Professors
“The special American form of higher education, the undergraduate residential liberal arts college, puts teaching at the center. It brings students and faculty together in a collaborative exploration of the fundamental patterns of things. The broad curriculum characteristic of liberal arts education expands perspectives, and the emphasis on questioning promises, as CC philosopher Glenn Gray insisted, not just knowledge but wisdom. With its small classes and concentrated learning, the Block Plan maximizes these essentials of liberal learning.
“Faculty here achieve an effective balance between committed teaching and scholarship. Their research enriches their own fields and animates their work with students. That long after graduating, students remember a certain discussion, a set of questions, a discovery in the lab, an intense exchange with friends, confirms the intensity of learning here. Endowed professorships reinforce what we value by celebrating great teaching and teachers. When named for a CC faculty member, the professorships create lasting recognition of their influence. Named for others, they single out contributions to the college, division, or department or a particularly important area of the curriculum. They all provide a way of rewarding the achievements of exemplary faculty members and sustaining the particular form of education we prize.”
— Professor Susan Ashley
Dean of the College and Faculty
Professorships in the Making
The Bill Barton Professorship in Economics and Business
Upon retiring in 1997, Professor of Economics Bill Barton ’57 told Colorado College: “I cannot imagine anyone in the world having a better job than I had. To teach and interact with young people of such high caliber on a daily basis and get paid for it is something so wonderful I still have trouble believing it.” Andy Stenovec ’85 and his wife, Carolyn Christensen Stenovec ’86, have committed $1 million to kick off a fund to honor Bill Barton, who taught from 1958 to 1997. “Bill Barton made a big difference in my life. He made each day interesting by immediately capturing our attention through humor, sincerity, and enthusiasm,” says Andy. “I established this fund in the hopes that many of us who were helped by Bill would find it to be an opportunity to give back to our faculty.” The Stenovecs’ effort has grown with major gifts from Laurie Marvin ’80 and Mary Reisher ’78. Their hope is that others who have been touched by Bill Barton will help them get to the $2 million mark quickly.
The Ray O. Werner Professorship for
Exemplary Teaching in the Liberal Arts
Ray O. Werner was professor of economics from 1948 to 1987. Professor Werner was and remains highly regarded for his intense focus as a teacher in the liberal arts. Professor Werner lived his conviction that teaching in the liberal arts should focus on the whole person, and that a liberal arts education should yield a refined, broadly educated human being. An avid hockey fan, Professor Werner also served for a time as chairman of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. His classes were known for their high entertainment value and stimulating discussions. Thanks to the personal leadership and a major gift from Bob Manning ’69, the funding of The Werner Chair has begun. When fully funded, The Werner Chair will be awarded on a three-year rotating basis to a tenured or tenure-track professor from any of the college’s academic divisions who vividly exemplifies the art of teaching.
The Glenn Brooks Professorship for
Innovation in Education
Glenn Brooks is renowned as “the Father of the Block Plan.” Brooks was professor of political science from 1960 to 1996, and dean of the college from 1979 to 1987. In the spring of 1968, Professor Brooks took on the Herculean task of chairing and shepherding the comprehensive review of the college’s entire program, ranging from academics to athletics, from housing to social and leisure life. By 1970, a firm consensus among faculty, trustees, and students was achieved, and the nation’s first Block Plan format was born. Following CC’s adoption of the Block Plan, Professor Brooks was named one of the Outstanding Educators of America for 1971. Brooks authored a number of books, including with Francis Rourke of Johns Hopkins, “The Managerial Revolution in Higher Education” which informed his later tenure as dean of the college. Brooks holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Texas and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins. Thanks to the personal leadership and a major gift from Brant Noziska ’75, the funding of The Brooks Chair has begun. When fully funded, it will be awarded on a three-year rotating basis to a tenured or tenure-track professor from any of the college’s academic divisions, whose vision and thoughtful risk-taking in the realm of educational format exemplifies the spirit and courage of Glenn Brooks.
Contact Jay Maloney at jay.maloney@coloradocollege.edu to contribute to any of these professorships
An Innovative Way to Build Professorships at an Innovative Place
A $2 million endowment will produce income to fully underwrite a professorship, as well as provide for cost-of-living increases over the years.
During the autumn of 2007, Dean Susan Ashley, trustee Bob Manning, and Jay Maloney, CC’s chief development officer, developed the idea of a phased plateau approach to building a professorship.
Here’s how it works: The initial phase of a named professorship would be funded at $100,000 and conclude at $250,000. Investment income from this phase will provide an award to a member of the faculty who exemplifies the goal of the professorship. In further recognition of that faculty member, a corresponding award will be given to that faculty member’s academic department. When additional contributions bring the professorship to the $250,000 level, the “award phase” will be fully funded. From this point forward, investment income from all additional contributions and all further investment growth will be fully re-invested into the corpus.
This approach facilitates the building of a fund over time by multiple investors at commensurate levels and using a variety of methods that work for them – cash, pledges over time, and legacy commitments in their estates. If you are interested in connecting your experiences at Colorado College to these or other extraordinary professors, call Jay Maloney ’75 at the College’s Development Office. His direct line is (719) 389-6785.
