Work Toward Becoming an Antiracist Institution
CC’s Antiracism Implementation Plan provides a framework to guide the college’s progress toward becoming an antiracist institution.

Every step we take toward antiracism will make us better, and prepare our students to push for progress in the world. This commitment to antiracism is impacting our work and our lives as members of the CC community.

CC Adds Caste to Nondiscrimination Policy
As an institution of higher education founded on the principles of equitable access and inclusion, Colorado College is committed to providing students, faculty, and staff with an environment conducive to learning and working where all people are treated with dignity and respect. CC now includes caste in its Notice of Nondiscrimination Policy and Equal Employment Opportunity Statement. “Recognizing ‘caste’ and prohibiting caste-based discrimination are critical to the college’s mission to become an inclusive and antiracist institution and to its commitment to ensuring that all students and employees are treated with dignity,” says Purvi Mehta, assistant professor of history, who reached out to the Office of Human Resources, the Diversity and Equity Advisory Board, and Faculty Executive Committee to request this change in CC’s policy. Learn more about how this change supports AIP Goals 2 and 7.
Assessing Student Conduct Policies
During the 2019-20 academic year, Takiyah Amin, Ph.D., a scholar, educator, and consultant, completed an examination of student-conduct policies (known to many as The Pathfinder) through an antiracism and anti-oppression lens and recommended changes. Amin, Dean of Students Rochelle Dickey, and Community Standards and Conduct Specialist Josh Isringhausen then redrafted the conduct policies based on feedback from internal reviews and campus focus groups. “One of our major goals in rewriting these policies was to make them easier to understand and to provide clearer expectations for all students about what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior at CC,” says Isringhausen. Revised policies went into effect in the 2020-21 academic year. A Student Conduct Advisory Group was formed to review the policies annually. Find out more about how this supports AIP Goal 2, to establish antiracism, equity, and inclusion as foundational to our community expectations.
Faculty Scholarship
For the work of antiracism to be successful, all faculty and staff must see it as part of their responsibilities to the college, and as something for which everyone must be held accountable. Two faculty members recently published scholarly work advancing key antiracism values, as laid out in AIP Goal 4.

Manya Whitaker, associate professor of education, recently published “Public School Equity: Educational Leadership for Justice,” which takes a new approach on eradicating educational disparities. “So often we ask leaders to do things they are unprepared to do because what we want is ‘new’ and a product of current sociopolitical dynamics that were not present during their training. This book is an attempt at an intensive course (think Block Plan) on how to live up to current expectations,” says Whitaker.

Associate Professor Rebecca Barnes co-authored a perspectives piece in Nature Geoscience highlighting the systems of oppression inherent within STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) for historically excluded groups. The article, “Scientists from historically excluded groups face a hostile obstacle course,” reframes the discussion of diversity in STEM from one that is passive (i.e., a “leaky pipeline”) to that of a hostile obstacle course, exploring the causes and consequences of underrepresented scholars.

Completion of Communications Diversity Audit
Colorado College recently conducted a communications audit to examine communications on diversity, inclusion, and antiracism, as well as discourse — the way community members voice their opinions and become informed. This is a key initiative in AIP Goal 7, The complete Communications Diversity Audit conducted by Consultant Jess Pettitt is available here. Log in with your CC credentials.
Learn more about CC’s antiracism commitment and access the full plan.
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

Welcome New Leadership

Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty, 


As we progress with Project 2024 meetings, Conversations with the President, and campus climate and racial climate surveys, I am impressed that this campus community cares deeply about making CC an even greater and more positively impactful college than it already is. Our future is bright.

Today I am sharing exciting news about two new leaders and Cabinet members who will be integral to the forward-thinking work we will engage in to do what we do better. Both will join CC on April 11.
Vice President and Chief Information Officer Vish Paradkar

Vish Paradkar will rejoin Colorado College, this time as our new vice president and chief information officer. Vish was CC’s associate vice president of IT from 2010 to 2018 and is known for his collaborative leadership approach. During that time, he was central to the completion of a multi-year rollout of the student information system, a comprehensive network upgrade, and installation of the college’s first mobile app.
Since 2018 he has been the vice president and chief information officer at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. Vish brings to CC more than 25 years of leadership experience in IT organizations across government, finance, telecom, consulting, and higher education.

