News and Stories from Colorado College /newsevents/newsroom/2026/physics-major-presents-phases-of-magnets-research.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/physics-major-presents-phases-of-magnets-research.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:21:00 MDT After learning about research conducted by a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, Axel Klomparens '26 was inspired to spend last summer exploring that research with Assistant Professor of Physics Dr. Christopher Monahan. “Dr. Monahan had a really wonderful approach to research and did a phenomenal job introducing me to the world of research,” says Klomparens, a Physics major. In their paper, “Symmetric Mass Generation with four SU(2) doublet fermions,” authors Dr. Anna Hasenfratz of CU Boulder, Dr. Simon Catterall of Syracuse University, and Dr. Nouman Butt of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studied the behaviors of the phase transition of a particle transitioning into a new proposed phase. An example of a phase transition is the phase transition from water to ice. Once ferromagnets — a material that has a magnetic field, such as cobalt or iron — are heated past a certain temperature, called a material’s Curie temperature, they enter a paramagnetic phase which results in the ferromagnet losing its magnetization. This transition can be determined with a standard computer simulation. However, Klomparens and Monahan wanted to locate the transition point with an alternative method. Assistant Professor of Physics Dr. Christopher Monahan and Axel Klomparens '26 produced this plot during their research in Summer 2025. Photo provided by Klomparens. In their research, Hasenfratz, Catterall, and Butt used renormalization group (RG) theory to study the more complex phase transitions, so Klomparens and Monahan decided to also use RG theory to study the phase transition viability of magnets.  To do this, Klomparens and Monahan built a computational model of a ferromagnet. This step required the researchers to ensure the model was designed correctly and properly worked as a magnet. Klomparens and Monahan then worked with the magnetic susceptibility of the system, which helped them get a better understanding of where the phase transition point was. Klomparens and Monahan successfully created an RG flow graph approaching the transition point from the paramagnetic phase, at multiple sizes of the model. Klomparens and Monahan are now working to find the other half of the RG flow graph, approaching the transition point from the magnetic phase. Klomparens conducted this research, “From Magnetic to Paramagnetic; Finding Phase Transitions,” through CC’s Student Collaborative Research (SCoRe) program and presented at the Student Research and Internship Symposium in September 2025. During the presentation, Klomparens highlighted the parts of the research he did over the summer, including building the model, looking at properties of magnets, and creating a plot of the phase transition. Axel Klomparens '26 spent last summer building a computer simulation of a ferromagnet to reproduce and replicate results in the scope of renormalization group theory with Assistant Professor of Physics Dr. Christopher Monahan. Pictured is the poster he presented at the Student Collaborative Research (SCoRe) Research Symposium in Fall 2025. Photo provided by Klomparens. Klomparens says he really appreciates the SCoRe program, as it opened a whole new window of possibilities that he didn’t know existed. “I had no idea what the world of research looked like prior to this summer,” Klomparens says. “It turns out I really like the research environment and have found a passion in something that I had no knowledge about a year ago.” Klomparens met with Monahan three times a week over the summer to check in and get advice. Between those meetings, Klomparens read papers, wrote code, and analyzed data. “Dr. Monahan believes that stepping into the unstructured world of research and being able to learn something, anything, all by yourself is a massive success,” says Klomparens. “Personally, I think that this helped not stress me out with trying to hit dates and helped me instead focus on learning. Dr. Monahan was incredibly helpful at guiding me in the right direction while acknowledging that this wasn't a class, so there was a chance what I would be doing one specific day would turn out to not be helpful in the bigger picture of the whole summer.” In addition to his research, Klomparens participated in a book club with members of the Physics Department who were also on campus conducting summer research, which gave students and professors alike the opportunity to remain connected with each other, despite different research work and schedules. In August, Klomparens was able to present his research to a group of physicists, including Hasenfrat, at CU Boulder. Klomparens says presenting to one of the authors of the paper that inspired his research was an incredibly cool but intimidating experience. The latest RG flow plot, produced in January 2026 from Assistant Professor of Physics Dr. Christopher Monahan and Axel Klomparens '26, shows some non-zero results on the right hand side. Photo provided by Klomparens. “I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to do that and experience that environment,” says Klomparens, the sole undergraduate student who presented alongside two graduate students from CU Boulder as well as several physicists who specialize in lattice simulations. “Beyond it just being an incredibly cool opportunity, it was also helpful in guiding us for how we're continuing the research right now in Blocks 5 and 6.” Klomparens and Monahan continued adding to their research through this semester and hope to submit and publish shortly. Klomparens used his work on this research to propel himself into his capstone project, where he looked at the underlying physics of the Ising model — the one he and Monahan used for their research — to study the one-dimensional model and compare the outright analytical solution to the computational solutions to demonstrate their agreeability. While Klomparens hasn’t finalized his post-graduation plans, he hopes to attend a graduate program in a related field. “I would love to continue my career in research, and that is all thanks to the opportunity of this last summer with Dr. Monahan,” he says. /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Alex-Roster-Photo.jpg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/computer-science-class-projects-computer-generated-art-on-campus-exterior.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/computer-science-class-projects-computer-generated-art-on-campus-exterior.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:31:00 MDT Students in Generative Art spent the past month developing computer-generated art pieces before getting to project their creations onto campus exteriors. Throughout the creative process, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Cory Braker Scott ’13 encouraged students to think of themselves both as computer scientists and creatives. During the fourth week of Block 6, students projected their creations onto the outside walls of Palmer Hall and Tutt Library, giving them the opportunity to exhibit their art in a way that would draw in people from across campus and force them to perfect both the aesthetic parts of their work as well as the computational and technical sides. Several students created interactive pieces, and others created projects that were site-specific by using different light installations specific to the building onto which they were projecting their art. Students used commodity projectors checked out from Audio Visual to display their projects. Additionally, the students were able to use the carbon credits to offset the AI use due to financial support of the Crown Center for Teaching. After being inspired by the demoscene videos they watched in class, Ja'Toria Johnson ’27 worked with three of her classmates to create one for their project. They decided to project their piece onto the western-facing interior wall by the entrance of Tutt Library, where the grey panels lay between the windows. “Our initial idea was to implement the geometric shapes and colors of the walls of Tutt to create our own fractals,” Johnson explains. “From there, our ideas progressed to make cool graphic scenes with animations, fractals, and music.” The four students wanted to create fun visuals that people watching would continue to view, even on repeat. “We also wanted to imitate the environment of Tutt, especially its architecture and design,” Johnson says. “We all worked hard to make sure the graphics and animations we used captured that and were easy to follow and enjoyable to watch over time.” While the generative art project was a significant part of the class, Scott also spent time teaching about the history of computational art and led class discussions about the ethics of it. Scott says when most people think of computer-generated art, their minds immediately jump to AI. “I wanted to teach a course that discussed the long history and rich mathematical background of making computational art,” says Scott, who graduated from CC with a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science. Scott showed students different examples of computational art, some of which predate digital computers by centuries. Scott says the current debate about AI art ("is it actually art?") is the same argument that artists have been having about procedural art for decades. “We've talked about what is lost when we cede control of our artistic process to an LLM, for better or worse,” Scott says. “Along the way we've been able to have excellent conversations about labor rights, climate change, model racism and bias, what constitutes ‘real’ art, and what makes art creation feel fulfilling.” The class spent five days on the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵBaca Campus during the third week, working with robots by painting with light and long-exposure photography. The students also conducted a trial run of displaying their pieces with digital projectors. Scott was inspired to design this class, and to include the Baca trip specifically, from his own experience at CC, when he took Robotics with Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Computer Science Steven Janke and Machine Learning with former Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Matthew Whitehead. “The biggest take away from this class for me is how computer science and art don’t have to be seen as two separate subjects, never to interact with each other,” Johnson says. “I’ve learned how the two can go hand in hand. As a double Computer Science and Art Studio major, this class opened a whole new world for me regarding how I see the two subjects. Mathematical functions and geometry are very much related to a lot of graphics and digital content we see today.” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/031026_COMPSCIENCEART_LR_JCOTTEN_0012_500px.JPG /newsevents/newsroom/2026/cc-faculty-awarded-tenure-and-emeriti-status-at-board-of-trustees-meeting.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/cc-faculty-awarded-tenure-and-emeriti-status-at-board-of-trustees-meeting.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:33:00 MDT »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵis excited to congratulate the following five assistant professors for tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor. Eight faculty members also received emeriti status following the approval of their retirement at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. One additional faculty member was bestowed emeriti status in memoriam following her passing earlier this academic year. The faculty promotions were presented during the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵBoard of Trustees meeting Feb. 19-21, 2026, and will go into effect on July 1, 2026. The faculty promotions come from four departments: Music, Sociology, Physics, and English. Liliana Carrizo, Associate Professor of Music and the Christine S. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Music  Since joining CC in 2020, Carrizo has made major contributions to the Department of Music. The Music Department describes Carrizo as the epitome of a teacher-scholar at CC— deeply committed to her students, advancing scholarship that reverberates across her discipline, and leading with generosity, care, and purpose. Carrizo is an ethnomusicologist whose work focuses broadly on music and migration. Her forthcoming monograph, Singing with Ghosts: Musical Hauntings of Iraqi Jewish Biographical Songs, is under contract with the University of Illinois Press. She is an accomplished flautist and pianist and has worked as a professional dance musician and accompanist with several international and university-based companies and programs. Carrizo has introduced several new courses at CC, including Puente Del Mundo: The Musical Crossroads of Panamá block in Panamá. She leads courses through a vision of compassionate listening and community building. Chantal Figueroa, Associate Professor of Sociology  Figueroa is a public sociologist whose work has been widely recognized for its community-engaged approach and contributions to global conversations on mental health. Her publications include “Mental Health as an Educational Outcome” (Disability and the Global South) and forthcoming work in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. In 2019, Figueroa worked with the Ministry of Education of Guatemala to train 250 K-12 teachers on gender violence prevention using the violence framework developed by Dr. Cecilia Menjivar. Figueroa has provided expert testimony on over 90 Guatemalan asylum cases and served as a technical advisor to the Guatemalan Congress on mental health policy. Figueroa is known for her work as a faculty advisor for students conducting research and has presented with students at several different forums on mental and public health issues. One of her former advisees says Figueroa changed her life for the better and is one of her most influential mentors. Figueroa’s students describe her as an incredible and inspiring mentor who teaches students to be brave, bold, and truthful. Her classes at CC include Gender Inequality, Global Health, and Global Mental Health Policy. Cayce Hughes, Associate Professor of Sociology  Hughes entered CC in 2020 and is committed to understanding the causes and consequences of social inequality and how people make sense of and respond to structural disadvantages. His scholarship examines forms of formal and informal surveillance and explores how low-income Black women navigated and responded to scrutiny and disinvestment during COVID-19 pandemic emergency food support programs. During his research, Hughes