Colorado College The Colorado College ( familiarly known as CC ) is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs , Colorado , United States , in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains . It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell . The college enrolls approximately 2 , 000 undergraduates at its campus , south of Denver in Colorado Springs . Colorado College is known for its non - conventional " block plan , " which divides the year into eight academic term s called " blocks " ; a single class is taken during each block . Colorado College is affiliated with the Associated Colleges of the Midwest . Most sports teams are in the NCAA Division III , with the exception of Division I teams in men ' s hockey and women ' s soccer . History . Colorado College was founded in 1874 on land designated by U . S . Civil War veteran General William Jackson Palmer , the founder of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and of Colorado Springs . Founder Thomas Nelson Haskell , described it as a coeducational liberal arts college in the tradition of Oberlin College . Like many U . S . colleges and universities that have endured from the 19th century it now is secular in outlook , though it retains its liberal arts focus . Cutler Hall , the college ' s first building was completed in 1880 and the first degrees were conferred in 1882 . The Beta - Omega Chapter of The Kappa Sigma Fraternity was chartered in 1904 . William F . Slocum , president from 1888 to 1917 , oversaw the initial building of the campus , expanded the library and recruited top scholars in a number of fields . In 1930 Shove Chapel was erected by Mr . John Gray , to meet the religious needs of the students ( though Colorado College is not religiously affiliated ) . Academics . The college offers more than 80 majors , minors , and specialized programs including : Southwest studies , feminist and gender studies , Asian studies , biochemistry , environmental science , neuroscience , Latin American studies , Russian and Eurasian studies , and American cultural studies , as well as an across - the - curriculum writing program . In addition to its undergraduate programs , the college offers a Master of Arts in Teaching ( MAT ) degree . Tutt Library has approximately half a million bound volumes . In 2012 , Colorado College yielded a student - to - faculty ratio of 10 : 1 . Block Plan . Colorado College follows an unconventional " block plan " ; in which students study one subject for three and a half week " blocks " , which advocates say allows for more lab time , for research and study in the field , more intensive learning experiences and fewer distractions . Blocks are only three weeks long during the summer session , during which there are also graduate blocks of differing lengths . In parallel with the students , professors teach only one block at a time . Classes are generally capped at 25 ( 32 for two professors ) to encourage a more personalized academic experience . Rankings and admissions . Colorado College perennially ranks in the top tier of liberal arts colleges in the U . S . News & World Report rankings , most recently ranging from a high of 19th in 1999 to a low of 33rd in 2005 . In a January 2004 ranking of all colleges and universities by Kiplingers magazine , it placed 31st . In the 2010 U . S . News rankings it was 24th among liberal arts colleges , and 21st place in Best Values among all national colleges . In 2011 , Forbes rated it 31st overall in America ' s Best Colleges . The next year , Forbes ranked Colorado College 29th overall . Colorado College has one of the highest retention rates of any college or university in the country at 96 percent . Colorado College also has one of the nation ' s lowest acceptance rates , at 24 percent , with a very high yield at 48 percent . The median ACT of the class of 2012 is 31 , and one - fourth of the class graduated in the top 1 percent of their high school class . Sustainability . In 2009 , Colorado College developed a sustainability plan and implemented the “ aCClimate 14 ” conservation campaign . The campus saved $ 100 , 000 in utility costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 378 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent during the campaign . Other sustainability initiatives at CC include : a 25 - kilowatt solar PV array , composting of kitchen and dining waste , and a singlestream recycling program . Campus . Since the mid - 1950s , new facilities include three large residence halls , Worner Campus Center , Tutt Library , Olin Hall of Science and the Barnes Science Center , Honnen Ice Rink , Boettcher Health Center , Schlessman Pool , Armstrong Hall of Humanities , Palmer Hall , El Pomar Sports Center , and Packard Hall of Music and Art . Bemis , Cossitt , Cutler , Montgomery , and Palmer Halls are some of the remaining turn - of - the - century structures on the National Register of Historic Places , along with the William I . Spencer Center . The face of campus changed again at the beginning of the 21st century with construction of the Western Ridge Housing Complex , which offers apartment - style living for upper - division students and completion of the Russell T . Tutt Science Center . The east campus has been expanded , and is now home to the Greek Quad and several small residence halls known as “ theme houses . ” Other notable buildings include Tutt Library , designed by Skidmore , Owings and Merrill , and Packard Hall , the music building , designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes . Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center . Colorado College ’ s Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center , completed in 2008 and located at the intersection of a performing arts corridor in Colorado Springs , was designed to foster creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration . It is home to the college ’ s film , drama and dance departments and contains a large theater , several smaller performance spaces , a screening room , the I . D . E . A Space gallery , and classrooms , among other rooms . Architect Antoine Predock designed the building with input from professors and students . Athletics . The school ' s sports teams are nicknamed " Tigers , " though in 1994 a student referendum to change the name to the " Cutthroats " ( Trout ) narrowly failed . Colorado College competes at the NCAA Division III level in all sports except men ' s hockey , in which it participates in the NCAA Division I Western Collegiate Hockey Association , and women ' s soccer , where it competes as an NCAA Division I team in Conference USA . CC dropped its intercollegiate athletic programs in football , softball , and women ' s water polo following the 2008 - 09 academic year . The Tigers won the NCAA Division I championship twice ( 1950 , 1957 ) , were runners up three times ( 1952 , 1955 , 1996 ) and have made the NCAA Tournament eighteen times , including eleven times since 1995 . In 1996 , 1997 , and 2005 , CC played in the Frozen Four , finishing second in 1996 . Fifty - five CC Tigers have been named All - Americans . Hockey Hall of Fame coach Bob Johnson coached the Tigers from 1963 to 1966 . Despite the relatively small size of the school , the hockey team is often ranked quite highly nationally , although it has been over 50 years since the Tigers last won an NCAA title . Their current coach is Scott Owens , who played for Colorado College and graduated from the school in 1979 . Notable people . Several CC alumni are engaged in political careers . Its graduates include Lynne Cheney , wife of former U . S . Vice President Dick Cheney , and their two daughters , as well as U . S . Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar , and United States Representative Diana DeGette . Other well - known government figures , such as Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama David Axelrod , former Director of Central Intelligence James Woolsey , former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Martin Neil Baily , and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O ' Connor have seen their children graduate from CC in recent years . The distinguished faculty is noted for outstanding teaching , and a closeness to students . No class exceeds 25 , and an end - of - block breakfast or dinner at a professor ' s home is not unusual . The college also conducts classes in a cabin it owns nearby . It has an extensive mountain campus known as the " Baca , " located in Crestone , Colorado . While the focus at Colorado College is primarily on teaching , and its academics involve a high level of rigor and intensity on the block plan , a significant number of faculty are widely published and renowned in their fields . Professor Dennis Showalter , the 2005 recipient of the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Military History , is an expert on World War II , a Distinguished Visiting Professor at West Point and the United States Air Force Academy , reviewer for the History Book Club , and author of " Tannenberg : Clash of Empires " , the 1992 winner of the American Historical Association ' s Paul Birdsall Prize . In 2005 , he published " Men of War " , the first single volume dual military biography of Patton and Rommel . Notable music and arts representatives include Susan Grace , a pianist with appearances at Carnegie Hall , Stephen Scott , a neo - classical composer , and Ofer Ben - Amots , an Israeli composer . Filmmaker Marc Webb ( class of 1995 ) was nominated for several awards including two Golden Globes for his 2009 film " ( 500 ) Days of Summer " . Other notable alumni include economist James Heckman . In 2000 Heckman received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on selection bias and the Heckman correction . He was also awarded the John Bates Clark Medal in 1983 . Presidents of Colorado College . Colorado College has had about 16 presidents and acting presidents since its founding : KRCC . Colorado College operates National Public Radio Member Station KRCC - FM . In 1944 , KRCC began as a two - room public address system in the basement of Bemis Hall . Professor Woodson " Chief " Tyree , Director of Radio and Drama Department at Colorado College was the founder and inspirational force in the program that one day became KRCC - FM . In 1946 , KRCC moved to South Hall ( where Packard Hall now stands ) on campus where two students , Charles " Bud " Edmonds ' 51 , and Margaret Merle - Smith ' 51 , were instrumental in securing a war surplus FM transmitter . KRCC began over the air broadcasting in April 1951 as the first non - commercial educational FM radio station in the state of Colorado . Today , KRCC broadcasts through a series of eleven transmitters and translators throughout southern Colorado and a portion of northern New Mexico . KRCC ' s main transmitter , atop Cheyenne Mountain , broadcasts three separate HD multi - cast channels , including a channel run completely by Colorado College students called the SOCC ( Sounds of Colorado College ) . Free speech concerns on campus . The civil liberties organization Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has named Colorado College on its Red Alert list for several years over its treatment of two students who distributed a satirical flyer which parodied the college ' s Feminist and Gender Studies newsletter . Colorado College ' s speech code prohibits any act that causes any individual or group " ridicule , embarrassment , harassment , intimidation or other such result . "