The Colorado College Bulletin - Spring 2022

A Diverse Leadership

Bulletin | Spring 2022

Black, Indigenous, people of color, and women now hold more influential positions than ever before at Colorado College.

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Bulletin

| Spring 2022

F E AT U R E S

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‘Boy mother/faceless bloom’ Premiere

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Building on Originality

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Posters Promote Conservation

ON THE COVER: Rochelle Dickey, Barbara Wilson, Idris Goodwin, Rosalie Rodriguez, Edwin Hamada, and Manya Whitaker are among CC’s increasingly diverse leadership.

Photo by Lonnie Timmons III

D E PA R T M E N T S Letters to the Editor...........................................2 The President’s Message...............................3 Campus News............................................................4 Athletics............................................................................8 What We’re Learning.......................................9 Our Path to Antiracism.............................. 12 Because of CC......................................................... 26 Insider View............................................................. 27 Alumni Activities.............................................. 28 Class Notes................................................................ 30 Milestones.................................................................. 32 CC Questionnaire............................................. 36

First Look 2

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Spring 2022

From left: Marco Tania ’22 plays tenor viola da gamba and Chris Heckenkamp ’24 plays bass viola da gamba during the Renaissance Banchetto Half-Block course on Jan. 19. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Bulletin

Letters to the Editor

| Spring 2022

General Series 611, Bulletin Series 517 A publication for alumni, parents, and friends.

From the Editor

REACH OUT TO THE BULLETIN

We’d like to hear from you! The Colorado College Bulletin is distributed to alumni, parents, and friends, and seeks to portray the people, experiences, and topics that best reflect a CC education. We welcome your comments, feedback, items of interest, class notes, letters to the editor, story suggestions, etc.

Send to: bulletin@coloradocollege.edu, or Bulletin/Communications, Colorado College, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3294 CC Connections: Have you unexpectedly encountered a fellow Tiger somewhere in the world? Let us know!

Class notes, obituaries, weddings and celebrations, births and adoptions: Information submitted should be for the current or previous year only. Please send digital photos (JPGs at 300 dpi and minimum of 3.5 x 5 inches) or prints at a similar size.

Information should include the location, date, and circumstance, and people in the photo should be identified from left to right.

For information: (719) 389-6603 Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing Todd Woodward Assistant Vice President for Communications/Creative Director & Design Felix A. Sanchez ’93 Assistant Vice President for Communications Stephanie Wurtz Interim Editor Jen Kulier Production & Editing Brenda Gillen Photographer & Photo Editor Lonnie Timmons III

Graphic Designer Owen Craft Copy Editing Helen Richardson Rhonda Van Pelt

Bulletin, You’ve Changed ...

Maybe you’ve noticed, we’ve made some changes to the Colorado College Bulletin.

We have given it a sharper focus on aspects that make CC unique, a fresh look, and more compact size, and added new features so you can immerse yourself in the CC experience, stay connected with fellow Tigers, and engage with the college in meaningful ways.

To make the Bulletin more readable, we’ve increased the font size in response to readers who had found it difficult to read the type in our new design. Thanks to everyone who reached out to let us know. We’d like to hear your thoughts: bulletin@coloradocollege.edu

As a parent of a freshman at CC, I commend the editors for printing the letter from Rick Berlet ’68. I have the very same opinions about the messaging from CC. My son decided to attend CC based upon its location near climbing and skiing and its rigorous education, not its social engineering of students. I would also much appreciate a return to critical thinking and rigorous academics and much less on a progressive social agenda.

DR. MICHELE DRAKE P’26

Contributing Writers Izzy Atkin ’22 Jessi Burns ’06 Jerry Cross ’91 Brenda Gillen Idris Goodwin Katie Grant ’92 Jen Kulier Caryn Maconi Felix Sanchez ’93 Sarah Senese ’23 Cate Terwilliger Jane Turnis

THE COLORADO COLLEGE BULLETIN (122-860) is published four times per calendar year by Colorado College, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3294.

PERIODICALS postage paid at Colorado Springs 80901-9998 and at additional offices.

The Bulletin also is available online at coloradocollege.edu/ bulletin. To stop receiving a printed copy, email bulletin@ coloradocollege.edu and let us know.

Greetings, I have always treasured getting the Bulletin, especially the alumni sections, significant news of the college and professors, and communication from the president.

The new smaller size is perfect. I always thought that the big size, while nice, was atypical. No magazine, cruise brochure, or company annual report is “LIFE” magazine-style anymore (I’m dating myself…).

About size, the type is a bit small for my reading comfort (again, it’s age), but I noticed that the article lengths are succinctly one page now, which is much appreciated.

The long, multi-page articles in the old Bulletin did not invite reading.

SUSAN ALLISON MILSTEIN ’67

POSTMASTER: Please send ADDRESS CHANGES to Colorado College Bulletin, Alumni Records, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3294.

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https://2cc.co/spring22extras

I believe Mr. Berlet may have responded to incoming President Richardson’s message with an incorrect interpretation of her intent. On the contrary, I do not believe in the conclusion that equity, diversity, and equality are the antithesis of “critical thinking.” Rather, the aspects of critical thinking, excellence, and accomplishment are endemic in a CC education, as they should be. Those aspects are givens. I understood her message to supplement, not override, critical thinking.

Our divided world requires all of us to step back when we come across buzzwords that lead us to false conclusions.

Equity, critical thinking, diversity, excellence, equality, and accomplishment are not mutually exclusive. Thankfully, all these wonderful traits are at the core of a Colorado College education.

MARK SPERRY P’95

Just a thought about the Bulletin and the birdcage.

Social, race relations, and athletics seem to now be more important in the Bulletin than academics. If that is the way that CC wants the Bulletin to go; …...oh well, but it is indeed sad.

DAVID JOHNSON ’67

The President’s Message: The Promise of Springtime

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Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends,

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hat makes springtime at Colorado College so special is that we see the promise that new students bring, the transformation they experience here, and the thrill as they launch into the world.

Just a few weeks ago 750 visitors — admitted students and their families and friends — arrived on campus over two weekends to experience CC for themselves. These outstanding scholars and leaders were chosen from the largest applicant pool in our history, just over 11,000 applications. Each of them could contribute in meaningful ways to this immersive, innovative, vibrant, and inclusive community.

Our admittees were full of questions. Is the Block Plan right for me?

Will I like the people? Does the campus feel welcoming? Will I thrive here? Is that Pikes Peak, right there?

To find answers, they dove into mock classes with CC professors to see how the Block Plan immerses students in learning. They heard from current students about academic and social life at CC; made art on the Language House Quad with the CC Mobile Arts truck; explored exhibits at the Fine Arts Center; learned about financial aid, advising, and student support resources; danced the mambo in Cossitt Gym; and ice skated in Ed Robson Arena.

It was an exhilarating time for them — and for the campus community. This is when we come face-to-face with the future: students who will head CCSGA, break records on the track, ask hard questions, and reveal new research discoveries. In their time here, they will shape this place, enrich discussions in classes, influence the direction of our mission and vision, and invent ideas and things we cannot even imagine. Just as CC students have done for 148 years.

The current world needs leaders like CC students, who learn quickly, fail fast and learn from it, are resilient, and innovate. These are the “changemakers” who are sought after by employers, who create new concepts, solve complex problems, inspire us in the arts, and start impactful businesses and organizations.

As the academic year nears the final stretch, the Class of 2022 — the next generation of leaders — are completing their theses and presenting research and projects for their major. Every week more students win fellowships, grants, and honors, and plan their next chapter — a job, internship, graduate school, or something else.

Our seniors, who just a few short years ago were among the giddy, curious open-house participants, are now changed. They persevered and demonstrated grit and resilience and cared for each other during the uncertainty of the pandemic. They pushed boundaries academically and beyond. They adapted, created, innovated, and inspired us.

They are why we do what we do. They give us hope for a future where people try to understand one another despite differences. They produce “aha” moments — and days, and weeks. They make us proud. I have no doubt that they will be the changemakers we need in the world.

Sincerely,

L. Song Richardson President

First-year students, left to right, Lenny Lorenz ’25, Skye McCrimmon ’25, Sam Yolles ’25, and Jesus Lara Rivas ’25 (in hammock) study on Tava Quad on March 28, 2022. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Campus News

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BRYAN OLLER

By Brenda Gillen

CC Research Investigates Racism’s Impact on Health During the Pandemic

In Summer 2021, faculty and students identified and quantified three significant impacts of structural racism on the health of American communities during the pandemic. Economics and Business Professor Daniel Johnson worked with Claire Altieri ’21 and Siena Blelloch ’22 to collect and analyze nationwide data on Coronavirus infection and mortality rates across time by state. The prior summer differential outcomes by race caused over 873,000 infections (30% of the national total), a loss of at least $1.72 billion in GDP, and 39,303 Black, Indigenous, and people of color lives lost nationwide, the study concluded. “A Deadly Triple Threat: Three Layers of U.S. Racial Inequity in COVID Infections and Deaths” was published in the journal Applied Economics Letters in Fall 2021.

Tenure and Promotion Awards for CC Faculty The Board of Trustees approved two associate professors for tenure and approved 13 assistant professors for tenure and promotion to associate professor in February 2022, with changes effective as of July 1. Dean of the Faculty Emily Chan, in her presentation of these faculty members to the board, highlighted the “immense talent and scholarly achievement from their areas of study” and praised their “commitment to the success and well-being of all students through their innovative and student-centric pedagogies.”

The CC faculty members awarded tenure are Associate Professor of Human Biology and Kinesiology Anthony Bull and Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Janet Burge. Tenure and promotion to associate professor awardees are included on the right.

To learn more, visit https://2cc.co/spring22extras 4

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Natanya Pulley English Nadia Guessous Feminist and Gender Studies Amy Kohout Purvi Mehta Jamal Ratchford History Beth Malmskog Molly Moran ’09 Mathematics and Computer Science Sara Hanson Molecular Biology

Rachel Jabaily Organismal Biology and Ecology Jason Weaver Psychology Dwanna McKay Jamal Ratchford Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies Vanessa Muñoz Sociology Karen Roybal Southwest Studies

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LONNIE TIMMONS III

GRAY WARRIOR

Campus News

Class Offers Students a Taste of the Italian Renaissance Students of the Renaissance Banchetto, a for-credit Half-Block course in January 2022, sampled from a banchetto — a banquet — of history, music, cuisine, and political intrigue.

The goal was to have students engage their senses to experience what life might have been like at the peak of Europe’s rebirth. The nine-day class was co-taught by Nancy Ekberg ’74, a member of the performance faculty, and Dario Sponchiado, a visiting instructor.

From left: Pema Baldwin ’22, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies Dylan Nelson, and Maya Rajan ’22 meet to discuss the documentary film project, “The Liegnitz Plot.”

Holocaust Mystery Subject of Documentary Film The documentary film “The Liegnitz Plot,” which follows clues in a historical mystery, was a collaborative effort between Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies Dylan Nelson, CC students, and a CC alumnus. The film’s protagonist investigates a rumor that a Nazi officer stole precious stamps from Holocaust victims and buried the purloined collection in the basement of a house in Legnica, Poland. The project involved filming in Poland, researching the Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive, and many long hours of post-production work.