spoke to the people directly impacted by food insecurity and poverty. Hughes won the Mellon Foundation “Humanities for Our Times: From Epistemologies and Methodologies to Liberatory Creative Practices and Social Justice” Curriculum Development Grant in 2022 to support professional development for humanities faculty working with CC’s curriculum and ongoing work towards becoming an antiracist institution. Hughes was also awarded the 2025 Social Science Executive Committee Research Grant and the 2023 Dean's Special Opportunities Research Grant. Hughes is a gifted interviewer and an engaging, student-centered teacher. His students love getting to hear about and see his research in classes with him. His courses at CC include Urban Sociology, Deviance and Social Control, and Emancipatory Sociology. Adam Light, Associate Professor of Physics  Light is a passionate teacher who continuously mentors and advises students conducting research. Since arriving on campus in 2019, Light has advised 29 research students. Light takes several students for paid research during the summer and offers a block of research during the academic year. Light researches atmospheric pressure plasma physics and its applications, including studying the breakdown of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the modification of surface chemistry using plasma jets. His current research projects include diagnostic development for atmospheric pressure plasmas, detection of solvated electrons at the plasma and liquid interface, and particle confinement in force-free magnetic fields. In 2022, Light was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation in its Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways — Mathematical and Physical Sciences program, which supported his study of the production of solvated electrons by atmospheric pressure plasma as a possible solution to the contamination of groundwater by PFAS. The award also supported »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ students in summer research and helped to fund the purchase of new scientific equipment. The Department of Physics describes Light as a fantastic colleague and an incredible research mentor. Brandon Shimoda, Associate Professor of English  Shimoda is a Yonsei poet and writer known for his ability to teach writing to students of all ages. His students describe him as a creative, engaging, and compassionate teacher. He is an award-winning author and poet, and one of his recent books, The Afterlife Is Letting Go, winner of the Colorado Book Award for Creative Nonfiction, is on the memory of Japanese American incarceration and includes testimonies of over 200 survivors and descendants of the World War II prisons and camps. Shimoda’s writing has been published in Harper's, The Nation, Paris Review, Poetry, BOMB Magazine, and more. Shimoda is the author of The Grave on the Wall, which won the PEN Open Book Award, and Evening Oracle, which earned the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. His courses at CC include Literature of Japanese American Incarceration, Put Your Hand on the Grave: The Art of Creative Research, and Asian American Creative Nonfiction/Experimental Writing. »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵalso congratulates the following faculty members who were approved for retirement and given emeriti status following the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year. Rick Furtak (2003), Associate Professor Emeritus of Philosophy  Claire Oberon Garcia (1991), Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita of English  Eve Grace (1993), Associate Professor Emerita of Political Science  Hong Jiang (1999), Professor Emerita of Chinese  Jonathan Scott Lee (1993), Professor Emeritus of Philosophy  Dwanna McKay (2016), Associate Professor Emerita of Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies, In Memoriam  Carol L. Neel (1981), Professor Emerita of History  Patricia L. Waters (2001), Professor Emerita of Psychology  Shawn Womack (2011), Professor Emerita of Theatre and Dance  /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Palmer-Hall_1000x1000.jpg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/colorado-college-locks-up-coach-kris-mayotte-with-5-year-extension.html https://cctigers.com/news/2026/3/10/mens-ice-hockey-colorado-college-locks-up-coach-kris-mayotte-with-5-year-extension.aspx Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:08:00 MDT https://cctigers.com/news/2026/3/10/mens-ice-hockey-colorado-college-locks-up-coach-kris-mayotte-with-5-year-extension.aspx /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Mayotte-Action-Square.jpg.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/chris-gruschow-26-wins-award-for-health-anxiety-research-abroad.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/chris-gruschow-26-wins-award-for-health-anxiety-research-abroad.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:23:00 MDT After spending a semester in Copenhagen conducting research on health anxiety, CC senior Chris Gruschow ’26 earned the Award for Academic Achievement Abroad from the nonprofit  Forum on Education Abroad.   “Receiving the Award for Academic Achievement Abroad for my project on health anxiety means a great deal to me,” says Gruschow, a Neuroscience major. “It serves both as recognition of the hard work my coauthors and I put into this study, and as an acknowledgement of how transformative studying abroad was for me as well as how impactful it can be for many others.” Gruschow conducted this research through Danish Institute for Study Abroad Copenhagen. He was in Copenhagen from September through December of 2024 working on his project entitled, “Structural Brain Abnormalities in Patients with Severe Health Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional MRI Study.” This project focused on whether key structures of the fear processing network affected in anxiety disorder, such as the amygdala, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex, are also implicated in health anxiety. While abroad, Gruschow performed manual corrections to MRI data and wrote the draft of his paper. Once he returned to campus, he finished the draft and went through the publishing process. Gruschow worked under the guidance of his research mentor, Dr. Julian Macoveanu, of Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen, and alongside Emory University student Anna Hampton. Gruschow and his colleagues’ research suggests that gray matter alterations in the thalamus and medial orbitofrontal cortex are shared features of health anxiety and anxiety disorders, and that the correlation between symptom severity and a distinct thalamic subregion may individuate features that differentiate health anxiety from other anxiety disorders. Gruschow plans to return to Copenhagen in the fall to study bioinformatics at either the University of Copenhagen or the Danish Technical University. He will carry with him into his future career in biological research the tools he gained while abroad, including improving his scientific writing and research skills. “Living in Copenhagen, I also gained a deeper understanding of the importance of community and shared spaces in creating a balanced, fulfilling life,” Gruschow adds. “I plan to bring this mindset into my future home after graduation.” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/CphPic.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/accomplished-hollywood-voice-actor-to-speak-at-2026-commencement.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/accomplished-hollywood-voice-actor-to-speak-at-2026-commencement.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:58:00 MST »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵis pleased to announce that one of Hollywood’s most celebrated voice actors, Dee Bradley Baker ’86, has been selected to give the Commencement Ceremony address to the Class of 2026 on Sunday, May 17, from 8:30-11 a.m., inside Ed Robson Arena.  Baker earned his BA in Philosophy at CC in 1986 with extensive study in German, plus a wide-ranging mix of biology and art courses. He lists some of his favorite classes as invertebrate zoology, painting, and Buddhism. He also spent much of his time at CC in choir and on stage, an early foundation for his performance career. “I am flattered and honored to be asked to speak at this year’s Commencement—40 years after I graduated, no less!” Baker said. “An actor always loves a captive audience!” Baker’s voice acting career spans over 30 years in film, television, video games, and live-action productions. He is known for voicing Captain Rex and the clone troopers in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, all five squad members of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Perry the Platypus in Phineas and Ferb, Klaus in American Dad! —part of his recognition as a twice Emmy-nominated performer—and Squilliam Fancyson in SpongeBob SquarePants. He is renowned for creature and animal vocal performance, including Appa and Momo in Avatar: The Last Airbender. His game credits include Gravemind (Halo), Variks (Destiny), and Hammond/Wrecking Ball (Overwatch). “Voice acting was never something that I targeted,” Baker says. “Though I performed a lot, I didn’t really think I was acting material and I certainly didn’t think I had it in me to earn a living as an actor of any stripe.” “Voice acting found me as much as I found voice acting. After graduating, I just kept doing all kinds of performing that I liked to do—plays, stand-up, musicals, improv, and children’s theater,” he continues. “I learned from it all but slowly pared it down to the most amount of fun that fit me and my talents. My ascending pathway was about the fun of trial and error, not training. As one of my characters said, ‘Experience outranks everything.’”  Baker is a passionate advocate for the practical power of a liberal arts education in a changing world, saying, “the readiness of a curious mind is a kind of inoculation against anxiety in the face of accelerating change.” He says his speech will focus on how he sees a liberal arts education as an advantage—both professionally and in life. “I have a lot of advice, much of which I put on my website, a free learning resource about becoming a creative person as well as a professional voice actor,” Baker says. “Generally, I would advise students to not rush towards money, and to actively explore what calls to you—now is the window of time for that. Don’t follow your dreams—have your dreams follow you.  Train your life’s crosshairs on the intersection of what you love and what you’re good at through intentional experimentation. Follow the fun and surround yourself with people who ask more of you than you do of yourself.”  “We are proud to welcome Dee Bradley Baker back to »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵas our Commencement speaker,” says CC President Manya Whitaker. “Dee’s extraordinary career, giving voice to some of the most recognizable characters in film, television, and animation, reflects the creativity, curiosity, and adaptability that define a CC education. His journey from CC graduate to one of Hollywood’s most versatile voice actors will inspire our graduates to embrace imagination, pursue meaningful work, and recognize the many ways their voices can shape the world.” If you’re looking to be entertained during Baker’s speech, you may be in for a surprise. “I may let slip out some of the characters that I have performed,” adds Baker. “Many of them aren’t human—so watch out!” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Dee_Baker_DEEBB8063.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/students-simulate-ancient-greek-and-roman-empire-battle-strategy.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/students-simulate-ancient-greek-and-roman-empire-battle-strategy.html Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:41:00 MST Students employed different military strategies from the Roman Empire and experienced what wielding ancient Greek and Roman armor was like through hands-on simulations in their Warfare in Greece and Rome class. Associate Professor and Chair of Classics Richard Fernando Buxton taught students in Block 5 about how warfare was conducted in ancient Greece and Rome, the impact war had on society, and the development of military strategy and technology. Students learned why some forms of combat, such as that of the Roman legions, proved to be so effective. After discussions, readings, and lectures, students got to put their knowledge to the test through hands-on simulations, including a video game session in the Esports Lab. While Buxton is not a gamer, students have told him that they have gotten interested in ancient Greece and Rome through combat video games, which is what inspired Buxton to bring these games into the classroom. “Although now an old classic, the game I use, Total War: Rome (Remastered), is very thoughtful about its historical accuracy. It can provide a helpful visual and experiential complement to the ancient battles students read about and present on throughout the block,” Buxton says. “Just to give a simple example: it is one thing to understand in the abstract how cavalry forces aim to get around the enemy infantry's flank and quite another in gameplay to see just how much faster the horsemen start moving around your foot soldiers as you desperately try to turn these to meet their onslaught.” Students are first given about 30 minutes to experiment with different armies and formations against an AI opponent. “This was a great opportunity to reflect on past course content and think about which military strategies seemed to be most effective,” says Ethan Lapin ’27, a Mathematical Economics major. “I chose to style my army after Caesar, favoring troop quality over quantity, and making use of siege weaponry and the relative flexibility of the Roman military.” Despite having grown up playing video games, Lapin says he was handily defeated by the computer. “I realized the massive difficulty of moving troops to counter the opponent that the generals of antiquity seem to have done with such ease,” he says. “After that initial failure, I had to think about which army would be more fitting for my play style [or lack of ability].” Students then played against each other, which really upped the stakes. “It was fascinating to see how the knowledge I had built in class could translate to tactical prowess against a peer,” Lapin says. “I was able to successfully apply everything I knew about battlefields, cavalry, infantry, and even war elephants to dispatch the army of my classmate. Being able to direct my own pitched battle really helped me understand the [simulated] dynamics of these armies that is difficult to replicate on a whiteboard.” After participating in the session at the Esports Lab, students worked on