At Wentworth his key accomplishments include the rollout of a new learning management system, implementation of multiple IT applications, enhanced security solutions, and various digital collaboration and communications tools including myWentworth, a web/mobile-enabled intranet platform. He established a comprehensive IT governance framework with representation from faculty, staff, students, and university leadership.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to join the Colorado College community in this critical role,” he says. “I am looking forward to rejoining the talented ITS organization and participating in the collective reimagination process to help secure an even better, stronger, and impactful future for this distinguished liberal arts institution.”

Vish is a certified project management professional. He earned a bachelor of engineering in electronics degree from the University of Mumbai, India, and a master of business administration from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing Todd Woodward
Todd Woodward will become CC’s vice president for strategic communications and marketing. Todd will bring to CC experience in university, agency, and corporate communications and marketing, having led corporate and marketing communications for three Fortune 500 companies and the University of Notre Dame.
Todd was most recently vice president of global communications for Herman Miller Group, overseeing corporate, investor, industry, consumer, social impact, issues management, and employee communications across nine family brands. Prior to that, he was chief communications officer at the brokerage company Gallagher, focusing on brand awareness, thought leadership differentiation, corporate social responsibility, content marketing and sales enablement, employee attraction, engagement, and advocacy. He also was vice president of corporate and marketing communications for Amway, focused on global planning, brand positioning, reputation management, and measurement.

Todd was associate vice president of university communications and marketing for six years at University of Notre Dame, where he was responsible for Notre Dame brand academic positioning and execution, academic and research thought leadership, public relations and issues management, employee communications and engagement, campaign communications, the university marketing and communications agency, the website, and Notre Dame Magazine.

“I am delighted to work with President Richardson, the leadership team, and the entire Colorado College community to help tell what I believe is one of the most compelling stories in higher education,” he says. “From the Block Plan to the college’s commitment to antiracism, to the dedication of the faculty, and the success of the graduates, Colorado College is defining what it means to be a liberal arts college in today’s world. With so many channels and platforms available to us, we have a great opportunity to tell our unique story in an engaging and meaningful way.”

He earned a bachelor of arts degree from University of Notre Dame.

Watch for opportunities to meet and welcome Vish and Todd to CC in coming weeks.

Thanks so much to the search teams and the many campus community members who met with these candidates, engaged in important conversations, and shared their input. Your contributions and those of these new leaders will set us on course to achieve so much in our future. 

I am grateful for Katharina Groves and Tulio Wolford, interim co-vice presidents of ITS, for their leadership of the division after the loss of our dear friend Vice President and CIO Brian Young, who passed away last summer. They both contributed so much to the Cabinet’s strategic thinking and provided steady guidance to their team as it adapted to greater technology needs brought on by online learning and work due to the pandemic.

Thanks to Jane Turnis, who has led our Communications team for 13 years, through brand strategy; new institutional and athletics logos; a collegewide communications plan; a wayfinding system; web redesigns; alumni magazine redesigns; the addition of video, photography, and internal communications; a new partnership for the college’s NPR member radio station KRCC; and much more. I’m thrilled that Jane now will bring her talents to the President’s Office as associate vice president for executive communications.

We will gather soon to celebrate Jane, Katharina, and Tulio.

Sincerely, 

L. Song Richardson

President
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

LACRELA eConvenings: Spots Still Available!

Colorado College is a member of LACRELA, Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance, sponsored by University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center.


As a member, CC can send up to 10 employees (staff and faculty) per e-convening.  

Sign up for these remote professional development interactive seminars on topics (see list below) related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in higher education.

Please use this form to indicate which e-convening(s) you would like to attend. Once a roster is created for each e-convening you will receive a follow-up email with a link to officially register.

Recordings and resources from past e-convenings are available here.

If you have any questions, please contact Peony Fhagen, senior associate dean for equity, inclusion, and faculty development.