The creative team included Gary Gilbert, a former “Seinfeld” writer; director Dan Sturman, a former investigative journalist and frequent block visitor in Film and Media Studies; Pema Baldwin ’22 and Maya Rajan ’22, who worked as post-production assistants; and Skye Schelz ’21, who was part of the editorial team.

Mornings might bring the students together in Packard Hall to make music with early versions of familiar instruments, like lutes, crumhorns, and viola da gambas — ancestors of today’s cellos and guitars — or hand-crank the wheel of a hurdy-gurdy to create the sounds of a bagpipe. Studies of the era’s political rivalries, religious rebellions, and the constant threat of war as well as its cultural, artistic, and scientific revitalization spanning the 14th to 17th centuries were balanced by afternoons spent cooking and feasting. A grant from Creativity & Innovation at CC helped support the class in 2022, which was held in person following a virtual class in 2021. The Renaissance Banchetto was first offered in 2019.

“This year, it’s been very interesting to consider the history of the plague,” Ekberg says. “History repeats itself, and I think we have seen that the COVID-19 pandemic has altered our perspectives and practices just as the Black Death altered life in Renaissance times.”

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Campus News

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LONNIE TIMMONS III

National Science Foundation Grant Supports Fahrenkrug Research Assistant Professor of Chemistry Eli Fahrenkrug was awarded a $177,696 National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation grant. The funding will advance research and undergraduate teaching in Southern Colorado using a confocal Raman microspectrometer system — the only one of its type within a 100-mile radius.

The new tool focuses laser beams at small bits of matter to probe their molecular vibrations, helping researchers understand how molecules assemble, function, and change under various chemical, biological, and geological conditions. Led by Fahrenkrug, the proposal included faculty contributions from CC, CSU-Pueblo, and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

Classics Professor Awarded Coveted Fellowship in Athens Associate Professor of Classics and Judson Bemis Professor in the Humanities Sanjaya Thakur was selected as an Elizabeth A. Whitehead Distinguished Scholar at the American School for Classical Studies, Athens, for the 2022-23 academic year. The ASCSA is the oldest American overseas research center for advanced inquiry in the fine arts and humanities. Its mission is to advance knowledge of Greece and all aspects of Greek culture. While in residence, Thakur will be working on several related academic projects, including athletics in Homer’s “Odyssey” and depictions of boxers on ancient Greek vases.

Alumnus Co-invented DIY Air Cleaners in Use on Campus Jim Rosenthal ’70 co-invented the Corsi-Rosenthal box air filter, a practical, low-cost, and award-winning tool for helping to mitigate Coronavirus transmission. The apparatus includes five filters and a box fan. Rosenthal is a co-founder of Air Relief Technologies Inc.,

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the parent company of Tex-Air Filters.

He has been in the air filtration industry since 1997 and frequently contributes to industry and professional publications on filtration, indoor air quality, and environmental controls for allergy and asthma.

Andrea Bruder, chief public health advisor to the president at Colorado College, built five of the Corsi-Rosenthal box DIY filters over a weekend in January for CC offices and departments.

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State of the Rockies Project Nets $385,000 Grant for Poll, Student Engagement For the 12th year, Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project was awarded a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The award of $385,000 supports the 2022 Conservation in the West Poll and related student programming. The bipartisan poll surveys voters’ views regarding the conservation of public lands, energy, water, wildlife, wildfire, and other challenges in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

The student engagement funding will be used for the following cross-disciplinary projects: • • • • •

A survey of public land visitors A student photo contest Vintage-style (1930s) promotional posters (see story, p. 24) “Dark Skies” State of the Rockies/CC Journalism Institute collaboration

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BRYAN OLLER

Campus News

Gamelan Director Honored for Contributions

I Made Lasmawan, the artistic director of the CC Balinese Gamelan orchestra, was featured in the book “American Gamelan and the Ethnomusicological Imagination.” Now in his 29th year at CC, Lasmawan is considered one of the foremost experts in Gamelan performance and Indonesian music. He’s started Gamelan programs at the University of Colorado Boulder, Metropolitan State University Denver, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Emory University, University of Miami Ohio, and more. He recently spoke at the Rocky Mountain Region Gamelan Festival in Denver. During CC’s summer Bali Gamelan program, students will travel to Indonesia to learn and perform Gamelan and engage in an anthropogenic study of Indonesian culture.

Four-Time NCAA Champion and U.S. National Team Player Keri Sanchez Named Women’s Soccer Coach Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine has named Keri Sanchez the eighth head coach in the history of the school’s Division I women’s soccer program. Sanchez, who won four NCAA National Championships as a player at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has 13 caps with the United States Women’s National Team, brings 25 years of coaching experience that spans Division I and Division III. Sanchez is the winningest head coach in the history of the ClaremontMudd-Scripps women’s soccer program with 148 career victories (2004-17). In 2021, she was the women’s soccer coach at Illinois Wes-leyan University, leading the Titans to a 9-8-1 overall record and a tie for first place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 7-1 league mark.

“I would also like to thank Lesley Irvine and the search committee for the privilege of being the next women’s soccer coach at Colorado College. With the rich history of the program, from before the NCAA even sponsored women’s soccer, to the times I battled the Tigers as a player, to the championship seasons in Conference USA, I am humbled to have been chosen to continue to build on the legacy of CC women’s soccer.”

Natanya Ann Pulley Receives NEA Creative Writing Fellowship Assistant Professor of English Natanya Ann Pulley received a 2022 Creative Writing Fellowship of $25,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts. More than 2,000 writers applied for 35 of the highly coveted NEA fellowships this year. Pulley, who is Diné, with her clans being Kinyaa’áani (Towering House) and Táchii’nii (Red Running into Water), teaches contemporary fiction and nonfiction. She authored “With Teeth,” winner of the 2018 Many Voices Project competition, has published stories in The Massachusetts Review, Phantom Drift, Split Lip, and The Offing, and essays in “Shapes of Native Nonfiction” and “The Diné Reader.” Pulley is founding editor of Hairstreak Butterfly Review.

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Athletics

Pair of Tigers Earn All-America Accolades

CHARLIE LENGAL

CHARLIE LENGAL

By Jerry Cross ’91

Colorado College women’s volleyball player Georgia Mullins ’22 and cross country runner Elliot Singer ’25 joined an exclusive club of Tiger student-athletes to earn All-America honors for their exemplary athletic performances last Fall. Photos by Charlie Lengal.

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olorado College women’s cross country runner Elliot Singer ’25 and volleyball player Georgia Mullins ’22 joined an exclusive club of Tiger student-athletes to earn All-America honors for their exemplary athletic performances last Fall.

Singer, a first-year from San Francisco, California, achieved All-America status by placing 29th at the 2021 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. She finished the race in a personal-best 6K time of 21:39.2, the fourth-fastest in program history.

Singer was the third-fastest first-year student in the meet and the first All-America honoree from CC since Leah Wessler ’17 and Katie Lee Sandfort ’17 both earned the honor in 2016.

Singer also is the first student in Colorado College cross country history to earn All-America status as a first-year.

Sparked by Singer’s strong individual result, the team finished 27th at the national meet.

“The team stepped up and performed extremely well on the national stage,” Head Coach Alex Nichols ’08 says. “Elliot delivered a huge performance to cap off an incredible season.

We’re really happy to have out-performed our national ranking and will use this as a valuable learning experience for the coming years. This is a young team that has a very bright future ahead.”

Mullins, meanwhile, became the ninth Colorado College volleyball player to earn first-team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

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She joins Elissa Breitbard ’88 (1987), Amy Smith Hall ’88 (1987), Cathy Alison Costello ’90 (1987, 1988, 1989), Sara Boyles Bibler ’03 (2001), Lizzy Dianne Counts ’20 (2017), Emily Perkins Oates ’11 (2009, ’10), Abbe Sullivan Holtze ’17 (2013, ’15) and Courtney Birkett ’16 (2015) as first-team AllAmerica selections from the school.

A native of Olathe, Kansas, Mullins solidified her status as one of the most dominant players in the 43-year history of CC volleyball with a pair of outstanding performances during the 2021 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship.

During the four-set victory over No. 16 Ohio Northern University in the first round, Mullins put down a match-high 20 kills to become just the 11th player in program history to record 1,000 or more in her career. With the last of her matchhigh 17 kills against No. 4 Wartburg College, Mullins became only the third Tiger to produce 500 or more in a single season.

She joined Katharine Hauschka ’04, who set the school record of 537 in 2004, and Holtze, who recorded 522 in 2014, on the exclusive list.

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference co-player of the year and first-team all-conference selection ranked 11th in Division III at 4.88 points per set, 29th averaging 3.97 kills, and 46th with a .346 hitting percentage.

Mullins helped lead Colorado College to a 30-6 record and the program’s 23rd-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m honored to have coached Georgia last Fall,” says Head Volleyball Coach Sharon Dingman. “Our entire team appreciates what she helped us accomplish this season.”

What We’re Learning

By Felix Sanchez ’93

Book: The Movement: The African American Struggle for Civil Rights New York: Oxford University Press, 2021 By Thomas C. Holt P’21 Recommended by Bryant “Tip” Ragan, Ph.D. — William R. Hochman Professor, Department of History, Executive Director of the Society for French Historical Studies Thomas C. Holt’s “The Movement: The African American Struggle for Civil Rights” may be a short book, but it is an important one. Although I thought I knew something about the civil rights movement, I was wrong. Holt’s analysis of the long-term struggle for freedom, equality, and respect by African Americans taught me so much. He unpacks the complex ways that particular geographical and temporal factors shaped each chapter of this history, whether discussing the first instances of sit-ins, boycotts, and mass demonstrations in the 19th century or the strategies employed to put an end to segregation during the “classic” civil rights movement of 1955-65. I particularly enjoyed reading about the contributions of “regular” African Americans, especially women, who were just as important to this history as the religious, political, and institutional leaders who are typically remembered and celebrated. Reading this book, I am convinced, will provide invaluable insights on the new chapter of this ongoing struggle for freedom that African Americans are engaged in today.

Film: Dune

Podcast: The Ezra Klein Show

Podcast: Dolly Parton’s America

Recommended by Danny Rodriguez ’18 — Research Consultant, Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development, Owner, Daniel Rodriguez Photography

Recommended by Jim Burke — Director, Summer Session

Recommended by Gaby Therese Jadotte ’22 — Student Trustee, International Political Economy major

I recently watched the remake/book adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” — one of my favorite books of all time. I found my high hopes met with striking visuals and exceptional cinematography. These visuals highlighted the effect humans can have on ecology and climate at a planetary scale, for both the upside and the downside. Further, it shows the power a few motivated individuals can have on a planetary and galactic scale. Again, for both the upside and the down. In the book, Herbert paraphrases Archimedes, saying, “Given the right lever, you can move a planet.”

The Ezra Klein Show is my catchall news and academic culture podcast. It’s a good balance of analysis of the major news of the day, along with interviews with newsmakers like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Nikole Hannah-Jones (there’s an episode with both authors, which is phenomenal) or other academics and authors doing interesting work or contributing to the culture in interesting ways. Each episode ends with three books you’d recommend, so it’s a great way to get recommendations in all sorts of areas of interest.