a written reflection, where they analyzed what the game got correct about ancient warfare and what it modified for the sake of a better game, as well as how playing the game impacted their thinking about some aspect of combat in Greece or Rome. While the video game session was a major highlight for students, Buxton also used other creative ways to teach his material, including bringing students to the Fitness Center to use equipment to simulate what it was like to wield ancient Roman and Greek armor, which would often weigh over 60 pounds. “If the Esports Lab session is about immersing students into the role of Roman generals, the Fitness Center session is about physical immersion into the experience of the common Greek soldier: the hoplite,” Buxton says. Buxton had students wear one backpack in front and one in back, as well as a helmet. He then supplied them with cardboard silhouettes of a hoplite’s shield and of his weapons, which were cut PVC pipe segments. Students then filled their backpacks, pockets, and hands with dumb bells that accurately simulate the weight of various pieces of gear, including armor, shield, spear, and sword. “After that, we rehearse various forms of formation fighting, such as the phalanx, where each soldier's huge three-foot diameter, 15-pound round shield covered both his own left half and the right half of the man next to him, meaning one's frontside would only be wholly protected if the line stayed coherent,” Buxton explains. “Or at least that's one theory. Some scholars argue instead that once battle began, hoplites turned sideways, so the shield could then cover their entire front. We try out these various reconstructions to see which ones seem most plausible when you are actually dealing with a seven-foot pike and weighed down by 15 pounds of armor, on top of the shield your left arm is supporting.” Buxton says there is also scholarly controversy over how heavy each piece of armor was, and whether poorer soldiers would use lighter linen or leather armor instead of metal. “Accordingly, we try out different sets of weights to compare reconstructions.” Students engage in armor simulation twice: first wielding the hoplite panoply from ancient Greek armor, and then on a second visit the legionary panoply from ancient Roman armor. “After learning about each method of fighting and what it's speculated that the armies would wear, we went into the gym and simulated not only the fights, but the different methods of fighting that each scholar predicted to see what we believed was the most likely,” says Wren Cohen ’29. “It completely changed my idea of what was more plausible, and it was easy to see the flaws in each style when simulating them yourselves.” Cohen says adding weights to the armor was the most informative part of that simulation. “It's hard to get a good grasp on how heavy the armor really is without feeling the weights yourself, and while difficult to simulate perfectly, it was good enough to get a feel for it.” Students agree these hands-on experiences helped solidify their understanding of the course material. “Between readings, discussions, battle case study presentations, live reenactments in the Fitness Center, this simulation, and both analytical and creative writing assignments, I’ve been pushed to understand and think about the content in numerous ways that then gives me a deeper understanding,” Lapin says. “It is one thing to read about the influence of a cavalry charge, but it is another thing to be directing that charge yourself.” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Warfare-in-Greece-Image-Two.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/five-cc-students-and-alums-advance-as-fulbright-semifinalists.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/five-cc-students-and-alums-advance-as-fulbright-semifinalists.html Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:34:00 MST »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵhas announced that five of its 11 Fulbright U.S. Student Program applicants have advanced to semifinalist status for the 2026–27 competition cycle. The semifinalists are: Brett LeVan ’26, Study Award for University of Roehampton in Dance, United Kingdom Luke Ortiz Grabe ’25, Research Award, Serbia Felix Battle ’26, English Teaching Assistant Award, Germany Mimi (Emily) Norton de Matos ’22, English Teaching Assistant Award, Portugal Zoe Williamson ’26, English Teaching Assistant Award, Botswana The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers three post-graduate opportunities: research, study, and English Teaching Assistant awards. "As the Fulbright Program Adviser for CC, I am so proud of these five semifinalists, and I wish to commend them and everyone at CC who has supported and mentored them along the way,” says Roy Jo Sartin, Writing Center Specialist and CC’s Fulbright Adviser. “I know that their example will inspire our Fulbright applicants this year!" The research award supports independent projects abroad, while the study award funds graduate-level coursework at an international institution. English Teaching Assistant award recipients work as assistant teachers in English-language classrooms while building cross-cultural connections through community engagement. With partner placements in nearly 150 countries, Fulbright is designed to foster meaningful cultural exchange while supporting participants’ professional and personal growth. Program timelines and award lengths vary depending on the host country. Finalist notifications will be released on a rolling, country-by-country basis this spring. For those interested in learning more about Fulbright, CC’s Writing Center will host a lunch session on Tuesday, April 28 at 12:15 p.m. at Tutt Library, room 238. RVSP for the session here. Students may also contact Sartin at rsartin@coloradocollege.edu directly for more details or to RSVP. Congratulations to CC’s Fulbright semifinalists as they move forward in the selection process! /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Palmer-Hall-Aerial.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/mountain-west-voters-show-growing-concerns-over-public-land-protections-heading-into-2026-elections.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/mountain-west-voters-show-growing-concerns-over-public-land-protections-heading-into-2026-elections.html Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:16:00 MST Results from Colorado College’s 16th annual State of the Rockies Conservation in the West Poll released today show widespread concern among Western voters about rollbacks of protections for land, water, and wildlife and cuts to funding for public land management. The poll, which surveyed voters in eight Mountain West states—Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—found that Western voters across party lines are prioritizing conservation, recreation, and renewables over fossil fuel development heading into this year’s midterm elections. Highlights from the Poll  84% of voters say the rollback of laws that protect our land, water, and wildlife is a serious problem, a sharp increase from previous years. 85% of respondents say issues involving public land, water, and wildlife are important in deciding whether to support a public official. 86% of Western voters deem funding cuts to public lands a serious problem, including 76% of Republicans. 70% of respondents oppose fast-tracking oil, gas, and mining projects on national public lands by reducing environmental reviews and local public input. 72% of Westerners prefer expanding renewable energy over drilling and mining for more fossil fuels. 76% of Westen voters—more than ever before—say they would prefer their member of Congress place more emphasis on conservation and recreation on public lands over maximizing energy production. 74% of Western voters oppose selling some national public lands for oil and gas development. 91% of Western voters say existing national monument designations should be kept in place. As policymakers look ahead to the upcoming midterm elections, 85% of voters in Mountain West states say issues involving public land, water, and wildlife are important in deciding whether to support a candidate. “At a time of growing pressure on land and water in the West, the call to action from voters is clear and bipartisan: Westerners want funding and stewardship for public lands and natural resources,” said Ian Johnson, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Sustainability. Voters want to prioritize renewable energy sources. When asked to prioritize energy sources, voters across party lines selected solar as their top choice, while coal was the least desired, with only 7% of respondents listing coal as a first or second priority. Funding cuts to public land management have proven unpopular with Western voters. Recent funding cuts have reduced the number of firefighters, park rangers, scientists, and other employees working to protect public lands, water, and wildlife over the last year. These cuts to public land management have 86% of voters across party lines concerned, including 75% MAGA supporters. Western voters also oppose the sale of public lands and the elimination of public land protections. Even with rising housing costs, 76% of Western voters oppose selling public lands for housing. Additionally, 74% of Western voters oppose selling public lands to private companies for oil, gas, and mining development. Scarce water resources continue to be a concern for Westerners, particularly in states that have experienced droughts. Westerners consider scarce water resources a serious problem, with 87% of Western voters concerned about inadequate water supplies. Accordingly, 83% of voters in states along the Colorado River or its tributaries would support an agreement requiring all states to reduce their use of the Colorado River to preserve its health. This emphasis on water protection is particularly salient, as 80% of Westerners say data centers are a threat to water quality and supply in the West. This is the sixteenth consecutive year CC has gauged the public’s sentiment on public lands and conservation issues. The 2026 »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵConservation in the West Poll is a bipartisan survey conducted by Republican pollster Lori Weigel of New Bridge Strategy and Democratic pollster Miranda Everitt of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates. The survey is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The poll surveyed at least 400 registered voters in each of eight Western states (CO, AZ, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, & WY) for a total of 3,419-voter sample, which included an over-sample of Black and Native American voters. The survey was conducted between January 2-18, 2026, and the effective margin of error is +/- 2.4% at the 95% confidence interval for the total sample; and at most +/- 4.9% for each state. The full survey and individual state surveys are available on the State of the Rockies Project website. /newsevents/newsroom/_images/ANTHROPOGENIC-V11DEC2025_opt_Page_117_Image_0001.jpg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/peace-corps-park-honors-cc-peace-corps-alumni.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/peace-corps-park-honors-cc-peace-corps-alumni.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:54:00 MST This year, the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation (PCCF) will break ground on the Peace Corps Commemorative Park, honoring the over 240,000 Americans who have served as Peace Corps volunteers, including 375 CC alumni. The park is meant to honor the spirit of the Peace Corps and to tell the stories of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV). Sue Hoyt Aiken ’62 was the first CC graduate to join the Peace Corps, leading the way for hundreds of fellow CC alumni to follow. After graduating from CC with a degree in English, Aiken completed training at Georgetown University and traveled to Ethiopia as part of the first cohort of Peace Corps volunteers to go there. Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie had requested secondary school teachers to teach in his country and almost 300 Peace Corps volunteers were sent. Aiken taught English in an all-boys high school outside of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, for two years. Aiken was inspired to join the Peace Corps because of her family’s missionary background and her desire to help people. Aiken’s grandparents, father, and uncle had traveled from Kansas to Kenya to serve as Quaker Missionaries in the early 1900s, and Aiken was able to visit this mission during a break while in Ethiopia. In 2026, 64 years after Aiken first volunteered, CC has produced 375 Peace Corps volunteers who have served all over the world. “I am thrilled to know that so many other CC grads joined the Peace Corps and perhaps did so as an older adult or as a couple,” Aiken says. “The scope of opportunities widened as did the countries that sought out volunteers. Congress was proven wrong. The Peace Corps was—and is—a success.” In 2024, CC was named a top Peace Corps Producing Institution and ranked seventh for top small colleges and universities producing the most Peace Corps volunteers. CC was also named a Top Producing Small College in 2025, when 13 CC alums were working as Peace Corps volunteers in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and the Philippines. "Colorado College's consistent ranking among the nation's top Peace Corps-producing institutions reflects something profound about its educational mission and the values it instills in students,” says President and CEO Emeritus of National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) Glenn Blumhorst, who also serves as the PCCF Chief Advancement Officer. “As we work to build Peace Corps Park near the U.S. Capitol, we're creating a permanent tribute to this tradition of service that institutions like CC have championed since President Kennedy's call to action. Sue Hoyt Aiken and the 374 CC alumni who followed her path represent exactly what the Peace Corps was designed to accomplish: Americans stepping forward to serve, learn, and build bridges of understanding across cultures. That legacy deserves to be celebrated and honored for generations to come."  