In this newsletter:

Deciding what to major in can be both exciting and stressful! Often times we forget to fully acknowledge our success before thinking of the “next step.” Before we dive into tangible steps students can take to determine what they want to major in, we want to take a moment to recognize the amazing academic achievements and hard work CC students have already made throughout their lives! You’ve already done so many amazing things, and we’re excited to help you continue pursuing your goals. Below are some steps you can take to decide your major.

Talk with folks

An important step in discovering the major you wish to pursue is to seek out conversations with folks on campus who can provide a sounding board and resources. Your advisors—Hub and faculty—can talk with you about your interests, goals, and opportunities to tie everything together. They can help you navigate how to select coursework that aligns with your goals, connect you with co-curricular and extracurricular activities that relate to your interests, and help you navigate the many, sometimes complex, resources available to you at CC. Your advisors and their contact information can be found in Stellic. 

In addition to your advisors, your professors are a great resource. If you’re taking a class and are enjoying the content, ask your professor if you can chat with them more about the subject area. Professors are content experts and can provide robust information on what majoring in that subject area entails and how to get the most out of your academic experience.

Don’t forget about your classmates. If you are unsure about which major to select, it can be helpful to have conversations with your classmates on what they are majoring in and why they like that discipline. They can provide first-hand experience on what it’s like to major in subject areas at CC.

Know thyself

An important step in deciding what to major in is understanding your likes, dislikes, strengths, and areas you wish to improve. Additionally, it can be advantageous to identify your core values, especially as they relate to the career path you want to pursue. The Career Center at CC has many amazing resources to take advantage of to help you correlate your academic interests to potential career pathways. PathwayU provides assessments that can help you align career paths with things that are important to you. PathwayU and other online resources can be found on our website.

Explore and Research

At CC, we have a lot of information available to help students learn more about the majors and minors we offer. The academic department webpages provide students information on what that subject is, major/minor requirements, faculty bios, and options to get involved in research and major/minor specific clubs.

It can be important to participate in clubs, fairs, and experiences that can help you investigate the different academic pathways available to you. There are student clubs focused on specific academic disciplines and careers.

An exciting upcoming opportunity to take advantage of is the Majors Fair!

Monday, Feb. 2, noon-2 p.m., Worner Student Center
Talk to faculty and students from departments across campus about what majors and minors are right for you! Lunch will be served. 

At CC, students are required to declare their major by the end of the sophomore year. In order to declare a major, you will need to complete the major declaration form on the registrar’s website and obtain a faculty advisor within the major department. You may be asking yourself, “how do I get a faculty advisor within the major I wish to declare?” Great question! Academic departments vary in how faculty major advisors are assigned. Some departments encourage you to ask a professor within the major to serve as your advisor, while other departments assign faculty advisors for you. The best way to determine which approach a department uses is to reach out to the Academic Administrative Assistant for that department. Feel free to contact your Hub Advisor to learn who the Academic Administrative Assistant is for the department you’re looking for.

Majors and Classes—Oh My! 

Declaring a major can be a really exciting and intimidating process, especially when thinking about law school. The good news is that it doesn’t matter what you major in. Law schools really don’t care. I promise, they don’t care. What they do care about are your grades. When you major in something you like and are interested in, your grades tend to trend up. That’s what we want! When studying what you like, the work doesn’t feel as heavy and hard. I’m not saying you won’t take difficult classes but hopefully the content is intriguing. That’s what college is all about!

There are some classes that can be helpful if you are considering law school. Here’s a list of classes that are suggested for this academic year. This list will be updated as soon as the new course grid is finished for next year. There might be some surprises on this list. Theatre? Why on earth would you need a Theatre class? Poise! Speaking! Clarity! Performance! Command! All excellent qualities if thinking about being a trial attorney. Point being, keep your mind open. Try new classes. There are no required classes for law school. Let’s talk about what you’re interested in and what is different so we can stretch your mind.

Mark your calendar:

University of South Dakota Law School
Wednesday, Mar. 4, Tutt Library 303, 12:15 p.m.
Lunch provided so please RSVP to Gretchen

USD will be here to talk about the financial aid process, how to look for schools and tools to help you narrow down choices on where to apply that match your values. While USD may not be on your list right now, simply hearing from an admission representative about WHERE to look and HOW to pay for it is a big deal. Keep an open mind and take this information and apply it to the future.