I have been listening to a lot of Dolly Parton lately. I started listening to a podcast my mom recommended called “Dolly Parton’s America,” which dives into Dolly’s music and her influences. I’ve learned a lot about Appalachian history and culture I didn’t know beforehand through the podcast and her songs!

On the Bookshelf is now online. Alumni or CC faculty, staff, or students who have written or edited books and would like to let the CC community know are invited to fill out the form at 2cc.co/bookshelf www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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In rehearsals for “Boy mother/faceless bloom” on Feb. 22, Crow Nishimura (TOP), eddy kwon (BOTTOM LEFT), and Joshua Kohl (BOTTOM RIGHT) perform.

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On The Scene Arts at Colorado College

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Making of Mythic Proportions Multimedia Performance Piece ‘Boy mother/faceless bloom’ Conceived and Premiered at CC

By Katie Grant ’92

Photos by Erin Mullins ’24

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s a group of artists, none of us has ever worked with an institution where we felt as supported and free to develop our collective creativity as we have at Colorado College” says Joshua Kohl. That sentiment was expressed to Ryan Raul Bañagale ’00, associate professor of music and director of The Arts at CC. The kudos immediately followed the premiere of “Boy mother/faceless bloom” on Feb. 24 by the creators Juni One Set, comprised of artists Senga Nengudi, eddy kwon, and Degenerate Art Ensemble’s Crow Nishimura and Joshua Kohl.

The multimedia production is a radically collaborative piece drawing on mythology and autobiography with “large-scale sculptural and scenic design, live and recorded music [sung in English and Korean], poetry, and embodied movement to tell the story of a young boy who learns he will be a mother.” Transgender identity, parenthood, ancestral lineage, and excavation themes emerged from Juni One Set’s intensely organic process of combining their personal histories and artistic talents through live and virtual experimentation.

The piece was born in August 2018 in residency at CC between Creativity & Innovation at Colorado College and the CC Theatre and Dance Department. Senga, a Colorado Springs resident, is the common thread who was initially inspired by kwon’s musical prowess to collaborate. The work is co-commissioned by CC and the Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati, with additional support from the National Performance Network and BASE Experimental Arts in Seattle. The

show toured to Cincinnati and Seattle and ultimately will circle back to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College in Fall 2023 with a related multimedia exhibition of works from the show and its collaborative team.

personally, but also what it means in the context of the people we surround ourselves with and national identity,” Dillon says.

“Can you separate where you’re from from your heritage? What is the best way to make art with multiple people?”

“Boy mother” premiered at Norberg Studio in the Cornerstone Arts Center, and Bañagale called it “one of the most beautiful works of art I’ve ever encountered. A largely undefinable, but incredibly moving experience — made all the more powerful knowing the collaborative process that has brought it into existence.”

Bañagale adds, “What Juni One Set created speaks to the ideals that CC holds most true. It’s antiracist, it’s challenging, it’s collaborative in nature, it’s thoughtful, it’s asking us to reflect about what we do and how we do it. It accomplishes all the things that we hope each liberal arts student does instinctively by the time they leave here.”

This production is not only the first premiere created through The Arts at CC, but also a key part of CC’s curriculum. This interdisciplinary performance piece welcomed 20 different courses from nine departments, including anthropology; art; feminist and gender studies; music, political science; race, ethnicity, and migration studies; sociology; Southwest studies; and theatre and dance to participate in workshops, class convergences, and performances.

Dillon remembers, “When Senga returned in person to collaborate, after a short absence, everyone lit up. When they got their original quartet back, the room just became electric. There were ideas flying left and right, and it was so exciting to just see everything changing so quickly.”

Nishimura and Kohl of Degenerate Arts also co-taught a block last Fall with Dance Professor Patrizia Herminjard called Advanced Performance: Performance Installation. One student in that class, Madison Dillon ’23, a double major in dance and performance design minoring in physics, served as stage manager for the premiere.

The professional development and networking opportunities students had with Juni One Set are giant, amazing opportunities for college students, as Dillon proves with this summation; “I thought it was going to be a really intense experience with these big professional artists who do professional art with a capital P and a capital A. But this has really taught me that making things and sharing things is really just about people.

And that the more you realize that the better you can make art.”

“This project has given me more questions than answers in the best possible way. I’m thinking more about gender than I had before, about what it means to me www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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CC’s Mellon Humanities for All Times Grant team: (TOP): Claire Oberon Garcia. (MIDDLE ROW, FROM LEFT): Jameel Paulin, Kris Stanec, and Chet Lisiecki. (BOTTOM ROW, FROM LEFT): Natanya Pulley, Steven Hayward, and Nene Diop.

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Our Path to Antiracism Make Antiracism a Central Value in CC’s Academic and Co-curricular Programs

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CC Receives Mellon Foundation Grant to Address Demand for Diversity, Social Justice

By Jen Kulier

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olorado College has been selected as one of the recipients of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Humanities for All Times grant. This initiative will support the college’s new General Education curriculum to teach students about social justice issues and give them the tools to tackle injustices head-on.

CC will receive $1,024,000 over three years for its project “Humanities for Our Times: From Epistemologies and Methodologies to Liberatory Creative Practices and Social Justice.” The funding supports professional development for humanities faculty engaged with Colorado College’s new GE curriculum and ongoing work toward becoming an antiracist institution.

According to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, these grants will support the development of new social-justice-oriented humanities curricula to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to make the world a more just and equitable place.

The funding is intended to help meet college undergraduates’ growing interest in social justice by supporting projects that teach humanities skills and methods necessary for transformational change.

Claire Oberon Garcia, CC professor of English for 30 years, is the project’s principal investigator. She says this project and the funding that will help support it represent “an exciting new chapter in CC’s response to student demands for an inclusive, relevant, and empowering liberal arts education.”

“Ever since I’ve been at CC, we have struggled with student demands to both diversify the curriculum and to require courses that help students understand power, inequality, and oppression,” Garcia says.

When Garcia started teaching at CC, she says the college had a General Education requirement called Alternative Perspectives: B, which was described as any course

focused on material “outside of the Western mainstream.” Alternative Perspectives: A was a two-block class that focused on at least 400 years of some aspect of Western culture, while the AP:B requirement could be fulfilled by two separate, unrelated courses.

The college revised that requirement a few years ago to focus on Global Cultures and Social Inequality.

The grant proposal briefly outlines the way these changes came about at CC and the need to reflect on how best to teach the new curriculum: We recognize the myriad ways white supremacy has shaped our institution and have been taking steps to work our way out of its grip. Our GE requirements were developed after a 2015 student petition challenged the faculty to undertake thoroughgoing curricular reform focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion concerns.

In 2018, following an external review of racism at CC, we committed to becoming an antiracist institution. At this pivotal historical moment, our students demand an education that will empower them to make social change.

CC faculty recognize the central importance of the humanities to help students identify, understand, and solve the systemic problems of racism, injustice, and oppression.

This work demands that each of us reflect critically not just on how and why we create knowledge, but also on how and why we teach — and on the classroom environments we create. Centering these and related questions will position the Humanities Division, History Department, and interdisciplinary program faculty to make contributions to CC’s GE curriculum that provide our students with a significant foundation to enact social change and create a more just, equitable, and liberating society.

Garcia says the Mellon grant will allow CC humanities and humanistic social sciences

faculty to develop or radically redesign GE courses to fulfill the Equity and Power and Creative Processes requirements. It also will demonstrate the enduring relevance of humanities epistemologies and methodologies for social justice work when the humanities and the liberal arts are under scrutiny.

A call for proposals for new courses is going out to all CC humanities and humanistic social sciences faculty. The grant will generate dozens of new and revised courses over the next two to three years.

The Mellon Foundation, in its call for proposals, emphasized the ongoing conversation in society about the relevance of the humanities and, on a national level, what sometimes appears to be a lack of student engagement with the humanities.

“The CC grant activities will provide students, staff, and faculty in the humanities with opportunities to interact with ideas and people past and present who are working for justice and respect for all human beings,” Garcia says. Students also will be able to compete for grants that will allow them to bring humanities methods and values to social justice work beyond academia, collaboratively produce a special issue of the journal Hairstreak Butterfly, and engage in other professional-development opportunities.

The first activities of the grant will start in Summer 2022 with two Equity and Power faculty seminars and end with a conference in Summer 2024, Garcia says.

Chet Lisiecki, assistant professor of German, is the project coordinator leading the key team members. Other members of the project team are: Nene Diop, assistant professor of French; Steven Hayward, professor of English; Jameel Paulin, assistant professor of art; Natanya Pulley, assistant professor of English and creative writing; and Kris Stanec, senior lecturer in Education and faculty fellow in Creativity & Innovation.

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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More Women of Color in Leadership But: ‘We Should Speak Frankly About the Barriers That Still Exist’

By Sarah Senese ’23 & Jennifer Kulier Photos by Lonnie Timmons III

The leadership at Colorado College has changed dramatically throughout the years, and now, in the 2021-22 academic year, the college has never had as many feminine-identifying, Black, Indigenous, people of color voices as it does now. While this is an enormous success for Colorado College as a small, liberal arts college, the work always continues. As the CC community takes a moment to acknowledge how far it’s come, the BIPOC women in leadership roles know there’s still a long way to go.

Heidi R. Lewis, director and associate professor in the Feminist and Gender Studies program, as well as the inaugural coordinator of the Early Career Faculty Development Program, knows just how far we’ve come and how much work needs to happen in the future. While the administrative makeup of Colorado College is unique, Lewis is interested in how that uniqueness will translate into long-term change within the college — whether the trend of BIPOC women in leadership roles will continue to fill and grow, or if we run the risk of becoming comfortable with the diversity we already see.

While she admits enthusiasm for the changes of who’s represented in administration is exciting and acknowledging the advances is certainly important, Lewis is clear that we are congratulating ourselves prematurely. For Lewis, even though the challenge of changing the culture of the college’s leadership and student makeup is far from easy or over, even more challenges lie ahead with the retention of the BIPOC female leadership in both the faculty and staff.

“We have to continue to hire and retain faculty, staff, and administration, and admit students with marginalized identities, and retain them by any means necessary,” she says. “We have to relearn or unlearn the ways that we’ve come to understand excellence and quality and see BIPOC women as a source of brilliance where we haven’t seen it before.”

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From left: Manya Whitaker, Associate Professor of Education, Executive Vice President, and Chief of Staff; Heidi R. Lewis, Director and Associate Professor in the Feminist and Gender Studies Program, and Coordinator of the Early Career Faculty Development Program; Emily Chan, Professor of Psychology, Director of the Bridge Scholars Program, Vice President and Dean of the Faculty; Rosalie M. Rodriguez, Senior Associate Dean of Students, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Director of the Butler Center

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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of the change the community is trying to enact? Whitaker asks these questions and more, with an optimism that perhaps CC is willing to fight for these women and put in the work so that they can find true success in leading at the college. But for now, Whitaker believes that “we are certainly congratulating ourselves prematurely.”