President John. F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, allowing Americans to volunteer around the world in pursuit of world peace and friendship. The Peace Corps Park will include three hand-shaped granite benches that surround a map of the world and there will be a companion app and digital experience to offer audio, video, and stories that deepen the engagement with park visitors. The Peace Corps Park is an official federation monument and is owned by the National Park Service (NPS). While there is not an exact date for when the Peace Corps Park will be finished and open to the public, as much depends on funding, PCCF plans to open this year. CC is a strong supporter of the Peace Corps and is one of only a few liberal arts colleges in the country to offer the Peace Corps Prep Program, a pathway program jointly administered by the Career Center and the Advising Hub. “Being both a »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵalum and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer are distinct honors that I do not take lightly,” says Charles Hall ’22, who served as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica from March 2023 through December 2024. “CC was deeply influential in my decision to pursue the Peace Corps, and both experiences continue to shape how I view the world. I am proud to be one of the 375 Tigers who served in the Peace Corps, and I hope this number will continue to grow.” Hall says the Peace Corps Commemorative Park is a recognition of the Peace Corps volunteers who came before him to build a better world. “It honors the people who sacrificed time, money, and, for some, their lives, in the name of their country,” Hall adds. “My service was deeply motivated by those who came before me. Being a Peace Corps Volunteer does not end after you return to the US; it is a continual commitment to service and fostering intercultural understanding that follows you for the rest of your life.” Readers can keep up with updates on the Peace Corps Park through its website. /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Sue-Aiken.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/former-tiger-jaccob-slavin-selected-to-team-usa-at-2026-olympics.html https://cctigers.com/news/2026/1/2/mens-ice-hockey-former-tiger-jaccob-slavin-to-play-for-team-usa-in-2026-olympics.aspx Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:43:00 MST https://cctigers.com/news/2026/1/2/mens-ice-hockey-former-tiger-jaccob-slavin-to-play-for-team-usa-in-2026-olympics.aspx /newsevents/newsroom/_images/slavin.jpg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/computer-science-majors-prepare-to-publish-human-robot-interaction-research.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/computer-science-majors-prepare-to-publish-human-robot-interaction-research.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:55:00 MST Computer Science majors Owen McGann ’26 and Yousef Sengal ’27 spent last summer conducting research on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and how the language used to introduce robots can shape human perception. McGann and Sengal worked with Dr. Blake Jackson ’16, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, who first started research in this field while pursuing his PhD at Colorado School of Mines and who started this research project while teaching at Harvey Mudd College. Jackson worked with students there to develop the idea and design an experiment, but then got involved in other projects. He then returned to the idea with McGann and Sengal and since the field of social robotics had made significant developments, started revising the experiment design. “Owen and Yousef were a joy to work with,” says Jackson, who graduated from CC with a degree in Computer Science. “Owen, Yousef, and I collaborated closely on all parts of this study, from the initial design of the experiment to the preparation of experimental materials, to the analysis of the data.” During their research, McGann, Sengal, and Jackson completed a 2x2 online experiment test to see whether personal compared to impersonal introductions, delivered either by the robot or a human, affect how people rate a robot’s trustworthiness, likability, anthropomorphism, and moral status. “Though we still have qualitative data to analyze, our measures of trust, likability, anthropomorphism, and perceived moral status show very little difference between conditions, which is excellent news for robot designers because it suggests that the wealth of experimental work on human delivered robot introductions can be reasonably generalized to analogous robot-delivered robot introductions, which we expect to be much more practical and common in many contexts,” the researchers explained when presenting their work.   McGann and Sengal presented their research, entitled, “You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression: Using Introductions to Frame Mental Models of Social Robots,” at the September 2025 Summer Faculty-Student Collaborative Research and Internship Symposium. “Presenting at the symposium was a really valuable experience,” McGann says. “It was the first time we had the chance to share our findings with people outside our immediate research group, and it was rewarding getting to explain the project to students, faculty, and even people who weren’t familiar with Computer Science. It also helped me feel a lot more confident presenting research in front of academics.” McGann, Sengal, and Jackson say both philosophers and computer scientists have long theorized that the language people to use to talk to and about social robots can influence their mental image of the robot. However, the researchers pointed out that many previous experiments have investigated the effects of using a personal versus impersonal framings when introducing the robot to new interactants, and they have had mixed results. “In those studies, the introduction providing the linguistic framing of the robot was always delivered either by a human familiar with the robot or by text written from the point of view of such a human,” McGann and Sengal wrote in their project description. “However, many interactions that the average person might have with social robots currently or in the near future in public places like airports, museums, or shopping malls do not necessarily include the opportunity for a roboticist to deliberately supply a linguistic pre-definition beforehand.” Therefore, the researchers were interested in a robot linguistically (pre-)defining its own identity in the very beginning of an interaction with a human, which they believe has not been well-studied. Their day-to-day research schedule was very structured but collaborative. McGann and Sengal worked on the literature review, background research, and survey design independently and then met with Jackson at noon every day to check in. The researchers often utilized the Tutt Science Lounge where they had consistent access to equipment and open space to conduct experiments. McGann was able to participate in this research through the Student Collaborative Research (SCoRe) program, which provides funding and support for student-faculty research collaborations. Students and faculty spend the summer working together to conduct research and then present their work at the Summer Symposium. Sengal was able to participate in the research through CC’s Euclid Scholars program. McGann says the SCoRe program provides a really great opportunity for students, especially ones who are still deciding which industry they want to work in. McGann and Sengal both stress that CC’s strong emphasis in a liberal arts education gives STEM students a significant advance in their field. “For STEM and Computer Science students especially, the liberal arts environment provides a real advantage,” McGann says. “We’re encouraged to be well-spoken, good writers, and strong critical thinkers, not just programmers or technical problem solvers. These communication skills we have been building up matter a lot, because so much of the work is explaining your ideas clearly through being able to write, present, and connect your work to broader human or ethical questions. I’ve noticed that this is something that really separates »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ students from those at big tech schools…we’re trained to look at problems from multiple angles and to articulate our reasoning proficiently.” Last spring, CC was recognized with Carnegie Classification’s new Research Colleges and Universities (RCU) designation, which highlights the significant research CC’s students and faculty conduct. At the time of recognition, CC was one of only 36 national liberal arts college, one of only ten liberal arts college in the west, and one of only three Associated Colleges of the Midwest, to be designated as an RCU. “The RCU designation is really exciting because it reflects what I think students already feel on campus, that even though CC is a liberal arts college, there is still a strong emphasis on meaningful research,” McGann says. “I think the combination of liberal arts and research is one of CC’s biggest strengths. We get access to small classes, close mentorship, and a lot of freedom to explore our ideas, while also having access to real research experiences that would normally be reserved for graduate students at larger universities.” The researchers are now finalizing their paper and plan to submit it for publication soon. “The idea of eventually having our work published means a lot to me,” Sengal says. “I’ve spent years reading and learning from other people’s research, so being on the other side of that process would really feel like a full-circle moment.” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Owen-McGann-26-and-Yousef-Sengal-27-.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/lyon-family-gift-fuels-championship-culture-and-student-athlete-success-at-colorado-college.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/lyon-family-gift-fuels-championship-culture-and-student-athlete-success-at-colorado-college.html Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:56:00 MST »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵis honored to announce a gift of $1.8 million to benefit CC Athletics from the estate of Pat Lyon, wife of the late George Lyon P’78, P’87, P’92, former trustee, benefactor, and 2002 inductee into the CC Athletics Hall of Fame. The George Lyon Grand Entrance at Ed Robson Arena, dedicated in 2020, stands as a tribute to his legacy and their family’s devotion to Tiger Athletics. The gift from Pat's estate will strengthen access, opportunity, and competitive excellence for the college’s student-athletes.    “This extraordinary generosity comes at a pivotal moment for college athletics,” says Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine. “It affirms our mission, energizes our work, and expands what’s possible for our student-athletes and teams. Tiger Athletics is something our students, alumni, and neighbors rally around. This gift helps ensure we remain in a position of strength as we plan for the future of being champions on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.”  Supporting Students in a New Era of College Athletics  College athletics is entering a period of unprecedented change. With the recent approval of the NCAA’s new structure for Division I programs—including expanded student-athlete benefits and revised roster and scholarship models—institutions are navigating an evolving landscape that prioritizes holistic student support.  While the details will continue to develop in the years ahead, »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵhas taken a thoughtful, mission-centered approach. The college has opted into the new Division I revenue-sharing framework to ensure their athletic programs remain competitive and supported at the highest levels. At the same time, CC continues to affirm what makes it distinct: intense academic focus, intentional student development, and a championship culture rooted in excellence on and off the field.  “This moment calls for focus, clarity, and values-driven leadership,” Irvine says. “As we plan and build resources for the new landscape, it’s critical we do it in ways that speak to the overall value of a Colorado College experience. Philanthropic support like this is essential in making that possible; we’re so grateful.”  A Gift that Strengthens a Championship Culture  The Lyon family’s generosity will immediately enhance the student-athlete experience by supporting:  Expanded access and opportunity for all student-athletes competing in athletic programs at CC  A broad-based, competitive foundation for our athletic programs as roster and scholarship models evolve at the Division I level  Holistic student support, including academic success, career preparedness, wellness, and leadership development  The gift also helps the college to adapt and excel amid sweeping NCAA changes—ensuring CC can continue to attract and retain top talent and foster the championship culture that defines Tiger Athletics.  Honoring a Legacy; Investing in CC's Future  For decades, the Lyon family has helped empower »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ students to thrive. This new gift reinforces their lasting commitment to championship culture and the student-athlete experience at Colorado College.  »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵis proud to steward the Lyon family’s legacy with purpose, gratitude, and ambition—helping ensure future Tigers have the support they need to compete, grow, and lead.  /newsevents/newsroom/_images/end-of-game-6-web.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/granddaughter-of-martin-luther-king-jr-preaches-nonviolence-with-fellow-students.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/granddaughter-of-martin-luther-king-jr-preaches-nonviolence-with-fellow-students.html Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:34:00 MST “I believe we are meant by nature to be interconnected,” says Yolanda King At 17, Yolanda King is already making a name for herself while spreading her late grandfather’s message of peace and interconnectedness. CC’s Office of Institutional Equity and Belonging brought King to campus on Sunday, Jan. 18, the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, to talk about his legacy in the modern world, share her own perspectives, and answer questions from a panel of area students. “How does civic engagement strengthen the nonviolent social justice movement?” came the first question from Kasey Cross, a student at Pikes Peak State College. “It’s up to the people to determine whether they will have a nonviolent social justice movement,” King told the audience of several hundred who filled Richard F. Celeste Theatre. “It’s our responsibility when we put certain people in office, that we remind them what our objective is that we want to see happen. People need to continue to practice the legacy of nonviolence.” The students on the panel with King ranged in age from 14 to 23 and attend area schools including Sierra High School, Widefield High School, Discovery Canyon Campus High School, online schools, CC, UCCS, and PPSC. “Can you tell us about a time you helped someone who was being treated unfairly?” asked one student. King replied that the best way to address the aggressor is by “using our voice in a respectable way, with peace and love at the forefront.” “I engage them and challenge them—not angrily or yelling, as that is not as effective,” said King, who is a senior in high school. “I’ll pull them aside after class and ask them about it, tell them how I feel and why, and get their perspective why they treated that person badly. That usually works. You come to peace after that.” CC junior Ashley Paul ’27 was on the panel and asked, “With a family so deeply rooted in the history of social justice, how do historical injustices continue to shape modern social structures?” “It’s not just history, when you think of the civil rights movement and all it has accomplished, it’s barely been 60 years,” answered King. “It’s recent. We need to continue to advocate and do the work. My grandfather didn’t leave saying, ‘ok we’re done.’ He outlined the next steps in his book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? We forget the core of his message that we have to keep on going.” Moderator Nicole Simmons Rochon, who leads DEI programs at UCCS, carried the thought further, telling Paul and the audience that they were making history today. “We are the living examples of history, how we use and carry our voice so it doesn’t always remain in a textbook that can be changed. The storytellers among us allow us to be the historians of the future.” King spent over an hour answering a variety of student questions centered around social justice, the civil rights movement, and the power of nonviolence. She says the growing division in America is the biggest issue people need to solve. “Social media and the algorithm make people’s comments too personalized so you’re only hearing one point of view,” King says. “I’m very opinionated but I am learning how to listen as well and have conversations again. Peace isn’t all under one agenda and all agreeing. That’s not what peace is. It’s being able to coexist while having different opinions. I see that issue in school.” She made an appeal to the adults in the audience to listen to young voices, be open-minded, and move forward together. And she concluded by raising the importance of faith. “I come from a family of praying women. In my family there is always a component of faith. Recently, I’ve been making an effort to reconnect with my spirituality because I felt further away from it.  Now that I’m older, I feel I have to be the one who sows the seeds. Christianity is how I was raised. Having any faith is important when understanding nonviolence and love. Interconnectedness is what my grandfather talks about. It’s the definition of love. I believe we are meant by nature to be interconnected.” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Yolanda-King-answers-questions.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/political-science-major-reflects-on-impactful-experience-at-thurgood-marshall-institute.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/political-science-major-reflects-on-impactful-experience-at-thurgood-marshall-institute.html Sat, 17 Jan 2026 10:27:00 MST As Martin Luther King, Jr. Day approaches, Mack Levy ’27 is emboldened by the work he did as an Undergraduate Research Fellow at the Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) last summer. Levy conducted social science research, wrote briefs, and developed an interactive workshop on gentrification and Black political power. The Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) was founded in 2015 and is a multidisciplinary center within the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF). “This fellowship helped me couple my love for law and my passion for equity to continue to pursue a career fighting for racial justice,” says Levy, a Political Science major. “It helped me understand the importance of having a liberal arts education. I found that a multi-faceted background is paramount to studying the construction of identity. Understanding intersectionality between racial construction, ethnicity, gender, religion, and government is necessary to work towards social and racial justice. CC’s liberal arts education enables students to explore all of these topics and how they are interrelated.” Levy lived in an apartment in Brooklyn for eight weeks, where he commuted to the Financial District to work at the LDF headquarters. “The fellowship was demanding and intense, but extremely rewarding,” says Levy, who generally worked with three other summer Research Fellows: undergraduate students from Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Howard University. Levy was mentored by Senior Research Manager Dr. Kesha Moore. “One of my biggest takeaways from the internship is how the Trump Administration’s restriction on information and budget cuts are affecting the ability to do social science research,” Levy says. “I needed to access previously available EPA GIS mapping software, but the administration had removed it. I had to find demographic statistics on Queer youth in America, yet access to data on questions about transgender identity, sexuality, and sexual identity was restricted.” Levy spent the summer primarily working on four projects. Along with the other three summer Research Fellows, Levy researched, wrote, and produced an episode of LDF’s “Justice Above All” podcast on Black farmers and rural Black land ownership in the U.S. “I learned about the culture and history of Black agrarianism and how the USDA is constructed, with power concentrated in local county offices, in a way that maintains prejudice against Black farmers,” Levy says. Levy helped to author a brief on the ways anti-truth policies harm Black LGBTQ+ students, which he then adapted into a handout. Levy also worked with a team of researchers to develop a comprehensive, interactive workshop on gentrification and Black political power for grassroots community organizers. Throughout the summer, Levy wrote and researched settlement reports for the National Police Funding Database. “The intensity and depth of CC’s Block Plan prepared me for the structure of work at LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute,” Levy says. “Hours of working continuously on the same projects, such as the podcast or gentrification and Black political power workshop, was similar to the student experience on the Block Plan. Working in-depth with my peers to examine social construction and social science at CC helped me do the same at LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute.” Levy’s passion for social science research and law was first sparked when he took “Constitutional Law” and “Street Law” at his high school, Hanover High School, in Hanover, New Hampshire. He then worked as a teacher’s assistant for those two classes during the following year, where he ended up being responsible for teaching the judicial history of affirmative action. Through his educational work in New Hampshire, Levy met Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald of the New Hampshire Supreme Court and got to spend Summer 2023 interning with him. This internship helped to establish a connection between the New Hampshire Supreme Court and Hanover High School, and now students from Hanover High School intern at the NHSC every summer. “I am grateful for the CC Career Center staff for connecting me with—and promoting—this valuable opportunity,” Levy says. Levy is not yet sure of his future career goals, but he is confident that the lessons he learned last summer will stick with him. “Whether I continue to do research, go to law school, or work in the outdoors, I will always question how race influences social stratification and strive towards a shared ideal of social justice,” Levy says. “I aim to couple my love for research and people to work in a social organization within the next few years.” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Mack-Levy-Image-Five-21.jpg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/cc-delegation-reinvigorated-by-cop30.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/cc-delegation-reinvigorated-by-cop30.html Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:29:00 MST For the first time in history, the United States did not send an official government delegation under the Trump Administration to COP30, the United Nation's conference on climate change which took place in November in Belém, Brazil. While the absence cast a shadow over much of the conversation, 194 “parties” did attend and »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵstudents, faculty, and alumni were among them. This year was CC’s most diverse virtual delegation so far, with five faculty, five students, and several alumni attending COP30 virtually, highlighting how important climate action is to the CC community. “Never have I seen so many CC faculty out and about on a Monday evening—which was affirming of how central this work has become to so many of our lives,” Anthropology Professor Dr. Sarah Hautzinger says. “Climate conscripts us, as I’ve been observing of late! The company and camaraderie mean a lot, and we’re grateful.” “I think every person I’ve met who has gone to a COP has been changed by it,” says Riss Banuelos ‘26. “It’s not that every single student has become a climate person, though many have, but it has shaped their trajectories. COP is such a unique experience; it changes and reinvigorates many people. It brings more people into the work, and that might be as, if not more, important than anything we do at the conference.” Riss Banuelos ’26, Noah Furuseth ’26, Havalin Haskell ’26, and Anthropology Professor Dr. Sarah Hautzinger spoke about their experience upon their return to campus. “It's cliché, but it is true: building relationships was my favorite part of COP,” says Banuelos, an Anthropology major. “From personal to professional, the relationships that I was able to make and build upon at COP have fostered both inspiration and an attitude of commitment within me. Reading updates on negotiations was of course a helpful base, but talking with people, hearing their observations, speculations, and deep understandings of the negotiations grounded my investment in the process.” All three students linked COP30 to their thesis projects and were enrolled in Environmental Anthropology in Action: Climate Crisis and Sustainability, where they built their research plans and organized three community dialogues prior to traveling to Belém. The delegation also maintained a blog while in Belém. “It was a wonderful way to prepare for the COP,” Banuelos says. “The first week we grounded ourselves in event ethnography, ethnography of community dialogues, environmental anthropology of the Amazon, and refreshed ourselves on the outcomes of the previous five COPs. The second week, we focused on our individual research, where we taught each other about our topics and critiqued our work together.” Banuelos’ project examines the ways faith-based actors are attempting to address climate change through both affective and political pathways. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus and cultural capital, she contextualizes these pathways amidst the secular-bureaucratic backdrop of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where FBA legitimacy is contested, and emotional urgency is inserted. Through this work, Banuelos joins Hautzinger’s multi-year research on the spiritual dimensions of climate challenges. In addition to participating in COP30, Banuelos attended Bonn SB62, where the subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC meet, which takes place in Bonn, Germany, every June and is the intersessional conference to COP. Banuelos used both Bonn SB62 and COP30 as the basis for her project. While at COP30, Banuelos continued to develop her relationships with members of the Interfaith-Liaison Committee (ILC), a faith-based advising body to the UNFCCC. In her research, the ILC serves as her primary window into the work of faith-based actors within the UNFCCC. “Amidst disappointment in negotiated texts, meeting activists, advocates, and researchers was a reminder that change happens through us,” says Banuelos, who also attended COP28. “I feel inspired to take action and COP was a reminder of my obligation to do so. When negotiated commitments fall short, or absent in the case of the US, it is within our responsibility to fill the ambition gap.” “I learned so much about the importance of subnational collaboration and the role of biodiversity in urban and rural resilience to climate change,” says Furuseth, an Independently Designed Major in Ecological Urban Studies. “I was fortunate to be representing not just CC, but the state of Colorado and the US, which currently lacks federal support for climate change action in a global setting. My classmates and professor were an amazing team to be with; their previous COP experiences helped me navigate how to spend my time, and their carefully researched questions inspired the process in creating my own question about how urban ecology and third-places show up at the COP.” While attending COP29 as part of CC’s delegation, Haskell researched the intersection of gender and climate policymaking and noticed that gender and human rights-based language that had been settled for years, affirming women’s participation and gender-responsive climate action, was suddenly being rolled back and contested. Therefore, this year she decided to investigate if that gender backlash was unprecedented and why certain states felt emboldened to now attack already agreed upon gender-responsive climate language within negotiations “In my research and paper, I grounded my observations, interviews, and data collected at COP29 and COP30 to argue that the coordinated gender backlash at COP29 and COP30 is not incidental but a deliberate form of climate-policy obstruction, rooted in the global rise of authoritarian, patriarchal, and petro-political retrenchment,” says Haskell, an Environmental Studies major. “Drawing on theories of patriarchal authoritarianism, fragility-induced backlash, and petro-masculinity, my paper demonstrates how gender serves as a central arena through which illiberal and fossil-fuel-aligned states defend power and resist policy changes, especially demanded by the climate crisis, through the case study of gendered backlash at COP29 and COP30.” During COP30, CC’s delegation spoke at a side event organized by Hautzinger and her colleague Dr. Diane Husic from St. Lawrence University, which focused on how higher education plays a role in climate action. “I spoke about how in originally choosing a college, I wanted a school where climate and sustainability weren’t just talked about, but truly practiced,” says Haskell, who also maintained a newsletter while at COP30. “CC stood out, not only for its strong Environmental Studies Program, but also for being carbon neutral. I explained how the Block Plan really creates the kind of immersive learning that I believe is essential for meaningful climate education.” Banuelos spoke about how colleges and students can amplify climate action by channeling financial resources and mobilizing volunteers to community-based organizations. She primarily drew on her experiences with the Sunrise Movement last semester, where they collaborated with Hey Neighbor to organize CC volunteers to attend a planting party, transforming derelict, dusty yards into native pollinator food gardens. Soon after, they were awarded grands to fund future planting parties. “Experiences like this exemplify how college students can be bridges that bolster local climate action,” she says. Hautzinger also spoke at a meeting between Observer Organization Constituency and Research and Independent Non-Governmental Organizations (RINGO), emphasizing why observers are so important, as they help keep accountability in the process. Learn more about CC's participation in the COP UN Climate Change Conference on our Climate, Environment, and Sustainability at CC page. /newsevents/newsroom/_images/COP30-sign.