~gretchen

Club Meetings

Health Professions Club:

Meetings are the second Thursday of each block, 12:15-1 p.m., Olin 1

Block 6: Thursday, Feb. 26, How to find jobs and internships – advice from the Career Center

Block 7: Thursday, Apr. 2, Volunteer Panel

Block 8: Thursday, Apr. 30, Club Elections and Alumni Application Panel

Pre-Dental Club:

Meetings are the second Monday of each block, 12:15-1 p.m., Advising Hub

Block 6: February 23

Block 7: March 30

Block 8: April 27

Pre-Vet Club:

Meetings are the second Tuesday of each block, 12:15-1 p.m., Olin Fishbowl        

Block 6: February 24      

Block 7: March 31           

Block 8: April 28        

Spring Semester Health Professions Programs and Workshops

Thursday, Feb. 5, 5-7 p.m., Suture Clinic, Gaylord

Monday, Feb. 9, noon-1:30 p.m., Personal Statement Workshop, Tutt Library Room TBD

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 4-5 p.m., MCAT Strategies Student Panel, AAMC Webinar   

Thursday, Mar. 5, 2-3 p.m., Health Science Employer Panel, Virtual  

Thursday, Mar. 31, 2-3 p.m., Narrative Medicine Workshop w/ CC alum, Virtual                    

Wednesday, Apr. 15, noon-1 p.m., Medical and Dental School Application Workshop, Virtual            

Words of Advice from Hub Advising Student worker:

Addison Ordner ’28:

When thinking about choosing my major, I found it very helpful to organize my schedule in a way that exposed me to several departments of interest before committing to a declaration. After some self-assessment of the general direction I wanted to work towards, I took multiple courses in economics, sociology, and political science over the course of my freshman year. I found that although I was most interested in economics, what aligned best with my academic goals was a diverse schedule including both lecture and discussion-based classes that supplemented one another. I feel this approach has prevented me from burning out or feeling pigeon holed. I also was very intentional about getting involved on campus in ways that would (or wouldn’t) validate my potential major options. For example, joining CCSGA’s Finance Committee has definitely reinforced my interest in economic studies and revealed a love for public speaking and leadership. I wanted my major to ultimately take on an interdisciplinary dynamic, so I had discussions with my hub advisor and professors in both the economics and political science departments before deciding to declare the International Political Economy major at the end of my freshman year. This major has allowed me to explore a wide range of content across two-plus departments while also allowing me to hone an economics ‘niche’ with the help of my economics faculty advisor and professors. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of all of CC’s resources while deciding on a major, it will make you feel confident and excited about your declaration!

Stop by if you have any advising questions! All pop-ups occur Thursdays from noon-1:30 p.m.

14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Join President Manya Whitaker and Campus Budget Committee co-chairs on Wednesday, Feb. 11 from 3-4 p.m. in Bemis Great Hall for the Work of the College Series session, Demystifying the Comprehensive Fee, focused on how Colorado College sets the comprehensive fee.

As the College works to be more transparent about budgeting and financial decisions, this session will offer a clear look at how the institutional budget comes together. Attendees will hear about the Campus Budget Committee’s role, how changes to the comprehensive fee affect revenue, and how those funds are distributed across priorities such as financial aid, compensation, operating costs, and deferred maintenance.

The discussion will include real examples and trade-offs the committee considers, giving a behind-the-scenes view of how financial decisions are made and the values that guide them. Whether you’re interested in tuition setting, curious about budget priorities, or just want to better understand how the College operates, this session will help make the process clearer.

The Work of the College Series is a year-long program of events with four goals: (1) clarify organizational structures and decision-making processes; (2) offer campus constituencies the opportunity to dialogue with leadership about campus affairs; (3) increase decision-making transparency in hopes of building trust; and (4) build community.

The Work of the College Series consists of:

14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Join us for In the Loop Block 5!
 
