Colorado College: Liberal Arts and Sciences in the Rocky Mountain West

A private, four-year liberal arts and sciences college, Colorado College is located on a 90-acre campus in downtown Colorado Springs near the base of the 14,110-foot Pikes Peak and about an hour south of Denver. Consistently ranked in the top tier of national colleges and universities, CC is the only college of its kind in the Rocky Mountain region. We are also one of only a handful of prestigious liberal arts and sciences colleges located in a metropolitan area.

The college’s new mission statement affirms that:

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

Members of the Colorado College community share a commitment to:

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

Combining tradition and innovation since 1874, the college offers an excellent undergraduate education for academically talented, adventurous students. The college encourages a spirit of intellectual exploration, critical thinking, hands-on learning, and personal responsibility within an environment of small learning communities where education and life intertwine.

The academic program at Colorado College is known for its extraordinary emphasis on teaching and learning. Our curriculum is as varied as our landscape. Best known for our innovative Block Plan, where students take and professors teach only one course at a time, CC is distinctive in its conviction that active learning happens best when students pursue a single subject of study for several weeks in small classes in which no ticking clock can interrupt the animated exchange of ideas.

Outstanding full-time faculty members teach most classes. Ninety-seven percent of our professors hold the highest degrees awarded in their fields, and our faculty and staff are specialists in nearly every imaginable subject — from air pollution to writing college application essays. There are no teaching assistants at CC. With class sizes averaging 15 students, everyone has a chance to express opinions and be heard.

We are confident that the learning opportunities made possible by our distinctive curricular system foster a kind of intellectual engagement that will continue to enrich the lives of the college’s graduates as they become leaders in their professions and communities.

For more information about CC, please see our Web site: www.ColoradoCollege.edu, or call the office of external relations at (719) 389-6603, or email colrel@ColoradoCollege.edu.