Note: All e-convenings meet 10 a.m.-1 p.m. MST

E-Convening Topics, Dates, and # of spots left: 

“Centering Racial Equity in Your Student Success Agenda,” Tuesday, March 22 (three spots open, Sign up by March 18.)
“The Chief Diversity Officer’s Role in Advancing Racial Equity,” Tuesday, April 19 (eight spots open.)
“Classroom Incivility and Productive Conversations About Race,” Tuesday, May 24 (six spots open.)
“Reducing Implicit Bias in the Search and Hiring Process,” Friday, June 10 (two spots open.)
“Race-Conscious Enrollment Management,” Tuesday, July 12 (four spots open)
“Communicating Institutional Progress on Racial Equity Goals,” Tuesday, Aug. 16 (three spots open.)
“Dismantling Persistent Racial Equity Problems in STEM,” Friday, Sept. 16 (seven spots open.)
“Making Racial Equity Data Transparent,” Friday, Oct. 21 (three spots open.)
“Understanding Campus Unrest and Responding to Student Protest,” Tuesday, Nov. 15 (three spots open.)
“Using Assessment and Evaluation to Improve Campus Racial Climates,” Tuesday, Dec. 6 (four spots open.)
“Managing and Resolving Racial Tensions in the Workplace,” Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023 (one spot open.)
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

75 Days to Commencement

The biggest annual celebration on the CC campus — Commencement — is coming up Sunday, May 22, 8:30 a.m., in Ed Robson Arena. That’s just 75 days away!


Additional end-of-year and Commencement festivities include:
Honors Convocation, Tuesday, May 10, at 11 a.m. This is CC’s opportunity to honor outstanding students and faculty. The annual program includes departmental awards, all-college awards, and awards from the CC Student Government Association. All are welcome to attend. The ceremony serves as the First Mondays presentation for Block 8 (despite the fact that it’s on Tuesday).
Baccalaureate, Saturday, May 21, 3-4 p.m., is open only to students and their two guests, but a live, online stream of the ceremony will be available. Baccalaureate provides a quiet, intimate opportunity to reflect on the rite of passage of graduation, hear from a faculty member, and enjoy students’ talents.
The locations for Honors Convocation and Baccalaureate are to be determined. Click here to find the full schedule of events and additional information for Commencement weekend. (Note, graduating seniors and their parents will receive details around grad fair, tickets, and other logistics in a separate email.)
At Commencement, CC will confer honorary degrees upon several notable individuals who have rendered distinguished service to society or made extraordinary achievements in their own profession. The 2022 honorary degree recipients are Alan Ricks ’05, founding principal and chief design officer of MASS Design Group; Jessie Pocock ’08, queer activist leader and executive director of Inside Out Youth Services; and Pikes Peak Poet Laureate Emeritus Price Strobridge. Click here to read their complete bios — and stay tuned for the Commencement speaker announcement in the coming weeks!
Students, thank you for supporting each other throughout your time at CC! Faculty and staff, thank you for the work you do each day to contribute to our campus community — and for welcoming hundreds of family members and friends visiting campus for graduation.
Want to get involved? There are lots of opportunities to help with Commencement events! To volunteer, please contact Brenda Soto, director of college events: bsoto@coloradocollege.edu.
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

Students Test Twice Weekly

You’re Invited to a Spring Break Party
Sent on behalf of Staff Council:

Join Staff Council for a Spring Break Party!

Staff Council invites all CC staff to gather for snacks and drinks on Thursday, March 17, 2-4 p.m., at the Ed Robson Arena concourse. Meet your Staff Council reps, socialize with staff colleagues from across campus, and maybe win a cool prize. RSVP by Friday, March 11, using this link. We hope to see you there!
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

Around the Block: Women Leading the Way

Students: Sign Up for Black Italian Cinema and Digital Performance in Block 7
In Block 7, Assistant Professor Amanda Minervini will be co-teaching with  Italian-Ghanaian director and activist, Fred Kuwornu the class “IT320/FM206 Black Italian Cinema and Digital Performance,” which was the first course to be entirely dedicated to Afroitalian media ever taught in the U.S. and in Italy. This course is an introduction to issues of culture, race, identity, and citizenship in contemporary Italy, drawing from documentary, film, and the new arena of social media. An entire generation of Black Italians, in particular artists, entrepreneurs, and bloggers (especially Millennials), have been affirming themselves in Italian culture and society, gaining progressively more visibility starting in the 1990s, and thus entering the spotlight of the global Black Diaspora. During Block 7, Kuwornu will also show — for the first time — his latest documentary.