Please save the date for the Block 5 In the Loop all-staff meeting on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 8:30 a.m. in Cornerstone Arts Center. The program will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. Stay afterward for a light breakfast and conversation in Cornerstone Main Space.

Submit good news, kudos, and questions by noon on Friday, Feb. 6. 
We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

As part of our ongoing work to streamline how events are planned and supported across campus, the College Events Operational Committee (CEOG) is asking the CC community to submit events for the upcoming academic year in advance. Doing so allows us to better coordinate logistics, reduce conflicts and overlaps, and present CC as one connected, welcoming community through the One CC Experience.

All events are organized into five primary categories:

*Subcategories exist within each category allowing us to effectively provide support where needed.

All campus partners are asked to submit their 2026–27 academic year events in Momentus by Tuesday, March 31. Submissions received after this deadline will require review and approval by Campus Events Operational Group (CEOG), which meets monthly.

By submitting event plans early, you help us:

Due to the limited availability of parking on campus, all events are required to coordinate with the Parking Office to confirm parking arrangements and ensure compliance. Event organizers can review guidelines and submit requests through the Event Parking webpage.

Your submissions make it possible to build a vibrant, well-supported events ecosystem that reflects the full life of the college. Thank you for helping shape a strong and connected year ahead.

If you have any questions, please email College Events at events@coloradocollege.edu.  

14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Welcome back! Once again, every second Wednesday of the block, we will share updates about various college initiatives including progress reports of the standing and temporary operational groups, important organizational and operational updates, College policy administration, Work of the College Series events, and other helpful information. 

REMINDER: Policies intended for the Block 7 comment period must be submitted by Week 2 of Block 6. Review the processes for new policy development and revision of a policy.  

Academic Policies 

NOTE: Some academic policies are a subset of college policies that differ from the College’s policy creation (and revision) process. Any change to these policies requires faculty vote and is not subject to the 30-day review period. The language changes to the policies below were voted on and approved by faculty in the Block 4 Faculty Meeting.

Credit and Grades Policy

The College provides a two-track system for all students. In most courses, students may choose from the following grading systems: G Track (Letter Grades): A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-,D+, D, NC (No Credit), WF (Administrative Fail); or P Track (S/CR/NC): S(A to C-), CR(D+ or D), NC(No Credit), WF (Administrative Fail). There are no restrictions placed on the number of courses a student may choose under each option.

Certain courses may be designated “P track only” and require all students to take the course using the P track.

Dean’s List, Distinction, and Honors Policy

A student will be placed on the Dean’s List if they attain a grade point average for the academic year of 3.75 or higher and no NCs or Incompletes at the time the list is calculated (June 30 of every academic year). To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student must complete seven units, excluding adjuncts, in the academic year (six for graduating seniors). All seven of these (or, in the case of seniors, six) must be taken for either a letter grade or required P-track grade. Courses that require students to use the P track will count towards the units completed when a student is considered for the Dean’s List.

CC’s Institutional Review continues with an important milestone this week as our partners from Baker Tilly visit campus. This work is designed to build a shared, data-informed understanding of how our resources—people, funds, technology, and space—support our mission and long-term priorities across all areas of the College. During the visit, the Baker Tilly team is meeting with faculty, staff, and students via 1:1 interviews and town halls to listen, learn, and better understand how our operations function day to day. Following the campus visit, the project will move into a deeper analysis phase this winter and spring, incorporating community input, peer benchmarking, and significant quantitative data analysis. The insights gathered will inform recommendations (expected from the firm between late spring and early summer) to help the College steward its resources wisely.

As a division of the College, the FAC recently has taken on a leadership role in NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protections and Repatriation Act) compliance across campus, as well as the stewardship and care of the College’s campus art collection. A mandatory survey soon will be administered to compile a comprehensive inventory of items at the College. At this time, the primary focus is on Native American human remains and cultural items, but we would also like to know about all collections. The survey will be sent out on in Block 6 by Sara Hodge, Head of Collections & NAGPRA Coordinator, to all departments and offices required to participate. Thank you in advance for your help as we work toward federal NAGPRA compliance and best practices in collections care.