For Lewis, the problem not only exists with finding the individuals to fill these roles and have success in them but staying in these leadership positions to enact real, meaningful change for other BIPOC faculty, staff, and students. In Lewis’ role at CC directing the Riley Scholars-in-Residence Program, she understands these needs in a unique, powerful way.

Manya Whitaker, associate professor of education, acting executive vice president, and chief of staff, also sees the change occurring within the administration at CC and knows there’s much more to be done.

While Colorado College might be changing in the direction of representation, and while this is unique at CC, these changes are happening across the country at other similar, small liberal arts institutions.

While opportunities seem to be opening for BIPOC women, and while overall diversity seems to be moving in the favor of Colorado College advancing from our past, Whitaker asks an important question: “Why now?”

The leadership roles at CC filled by BIPOC women do not end at faculty leadership. Maggie Santos ’86, former director of Campus Safety and Emergency Management, sees the change in leadership from a unique staff perspective. Since her recent retirement, Santos has continued to assist CC as COVID response manager. With her background in law enforcement and emergency management at Colorado College, Santos has met with other higher education safety officers and noticed the lack in both women’s representation and BIPOC women’s representation.

When Santos began her career 25 years ago, she says, “I was the first BIPOC woman to be promoted to sergeant and then lieutenant. Coming to Colorado College was an amazing change, both being around leadership filled with BIPOC women and the large number of BIPOC women on campus.

It has been an amazing and emotionally uplifting change coming from my previous career.” But, like most of the women

While “representational diversity looks good on pamphlets,” she understands better than most that “we need leadership — regardless of demographics — to have the power and authority to effect meaningful change.” When we have BIPOC women in these roles, what support is the college giving them to ensure they’re successful? To ensure they want to lead at CC, to be a part

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in leadership roles, there is still more to be done. For Santos, BIPOC women deserve more support systems, mentoring, and opportunities.

When Associate Vice President of Facilities Services Amber Brannigan started at CC in August 2020, the college had just gone into quarantine mode and had to quickly implement systems and processes to deliver meals to isolated students by campus volunteers wearing full PPE. Brannigan was staying on campus then because she hadn’t purchased a house yet; she participated and saw the situation up close.

“As it happened, there were more volunteers who showed up to work than there were PPE suits available. It was one of those moments where you say, ‘This is where I want to be.’”

Another factor that made Brannigan happy to be at CC, she says, was the overall

diversity on campus and commitment to becoming an antiracist institution.

“It’s been encouraging to meet colleagues and leaders at CC who are truly representative of the population at large.”

Brannigan serves on the Antiracism Commitment Committee, which meets blockly.

“The diversity in the room is impressive, as is the work,” she says. “We are working to address conscious and unconscious bias, to find equitable platforms for hiring, to update our job descriptions. We’re getting creative and deliberate with the areas we target to recruit and retain BIPOC. In other words, the way we did things isn’t necessarily the way we will keep doing things in the future. I’m encouraged that we’re willing to ask and answer all these questions.

We’re actively finding ways to ingrain antiracism in our practices.”

“The willingness on the part of leadership to identify opportunities for improvement — so often, these social expectations are pushed to the side, especially when you’re working under constraints like tight budgets or a pandemic. But here, they remain at the forefront and we’re actively working to get things done. There are absolutely some challenges, but we’re not just talking about it.”

With a unique administrative faculty perspective, Claire Oberon Garcia — professor of English, former dean of the faculty, and former acting provost — knows that for discrepancies in leadership representation roles to diminish in higher education, “we should speak frankly about barriers that still exist.”

For Garcia, many of her concerns lie with the challenges BIPOC women face once they’re in these leadership roles and the treatment, challenges, and biases that follow. From her experience as the dean of faculty and the acting provost, Garcia can see that “effective leadership is contextual, conversational, and collaborative rather than individualistic and hierarchical. Effective leaders need to make themselves vulnerable in ways that some may interpret as not being ‘strong’ or ‘decisive.’”

An employee climate and engagement survey was conducted on campus in late 2021, and the college shared results with employees in 2022. The survey asked employees how they feel about their sense of well-being at work; the college’s mission, values, and direction; the shared-governance model we rely upon in making many decisions; and the stewardship and shaping of the campus culture among other things. Brannigan said she found this process powerful.

From this, Garcia becomes concerned with the biases that exist in higher education and the general workforce when BIPOC women assume roles of leadership — especially about qualifications. Garcia knows that when these women stray from what others conventionally see as “strong” and “decisive,” it instills doubt about their skills or authority.

If you do things differently, do you really know what you’re doing? Garcia says she has noticed when BIPOC women in these leadership roles aren’t given the confidence, trust, and benefit of the doubt that white individuals in similar roles are given, questions arise about whether a BIPOC person is truly qualified.

Garcia’s scholarship in Black studies and DEI issues has allowed her to see the problems from an informed administrative

perspective. With her current work initiating changes to implement the college’s antiracism commitment to enable all members of the school’s community to be heard and thrive — things do seem, in some ways, to be looking up.

“I used to feel that headhunters who called me about leadership opportunities were just interested in putting together a compositionally diverse pool,” she says, “but now, I see more and more BIPOC women actually being hired into leadership positions from a diversity of professional and experiential backgrounds.” Garcia says she’s beginning to feel higher educational institutions are looking for more than just faces on a pamphlet or numbers in a statistic. Instead, these institutions are looking for those who are excited to enact change and challenge the current ways of thinking and are beginning to broaden what is considered relevant experience for leadership roles, encouraging more BIPOC women to fill these spaces.

As things look up for higher education and Colorado College in the lens of BIPOC women assuming significantly more leadership roles, it’s important for the college and its antiracism initiative to hear what these women know must happen for this change to continue—with longevity—toward a more equitable future. Colorado College has come a long way, and there’s pride to be had in the current leadership representation, but the work certainly continues.

To read more, go to https://2cc.co/spring22extras www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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A Diverse Leadership Black, Indigenous, people of color, and women now hold more influential positions than ever before at Colorado College.

Hear from some leaders about how we’re doing, where we go from here, and what the experience has been like for them.

Photos by Lonnie Timmons III, Photographer & Photo Editor

L. Song Richardson, President

Mike Edmonds, Senior Vice President

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Barbara Wilson, Associate Vice President, Administrative Services

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Rochelle T. Dickey ‘83, P’19, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Life

Idris Goodwin, Executive Director Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College

From left, Edwin Hamada; Brenda Soto; Rochelle T. Dickey ’83, P’19; L. Song Richardson; Debbie Howell; Mike Edmonds; and Peony Fhagen.

Emily Chan, Professor of Psychology, Director of the Bridge Scholars Program, Vice President and Dean of the Faculty

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What experiences have you had as a BIPOC person in a leadership position here at CC?

“

In my field, I did not have any older role models that looked like me or shared similar identities. Student Affairs and Housing were not fields a lot of Asian Americans went into during the late 1980s. I have had to learn how to incorporate my true self into my leadership style over the decades and continue to work on being a better leader […] building a trusting environment is the key.

Edwin Hamada Assistant Vice President for the Residential Experience

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What lessons from your heritage do you bring to the college, a primarily white institution?

“

An ancestor once said he lived in two worlds. I also live in two worlds, the Native American/Indigenous community and society at large. When I walk through the door of this institution, I walk in with both worlds. I strive to stay true to myself in my cultural teachings and traditions, but it is important to bring both perspectives to my position. Education is power. Being part of CC is allowing me to be a lifelong learner.

The more knowledge I gain, the more helpful I can be.

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Debbie Howell (Pawnee/Dakota) Native American Elder-in-Residence, Office of the Chaplain

CC now has more BIPOC and women in leadership positions than ever before. What is your take on that? How do you see these changes?

“

It speaks to the moment. CC is responding to the hour, what is going on in the country and around the world. The U.S. has always been a leading force in what is going on, so it’s apropos. The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements started here […] it disseminates around the world and shapes the world. It’s fantastic.

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Frieda Ekotto ’86 Colorado College Trustee, Associate Chair and Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies, and Comparative Literature and Francophone Studies at the University of Michigan

What experiences have you had as a BIPOC person in a leadership position here at CC?

“

One of the experiences I have encountered is the stigma about one’s ability to handle additional responsibility as a BIPOC woman. It is important to have mentors who believe in your vision and abilities and allow you the autonomy to rise in the organization. In my Colorado College career, I have been fortunate to have those supervisors to which I am extremely grateful for the opportunities.

”

Brenda Soto Director of College Events and Interim Director of Alumni and Family Relations

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Any notable experiences you have had as a BIPOC person in a leadership position here at CC that you would like to relate?

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I often imagine BIPOC students being in predominately white spaces and wondering if they feel like they truly belong at CC. This is what sparked the idea to rename a space on campus for Indigenous Peoples because none had yet existed on campus. To my amazement, and through college-wide support, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved this request. The following Homecoming, we invited members of the Ute Tribes to bless the newly named quad space, present cultural knowledge to classes, and to perform traditional dances during the weekend picnic. It was the proudest day of my time at CC.

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Felix Sanchez ’93 (Diné) Assistant Vice President for Communications

What experiences have you had as a BIPOC person in a leadership position here at CC?

“

I lead change and transformation efforts across campus with a particular focus on faculty, academic staff, and our co-curricular and curricular programs. There is no playbook for what we are trying to do in terms of becoming an antiracist institution that I can use in my work. I must be creative, innovative, and take risks as I try different strategies of supporting and leading change. My biggest challenge is having the time for the type of thinking and imagining that is needed for strategic planning along with providing on-the-ground support to my colleagues […] in the form of being a thought partner, solution generator, and guide.

”

Peony Fhagen, Senior Associate Dean of Equity, Inclusion, and Faculty Development, Director of the Crown Faculty Center, Director of the Bridge Scholars Program, Associate Professor of General Studies

What challenges do we as a college face regarding hiring and retaining BIPOC leaders?

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We still find that overall women of color are paid less than their male and white counterparts for the same work. We are accustomed to the narrative that “women make .70 for every $1 that a man makes, but we rarely acknowledge the disparities that arise when we disaggregate that information. For example: Asian women (87%); white, non-Hispanic women (79%); Black women (63%); Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women (61%); and Latinx/e, American Indian and Alaska Native women (57%).

”

Rosalie M. Rodriguez Senior Associate Dean of Students, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Director of the Butler Center

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Building on Originality: The Campaign for Colorado College Concludes, Raising $478M

By Caryn Maconi

Charles L. Tutt Library, Feb. 16, 2018. Courtesy of Pfeiffer

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he generosity of more than 41,000 donors has created lasting impact for students.

Colorado College completed its most ambitious fundraising initiative in history on Dec. 31, 2021, raising $478* million thanks to the generosity of over 41,000 donors.

Building on Originality: The Campaign for Colorado College exceeded its fundraising target by more than $40 million. For more than seven years, the campaign focused on increasing access to a CC education for students of all backgrounds, cementing the college’s distinctive sense of place in the Rocky Mountain West, and funding CC’s unique approach to academics and innovation.

