Let’s kick off the 2025–26 Academic Year together at Opening Convocation on Monday, Aug. 25, at 9 a.m. in Shove Memorial Chapel. This CC tradition brings our campus community together to reflect, welcome new faces, and look ahead to the year ahead.

Faculty: If you’d like to march in the ceremony, please register today.

Afterward, head to Tava Quad at 9:30 a.m. for a community breakfast, a perfect chance to reconnect, meet new colleagues, and enjoy a relaxed moment before classes begin at 10:30 a.m.

Your presence matters. Join your colleagues and start the year with connection, inspiration, and community.

CC students in Mattel: Tobin Spiller ’26, Arez Khidr ’25, Aiden Ingenthron ’24, Aditya Yadav ’25, Isabella Hageman ’24, Kay Fizer ’24, Addi Schwieterman ’24, Anna Amacher ’25, Isabelle Wagenvoord ’25. Photo provided by Dan Johnson

By Dori Mitchell

Colorado College has received a $2.5 million gift to endow its groundbreaking Career Catalyst Program, which provides students with immersive, faculty-led learning experiences that connect the liberal arts to real-world professional challenges.  

Launched in 2024, the Career Catalyst Program leverages the flexibility of CC’s distinctive Block Plan to create high-impact, experiential learning opportunities both on and off campus. The transformational investment from the MacLean family ensures that the Career Catalyst Program will remain a core component of the CC experience for generations to come. 

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A warm welcome is already underway for fall athletes and Bridge Scholars, and excitement is building! The campus is ready to greet the entire Class of 2029 and new transfer students for New Student Orientation (NSO), starting Monday, Aug. 18.

As students and families begin to arrive in Colorado Springs, you’ll likely see new faces exploring campus. A friendly smile and a warm welcome make all the difference for these newest community members.

Please be aware:

Photo by Jamie Cotten

There are eight new faces on Colorado College’s Board of Trustees this academic year and a new leader at the helm. The alumni and one returning parent of an alum were approved during the board’s annual summer retreat, held June 11-13 on the CC campus.

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Ben Murphy ’25. Photo provided by Murphy

By Julia Fennell ’21

Ben Murphy ’25 is getting ready to spend the next ten months in Kotdwar, India, where he will work on the American India Foundation’s Support Adolescent Health, Education & Livelihood Initiative (SAHELI) after being awarded a Banyan Impact Fellowship.

SAHELI works to change the lives of adolescent girls through education, health, and livelihood programming. They work to foster gender equality and promote economic mobility to prepare girls for independent futures. The Banyan Impact Fellowship, formally known as the AIF William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India and founded by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, is an immersive, bi-national volunteer service program with an aim of driving social change.

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Team Army celebrates after securing the gold medal in wheelchair basketball during the 2025 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Ed Robson Arena on July 20. Photo by Thomas Nguyen/Army

By Alexa Gromko

You know your college has reached a new level of impact when the national spotlight shines on campus in a new way, drawing in ESPN+ and The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart. Even more so when it’s a military event in a military town and your liberal arts college is the first non-service-academy to land the contract as the main venue for the 2025 Department of Defense Warrior Games.

How did CC do it? It comes down to the right people and the right timing. Colorado Springs, also known as Olympic City USA, has built its identity on the sports economy. Here, there are multiple opportunities to assist with the City’s vision of attracting national and global events. CC Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine has been key in making the pivotal connections.

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Photo provided by the Bemis

Did you know that as a member of the CC community, you get 50% off a membership to the FAC, which includes discounts on classes at Bemis School of Art? Whether you’re picking up a paintbrush for the first time or returning to a favorite hobby, Bemis classes are designed for all ages and experience levels.

Registration is open now. Classes begin Monday, Sept. 22, with new classes starting weekly.

Associate Professor of History, Race, Ethnicity, & Migration Studies Jamal Ratchford was honored through a blanketing ceremony at the Indigenous Students graduation celebration in May, 2025. Photo provided by Dr. Dwanna McKay, Associate Professor and Chair of Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies.

What’s been the most defining part of your CC experience—a class, a conversation, a moment of growth? 

We’re gathering student perspectives to help shape how Colorado College shares its story with the world. The survey takes just 5–10 minutes, and your voice will directly influence how we represent CC’s unique identity. 

Take the survey by this Friday, Aug. 15 to make sure your story is part of the picture. 

Thanks for being part of what makes CC so special. 

Warmly, 

Vice President for Strategic Communications & Marketing 

Join your colleagues for Fall Conference, happening tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 15, from 8 a.m.– 1 p.m. on Tava Quad, hosted by the Academic Events Committee.

This annual event marks the beginning of the academic year and offers faculty and staff a meaningful chance to reconnect over breakfast and lunch, engaging conversations, and topical sessions.

If you have not registered for the event but would like to attend, we will have onsite registration available until 8:45 a.m. (please plan to arrive a little early to make sure you get signed up!)

Here is the full schedule:

Please reach out to Keragan Ettleman with any questions. We look forward to kicking off the year together and hope to see you there!