Academic Life

Statements of Mission and Core Values

Mission

At Colorado College our goal is to provide the finest liberal arts education in the country. Drawing upon the adventurous spirit of the Rocky Mountain West, we challenge students, one course at a time, to develop those habits of intellect and imagination that will prepare them for learning and leadership throughout their lives.

Core Values

As members of the Colorado College community, we share a commitment to:

• honor the life of the mind as the central focus of our common endeavor;
• value all persons and seek to learn from their diverse experiences and perspectives;
• practice intellectual honesty and live with integrity;
• serve as stewards of the traditions and resources of Colorado College;
• nurture a sense of place and an ethic of environmental sustainability;
• encourage engagement and social responsibility at local, national, and global levels; and
• seek excellence, constantly assessing our policies and programs.

Our Promise of a Distinctive Experience

Colorado College succeeds in its mission of educating for our time when it graduates women and men with mental agility and the skills of critical judgment, persons who have learned how to learn. Taking advantage of small classes and the unique learning opportunities of the Block Plan, Colorado College provides a variety of stimulating environments for intellectual development, creative expression, and personal growth. In the studio and on the stage, in classroom and library and laboratory, in residence halls and on playing fields, in the local community and in foreign countries, the college confronts students with unfamiliar perspectives and new possibilities of thought and action. We explore with them the complexities of the natural world, the achievements of the human past, and the urgent social and moral issues of the present. We teach them how to recognize relevant evidence in various fields of inquiry and how to weigh that evidence. We press them to read carefully, think critically, reflect thoughtfully, and express their ideas effectively, with precision and grace. We encourage their personal quest for a worthy vision that can inspire both action and hope and will enable them to help create a more humane world.

Colorado College is distinctive in its conviction that active learning happens best when students pursue a single subject of study for several weeks in small classes in which no ticking clock can interrupt the animated exchange of ideas. We are confident that the learning opportunities made possible by our distinctive curricular system foster a kind of intellectual engagement that will continue to enrich the lives of Colorado College graduates as they become leaders in their professions and communities.

The Academic Honor System

Administered by students since 1948, the Academic Honor System is an essential part of the college program. Under the honor system, students take examinations without proctors. The system also covers rules regarding research, papers, and other assignments. It is based on trust and maturity, and it reflects the high value the Colorado College community places on academic integrity. The purpose of the Academic Honor System is to build character and confidence by instilling a commitment to personal honor and to individual responsibility.

Before entering the college, students commit themselves to uphold the honor system. The Student Honor Council, a group of 36 students, is chosen by an open nominating process. The Honor Council supervises, educates about, and responds to any alleged violations of the academic honor system.

Tutt Library

Tutt Library’s collections are a rich resource for study and research. An enthusiastic and knowledgeable team of librarians helps students, faculty, and staff navigate the complex electronic and paper-based information world of the 21st century. Professional research help is available by phone, IM, and in person.

The library offers a growing array of research materials online, including full text scholarly and popular journals, statistical databases, reference books, news services, and digital archives of primary historical materials. Online resources are available 24/7 from anywhere on campus. The library holds rich print collections, including over 3289 current print journals, newspapers, and other serial subscriptions, and more than 540,000 volumes. Tutt Library is also a federal government depository library, and provides access to maps, documents, and online resources of the federal government. Rare books, the college’s archives, and regional historical collections are housed in the special collections department. A video collection serves both the educational and recreational needs of the academic community. 

Specialized materials are kept in the Albert Seay Library of Music and Art in Packard Hall. Materials that are not available on campus are delivered to students via Prospector, a statewide interlibrary lending system, and other document delivery services. Tutt Library is also a member of the Center for Research Libraries, and the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries. The library includes space for individual and group study, audiovisual viewing, and an advanced technology lab. Numerous computers are available for student use, and the library offers wireless access for students with their own laptops. The building also houses the campus technology Help Desk and the Learning Commons.
The Press at Colorado College produces fine letterpress books and ephemera and supports student work in book arts.

Visit the Tutt Library Web page at www.ColoradoCollege.edu/Library/.

The Learning Commons at Tutt Library

The intensity, pace, and intellectual rigor of the Block Plan require both time and space for students to reflect on what happened in class and to continue to learn beyond the classroom. By bringing together academic support resources for both students and faculty across the curriculum, the Learning Commons fosters intellectual engagement in an environment designed to energize yet personalize the learning process. The Learning Commons includes the Colket Student Learning Center, the computer and advanced technologies (CAT) lab, the  office of first and  second-year  studies and  advising, the Crown Faculty Center, the  Writing  Center, the  Quantitative  Reasoning Center, the Colket Fellow in Reading and Rhetoric, a  learning  consultant, the  office of  disability  services, and two reference librarians.