The campaign total included $302 million in gifts from donors at every level and $176 million in the transfer of assets of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center to CC, which represented the largest single gift in CC’s history. In Spring 2021, the college also celebrated the largest commitment in college history from an individual donor — a future estate gift valued at $33.5 million.

“When we launched Building on Originality, we had a vision to elevate the CC experience for current students, and to make our unique approach to higher education more accessible for the young leaders of tomorrow. I’m proud to say I think we’ve achieved

that vision, while opening the door to more opportunities in the years to come,” says Jeff Keller ’91, P’22, chair of the Board of Trustees and co-chair of the campaign.

“Building on Originality created a groundswell of support for our students and campus community,” says L. Song Richardson, CC president. “This community believes in making a CC education more widely available to students with promise and passion because when diverse experiences and perspectives are represented in the classroom, our entire community benefits.

This campaign has also equipped students with the resources to thrive once they are at CC, and to think differently to solve tomorrow’s problems.”

Gifts of every size made a difference during the campaign, as CC alumni, parents and families, faculty and staff, and friends of CC contributed more than $25 million to the Annual Fund. Gifts of up to $500 during the campaign totaled more than $10 million.

Scholarships and the CC Experience During the campaign donors contributed more than $90 million to support scholarships — as well as internships, student research, and experiential learning opportunities — through gifts, pledges, and estatecommitments. Thanks in part to matching challenges initiated by Susie Burghart ’77 (Susie B’s Challenge) and the late Will Smith

’74 (Endowed Scholarship Challenge 101 and Will Smith ’74 Scholarship Challenge), giving to endowed scholarships, which generate funding for CC students in perpetuity, reached unprecedented levels.

The expansion of student internship, research, and exploration opportunities, gives more students the chance to expand their development beyond the classroom.

During the campaign, the Venture Grant program, which enables students to conduct original individual research or collaborative research with faculty during the summer, was permanently endowed.

“The generosity of the CC community will mean so much to future students,” says Mary Ann Graffeo, vice president for advancement. “I am moved by the passion and commitment of our donors and hopeful about our future, as expanding access to CC will remain a priority in the years to come.”

Our Distinctive Place Building on Originality focused on affirming Colorado College’s distinctive place of learning in ways that embody its regional and historical identity. In 2016, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center formed an alliance with Colorado College designed to enrich the student experience by bridging the gap between art and academics, while forging stronger connections between the college and the local and regional communities.

*Includes 9.2 million from the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority, which was counted as anticipated funding for Ed Robson Arena.

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Campaign News

LEFT: Haitian artist Ralph Allen worked with CC student Quang Le Vu ’18 to paint a mural ahead of Allen’s show opening at the FAC in 2018. Allen called the piece “The Spell.”

Photo by Jennifer Coombes. TOP RIGHT: The Wellness Resource Center, located in the new Mike and Barbara Yalich Student Services Center, on March 8, 2022. Photo by Katya Nicolayevsky ’24. BOTTOM RIGHT: Students ice skate during Open Student Skates at Ed Robson Arena on Oct. 19, 2021. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III

The partnership has opened new opportunities for object-based teaching, visiting artists, experiential education, and internships for students. With one of the most important collections of Southwest art in the world, the museum also facilitates collaboration in the visual and performing arts, history, and anthropology.

The $45 million renovation of the Charles L. Tutt Library, unveiled in 2018, was made possible thanks to more than $20 million in donor support. The building is the largest net-zero energy academic library in the United States — furthering the college’s commitment to carbon neutrality, which it achieved in 2021. The reimagined 90,000-square-foot space is tuned to the rhythm of the Block Plan, equipping students with the tools, expert instruction, and access to information they need to support their learning in a flexible, inviting space.

The renovation also increased available seating from 495 to 1,100 seats.

The campaign also brought to life the new Ed Robson Arena, which opened its doors in October 2021 as the first-ever on-campus home for CC men’s hockey. The 3,400-seat arena hosts numerous club and intramural sports, college events, and student life activities. As part of Colorado Springs’ City for Champions initiative, it also welcomes

regional, national, and international community and sporting events.

The Mike and Barbara Yalich Student Services Center, adjacent to Ed Robson Arena, also opened in Fall 2021 as a centralized resource for student health, well-being, and community. The Yalich Center is part of CC’s move toward a more cohesive continuum of care for students, and it also houses the CC bookstore, mail center, an art studio, and space for a future restaurant.

Fostering Engaged Teaching and Learning Donors in the campaign supported resources for faculty and departments to foster engaged teaching and learning — including opportunities for student-faculty collaboration and funding to bring dynamic visiting scholars, artists, and entrepreneurs to campus. Two new faculty chair positions will be realized through estate commitments.

The campaign also elevated CC’s robust Creativity & Innovation programming.

Since 2016, C&I programming and concepts have been incorporated across 177 blocks and nearly 300 class sessions, totaling more than 4,000 student engagements. Creativity & Innovation grants, designed to empower students and faculty to investigate complex questions and solve real-world problems, have funded numerous student and faculty

projects. Funding for a chair position in Innovation and the first C&I scholar-in-residence have seeded Creativity & Innovation for the benefit of students across campus.

Thank You “If you gave to CC at any point during the campaign, and at any level, this celebration belongs to you, too,” says Bob Selig ’61, trustee and co-chair of the campaign. “I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the big-picture impact we’ve been able to make for CC and its students, now and in the years to come. We are so grateful.”

While the Building on Originality campaign has concluded, the college will continue to advance its culture of philanthropy to ensure current and prospective students have access to the full CC experience, faculty and students have the tools they need for engaged teaching and learning, and our community within and beyond the boundaries of the CC campus continues to thrive.

To make a gift to the Colorado College Annual Fund, visit coloradocollege.edu/give.

For more information about the impact of Building on Originality, visit coloradocollege.edu/campaign www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Sense of Place

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Vintage-Style Posters Send Contemporary Conservation Messages CC Students Riff Off Old National Parks Posters in the State of the Rockies Vintage Poster Contest

By Jessi Burns ’06

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he State of the Rockies Project encourages students to explore environmental and social challenges in the Rocky Mountain West through collaborative student-faculty research, coursework, and stakeholder engagement. Students embark on interdisciplinary investigations around the region to discover the possibilities for balancing human activity without spoiling the natural environment.

New this year was the Conservation in the West student vintage poster contest in which students were invited to design a vintage-style poster of a national park, monument, or forest in the Rocky Mountain region. Students based their posters on artwork produced during the Federal Art Act of 1937, which promoted visitation to a newly created National Parks system — but with a twist: the posters were required to contain a contemporary conservation message. During Summer 2020, visitation numbers and parks visited more than doubled, so the messages needed to be much different for recreationists today.

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Students analyzed State of the Rockies Conservation in the West Poll results to pick their contemporary conservation message. The poll explores voters in the Rocky Mountain West’s bi-partisan opinions about conservation, energy, water, and more. The posters for this year’s winners tackled various issues, from forest fires to climate change.

“Keep It in the Ground” Coconino National Forest, Arizona by Isabel DeVito ’26

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“Respect and Preserve” Arches National Park, Utah by Charlie Bragg ’23

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“Save the Glaciers” Glacier National Park, Montana

by Sophie Mariel Dua ’23

HONORABLE MENTIONS

“For the People, Land, and Water” Bears Ears National Monument, Utah by Natasha Yskamp Long ’22

“Remember Bugs Made This” Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado by Casey Millhone ’22

“Mangum Fire” Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

by Sofie Nouhan Miller ’23 www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Because of CC ...

Alumni Reflections

BC

KIRA WHITNEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Ellen Weir Casey ’71, MAT ’77

By Cate Terwilliger

W

hen Ellen Weir Casey earned an English degree from Colorado College in 1971, she knew she wanted to teach young children whose innocence and possibility had always touched her.

Eight years later, she found herself consumed by another desire, one that would ultimately redeem a devastating mistake and fulfill the most cherished potential of her own life: having a baby.

Her determination to achieve that dream made Casey the mother of Colorado’s first test-tube baby, the end of a harrowing years-long odyssey she recounts in a new memoir, “Unstoppable: Forging the Path to Motherhood in the Early Days of IVF.” “Young women today assume in vitro (fertilization) is always an option,” says Casey, who lives in Colorado Springs. “But it wasn’t back then. There’s not a lot out there about the history of early infertility treatments, especially about the early patient’s experience. Young women need to know about the strong women who went before them, who opened the doors for them.”

Casey’s saga began in 1974. Seeking an alternative to the birth control pill and trusting her doctor, she agreed to an experimental IUD. “As smart and educated as I was, I still had the mindset of believing what a man in auth-

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ority told me,” says Casey, then a graduate student at CC. Two months after the device was inserted, she sought emergency help for a high fever, cramps, and a raging infection that occluded her fallopian tubes. The IUD was removed, but the damage was done.

Casey learned she was infertile five years later, as a newlywed unable to get pregnant.

She blamed herself.

“It was so important for me to be a mother,” she recalls. “And I felt like I personally had ruined my own chance to have what I wanted by taking this IUD without researching it.”

Research would consume much of the next few years. Casey became an expert in emerging reproductive technologies, poring over microfiche, reading medical journals, and logging the countless hours necessary to educate herself in the pre-Internet age.

“My research skills definitely were excellent because of CC professors having such absolutely high standards,” Casey says. “CC taught me the importance of a primary source … to always find excellence, to find the best thinker, the most innovative thinker.”

It wasn’t the first time she had benefited from the college. CC helped pay her senior year tuition after her parents divorced, leaving her suddenly cash-poor. A few years later, CC allowed Casey, who already was a working teacher, to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching by enrolling in summer liberal arts institutes without the usual additional coursework. She graduated with her MAT in 1977.

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Casey’s dogged research on infertility generated early possibilities, but each ended in heartbreak. In 1979, pioneering microsurgery opened her left fallopian tube, which allowed her to conceive. But it also caused scarring, which resulted in an ectopic pregnancy that might have killed her had she not recognized the symptoms and had an emergency operation.

In 1980, Casey had laser surgery, also new at the time, to open her remaining fallopian tube — only t0 suffer another life-threatening complication in the form of a rapidly growing cyst six weeks later. Another emergency surgery removed the cyst and the tube — along with any chance of a natural pregnancy.

There also were failed attempts to adopt before Casey — truly unstoppable — turned to the nascent technology of IVF, which involves removing eggs from a woman’s ovaries, fertilizing them with sperm in a Petri dish, and then transferring the embryos into the woman’s uterus.

“My odds were 9% that this would work, that I would get pregnant and have a live birth,” Casey says. “It was experimental; they were still trying to figure it out.”

But Casey’s last shot turned out to be her best. In 1983, she welcomed daughter Elizabeth, Colorado’s first test-tube baby. Thirtyfive years later, in 2018, Casey became a grandmother to Bennett — an extension of a dream deferred but never relinquished.

Insider View A Student’s Perspective

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IZZY ATKIN ’22

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LONNIE TIMMONS III

am a physics major and a professional skier hailing from Park City, Utah. I’m extremely proud of my achievements in my skiing career, which include two X Games silvers and an Olympic bronze. I’m also proud that I’ve been able to continue my academic career while training and competing in slopestyle and big air.

