dr. Michelle Gevedon have been awarded $92,275 in funding from the Keck Geology Consortium and NSF’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Their project, titled “Investigating Linkages Between Geologic Histories, Eolian Dust Production, and Climate Change,” will support 10 undergraduates from around the country in a 5-week research experience based out of Colorado College this summer. The experience will include a one-week field trip to the Baca Campus. 

Finally, I’m delighted to share that Dr. Luis David Garcia Puente, Professor of Mathematics, has been awarded $22,500 from the National Science Foundation to support a “Workshop on Computational and Applied Enumerative Geometry,” to be held at the Fields Institute in Toronto June 3-7, 2024. Enumerative geometry is the study of a particular class of mathematical problems, called enumerative problems, which are fundamental to STEM fields including mathematics, particle physics, robotics, and computer vision. The main goal of this workshop is to unite experts working on problems related to enumerative geometry to increase dialogue between theory and application. About 80 individuals are expected at this meeting. The NSF funding will be targeted to support the travel of 20 early career scientists and members of groups underrepresented in the sciences. 

Changes Coming to NEH Summer Stipend Program

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced changes to its Summer Stipend competition in a webinar on May 15th. Key changes include:

Increasing the stipend amount from $6,000 to $8,000
Decreasing the number of nominees per institution from two to one

The updated program guidelines will be posted by June As a reminder, non-tenure-track, adjunct faculty, staff and retired faculty are exempt from nomination and may submit directly to the NEH Summer Stipend program for its Sept. 18, 2024 deadline.

All members of the Colorado College community are encouraged to use resources available on the College’s Advice on Key Funders page. Tess Powers is available as a resource for all CC applicants.

More information on the internal nomination process is available here.

Regional Survey on Research Mentorship Needs


The Intermountain Digital Educational Research Consortium (IDERC) is a group of faculty and staff at Southern Utah University, the University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, and Weber State University who have an interest in responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR) and research mentorship. They received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop online materials that will help colleges and universities in our region meet their needs for RECR and research mentorship training. They are conducting an assessment of the availability of resources supporting RECR at different institutions across the Intermountain West, and of how researchers from different types of institutions implement specific practices in their research and mentoring. If you would like to help them understand the current strengths and needs for research training in our region please complete the survey, which is open to faculty members and undergraduates. The survey has been approved by the IRB at the University of Utah (IRB_00154720).

Note on Title Change


After contemplating this for some time, I have proposed that my title change from “Director of Faculty Research Support” to “Director of Sponsored Research.” This change does not signal a change in duties, but rather is intended to bring the title in alignment with current industry standards. The change took effect in early May. ~ Tess

Help Us Recognize Our Community’s Accomplishments

CC Accolades

Help us celebrate your colleagues’ accomplishments! Use this anonymous form to share news of publications, creative work, grants and fellowships, and other accomplishments.
You are receiving this email because you are a member of the Colorado College community. Thank you for the important work you do each day. View this email online
14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO | 80903 US
This email was sent to commsemailarchive@coloradocollege.edu.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
powered by emma

Today at CC Digest for Students

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

Today at CC Digest

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

Title IX Final Rules

Dear Campus Community, 

Today we are sharing a proposal of a completely redesigned Civil Rights and Title IX Policy and Procedure for your review and feedback. This policy has been developed with two primary goals in mind.  

  1. Bring CC into compliance with the new 2024 Title IX regulations, released by the Department of Education in April. 
  2. Address a variety of confusions and concerns around the existing Interim Non-Discrimination and Antiharassment Policy and Procedure, and the Interim Title IX Grievance Procedures which this new policy seeks to replace.  

These two interim policies were implemented by CC in response to the 2020 Devos Title IX regulations, and were never intended to be permanent. In 2021 a working group of faculty, staff, and students presented a series of recommendations related to these policies, however, CC lacked the resources and capacity at that time to implement many of the proposals.  

In November 2023, a temporary operational group comprised of staff from across campus began working to develop a new policy which would address many of the concerns raised by the 2021 working group and more. Since that time, the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX has continued to work on this new policy to ensure compliance with federal and state law.  

The new Civil Rights and Title IX Policy and Procedures are not finalized. We are seeking feedback from the community so that we may incorporate it this summer. We are therefore asking interested parties to review the proposed policy and share your feedback by July 1. Our intention is to have a finalized policy to release for 30-day review at the start of Block 1, in August, to allow for our entire campus community an opportunity to provide input.

Please be aware that federal regulations require updates to our Title IX policy no later than August 1. We will be incorporating these mandatory changes into our current policies to ensure compliance while continuing to work with the community to implement broader policy changes in early fall. For information on what changes to policy the College will be required to implement prior to the start of the Fall Semester please visit the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX website. 
View this email online
14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO | 80903 US
This email was sent to commsemailarchive@coloradocollege.edu.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
powered by emma

Today at CC Digest for Students

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

Today at CC Digest

A Daily Digest for Colorado College