Colket Student Learning Center

The Colket Student Learning Center offers students the help they need to succeed academically by offering a wide spectrum of learning resources. These resources include the Quantitative Reasoning Center, the Colket Fellow in Reading and Rhetoric, and a learning consultant. The Quantitative Reasoning Center offers tutorial assistance for students enrolled in mathematics and science classes, provides information about science tutoring elsewhere on campus, and offers a pre-assessment (with consultation) for those who wish to determine their level of basic mathematics competency before embarking on quantitatively demanding courses. The Colket Fellow in Reading and Rhetoric provides a range of support services for students wishing to improve their reading ability. The Colket fellow offers adjunct courses, small group specialized workshops, and individual consultation. The learning consultant helps students identify their learning styles and develop effective learning strategies. The Colket Student Learning Center was established by a generous gift from Ruth M. and Tristram C. Colket, Jr., parents of Carolyn Cullen ’91. More information about the Colket Center can be found on the Web at: www.coloradocollege.edu/learningcommons/academicsupport/

Crown Faculty Center

The Crown Faculty Center aims to encourage effective student learning through the development and maintenance of imaginative, dedicated, and self-reflective teaching. A part of the faculty development program at Colorado College, it is a space in the Learning Commons at Tutt Library where faculty can come together to discuss the challenges of teaching and to experiment with applications of new technology for the classroom. The site includes a classroom equipped with an AV projector, state of the art multimedia computer equipment in a laboratory setting, and an abundance of other resources for faculty and staff. 

None of these activities is new to the college, but the Crown Faculty Center, created through gifts from the Crown family and Edith Gaylord Harper and opened in the fall of 1996, seeks to reinforce them. The CFC programs reflect the central mission of the college: the education of undergraduate students. The center is committed to exploring new technologies as a means to enhance learning.

Office of First-Year and Sophomore Studies and Advising

The office of first-year and sophomore studies and advising was created in an effort to enhance the current faculty-based academic advising system by making available to students a second, supplementary professional adviser. Students are welcome to make appointments to discuss the following: academic progress, course selection and pre-registration, academic policies and procedures, change of grading track, waiting lists for courses, academic difficulties, all-college requirements, the points system for selecting courses, selection of a major, change-of-adviser requests, learning skills and strategies, and issues related to college transition.

The office is located, along with the Colket Student Learning Center, in the Learning Commons at Tutt Library South, main level. See www.ColoradoCollege.edu/academics/FYE/firstyearadvisor.asp for further information.

Disability Services

Colorado College is committed to being an exciting place of learning and discovery for all of its students and strives to provide equal educational opportunities to students with disabilities. In accordance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Colorado College faculty and staff work closely with students who have documented disabilities to ensure equal access to the college’s programs, activities, services, and facilities. For these purposes, disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Major life activities include, but are not limited to, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, walking, seeing, hearing, and speaking.

Disability services is the designated office at Colorado College that maintains disability-related documents, verifies disability, and determines reasonable accommodations and/or services for students with disabilities. Students who choose to request accommodations and/or services are responsible for doing so in a timely manner and for submitting appropriate documentation of disability to the office of disability services. Extended time on exams, a distraction-reduced exam setting, notetaking services, and alternative formats of text are examples of accommodations provided to students on an individualized basis. Disability services also provides academic counseling and, in collaboration with academic technology services, a variety of assistive technology options to enhance students’ academic experiences.

For additional information regarding disability services or procedures for resolving disability-related complaints, please contact the director of disability services/ADA coordinator at (719)227-8285 or visit www.coloradocollege.edu/disabilityservices. Disability services is located in the Learning Commons at Tutt Library, Room 152.

Information Management

Colorado College provides a broad range of computing and networking services coordinated by the information management (IM) division. The IM staff is responsible for carrying out extensive day-to-day activities in a rapidly growing technological environment, in addition to working on a number of special technical projects intended to enhance education, communication, and computing at the college. The seven primary organizational units within IM are academic technology services, administrative computing services, institutional research, media (audiovisual) services, network and systems services, telecommunications, and user services. Following are brief descriptions of the specific services that are provided by each of these groups. Also, visit www.ColoradoCollege.edu/its/ for more information about information management.