CC’s academic calendar has allowed me to take classes when I’m not training or competing, and to work my schedule around the winter when I’m traveling and skiing the most. I love being able to focus on one class at a time and complete it in 3 1/2 weeks. This allows me to use the intensity and focus I’ve harnessed throughout my skiing career on my academic studies.

Many professors have accommodated my training schedule, whether allowing me to take a test early, catch a flight for a competition, or extend a paper’s deadline during a hectic season. CC fosters a safe learning environment where everyone understands the pursuit of academic and extracurricular passions, as well as the balance between them and mental health.

This isn’t to say it’s been easy.

While the Block Plan and my professors have been extremely accommodating, the biggest hurdle I’ve had to overcome is mental burnout. This past year I experienced a lot of it — the pandemic combined with concussions and a pelvis injury, which kept me from my dreams of competing in the Olympics, have meant my mental state suffered. It complicated the time I was dedicating to schoolwork during the winter. The fact of it being my fifth year attending CC contributed to this burnout. I had, for four consecutive years, been living in a delicate balance between applying myself athletically in high-anxiety competition/training settings and applying my mental skills in demanding classes.

This back and forth was initially enthralling. Never being one for downtime or sitting still, I enjoyed the lack of breaks. I considered my athletic and academic careers and corresponding personalities separate. Participating in one meant time off and a mental break from the other.

SAM MELLISH

As I head into my last semester at CC, I am reminded of all the amazing opportunities I’ve had at this school; from meeting some of my best friends, to the amount of fun I’ve had learning on field trips, to the relationships I’ve built with incredible professors. It has, without a doubt, been the best and most fulfilling few years of my life.

Izzy Atkin ’22, a physics major and a professional skier hailing from Park City, Utah, on campus March 2, 2022.

FIS FREESTYLE IMAGES

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to respect my body and mind and realized the importance of slowing down, taking time to heal, and being OK with failures or setbacks. The forced time off I’ve taken this season due to injuries has given me time to reflect. I’ve learned to listen to my body, to allow myself to accept help, the power of visualization, and determination and grit.

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Alumni Activities Connect with the CC Community

AA

Reunion volunteers gathered on campus in March to plan this year’s Homecoming Weekend activities. Photo by Erin Mullins ’24

GET READY FOR 2022 HOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND! Save the date for Oct. 7-9, 2022. We can’t wait to welcome alumni, parents, and families back to the CC campus! The Office of Alumni and Family Relations is planning a full slate of in-person events.

You’ll have the chance to reconnect with alumni, parents, families, and current students through social events, networking opportunities, faculty experiences, art exhibitions, athletic competitions, and more. Parents and families, this is the perfect opportunity to experience CC, get to know your students’ friends and roommates, enjoy the campus, and explore the Colorado Springs community where your students live. Registration details and more information will be shared this summer, so stay tuned to your email and visit coloradocollege.edu/homecoming for the latest updates.

Down to the Details: Reunion Volunteer Weekend Planning for class reunions begins each year at Reunion Volunteer Weekend. Reunion committee members gather to outline the details of reunion festivities, develop outreach strategies to engage fellow alumni, and choose the designation for their reunion class gift. It’s a sort of “mini reunion” that’s important not only for planning logistics, but also for building enthusiasm for Homecoming and class giving. This year’s planning weekend took place March 11-12 on

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the CC campus. If your class is celebrating a reunion this year, you’ll be hearing from your reunion committee soon — and if you’re interested in serving on a future class reunion committee, contact the Office of Alumni and Family Relations at reunions@coloradocollege.edu or (719) 389-6777.

“Even though the committee can sometimes be a lot of work, I think it’s really fun and cool to be part of something that’s meaningful to everyone in the class, and meaningful to the next generations of CC students. With the uncertain times that have come to us lately, it’s reassuring to remember that you are part of a community — that it hasn’t ended just because you graduated, but it continues for as long as you want to be involved. It’s really comforting to remember that you are a part of something bigger and to connect with the community that gave you so much. Now, you can give back to that community while also reconnecting with old friends. That can be, in a way, almost healing.”

— Sophie Ramirez ’17, 5th Reunion Committee Chair

Alumni Activities Connect with the CC Community

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COLORADO COLLEGE

HOMECOMING & FA M I L Y W E E K E N D

Oct. 7-9 2022

REUNION CELEBRATIONS Unless noted, each class will celebrate a stand-alone reunion.

1961, 1962, and 1963 60th Reunion (combined)

1972

50th Reunion

1977

45th Reunion

1981 and 1982 40th Reunion

1987

35th Reunion

1992

30th Reunion

1997

25th Reunion

2002

20th Reunion

2007

15th Reunion

2012

10th Reunion

2017

5th Reunion

2018-2022

Social Media To stay in touch with Colorado College alumni, students, parents, and friends throughout the year, join us on social media! Follow “Colorado College Alumni” on Facebook and Instagram for the latest alumni news, opportunities, and events, and join the “Colorado College Alumni” LinkedIn Group to network with fellow alumni.

Interested in connecting further? Join a LinkedIn special interest group to find alumni in your area or industry. Visit coloradocollege.edu/alumniconnect for more information and links to regional and special interest groups.

All parents, guardians, families, and student supporters are invited to follow us on Instagram @ccparents and join the conversation in the Colorado College Parents private Facebook group. You can also stay updated on important information and upcoming events for the CC Tiger Family at coloradocollege.edu/parents.

Tiger Link The Career Center and Office of Alumni and Family Relations have partnered to provide a new and improved Tiger Link, CC’s student and alumni directory and online professional networking platform, now compatible with LinkedIn. The mentoring component of the new platform empowers students and recent graduates to connect with alumni who can assist in exploring careers and industries. Alumni can choose to connect with students in a variety of ways as well as expand their own professional network and advance their careers through connections to insiders who work for top employers.

With Tiger Link, you can: • Create your account quickly and easily by importing information from your LinkedIn profile • Find and message old friends or new connections who are active on Tiger Link using advance filters • Provide help with or benefit from opportunities for networking, career development, volunteering, and more Tiger Link is available on your computer, tablet, laptop, or phone.

Go to www.cctigerlink.com to create an account and start connecting today.

Young Alumni Reunion

Planning to attend your class reunion in 2022?

Please let us know: reunions@coloradocollege.edu or (719) 389-6777.

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Class Notes

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1982

1969

Lisa Ellis was named the executive director of the Santa Fe Council on International Relations and began the job in February 2022. After earning her bachelor’s in Russian area studies at CC and a master’s in journalism from the University of Maryland, Lisa has served in leadership roles in the United States and some 40 countries. She is dedicated to strengthening democratic institutions, nurturing a free media, supporting international exchanges, educating young leaders, and building healthy and resilient communities.

Bonita “Bonnie” Lahey, left, and Dorothy “Do” Bradley, who were off-campus roommates in their senior year, reunited for a joyous time in Montana during the summer of 2021. “Still crazy after all these years!” the friends say.

1987

1976

Ann Deines Honious began serving as the superintendent of Georgia’s Chattahoochee River National Recreational Area in August 2021. Ann has years of experience with the National Capital Parks-East, Gateway Arch National Park, and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Site.

Ann earned a bachelor’s in history with an emphasis in political science at CC; she also has a master’s in American Studies from George Washington University and a master’s in education from the University of Dayton.

Robin Morris Collin was appointed as senior adviser to the administrator for environmental justice at the Environmental Protection Agency in February 2022.

She will support efforts to advance environmental justice and civil rights in communities that suffer from disproportionately high pollution levels. Robin earned her bachelor’s in history and her juris doctor from Arizona State University; she was one of the first U.S. law professors to teach sustainability courses in a U.S. law school.

1981

Lissy Garrison began her new position as vice chancellor for advancement at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in January 2022.

Lissy’s experience in fundraising and arts leadership includes 11 years in higher education development, most recently at the University of Denver and the University of Colorado Boulder, and 15 years as executive director of Ballet Nouveau Colorado. She majored in business administration at CC. 30

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1988

Robin Mosman Divine has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of TriCore Reference Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has more than 30 years of experience in health care. Robin earned her bachelor’s in mathematics at CC and her executive master of business administration at the University of New Mexico, Anderson School of Management.

She also completed an executive fellowship in health care at the Advisory Board Academy.

2001

Jessi Quizar recently joined the University of Washington Tacoma as an assistant professor in the School of Urban Studies.

She majored in sociology at CC, and focuses on racial capitalism, grassroots organizing, and urban land and resources struggles.

Jessi also earned her master’s from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a doctorate from the University of Southern California’s American Studies and Ethnicity program.

Class Notes

2004

CN

2011 Jennie Light married Gary Cho in Springdale, Utah, near Zion National Park on Sept. 25, 2021. Many of Jennie’s former classmates attended the ceremony, and Elliot Goldman ’10 and his band, the Swinging Lights, provided the music.

Autumn Rivera is one of four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year.

Rivera earned her bachelor’s in biology from CC in 2004 and her master’s of arts in teaching in 2006. Autumn teaches sixth-grade science in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and is an adjunct professor in the Education Department at Colorado Mountain College. The National Teacher of the Year will be announced later this Spring; the winner spends one year advocating for teachers and students.

2007

Jonathan Gillman was interviewed about his music on WKCR New York on Feb. 16, 2022.

Check out wkcr.org and his SoundCloud site at www.soundcloud.com/ablaq to hear all about it, or catch up with him on Facebook; search for “Ablaq.”

Front, from left: Jennie Light and James Eichner ’11 Middle, from left: Liz Toner ’11, Devon Walsh ’11, Bailey Katz Griscom ’11, Alyson Yeckes ’10, Nathaniel Quinn ’11, Amelia Russo ’11, Helen Anda ’11, Maddy Bollinger ’11, Meg Bradley ’11, and Duncan Louden ’11. Back, from left: Dan Blei, Hayden Miller ’10, Kieffer Katz ’11, T Callahan ’11, Moss Bemis ’11, BJ Batmanghelidj ’11, Rob Preston ’11, Sam Goldman ’11, Neal Hustava ’11, and Chandler Griffin ’11.

2012

2010 Julie White ’11 and Torin Schuster ’12 married July 3, 2021, in Minneapolis with many CC alumni in attendance. From left: Julie’s father, Rob White ’76, and mother, Susan Sternberg White ’76, Laura Davies ’11, Julie and Torin, Andrew Rowe ’12, Evan Sauvage ’14, Alex Caspary ’11, and Eric Einstein ’11.

Anna Sanger has joined the Conner & Winters LLP law firm as a bilingual transactional associate attorney in its Tulsa office. After earning her bachelor’s in political science, Anna graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2020. She also worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, an AmeriCorps member in Texas, and a social services coordinator in a Tulsa elementary school.

2016

Allie Verchota has been named a business banking officer at the Baxter, Minnesota, location of Deerwood Bank. A mathematics major at CC, Allie has been with Deerwood for more than five years, starting as a marketing coordinator before moving into the role of credit analyst. In her new role, she will assist customers with business banking services and financing needs, as well as analyze financial statements and underwriting loans.