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2026/european-forum-alpbach-inspires-international-political-economy-major.html /newsevents/newsroom/2026/european-forum-alpbach-inspires-international-political-economy-major.html Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:59:00 MST As an international student from Austria studying International Political Economy, Kathrin Bürger ’27 was determined to attend the 80th European Forum Alpbach (EFA25), which took place in Tyrolean Alps, Austria, last August. “It was inspiring to connect with fellow participants from diverse fields and to expand my professional network through the Forum’s unique design, which actively fostered dialogue with decision-makers,” Bürger says. “The Forum has also sharpened my critical thinking skills and enhanced my ability to identify key indicators of change when analyzing current events. This proves useful for understanding how developments might influence Europe’s trajectory and in anticipating the direction in which Europe might be heading. I am grateful that this Forum fostered dialogue between experts and the public, bringing together EU citizens and international perspectives to shape the future of Europe.” Every year since 1945, the European Forum Alpbach brings together leaders from different businesses and civil societies, and students, academics, and visionaries to discuss the future of a strong, united, and democratic Europe. EFA was founded at the end of World War II, and surrounds a central question: What kind of Europe do we want? Last year’s theme was “Recharge Europe,” where participants discussed European governance challenges like democratic backsliding and increases in polarization. “Europe is currently experiencing more simultaneous crises than at any other time since 1945,” EFA President Othmar Karas said in a January 2025 press release. “That is why we need a bold vision to make Europe more competitive, capable and innovative. According to the motto ‘Recharge Europe’, we want to provide Europe with new energy for the challenges ahead so that the EU can once again take on a leading role globally.” Bürger says the increase in populism and democratic backsliding across Europe can be explained by a variety of factors. “Among them is the growing disconnect between politicians and the public, as political leaders often fail to resonate with citizens’ concerns and demands,” she says. “This disconnect is evident in electoral patterns that show a pronounced urban-rural divide. Under this year's theme, discussions also revolved around ways to strengthen and unify Europe from within. This can be achieved not only through more efficient engagement with electorates, thereby reducing internal fragmentation, but also through strengthened multilateral collaboration throughout Europe.” Bürger says she learned that Europe needs to work towards a higher readiness of cross-European collaboration and pinpoint strategic areas for specialization, such as investing more heavily in the technology sector. “EU Special Representative for Human Rights Kajsa Ollongren described the process of investing in common causes such as technology as essential to combat continued fragmentation and perhaps European disintegration,” Bürger adds. Bürger’s goal at the Forum was to explore the intricacies of the challenges facing European countries and the EU and to consider how Europe can grow stronger, more united, and anticipate future issues. “I aimed to understand decision-makers’ analyses and learn how faster, more informed decisions can be supported through enhanced cross-sector collaboration,” she says. “As a European citizen I feel a strong responsibility for addressing our continent’s most pressing challenges. EFA provided me with a space to test my ideas and develop new approaches to address these challenges collaboratively with fellow participants from different fields as well as EU Diplomats, UN Representatives, Nobel Laureates, and Research Fellows.” During a hike in Alpbach, Bürger was able to talk to Former Prime Minister of Sweden, EU Special Envoy and Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations Carl Bildt about the drivers of political radicalizations within Europe and the continuous fracturing of electorates. “On the topic of political radicalization and the increase of populism in Europe, we discussed potential EU-specific regulations on digital extremism, including rules on algorithmic transparency and evaluated the ideas developed during our brainstorming session,” Bürger says. “Through the Forum, I have gained a deeper understanding of the EU’s complex infrastructure, clarified the direction I want to take in the future and emphasized the importance of anticipating emerging challenges.” EFA25 programming focused on income inequality, climate change, innovation, finances, education, and more. During the first week, Bürger participated in the “Geoeconomics - The New Balance of Power” seminar, where they analyzed economic tools and their impact on global trade flows including, tariffs, embargoes, foreign direct investment, sanctions, trade restrictions, export controls and foreign aid. One of Bürger’s favorite parts of the experience was the Europe in the World Days, where she got to talk with Nobel Laureates, policymakers, and CEOs on Europe’s repositioning within the shifting global landscape. Over 4,700 participants from 127 countries participated in EFA25. There were over 550 sessions at EPA25, where participants discussed how Europe can renew its economic, social and institutional strengths in order to remain capable of action and prepared for the future. Bürger applied for a Political Science Research Grant and was able to attend EFA25 with funding from the Political Science Department. Mathematical Economics major Emmet Shuman ’26 also attended the Forum. From the first time she stepped on campus, Bürger has been an engaged student, always trying to help others and to make a difference. As an International Student, Bürger knows what it is like adjusting to a new country, so, last year she worked as an International Student Mentor and served on the International Student Advisory Board. She was also the president of the Model United Nations Club on campus and now serves as the Assistant Secretary General for Academics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).   Bürger is spending the year studying abroad and attending LSE, where she takes classes in the International Relations Department. She says the valuable conversations with fellow attendees at EFA25 inspired her to take a Government, Politics, and Public Policy in the European Union class at LSE. Bürger will resume her positions as an International Student Mentor and on the Advisory Board this semester. “I am interested in pursuing a career within international organizations or the foreign service and EFA provided me with deep insights into how supranational institutions such as the EU operate and the factors that inform their decision-making, by learning from leading experts first-hand,” Bürger says. “I have a strong interest in global affairs and passion for understanding how trans-national institutions, state and non-state actors such as international organizations and Multi-National Cooperation shape current politics and I am thankful to the Political Science Department for the opportunity to attend the Forum.” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Kathrin-Burger-27-at-EFA25.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2025/cc-hosts-its-first-ever-24-hour-hackathon.html /newsevents/newsroom/2025/cc-hosts-its-first-ever-24-hour-hackathon.html Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:44:00 MST More than 20 students spent 24 hours straight participating in a hackathon focused on community revitalization earlier this month, working directly with the City of Colorado Springs to solve problems facing the local community. The Coding Club has worked towards Tiger HaCCs 1.0, the first annual Tiger HaCCs (Hacks) Hackathon, since last year. While this was the first year CC hosted a 24-hour hackathon, »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ students have been traveling to collegiate hackathons for several years. In 2023, four Computer Science majors won first place at the Harvard Hackathon. Coding Club Co-President Ronan Takizawa ’26, one of the winning students at the Harvard Hackathon, said working with his peers on technical projects at hackathons was an incredible opportunity that he wanted to share with fellow »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ students. This experience, along with the success »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ students had at other hackathons, inspired Takizawa and fellow Coding Club Co-Presidents Maddy Spark ’26, Marcos Arnold ’27, and Parthib Paul ’28 to establish CC’s first Tiger HaCCs Hackathon. “The idea for this 24-hour hackathon came from seeing how hackathons at other universities foster interdisciplinary collaboration, creativity, and hands-on problem-solving,” Paul says. “We wanted to bring that same experience to CC while grounding it in issues relevant to our own city. Choosing community revitalization as the theme allowed students to engage with real stakeholders and think beyond purely technical problems.” The Coding Club leadership then worked with Career Consultant Emma Fairburn, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics Dr. Varsha Koushik, and Isabelle Wagenvoord ’25, to collaboratively bring the event to life. “We intentionally designed Tiger HaCCs to be more collaborative than competitive, emphasizing peer learning, mentorship from judges through workshops and office hours, and meaningful engagement with the Colorado Springs community,” Arnold says. During a hackathon, students work in teams to create a technical project to solve a real-world problem. This was a true community-wide collaboration, where CC and the City of Colorado Springs worked together to solve real problems the community faces. Tiger HaCCs 1.0 participants divided themselves into six groups and designed a solution surrounding community revitalization. “As our world, especially our cities and communities, become more connected and influenced by technology, it's important for us to consider ways to support and help each other within our communities,” Koushik says regarding the community revitalization topic, which the city picked based on its 2025 Strategic Doing Actions. The time limit for hackathons can vary but usually range between 24 and 72 hours, with Tiger HaCCs 1.0 lasting from 11 a.m. on Dec. 6 to 11 a.m. on Dec. 7. “This event came naturally to students, thanks to the Block Plan’s condensed schedule, which encourages deep learning, focus, and exploration,” Arnold says. “At one point, I even had to explain to Campus Safety at 4 a.m. that the people still in the building were just students fully immersed in their projects, prototyping solutions for our Community Revitalization theme.” Paul says the most exciting part of the event was that they had participants from eight different majors, which reflected the organizing team’s goal of making the hackathon accessible to all students. Owen McGann ’26, Erin Liedeker ’26, Nate Watson ’26, and Oliver Moscow ’26 won first place for their project on Peak Impact, where the students created a working volunteering social media platform that matches volunteers with activities using gamified components. “We chose this project because community engagement is something we all care about, and we noticed how fragmented and manual the volunteer process still is,” McGann says. “The idea came together pretty organically once we started talking about barriers to volunteering and how tech could lower them.” Moscow had never done a hackathon before but had seen many videos about it and wanted to try it. “I wanted to see what I was capable of and build my skills as a programmer, especially in a team environment like that where everyone needs to be able to compromise on ideas, delegate work, and help each other troubleshoot bugs.” Watson says he learned how important it is to fully flesh out the design of a project before writing any code. “There are so many moving parts that if you don’t begin coding with a complete idea on the chalkboard, you are going to create a lot more work for yourself,” Watson says. Business and Economics faculty member Celeste Diaz Ferraro, two representatives from Colorado Springs, Lizzie Blaschke ’24, Board of Trustee member Lilly Chen ’19, and two employees from Exponential Impact served as judges for the event. Chen says she likes mentoring student hackathons because it energizes the local civic movement. “While cutting-edge technology is always available to private industries and national security, that same innovation is missing for our everyday lives,” Chen says. “Getting students excited about the things that impact them every day, from local election voting to zoning laws that impact housing prices, is really important for developing a more engaged resident.” Chen appreciated the community revitalization topic because when you build for your local community, you get to see the impact immediately. “For example, I built the software that runs the City of Philadelphia’s free small business tax prep program,” says Chen, CEO and co-founder of FSH Technologies, a venture-backed Artificial Intelligence (AI)-native company building public digital infrastructure. “The day we launched, I had several friends reach out to me and tell me that this app is a massive deal for them. Thousands of small businesses in my city will get free tax prep because of my software. That’s community revitalization at the core.” After thinking about ways to make community involvement more accessible, Evelyn Cunneen ’28 and Mary-Kate Laibhen ’28 built PerksCOS, a universal rewards program designed to support and incentivize engagement with local small businesses. “We wanted to create something practical that could help people discover opportunities, participate more easily, and feel more connected to their community,” Laibhen says. Cunneen learned a lot about how to structure an application, as well as how to delegate feature implementations while working in a team. "We went from a blank slate in hour one to a fully functional platform by hour twenty-four, complete with business management portals, user dashboards, basic customer analytics, and more,” Cunneen says. Ryan Enriquez ’27, Joshuah Gomez ’28, Passang Tenzin ’29, and Shreya Majumder ’29 placed third for their website that takes a dynamic agenda PDF from the city website and based on a person’s location and interests, sends him or her an informative email after each town hall meeting to increase civic digest and engagement. “The interdisciplinary aspect of this hackathon was particularly powerful,” says Enriquez, who explains that some of his groupmates didn’t have much experience with coding, which may initially seem like a disadvantage, but actually ended up being a strength. “Everyone came from different backgrounds and that provided quite a bit of insight into things we should consider, how to design certain elements, and other vital components for a program that is meant to help everyone,” emphasizes Enriquez. “Diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and fields ensure that we consider as many people as possible while building something.” /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Hackathon-Image-one.