Academic Freedom Operational Group (AFTOG)

This new temporary operational group will recommend how CC can encourage and protect academic freedom for students and employees; clarify its relationship to freedom of expression; draw on law, higher-education practice, and peer institutions; and work with relevant offices to propose resources, policies, and practices in a 2026 report.

Campus Accessibility Operational Group (CASOG)

This new standing operational group will ensure that faculty and staff accessibility-related needs are met in a fair, consistent, and equitable manner. The operations group is responsible for reviewing and approving monetary components of reasonable accommodation approvals, including those related to software, hardware, furniture, physical space modifications, and other accessibility-related financial needs that arise across campus.  

Digital Transformation Operational Group (DTSOG)

DTSOG provides a centralized governance structure to guide technology and digital innovation at CC, ensuring IT initiatives are aligned with institutional priorities and improve operational efficiency and user experience. It oversees this work through four focused subcommittees—IT Governance, ERP Optimization and Modernization, Data Governance, and Generative AI Oversight—which provide domain-specific expertise, prioritization, and accountability while maintaining coordinated, transparent decision-making across the institution. Membership across the DTOG and its subcommittees was intentionally recruited from across campus to ensure broad representation and diverse perspectives.

Before the end of last year, the IT Governance and ERP Optimization and Modernization subcommittees held their respective kickoff meetings, and a project intake tool was finalized to streamline the collection and management of IT initiatives. We are currently working to prepopulate the tool with existing projects and will soon begin the formal review and prioritization process. The Data Governance subcommittee is also progressing in its work to establish governance practices and standards.

Enterprise Risk Management Operations Group (ERMOG)

ERMOG met in Block 5 to discuss a number of updates and projects in progress.  The Board participated in a heat map exercise in November 2025, surveying top risks in higher education looking at probability and severity of each risk topic.  During the plenary session in November, they broke out into smaller groups to provide recommended priority areas for ERM to consider.  As part of this data collection, we will be releasing the same survey to Cabinet and extended leadership in late January to see where there is alignment. The results will aid in developing an updated risk register for the institution to prioritize and compliment strategic planning. This work will continue throughout the spring semester.

Other updates included the overhaul of external party contract language and customized addendums for groups renting space on campus for events such as conferences, special events, and weddings. The group discussed potential exposures for vendor contracts and how we could better meet policy compliance. Lastly, the group discussed emerging risks at CC specifically, and national trends shared from the recent United Educator’s report. 

Campus Events Operational Group (CEOG)

Reminder from CEOG: all campus partners are asked to submit their 2026–27 academic year events in Momentus by Tuesday, March 31. Submissions received after this deadline will require review and approval by the CEOG, which meets monthly.

Space Governance Operational Group (SGOG)

SGOG is working on designing a single, centralized intake process for space modernization and space-adjacent requests. They are focused on mapping the current and future states of identified processes. Members have begun partnering with process owners to complete this mapping work, marking a key step toward a more transparent, scalable, and institutionally aligned approach to managing space-related requests.

REMINDER: Space Request Process second review cycle will close at the end of Block 5, on Wednesday, Feb. 11. You can find more information about the space request process and the request submission form here.

Please note that academic departments working on new tenure-track faculty hires should not use this form but instead work directly through the Dean of the Faculty’s Office.

Parent and Family Experience Standard Operating Group (PFSOG)

The PFSOG is developing a month-to-month communication calendar for the upcoming academic year. This calendar will highlight evergreen campus events as well as common student behaviors families can anticipate each month, with the goal of proactively equipping families to have productive, supportive conversations with their students.

In addition, the group has begun exploring opportunities for parent and family volunteer engagement as we work toward building a new volunteer program for CC families in the coming academic year.

Your feedback is welcome. If there are topics you would like to see, questions, or feedback please send them to operationalgovernance@coloradocollege.edu. 

14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Join CC Senior Lecturer Dan Miska for the Block 5 Faculty Lunch talk, “Anatomy of Movement: Teaching an Anatomy Course for Every Body” on Tuesday, Feb. 3 from 12:15–1:30 p.m., in Bemis Great Hall. Faculty and staff are invited to attend. Learn more about this event.  

Please register by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Lunch will be provided. 

Reach out to Kinsey Fischer with any questions. We look forward to seeing you there! 

14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903