2017

In 2021, Nina Murray earned her master’s in social work from the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development. Nina earned her bachelor’s degree with a double major in feminist and gender studies, as well as Southwest studies. She played intramural soccer and belonged to the Climbing Association while at CC. www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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Milestones: Nuptials, Births, & Obituaries

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Obituaries 1942

1945

1948

1949, Dan Bursch passed away Jan. 18, At CC, he earned his bache1950 2022. lor’s in education, cum laude, and

Barbara Thomas Ackard passed away Aug. 7, 2021, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Barbara finished her college education at CC, majoring in English, and was proud of her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority affiliation. In addition to her love of travel and the arts, Barbara will be best remembered for her exceptional generosity and dedication to helping others, her sense of humor, and her lifelong love of chocolate.

his master of arts. He also earned a master’s in education at Michigan State University and an honorary juris doctor from John Wesley College. Dan served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He was married to his wife, Madge, for 73 years, until her death in 2018. He is survived by three sons; three grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

died of Parkinson’s disease on Jan. 24, 2022. Ed earned scholarships to CC to study political science and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He married his classics professor, Stephanie Jakimowitz, before heading to Yale Law School. Ed became a successful lawyer in Denver, focusing on civil rights and education. CC recognized Ed with an honorary doctor of literature degree in 1987. After his wife passed away in 2010, he established the Stephanie and Ed Benton Endowed Scholarship to honor her memory. Survivors include grandson Malcolm Benton Barnes ’15.

Marjorie Crews Hausman passed away Dec. 21, 2021, surrounded by her family, which included 11 children, 32 grandchildren, and 62 great-grandchildren. Marge belonged to the Delta Gamma Sorority at CC. After putting their own children through school, she and her husband, Clement, decided to help other young people and began funding scholarships that continue to affect young people at higher education institutions in southern Colorado.

Elsie Keglovich Proctor died Sept.

11, 2021. She was a legal secretary and a longtime real estate agent in Indiana. She was preceded in death by her husband, Louis Proctor, in 2011, and three siblings. Elsie is survived by three sons, Brent, James, and Alan Proctor; and their families, who remember her as a great mom.

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Jean Schryver Voorhees passed away June 8, 2021, in Annapolis, Maryland. She earned a degree in psychology and, while in Colorado Springs, met and married her husband, James Voorhees. Her varied career included social work, and she retired as administrative assistant from the Maryland Department of Developmental Disabilities. Jean is survived by her children, Tracy Voorhees and Karen Voorhees White ’75; and grandchildren, including Jessica White ’12.

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1953

Clinton Cole passed away Oct. 21, 2021, in San Angelo, Texas. He earned his degree in political science from CC and, in 1953, married Barbara Wattenbarger ’55 in Shove Memorial Chapel. She preceded him in death after nearly 65 years of marriage. Clinton attended the University of Colorado Boulder for his law degree, became a respected attorney and judge, and taught law classes at CC.

1954

George Chamberlain died Sept. 4, 2021, in Centerville, Ohio. He was orphaned at age 13, lived in a Colorado Springs orphanage, and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. George worked nights while studying business administration at CC and graduated at the top of his class. Retirement years included more traveling, but he always joined his grandchildren for lunch at school at least one day a week. George was preceded in death by his wife, Connie.

1950 Auburn Edgar “Ed” Benton Jr.

Marjorie Clark Gardner passed away Sept. 3, 2021, in Green Valley, Arizona. She had been a YWCA program director and fitness instructor, and will be remembered for her sparkling personality and her love for all living creatures. Marge was active in local theater and choral groups. She is survived by her husband, Charles; three siblings; two daughters; two sons; 10 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth Reeves Shaddock died Jan. 7, 2022. She was a Kappa Kappa Gamma at CC. She married James Shaddock’47 and their union lasted for 70 years; James died in 2016. Betsy is survived by her sister, Mildred “Patsy” Reeves Dalton ’55; four children; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

1949

he was not a natural athlete, he lettered in several sports at CC. He attended Rice University, where he earned his master’s and doctorate in nuclear physics. Bob worked around the country and overseas, accompanied by his wife, Barbara Lett Brugger ’51, who died in 2016.

Ray Wulf Sylvester died Aug. 21, 2021. While serving in the Army during World War II, he was awarded several medals. After his honorable discharge, Ray earned his bachelor’s in fine arts. At CC, he met Patricia Grier ’50 and they married in 1951. He pursued his passion for art by creating interiors for historic Colorado homes, including the Governor’s Mansion and the Molly Brown House in Denver. Ray’s wife died in 2006; he is survived by two children and three grandchildren.

1951

Spring 2022

Robert Brugger passed peacefully Jan. 2, 2022, in Ashland, Oregon.

Bob graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in physics and received the Louis T. Benezet Award in 1989. Although he admitted

1955, Beverly J. Anderson died May 1957 16, 2021, in Glenwood Springs,

Colorado. She earned her bachelor’s in education and returned to CC for a master’s degree. Beverly was married to Orville Anderson, who died in 1995.

1958

(Willard) Ray Eppert died Jan. 19, 2022, just four days after the death of Leona, his wife of 61 years. While majoring in business administration at CC, Ray served as a summertime groundskeeper and accountant at The Navigators at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs.

He worked as an accountant in California before retiring to Monument, Colorado. Ray is survived by his daughter, Robyn; son, Tom; and their families.

Dean Perron died Jan. 27, 2021. He earned his bachelor’s in business administration, pledged Phi Gamma Delta. His wife, Frances, died the day after he did. Dean was president of Ray Perron & Co., a wholesale electronic parts and equipment company, which he joined after serving as a U.S. Naval officer. Dean

Milestones: Nuptials, Births, & Obituaries

and Frances are survived by their children, Steve and Marcia.

1959

Norma Layher Bixby passed away Dec. 31, 2021. She earned her bachelor’s in zoology at CC before spending two years in medical school at the University of Colorado Denver.

She married George “Ed” Bixby in 1967 and they enjoyed adventures together, such as snowshoeing, camping, hiking, ice skating, cross-country skiing, breeding cats, square dancing, and amateur radio.

Ouida Leach Reid passed away Jan. 6, 2022, in Las Vegas. She earned her bachelor’s in philosophy and lived a full life after surviving asthma, polio, several car accidents, and multiple sclerosis. Rita was married to Roger Reid ’59, who survives, for more than 63 years. Those who knew her admired her and possibly some were jealous of her, but she was hard not to like and always fun to be with.

1961

1963

James Edward Spencer passed away Feb. 27, 2021, in Clemson, South Carolina. Jim’s career included teaching in Michigan, Minnesota, Kentucky, Wyoming, and South Carolina; and working as a real estate agent, a technical writer, and an over-the-road truck driver. He also was an avid fisherman and aviator. Survivors include his wife, Connie; six children; eight grandchildren; and three great-granddaughters.

1965 (Edwin) Kent Hill died Dec. 4, 2021,

Roger Hilding Pearson died of pneumonia on Aug. 20, 2021. After Army service in Japan, he attended CC before graduating from Seattle University with a bachelor’s in business administration. Roger worked at Boeing, restored vintage cars, and played clarinet in a jazz group.

Survivors include his niece, Laurel McLeod ’69, and nephew, Scott McLeod ’70; and great-nieces Dana McLeod ’04 and Kelsey McLeod Wright ’08.

Karen Tovatt Dalby passed away peacefully Aug. 25, 2021, surrounded by her family and pets. She earned her bachelor’s in psychology at CC, where she met her future husband, Dale Dalby ’62, who passed in 2006. Karen brought light into every room she entered and always surprised people with her unconventional answers to every question because her way of thinking was so unique.

Terry Kidner died on July 3, 2021.

Terry graduated cum laude with a degree in English from CC, where she was a College Bowl champion.

She earned master’s and doctorate degrees from Bryn Mawr College, and taught in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Terry is survived by her partner, Philip Steinfeld; son, Jesse Kohn; brother Wood Kidner; stepsons, Robert Kohn and Noah Bilbray-Kohn; and four granddaughters.

Elizabeth Goodwin died Aug. 16, 2021, in West Des Moines, Iowa. She attended Iowa State University, then completed her teaching degree at Colorado College. Liz had a lifelong love of learning and believed in accessible education for everyone.

She was a devoted church member, passionate gardener, and conservationist. She is survived by three children; her husband, Bill, preceded her in death.

1969

in Colorado Springs. He had four loves: his family, his faith, teaching, and sports. Kent received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado in 1956 and his master’s in teaching at CC. He also served in the Army. Kent’s survivors include his wife, Betty Lee; and their sons, Garry ’81 and Steven.

1966

1967

1968

Bill Weiss died Jan. 6, 2022, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He started the lacrosse team at CC before enrolling in Parsons College, where he earned his bachelor’s in business administration. He and his father operated Medtech Laboratories and Bill became CEO after his father died in 1987. After living in Lebanon, Switzerland, and New York, Bill and his wife, Robin, found their home in Wyoming, where they avidly supported nonprofits in Cody and Jackson Hole.

Britton White Jr. passed away Aug. 18, 2021, in Carbondale, Colorado. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in psychology at CC, he earned his juris doctor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Brit was a formidable litigator as a partner at Holland & Hart and later general counsel for El Paso Corp.

He loved lively debates and had a brilliant sense of humor. Survivors include his first and second wives; and his children, Jennifer White and Britton D. White.

Stephen Larson Brown died Oct. 19, 2021. He grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and took his love of skiing to CC, where he was on the ski team. He graduated with a degree in economics, then returned to Steamboat, where he was a farmer and rancher. Survivors include Lexie Siegal; daughters, Lisa Brown and Kristin Wilson; brother, Daniel Loomis Brown ’74; two nephews, and a niece.

MS

John Hartwell Boddington died Nov. 9, 2021, in his Colorado Springs home. He majored in economics at CC, where he was captain of the soccer team. John earned All American honors and a tryout for the U.S. Olympic team in his senior year. After graduating, he served one year in Vietnam. John became president of the family business, the Boddington Lumber Co., in 1995. He was the great-grandson of CC Professor Moses Clement Gile, for whom a professorship in the Department of Classics is named.

Survivors include his brother, William “Tim” Boddington ’72.

Joanne Zimmerman died Sept.

8, 2021, in Denver after a courageous battle with colon cancer. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s in psychology before earning her master’s and doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder. Joanne also was a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of Georgia and a clinical psychologist in Denver. She was a free spirit, gifted chef, and an animal lover, and is survived by three nephews and many friends.

1970

Douglas Lynch died Dec. 14, 2021, in Portland, Maine. He earned his bachelor’s in political science at CC; a master’s in curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and a master’s in psychology and a doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Massachusetts. He was a professor at various universities and became known and respected for his contributions to the education field. Even after retiring, Doug loved to learn. His survivors include his wife, Patrice; two children; and a grandson.

Raymond J. Nelson died Jan. 15, 2022. He grew up in Pennsylvania and served in the U.S. Army before earning his degree in botany at

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Milestones: Nuptials, Births, & Obituaries

MS

Obituaries CC. He loved wildflowers, gardens, cooking, photography, and religious studies, and almost always had a dog at his side. Ray is survived

by Carol, his wife of 49 years; two daughters; three grandchildren; and 10 siblings.

