established in 1874, two years before Colorado became a state. Colorado College was created to bring New England-style scholarship to the American west. The school's 90-acre (36-hectare) campus is located in Colorado Springs. Buildings are a mixture of modern architecture and century-old stone buildings. Admission is selective, with about half of all applicants being accepted. Focusing primarily on teaching undergraduates, this private college offers its only master's degree in education. The college enrolls about 2,000 students from across the United States and several foreign countries. Slightly more females than males attend. The academic year has a unique structure called the Colorado College Plan. Students take one class at a time for a period of three and a half weeks. There are eight such periods, or blocks, in the school year, with about a week off between each session. Some courses last more than one block. The school is dedicated to a liberal arts curriculum. Besides the traditional disciplines, Colorado College offers Southwestern studies and recently added Japanese and Chinese to its foreign languages program. The Executive in Residence Program brings senior level businesspeople to the economics department to teach. More than four fifths of the full-time faculty hold doctorates. More than half of the students pursue advanced studies within three years after graduation. Faculty and students work together to develop academic and social programs. The surrounding metropolitan area provides numerous cultural experiences and opportunities for off-campus study. Many students join fraternities and sororities. An award-winning chapter of BACCHUS (Boost Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students) offers non-alcoholic “mocktails” at campus events. The school grants athletic scholarships in ice hockey and women's soccer, the only Colorado College athletic teams that compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Numerous other sports teams participate in Division III. Homecoming at the college provides spectators the only chance of the year to see the 100-member kazoo marching band. School colors are black and gold. |