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2025/winter-commencement-fills-graduates-with-insightful-wisdom.html /newsevents/newsroom/2025/winter-commencement-fills-graduates-with-insightful-wisdom.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 16:03:00 MST Twenty-seven students walked into Shove Memorial Chapel on Sunday, December 14, 2025, a group small in number but large in presence, to celebrate the end of their college chapter and the beginning of life outside these walls. Though the setting was more intimate than the larger ceremony in May, they received the accolades and recognition they deserved, with friends and family cheering them on.  They heard powerful messages of courage from Commencement speaker Neena Grover, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and RNA Biochemist, and from President Manya Whitaker, whose words inspired and uplifted despite embarking on a world filled with uncertainty. “You are entering one of the toughest job markets in decades, shaped by economic uncertainty, industry shifts, and technological disruption, including all of the opportunities and challenges of AI,” says Whitaker. “Many graduates before you stepped into a world with much clearer paths. Your generation is stepping into a world that is still figuring itself out.” Whitaker told the graduates their CC education has given them the skills and the analytical abilities to overcome obstacles and think through problems to find clear solutions. “Your liberal arts foundation prepares you to learn, unlearn, and relearn, which might be the most valuable skill you can carry into an unpredictable world,” she says. “This moment is not working against you. This moment is precisely when your preparation matters most.” The Bachelor of Arts candidates spanned a variety of fields—from the sciences to political science, to economics and business, philosophy, and more. The group included one graduate student, Mary McCauley of Loveland, who earned her Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT). Whitaker, a teacher herself as a Professor of Education, gave them one last assignment, asking them what their impact will be. “I challenge you to focus on the impact you can make. Impact on whom? Who needs what you can offer? The most profound impact often happens in the most ordinary ways,” she says. “Also, focus on your why. Your why will anchor you when the market frustrates you and feels uncertain.” Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Neena Grover shared that message of impact and took it a few steps further in her keynote address, telling the graduates that despite learning so much during college, they are more than they know. “Knowledge, as powerful as it is, isn’t the same as critical thinking or wisdom,” Grover explains. “It isn’t curiosity, it isn’t courage, and it certainly isn’t compassion. Those qualities, the ones that can’t be tested or graded, will shape the person you become far more than any exam we could have given you.” Grover went on to say that “knowing isn’t everything,” and that “grades validate our sense of self, but knowing is a small part of learning.” “Knowledge gives us tools, language, the ability to solve problems and imagine new worlds, but it can make us believe that we already understand,” Grover says. “Real learning doesn’t start with certainty, it starts with questions, with not knowing, with doubt. It takes courage to ask, ‘What if I’m wrong? What if there is another way?’ Critical thinking is about staying open to what we don’t know. In a world that rewards quick opinions and fast answers, your ability to pause, to sit quietly, to think deeply, to question assumptions—that is your super-power.” Grover has taught at CC for 26 years. She has trained more than 200 students in her research lab. And she has published a book, Fundamentals of RNA Structure and Function, coauthored by more than 20 »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ students. She is recognized for her problem-based service learning work in biochemistry and was honored in 2024 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) for her exemplary contributions to education through teaching and supporting emerging scientists. And despite these impressive qualifications, Grover urges the graduates to use their intelligence to seek truth, not victory. “We are more than our resumes, our grades, or our accomplishments,” she adds. “The most meaningful learning happens in the quiet moments. Those are unplanned—the time you stayed up all night helping a friend through something hard, the project that failed that taught you patience, the conversation that opened your mind to someone else’s reality. Those moments don’t show up on your transcript. But they teach you empathy, resilience, and self-awareness—lessons that no textbook, or classroom, or professor can offer. And as you move beyond these walls, those are the lessons the world needs most: knowledge connected to humanity, knowledge filtered through compassion, and knowledge that connects our hearts and our minds. “You are part of a generation that can connect, create, and challenge like no generation before you has,” Grover says. “The task ahead of you isn’t to know more but to care more and recognize and do what is needed; to use what you know to build bridges, not walls; to use your voice to ask better questions, not just the louder ones; to use your intelligence to seek truth, not just victory. “When the world feels divided, your critical thinking will help you see nuance. When the world feels cynical, your imagination will help you envision something better. When the world tells you to pick a side, your curiosity will remind you not to get bound up in the binaries. To find a different solution: that is what it means to live beyond knowledge. To combine what you know with who you are. It’s more than okay to not have everything figured out yet. The most interesting people you meet don’t have all the answers. They have the humility to keep searching for them. “Carry your knowledge proudly but lightly. Let it guide you but not define you. Go change the world!” Congratulations, Class of 2026 Winter graduates! For a close-up look at the names of the Winter Commencement graduates and a link to the ceremony’s live stream, click here. /newsevents/newsroom/_images/Grads-hug-afterwards.jpeg /newsevents/newsroom/2025/charlotte-combe-26-wins-fellowship-for-work-in-harm-reduction.html /newsevents/newsroom/2025/charlotte-combe-26-wins-fellowship-for-work-in-harm-reduction.html Tue, 09 Dec 2025 11:35:00 MST Not many college seniors can say they’ve won several state and nationwide fellowships, nor can they say they are public health advocates, actively making a difference in their communities. Charlotte Combe ’26, however, is not a typical college senior. Combe has long been passionate about harm reduction and has already made a significant difference in both the campus community and the state. “In a world where people with substance use disorders are criminalized, demonized, and ‘invisibilized,’ harm reduction is an act of radical love and care,” says Combe, who is majoring in Sociology and minoring in Feminist and Gender Studies. “To meet people where they are, to accept their addiction and what a road to recovery looks like on their own terms, is empowering to me. The way our society treats people with substance use disorders denies them their humanity and agency. The legacy of the ‘War on Drugs’ has left its mark through the criminalization of substance use and the stigma surrounding addiction.” "Invisibilize" is a term used frequently in sociology to describe the social process of rendering a person or group unacknowledged or disregarded.  Last year, Combe won the Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellowship for her work in harm reduction. Combe’s passion for substance use harm reduction began in high school, when a fellow student overdosed and passed away at a gas station near their school during his lunch break. “This work is extremely meaningful and personally rewarding because I see it as an act of mutual aid and care for my community,” Combe says. “Especially in the current political climate, where marginalized communities are facing increased violence at the hands of federal funding cuts and violent government policies, taking care of each other is key.” During her first year on campus, Combe co-founded Substance Use Harm Reduction (SUHR@CC), an on-campus student organization aimed at preventing overdoses and educating students on harm reduction. “Although addiction impacts people of all demographics and backgrounds, factors like race, sexuality, and class impact how an individual is treated during active addiction and how they are able to access recovery resources,” says Combe, who is also a Boettcher Scholar and on the President’s Council. “Truly equitable solutions to this crisis must acknowledge the inadequacies of policing and punishing addiction, and, as a result, should not be punitive or at all reliant on our carceral systems.” As part of SUHR@CC, club members pack thousands of wound care and overdose prevention  kits for Love Alive, a community-based non-profit created by CC alumni in response to the large overdose rates in El Paso County. SUHR@CC also collaborated with the Colorado Springs Mutual Aid Union to build tent heaters for unhoused community members. Additionally, Combe partners with different offices on campus to train students on overdose prevention. The Collegiate Recovery Leadership Academy (CRLA) is funded through Safe Project, a national non-profit seeking to end fatal drug overdoses. It is a year-long fellowship for students interested in the intersection of addiction and mental health recovery, and leadership and advocacy. Combe is one of 45 students from around the country to earn this fellowship, where participants will receive membership and support for their projects that promote harm reduction and recovery resources. “For me, this fellowship provides a source of community and mentorship,” Combe says. “Right now, federal funding has been cut from many public health governmental agencies and non-profits. It is a disheartening time to be organizing for overdose prevention when programs that we know save lives are being decimated. This fellowship will help me foster a supportive network and serve as a source of hope and resistance. I am excited to connect with the other CRLA fellows in D.C. and eager to learn from the various mentors in the program.” Combe’s project is looking to educate the CC student body and surrounding community about harm reduction through information sessions at Tutt Library. A few years ago, Combe helped plan and facilitate a roundtable discussion on harm reduction with SUHR@CC, Love Alive, and several faculty members. “This discussion was fruitful as we discussed the context of substance use in Colorado Springs and what prevention, harm reduction, and recovery work look like here,” Combe says. “I would love to continue a roundtable series inviting different community and campus partners to educate the student body on topics related to the criminalization of people who use drugs, the social stigma of substance use, and the legacy of D.A.R.E. abstinence-based education, how to support someone with a substance use disorder, and local substance use disorder recovery resources in Colorado Springs.” Combe also works as a peer health educator at the Wellness Resource Center (WRC) on campus, where she provides opioid overdose prevention and harm reduction training once a semester, open to the campus community. Before one of these sessions, a representative from the Safe Project visited the WRC to train Combe and her fellow peer health educators on how to give the opioid overdose prevention training. During this, he told the group about the Collegiate Recovery Leadership Academy, and Combe immediately knew that she would apply. “A special shoutout to Sally Goodquist, my supervisor at the Wellness Resource Center, for helping me with the application,” Combe says. Combe says that CC has given her many opportunities to expand her interest in and passion for harm reduction. In January 2024, Combe took Community Based Praxis Half Block course, where students partnered with and conducted hands-on work for local organizations and agencies. Comb and her partner Maren Snow ’25 completed a project for the Colorado Judicial Branch Recovery Court, where they analyzed demographics such as race, gender, and age to determine who is and who isn’t successful in the program. The program requires participants in active addiction to go through an intensive three-year substance use disorder treatment program, as well as probation, to have their criminal charges expunged.   