Academic technology services provides direct support for teaching and learning, as well as most academic software procurement at CC. This group also provides specialized support for teaching labs and conducts a series of workshops and faculty development institutes throughout the year. IM operates 10 public labs with approximately 170 computers (both PC and Macs) to ensure that all members of the CC community have access to computing resources.

Administrative computing services provides support for the many administrative processes of the college, e.g., those within the offices of admissions, development, human resources, the registrar, and student life. We are currently implementing a new commercial software system (SCT Banner) that will provide enhanced services and Web access to more information in the future.

Institutional research provides internal and external research and data analysis for policymaking, curricular and program development, and assessment for projects that are of interest to the college faculty and administration. IR provides support to the CC community by answering questions from college offices and departments who need data for any report they are compiling. As part of that support we are available to consult with faculty, offices, and committees on campus concerning qualitative and quantitative research techniques, survey design, and statistical programs for data collection, analysis, and statistical reporting.

Media services provides real-time support for the audiovisual needs of the faculty, students, and campus visitors. This group is also responsible for the development of high-tech classrooms and teaching facilities at the college. CC has a growing number of such facilities that provide faculty and students with a full range of educational technology options. The classrooms in all major academic buildings have high-speed Internet connections, as well as either installed or portable data-projection systems. Most meeting and event venues have these same capabilities, as well as high-quality installed sound and video systems. Using five satellite dishes, satellite downlink service is provided for live taping and viewing. Frequent users of these services include the languages, athletics, and community organizations.

Network and systems services is responsible for the design and operation of CC’s local area network (LAN), nearly 100 data and application servers, campus databases, and Web and e-mail services. The campus has more than 9,000 data ports and nearly ubiquitous wireless LAN capabilities. Students who live in on-campus residence halls have high-speed data ports in their rooms. In a few campus locations, and for students living off-campus, other modes of connection to campus computing resources are provided.

Telecommunications is responsible for CC’s telephone infrastructure as well as conference calling and cell phone support for campus departments.
User services is responsible for CC’s Help Desk, procurement of most computer hardware, and life-cycle management of computers. A central Help Desk, located in Tutt Library Room 13 (ext. 6449), is staffed throughout weekdays; limited support is available during evenings and weekends.

Advising Program

Prior to New Student Orientation Week, students are assigned a faculty adviser who oversees the student’s academic progress and general adjustment to college life. The adviser also serves as a point of contact between the student and many student-support offices, such as health and counseling services, the business office, the dean of students, the chaplain, the vice president for student life, and the dean of the college. In the spring of their sophomore year, students select a major and choose an adviser in the department of the major.

Students should see their adviser at least twice each semester. Although advisers are ready to help students in any way they can, the individual student must be responsible for seeking help when needed.

Writing Program

Colorado College offers a multi-level program designed to help students improve their writing. Believing that students write more effectively about subjects that interest them, the faculty has decided against requiring a conventional composition course. Instead, faculty members from many fields offer courses that emphasize writing in standard academic subjects. Enrollment in designated Writing Intensive courses is limited to allow time for individual conferences, small-group sessions, and detailed criticism. Additional adjunct and extended-format classes include the Writing Practicum (a course for students of all levels who want to improve their writing skills), as well as two courses that support our students who are multilingual, Advanced Written Practice in English as a Second Language and Advanced Oral Practice in English as a Second Language.

The writing of Colorado College students is periodically evaluated, separate from course grades, throughout a student’s career. We identify both students who need to develop better writing skills and outstanding students who might serve as peer consultants for our Writing Center in the following academic year. Students who could improve their writing receive a personal letter mid-year from the director of the Writing Program with advice about the measures they might take and the resources available at Colorado College to help them improve their writing.

The Writing Center is staffed by a professional director, an assistant director, an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instructor, a tutoring services coordinator, and student peer consultants. The Writing Center provides individual tutoring and in-class support for writing across the curriculum. The Writing Center¹s peer consultants, trained in our nationally certified tutoring program, offer free tutorial help in writing to all students. In one-on-one consultations, students can work on their writing in any stage, continuing tutorials for students with serious writing issues, tutorials for students who are working on major projects (thesis, seminar papers, grant proposals, etc.), and tutorials for students who are speakers of English as a second language. In addition, the Writing Center consults on non-curricular projects such as newsletters, job or graduate school applications, and non-academic articles.