Women’s History Month: The CC Woman’s Educational Society
The Woman’s Educational Society (WES) of Colorado College was formed in April 1889 under Mary Montgomery Slocum’s leadership to give “physical, intellectual, and spiritual aid to young women who are students in any department of Colorado College.” Mary was the wife of CC’s third president, William Frederick Slocum. The organization was intended to act as a bridge between female community members in Colorado Springs interested in supporting the growth of the college and female students. Today, the WES continues its work, contributing funds toward tuition and book allowances for CC women who have been selected as WES scholars.
—–

March is Women’s History Month, designated to celebrate the achievements of and by women in recognition of their central role throughout U.S. history. Colorado College strives to tell these stories year-round. Other notable moments in CC history for women can be found on the Timeline of CC History.

Faces of Innovation: Han Santana-Sayles ’15

Photo by Allyson Lupovich, courtesy of Meow Wolf
In many ways, Meow Wolf defies explanation. Think art exhibit meets museum meets storytelling experience — with a sci-fi or fantastical theme. Visitors can interact with almost every element in some way, such as opening a refrigerator and walking through it to an interdimensional travel agency or crawling through a fireplace and ending up in a large Mastodon cave.

Han Santana-Sayles ’15, director of artist collaboration, and CC’s new “Face of Innovation,” says she describes it often as a narrative-driven, immersive art exhibit. Santana-Sayles works with artists to bring playful, mind-bending, and inclusive projects to Meow Wolf’s several locations.

Watch the video, by Video Producer Julia Fuller, and read the full story, written by Kirsten Akens ’96 here.

2022 MacLean Symposium on Asian American Literature
This year’s MacLean Symposium, to be held April 12-14, 2022, at Colorado College, invites Ma Vang, Mai Der Vang, Divya Victor, Aaron Cohick, and Cathy Park Hong to speak on Asian American literature as forms of racial reckoning. Both as textual representation and self-reflection, literature has been foundational to Asian American studies and, in this critical moment of antiracist initiatives and resistance, it continues to play a vital role in creating dialogue around issues of war, justice, art, and community. In bringing together these writers, artists, and thinkers, the MacLean Symposium aims to amplify Asian American literature and its many points of intervention.

Sponsored by the D.J. MacLean Endowed Fund for English.

—–

The MacLean Symposium is also part of Colorado College’s “Forever Foreign: Asian America, Global Asia, and the Problem of Anti-Asian Racism” series. This year-long event centers the perspectives and voices of the Asian diaspora communities and deepens the ongoing conversations on antiracism. The series is sponsored by the Asian Studies Program; Cultural Attractions Fund; National Endowment for the Humanities; MacLean Fund for the English Department; Department of History; Department of Political Science; Butler Center; Department of Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies; Center for Global Education and Field Study; and Feminist and Gender Studies.

March 14 Deadline: Apply for the Alumni Association Student Leadership Scholarship
The CC Alumni Association Council created and supports the Colorado College Alumni Association Student Leadership Scholarship, a loan-reducing scholarship designed to recognize student leaders on campus and encourage them to stay involved with CC after graduation. The application is now open through March 14!
Recipients of this award are well-rounded students with strong leadership qualities and a broad outreach among their classmates, the school, and the community. Competition for the scholarship brings out the best and brightest of future alumni leaders.
This scholarship is open to CC sophomores and juniors who are eligible for financial aid. A scholarship of at least $5,000 will be awarded for use in the 2022-23 academic year. The deadline to apply is Monday, March 14, at 11:50 p.m., Mountain Time.