Combe says that her research helped her contextualize the criminalization of substance use in El Paso County, as well as see the different barriers people face when receiving treatment for their substance use disorders. As part of the CRLA fellowship, Combe will be mentored in implementing her harm reduction project on campus, as well as receive advocacy training, attend in-person events, and be part of a cohort of public health advocates around the country. Combe will attend the Collegiate Recovery Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., this month, as well as the Leadership Retreat in June 2026. After graduating, Combe is interested in public health law and potentially pursuing a dual J.D. and Master’s in Public Health program. “The CRLA will provide me with a vast network of dedicated individuals who are also invested in harm reduction and overdose prevention work.”  /newsevents/newsroom/_images/CharlotteCombe27.jpg /newsevents/newsroom/2025/senior-art-majors-immerse-themselves-in-new-york-city-art-scene.html /newsevents/newsroom/2025/senior-art-majors-immerse-themselves-in-new-york-city-art-scene.html Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:37:00 MST Twenty senior Art majors spent a week in New York City, fully immersing themselves in different artistic, historical, and cultural aspects of the city, preparing and inspiring them for their senior thesis projects. “I loved being given the opportunity to really delve deeply into making and experimentation over the course of the block,” says Clio Quilter-Vagts ’26, a Studio Art major. “We were given ample time and space to explore and create, which I was so grateful for. And, of course, I must mention that we had the opportunity to go to New York and see and experience so much incredible art and culture. I got the chance to strengthen my analytical skills and really think critically about art and museums as institutions.” Every October, senior Art majors travel to New York during their Senior Art Seminar Block to New York class, visiting museums, galleries, and studios. Professors of Art History and Art Studio lead the trip and students get to explore their own interests while being inspired for their senior seminar projects. The trip to New York also gives students an opportunity to expand their professional network as well as meet with alumni working in the arts to get advice on graduate school and different career paths. The class spends the first two-and-a-half weeks of the block on campus, studying art history and different art pieces. This class was led by four professors who both taught the class and traveled to New York with students: Professor and Co-Chair of the Art and Asian Studies Departments Dr. Tamara Bentley, Professor and Co-Chair of the Art Department Scott Johnson, Professor of Art Dr. Gale Murray, and Assistant Professor of Art Jameel Paulin. The course has three aspects: studio practice; analytical skills; and the New York trip. Students are expected to identify and articulate an initial direction for their senior thesis project during the class trip. Throughout the course, students learn analytical skills, such as how to analyze form and meaning of art, and how to recognize the historical and cultural context of it. During their time in New York, students keep a visual and textual journal to track their experience. They can include images, quotes, their reflection on the experience and the art pieces, sketches, impressions, and more. The class then shared their journals in Block 3. “Leading up to the New York trip we were asked to build a studio practice and to take time to make something every day, to research specific artworks and artists that interested us in the museums we intended to visit,” says Quilter-Vagts, who decided to declare a Studio Art major after taking several Studio Art classes and seeing how immersive and supportive the program is. “There was a great premium placed on dissecting and understanding the cultural context of art, so we spent a lot of time in and out of class discussing and reading and reflecting on art in this way.” The week in New York was filled with trips to museums, shows, and more. Students got to visit Dieu Donné, where they saw the process of hand papermaking. They attended the Robert Blackman Printmaking Workshop, where Artistic Director and Master Printer Jazmine Catasús walked students through the process of working with a lithographic stone. Students also got to spend time discussing their specific interests in small group sessions led by experts in the field. On the second day in New York, students visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET) and divided into four small groups: The Print Room, Islamic Art, Impressionism & Post Impressionism, and Asian Art. Students also spent time at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Guggenheim Museum, the Architecture Research Office, and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. At the MoMA, students got to pick a time they were especially interested in and attend a session focused on that period. Quilter-Vagts was in Group 3, which focused on art from 1980s through today. President Dr. Manya Whitaker was in New York and attended the class session at the MoMA, which students say was an exciting moment on top of an already incredible experience. “I was lucky enough to get to speak with President Whitaker a little bit while she was with us,” Quilter-Vagts says. “It was really nice to get to discuss not only art but also our experiences of CC, athletics, and passions with her! She was very kind and engaged with us. It was great to get to chat with her on a more personal level.” Quilter-Vagts hopes to continue making art and says it was really inspiring to get to speak with a variety of different artists working in the field. “This class gave me the opportunity to connect with working artists, to receive thoughtful, personal feedback regarding my work, and allowed me to take in so much amazing art,” Quilter-Vagts adds. Networking and meeting CC alumni working as artists gave students the chance to visualize that success for themselves. “The New York Trip was truly incredible; I was able to get closer with many art majors I hadn’t known well beforehand and immerse myself entirely in an artist headspace,” says Clara Hartman ’26, an Art and Political Science double major. “I learned so much about how CC grads have been able to create lives for themselves post grad, about community printshops, and how I want to structure my practice in a year.” Hartman never expected to study art, but after taking Introduction to Drawing in her sophomore year, she was hooked. “In the past three years, my life has been entirely transformed by my artistic practice,” Hartman says. “This course was the beginning of my senior thesis, a time to experiment with techniques I may want to pursue in my work, and as a glimpse into the world of art in a post-grad environment.” Hartman knows she wants to continue a life in art alongside another career path. She is interested in art education and working with elementary and middle school students through the arts. “This course helped me see how alumni have continued their art practices while also working other jobs to support themselves, and knowing that’s the direction I’m headed, I really appreciated this,” Hartman says. In the weeks leading up to the New York trip, Hartman spent a lot of time experimenting with oil paintings in her studio and teasing out potential thesis ideas. “In class, we also discussed major museums such as the MET and MoMA, and I planned which exhibitions or pieces I was most interested in seeing, as there is just so much content in each,” she adds. Many sudents appreciated the journal assignment, as it made them be more deliberate with the programs and exhibits they attended.   “I loved the journal requirement; it helped me be much more intentional with how I interacted with museum spaces and the city itself,” Hartman says. “It gave me a purpose which I was grateful for, and I know in years to come, having this sketchbook to look back on will mean a lot. I used the journal to create sketches in down time, take notes at museums, or write down my thoughts about my work, and the art I was interacting with.” Hartman says although her thesis project is currently unclear and she is still experimenting with different ideas, the class gave her dedicated time to think through her thesis goals and project.   Lucia Hoskins ’26 is still finalizing her senior thesis direction, but it involves an aesthetic exploration of the panorama. “Panorama is a Greek word meaning to ‘see all,’ which will tie into my conceptual framework driving my exploration—the ethos of ‘narrative medicine’, in short—an emerging philosophy urging physicians to see their patients as nuanced stories, not just a list of symptoms,” Hoskins says. “In other words, to ‘see all’ of their patients.” “One of the ways in which I might achieve this synthesis between narrative medicine ideas and panorama framework is by rendering humans in a panorama-like frame, instead of the typical landscape panorama, urging viewers to ‘see all’ of the human subject,” says Hoskins, a Studio Art major who is on the pre-med track and minoring in Human Biology and Kinesiology. Hoskins plans to use mixed media, such as cyanotype, painting, and sewing and drawing on a variety of canvases, to tie together these themes and ideas. “I was inspired during this class by experimenting with cyanotype printing on ACE bandage strips, and falling in love with how their horizontal, narrow orientation supports the panoramic format,” Hoskins says. “Then, during our New York trip I did some more investigation into the experience of viewing a panorama by sitting in front of John Vanderlyn's ‘Panoramic View of the Palace and Gardens of Versailles’ in the MET for a long time.” One of Hoskins’ favorite parts of the trip was the visit to the Robert Blackman Printmaking Workshop, where she says there was an overwhelming sense of community, integral to the formation of the workshop. “Shared art spaces between diverse minds are what drive innovative ideas and ease the difficult parts of art making,” Hoskins says. “One thing I love about printmaking is that it’s more conducive to being done with a partner or group than alone. I feel like a lot of our experiences during the New York trip underscored this idea of community building community among our senior art class while exploring NYC together, visiting community spaces like Robert Blackman’s studio as well as the Dieu Donne studio, seeing the sustained connections among alumni and getting to forge new connections at the alumni dinner, and hearing personal accounts of how different artists ‘made it,’ most of whom relied on having a strong community of fellow artists.” Walker McCormick ’26 is designing and shaping two surfboards for his senior capstone project, which is something he’s wanted to pursue for a long time. “I’m really happy to have the opportunity, time, and studio space to fully pursue my ideas, as well as the guidance from my professors,” says McCormick, an Art Studio Design and Business, Economics, and Society double major. One of McCormick’s favorite parts of the trip was attending the Rashid Johnson show at the Guggenheim Museum, which he called insightful and inspiring. McCormick was also thrilled to visit the Guggenheim Museum, which he’s never been to before. “Frank Lloyd Wright is one of my favorite architects,” McCormick says. “Johnson did an amazing job organizing his life’s work throughout the museum. I think he’s an amazing storyteller and artist. One thing I truly loved was how he juxtaposed found objects from his home —his sculptures, paintings, and short films—in conversation with each other. Experiencing this layout, especially in a museum like the Guggenheim, really made me rethink my creative processes, and I want to present my work and tell a story.” McCormick says that one aspect that really stood out to him was Johnson’s short films, and McCormick is hoping to document his creative process for his thesis in a similar way and incorporate that into the final show. Hunter Dewell ’26, a Design major with a focus in Architecture, spent the weeks leading up to New York making colored pencil drawings of chickens, which would later be the guides for screen prints. When screen-printing, he placed the colored pencil drawing underneath the silk screen and then used the drawing as a guide for what he should block out with screen filler. Once he was done with that, he ran the next color. During this course, Dewell created several screen-printing guides, which he may use in his final thesis project this spring. On their second day in New York, Bentley and Johnson led several students through a tour of the MET, where they had three items on the agenda: The Gubbio Studiolo, the Chapel from Le Château de la Bastie d'Urfé, and the Chinese Gardens exhibit. “Along the way the teachers highlighted work that seemed to be on the periphery of the museum,” says Dewell, who works at CC’s Honnen woodshop. “For example, Fine China is placed along the corridor that leads visitors to European sculptures. The museum's layout dictates which work is more valuable, and in turn places cultures in a pecking order. In the MET, Asian work is second to European. That order is seen throughout history as well, especially during the Renaissance. There was a clear divide between ‘fine arts,’ such as painting, sculpture, and architecture, and ‘decorative arts,’ like ceramics, textiles, and furniture. Porcelain fell into the latter and was not given the same intellectual value.” Visiting the three exhibits with Bentley and Johnson was one of Dewell’s favorite parts of the trip. “We peered into the Gubbio Studiolo, a 15th-century Italian room decorated with detailed wood inlay that creates realistic illusions of shelves and objects,” Dewell says. “We slid into the Chapel from Le Château de la Bastie d'Urfé as a large tour group crowded in front of the Gubbio Studiolo. Two rows of three seats were placed in the center to mimic an actual church. As Scott and Tamara riffed off each other, we pulled the chairs into a circle and continued to discuss how museums give art value as other visitors streamed between us and the artwork.” The group then headed to the Chinese Gardens, where Bentley led the group’s discussion on Taihu stones, which are naturally eroded limestone that are revered for their dramatic holes and twisting forms. “As we wrapped up the tour, I remember thinking: this is exactly what a »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵeducation should look like,” Dewell says. “The tour really emphasized how much hidden information there is in art. Now, before visiting a museum, I’ll always do some research because that will personalize and enrich my own experience, and it’s just a more fun way to do it.” The Art Department has been teaching this Senior Seminar and trip to New York block since 1986, and it’s made possible by the Berg Endowment. In 1985, the Getty Trust donated to the Art Department in honor of Harold E. Berg '36, and because of the generous donation, the department was able to develop this research opportunity in New York. /newsevents/newsroom/_images/AS-411-Image-Seven.jpg