Office of International Programs

The office of international programs is located in Gill House and Worner 232. The Worner 232 office serves students interested in educational opportunities off-campus, either domestically in cities like Chicago or Washington D.C., and internationally at locations in over 50 countries worldwide, at one of Colorado College¹s approved study abroad programs.

Students may stop by Worner 232 to browse information about the range of off-campus study options, speak directly or make an appointment with an advisor, and obtain the needed internal application for their off-campus study plans. All students must complete this application in order to be approved to study off-campus. The office of off-campus study also coordinates an annual off-campus study opportunities fair in September of each year. Faculty leaders of Colorado College programs are represented, as well as representatives from approved third-party programs. Interested students should begin looking into programs at least one year in advance of the time they wish to study abroad.

On the second Tuesday of each block, the coordinator of off-campus study hosts monthly group advising and/or thematic sessions for interested students planning to study off-campus. Both the spring and the fall semesters offer pre-departure orientations for accepted students, and a variety of re-entry workshops and events for students once they have returned from their off-campus semester or year.

All students must have their plans for study abroad approved by their academic adviser and the OSAIS, which, along with the registrar¹s office, evaluates the transfer of credit from such programs. Interested students should begin looking into programs at least one year in advance of the time they wish to study abroad.

Performing and Visual Arts

The Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center was completed in March 2008. The building was designed by renowned architect Antoine Predock and houses the department of drama and dance. The interdisciplinary nature of the center is reflected in its elements: a modified thrust theatre (capacity 450), a super-black-box theatre (capacity 200), a black-box theatre equipped as a film studio (capacity 125), a film-screening theatre (capacity 125), flex rehearsal space, costume shop, scene shop, two galleries forming the IDEA Space, four “smart” classrooms, three arts-related computer labs, an experimental installation facility, and a central lobby performance space.

Armstrong Hall (capacity 740) also provides complete theatrical facilities for major college productions and touring professional groups. In addition, the experimental black-box theatre Armstrong 32 (capacity 115) is suitable for rehearsals, intimate theatre, and class experiments. Theatre Workshop, a student-run production organization, presents its plays in Taylor Hall, a flexible space seating 175 people.

Dance studios are located in Cossitt Hall, and dance students participate in major campus musicals and dance productions offered by the department. Dance Workshop, a student-run production organization, offers two programs each year of student-choreographed work.
The Romance languages (French, Italian, and Spanish), German, and Russian departments present occasional plays in foreign languages.
Art exhibitions are also presented in the atrium of Armstrong Hall, the Coburn Gallery in the Worner Center, and Tutt Library. These exhibitions include traveling shows, faculty and student exhibitions, and those of senior art majors.

The department of music sponsors professional performances, faculty and student recitals, opera performances, and vocal and instrumental concerts by the Colorado College Choir, the Chamber Chorus, the Collegium Musicum, the New Music Ensemble, the Chamber Orchestra, the Concert Band, Balinese Gamelan, and jazz ensemble. Some of these groups go on tour annually.

Venture Grants

Colorado College provides funding in the form of Venture Grants to allow individual students to conduct original research or studio projects, to collaborate with faculty in their research, and to permit students and faculty or students alone to travel to attend meetings and conferences on subjects of mutual interest. The meetings should be of an academic or professional nature, and student presentations of research results are encouraged. Complete information and application forms are available in the office of the dean of the college.

College Publications

Colorado College sponsors two scholarly publications. The Colorado College Studies, begun in 1890, publishes scholarly monographs, and The Colorado College Music Press, begun in 1955, publishes new editions of older music, particularly Renaissance music.

The Colorado College Press involves students in book design and limited-edition letterpress printing. The press includes all aspects of printing, type composition, presswork, and bookbinding.

The communications office publishes the Colorado College Bulletin, which includes the alumni magazine and occasional reports. The college also maintains a Web site: www.ColoradoCollege.edu.

Cutler Publications produces the student publications of the student newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine, and political and intellectual journal.

Honor Societies

The Colorado College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, chartered in 1904, was one of the first established in the West. Other honorary and professional organizations include Alpha Lambda Delta, the national honor society for first-year students; Blue Key, the honor and service society for juniors and seniors; Mortar Board, the leadership and service society for seniors; Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha, the honor society for forensics; Delta Epsilon, the honor society for scientific achievement; Pi Gamma Mu, the honor society for achievement in the social sciences; Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science honor society, Phi Sigma Iota, an honor society for Romance language majors; and several foreign language honoraries.