Reminder: How to Use ‘Today at CC’
Today at CC is a useful tool for the CC community and allows anyone with CC login credentials to share information about their event, program, or activity. However, it becomes less useful when the daily email is bogged down with duplicates or when events or announcements are posted in the wrong place. A helpful guide is available online and here are important reminders:
Q: Should I post an event or announcement?
A: You should post an announcement if you are spreading information regarding an opportunity, class, or anything that isn’t something people actually attend (like an event).
Examples of announcement titles:
  • Construction on N. Cascade Ave.
  • Bon Appetit is looking for students to conduct a taste test survey
  • Order your Block 6 books online
Events have a time, date, and location for people to assemble. However, you do not need to include these other details in the title since they can now have their own designated section for each event.
Examples of event titles:
  • ORC Gear Sale
  • Asian Cultures Night
  • CC In Latin America Info Session

Insider View: CC Student Body President Deksyos Damtew ’22

Photo by Lonnie Timmons III
In the latest Colorado College Bulletin, CC’s Student Body President Deksyos Damtew ’22 offers an insider view of the enduring community spirit at CC despite the Coronavirus pandemic. He says, “I’d initially thought I wanted to go to a larger school, but as I pictured myself being part of that close-knit community, I changed my mind. During the Coronavirus pandemic, that community feeling was put to the test … But ultimately, I think our community was strengthened during this time. We learned to adapt and take care of each other.”
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

Temporary COVID-19 Policy Update

Dear CC Community, 


As we adapt to the new CDC guidance on masking, our COVID-19 response remains adjustable and responsive.

Currently, we are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases on campus.

In response to our current data, we will temporarily adjust our COVID-19 protocols:

All students must participate in screening testing today, Thursday, March 3. Doing so will allow us to break chains of infection and continue to be together in person.

Students should look for an email invitation today and pick up a test kit at one of the distribution sites. Students with positive test results from the past 30 days need not test today.  

Students who have symptoms should seek testing at the Student Health Center. Employees should contact their healthcare provider to determine what tests and treatment are appropriate.

In addition, professors may require masks during class times. Teaching and learning in the classroom are required activities for students and faculty. This provides another layer protection against classroom transmission during the current rise in cases.

Remember that all are welcome to wear a mask at any time, for any reason. Even in the absence of 100% indoor mask-wearing, high filtration masks, such as KN95/N95 are associated with lower odds of a positive COVID-19 test result and offer the most protection, compared to no mask use. Additionally, given the care that we continue to show for each other, we know that most of us would be happy to wear a mask if requested by someone we are with because that’s the type of community we have.

Air filters and testing for students and employees continue to be available.

CC and El Paso County data are updated here daily. This link contains additional tips from the CDC to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in your interactions and reduce transmission on campus and disruption to classes and campus activities.

If you would like to talk through your specific situation or risk mitigation options, we are available to meet with you. Please reach out to us at covid19@coloradocollege.edu.

Our goal is to learn to adapt to our new environment, follow CDC guidelines to mitigate against severe disease and high demand on hospitals, and mitigate against significant disruption in the core CC experience. We will use these criteria to guide us as we continue to adapt our campus response.

Sincerely,


Andrea Bruder
Chief Public Health Advisor to the President

Mateo Muñoz
Chair, COVID-19 Policy and Implementation Committee

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

Get Ready for the Virtual Majors Fair

Students at CC must declare a major by the end of their sophomore year.


Are you ready? Have you picked a major yet? Having second thoughts about your current major? Curious about major requirements?

The Sophomore Jump Program is hosting a virtual majors fair in lieu of our in-person program. We’ve gathered videos from departments and programs across campus for you to explore, touching on topics like:

  • What will you learn in this major?
  • What skills will you develop?
  • What are the requirements and prerequisites?
  • What are common career and post-grad opportunities?

Let these videos serve as a resource and spark your imagination as you explore your future at CC and beyond!
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

Employee Climate Survey Results

The overall results of the 2021 employee engagement climate survey are posted now.


Thank you for participating: 70% of you took part in this survey. These overall results, which were shared by ModernThink’s Rich Boyer during Block 5’s In the Loop and faculty meetings, will inform the work of how we do what we do better, and guide planning in each division and department.

This survey process created an opportunity for all members of the CC community to have a voice and, along with Project 2024, provides important feedback and ideas that will help shape the future of CC.

Next steps:

  • Cabinet members will meet with their divisions in upcoming weeks to discuss the college’s survey results.
  • Division-specific climate survey results will be posted March 11.
  • From mid-March through June, members of each division will work together to identify three priorities to address based on their divisional climate survey results.
  • Then, each division will establish an action plan and associated timeline to achieve their three priorities.

For questions about the survey or our survey partner, contact Lyrae Williams at lwilliams@coloradocollege.edu.
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