1971

Jeff Bayer died March 8, 2021, of complications from COVID-19.

Known to all as “the Bear,” he played football and rugby while earning his bachelor’s in mathematics and pledging Beta Theta Pi. Jeff shoveled snow clad in only sandals and shorts and cheered on every home team, especially the Denver Broncos. His passion was his construction career and those he worked with. Jeff is survived by his daughter, Brittney, and his partner in life, Sylvia.

attorney. Rich was known for his quick wit and was friendly, positive, and kind to everyone who crossed his path. He is survived by Nancy, his wife of 45 years; their two daughters; and five grandchildren.

1974

1975

Richard W. Bessom died Dec. 28, 2021. As a young man, Rick lived in a mountain cabin outside Aspen, Colorado, while working as a ski instructor for more than 13 years. He then became a boatman on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. He earned a master’s degree at Arizona State University and became a counselor.

Rick was just a few days short of his 40th anniversary with Alcoholics Anonymous. He had a big heart and was a good, loving man.

1973

Stephen G. Hunter died Sept. 24, 2021, in St. Paul, Minnesota, from injuries sustained in a bicycling accident. He majored in biology at CC, then attended dental school at the University of Minnesota, earning a doctor of dental surgery degree as well as a master’s degree, specializing in endodontics. Steve practiced dentistry in the Twin Cities until his death. Survivors include his wife, Anne, and daughters Sara ’02 and Mari ’05.

Richard William Miller took his final afternoon nap on Sept. 23, 2021. Rich was a Phi Delta Theta and majored in political science.

He graduated magna cum laude.

He then attended Willamette University School of Law in Oregon and went on to a long career as a tax

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John Kenneth Silver passed away in his Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Sept. 9, 2021. He earned his bachelor’s in political science while playing hockey and tennis at CC, then received his law degree at the University of New Mexico. John was an active philanthropist; his efforts for animal welfare and the environment led to a close friendship with eminent primatologist Jane Goodall.

Survivors include his mother; wife, Gloria; and children Thomas ’14 and Joanna Silver.

Michael Allured passed away Oct. 24, 2021, in Madison, Wisconsin. He was the third-generation publisher of the Manufacturing Confectioner, a worldwide journal of the candy and sweet baked-goods industry. Mike also was a third-generation CC student, following his grandmother, Prudence Walker Allured 1916; and his parents, Coralene ’50 and Allen Allured ’50. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and their children, Amy Allured Grosholtz ’11 and Ethan.

Ruth Mullen was remembered as a dedicated political activist in the Bronx, New York, after she was struck and killed by a bus in front of her home on Sept. 7, 2021.

She majored in history at CC, then moved to New York and earned her master’s in history at Columbia University. Ruth worked in publishing and film production and succeeded at both. She is survived by her husband, Jim Bradley, and their two daughters.

Richard Schulte died Aug. 21, 2021, while competing in the Triple Bypass bike race through the Colorado Rockies. Dick was doing what he loved, challenging himself athletically while marveling at the splendor of what he called “God’s country.”

Dick earned his bachelor’s degree in political economics and played soccer, lettering all four years. He is survived by his wife, Susan; children Sarah ’10, Samuel, and Nick; and sisters Susan O’Gara ’78 and Sarah Dulin ’84.

1985

Karen McCarthy Pfeiffer died Dec. 1, 2021. She earned her master of arts in teaching after a bachelor’s in Spanish from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1967. Karen taught at a Colorado Springs high school, where her students and colleagues loved her for her humor.

She was married to Rudiger Pfeiffer, who preceded her in death in 2019.

1992

Mark Glaze died Oct. 31, 2021, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was a Truman Foundation Scholar at CC, where he majored in political science. He earned his juris doctor at George Washington University in 1999. Mark was called “the face of gun control” while executive director of Everytown for Gun Safety.

He also served as an adviser to the Commission on Federal Election Reform, led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker.

1996 Laurence Erickson Walker

passed away Nov. 13, 2020, in Kalispell, Montana. He earned his bachelor’s in economics at CC and his juris doctor from Willamette University. Erick loved people, the outdoors, and nature in all forms, and treasured his time at CC. Survivors include his sister, Julie Walker Lowe ’88.

2007

Brianna Oliver Rizzi passed away Jan. 4, 2022, at her home in Pueblo, Colorado. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history, which complemented her love of travel. While working at a law firm, she earned her master’s in leadership and management from Regis University. At the time of her death, she owned an art gallery/antiques store, where she exhibited her own artwork and her collection of special pieces.

Milestones: Nuptials, Births, & Obituaries

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In Memoriam

Rev. Kenneth Burton, dean emeritus of Shove Memorial Chapel and professor emeritus of religion, died Dec. 22, 2021, at his home in Manitou Springs, Colorado. He was 93 years old. He served CC from 1961 to 1988. He was described as a compassionate man who was known for kindness, quick wit, intellect, and caring presence.

Kenneth studied theology at Cambridge University and, in 1950, became the youngest ordained Congregational minister in England, where he was born and lived through World War II. After studying at the Chicago Theological Seminary, he arrived at CC in 1961 and was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1974. He became deeply involved in the campus and the surrounding community.

A memorial service took place Jan. 15, 2022, in Colorado Springs. He is survived by Mary, his wife of 71 years; children, including Joanna Burton Stone ’74, Andrew ’79 and ’90, Jeremy ’78, Mark ’87 and Sara; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Donations in his honor came be made to the Kenneth Burton Endowed Fund for Religion and the Arts at Colorado College.

Mary Duncan passed away June 3, 2020, in Colorado Springs due to complications from cancer. Mary worked in Residential Life from 1985 to 2003, primarily at the front desk of South (Slocum) Hall. Mary was known for her friendly smile and cheerful personality. She loved interacting with students on a daily basis, and she knew everyone’s name and genuinely cared about all of the students in her dorm. Survivors include her husband, Richard; son, Jim; daughters, Ann Teese ’86 and Susan Albright ’93; and six grandchildren.

Sally Eisentraut, who worked as database and customer service coordinator in Facilities Services, died on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, from heart complications. Sally was dedicated to Colorado College for more than 30 years. She wove a web of relationships within Facilities and across campus that supported CC community in many ways. A celebration of life took place at Shove Memorial Chapel on Monday, Jan. 10. Survivors include her sister, Lisa Smith, who works in Mathias Hall; sons Ben and Nick; and her nephew, Nathan Smith ’05.

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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COURTESY OF THE FINE ARTS CENTER

The CC Questionnaire

Idris Goodwin

Executive Director of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College 2021 United States Artist Fellow

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

Cultivating a multi-faceted professional life in the arts, spanning production to publication across academic, commercial, and civic spaces. I have never had any other professional aspiration in my life other than the arts.

WHAT MEMORY ABOUT CC REALLY STICKS IN YOUR HEAD?

Last summer we launched an initiative at FAC called City As A Venue. We took the art outside, into communities, and the theatre team built an outdoor stage on the corner of Dale and Cascade. To be able to regather, masked and outdoors with our community was a tremendous gift.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE CC DOES BEST?

Commits itself to being an antiracist institution.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Black Lives Matter.

WHICH CC COURSE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO ENROLL IN?

My wife, Felicia Rose Chavez, a Bronfman Creativity & Innovation Scholar-in-Residence, is teaching a course called Inspiration Lab in Block 8. Who wouldn’t want to spend 3 ½ weeks in “a safe space to engage curiosity, stamina, and risk?”

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR?

Nuclear war.

IF YOU DIDN’T WORK IN YOUR CURRENT PROFESSION, WHAT OTHER JOB WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE?

DJ or the first Black Olympic curling champion.

IF YOU COULD HANG OUT IN ONE SPOT ON CAMPUS, WHERE WOULD IT BE?

WHAT IS ONE NON-DOMINANT AND/OR NON-VISIBLE

The Fine Arts Center, of course!

IDENTITY YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOURSELF?

WHICH PERSON, LIVING OR DEAD, DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

My parents.

WHO WOULD YOU INVITE TO YOUR DREAM DINNER PARTY?

Wu-Tang Clan and my parents.

WHERE DO YOU MOST WANT TO VISIT?

Wherever they’re producing my plays! Pre-pandemic, I was regularly traveling to work on and see productions of my plays in various cities. Over those years, I had amassed a sort of creative gaggle of professional friendships. I miss my people, and I miss the learning that occurs as a playwright when you watch an audience react in real time.

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Spring 2022

I am a middle child.

ON WHAT OCCASION DO YOU DO A “HAPPY DANCE?”

I kind of always be dancing, even when I’m sad … especially when I’m sad.

WHAT IS A TALENT YOU HAVE THAT VERY FEW KNOW ABOUT?

In 1989, I was voted most improved player at the Isaiah Thomas Basketball Camp, which means I got gradually less awful over the week.

HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnlFjlI0854

COLORADO COLLEGE “GIVIA” (GIVING TRIVIA!)

Donors to Colorado College make it possible for current and future students to thrive on the Block Plan and access the immersive, experiential liberal arts education that defines CC. How much do you know about philanthropy at CC and how giving supports the college? Test your knowledge with this quiz — then find the answers at coloradocollege.edu/generosity

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True or False: Gifts to the Annual Fund support some of the college’s greatest areas of impact, including scholarships and financial aid, faculty and department support, antiracism, sustainability, and Creativity & Innovation at CC programming.

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A — Colorado College Private Support B — Colorado College Mutual Aid C — Colorado College Collective Charity D — Colorado College Students in Solidarity

A — True B — False

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Approximately how many donors (at every level) gave to Colorado College during Building on Originality, CC’s multi-year fundraising campaign that concluded Dec. 31, 2021?

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A — 16,000 B — 21,000 C — 31,000 D — 41,000

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Gifts of every size make a difference! In Fiscal Year 2021, individual donations of up to $1,000 added up to more than $_____ in support for CC.

Generous donors during the Building on Originality campaign helped create _____ new student scholarships to expand access to a CC education.

A — 95 B — 128 C — 145 D — 300

The Annual Fund helps CC: A — Attract and retain esteemed professors B — Bring authors and activists to speak at CC C — Maintain and improve facilities on campus D — All of the above (and more!)

In 2020, a group of CC students created a fund whose purpose is to build a network of solidarity within the CC community to meet each other’s needs. This concept, and the name of the fund, is called:

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When you give to CC, you can direct your donation to which of the following areas?

A — Annual Fund B — General Fund for Athletics C — Antiracism at Colorado College Fund D — Parents Fund E — All of the above (and more!)

A — $500,000 B — $750,000 C — $800,000 D — $1 million

Learn more about the Colorado College Annual Fund and the impact of giving at coloradocollege.edu/generosity, or make your gift today at coloradocollege.edu/give. Thank you for engaging with CC!

www.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin | Spring 2022

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

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COLORADO COLLEGE BULLETIN

The Student Research Symposium was held in the Cornerstone Arts Center on Feb. 8. The symposium brings students, faculty, and family together for a series of short presentations, poster sessions, and discussions across a variety of academic disciplines. Pictured is Alexis Uribe ’22. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III

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Spring 2022