ORIGINALITY TRANSFORMS SUPPORTING INNOVATION AT COLORADO COLLEGE

ORIGINALITY TRANSFORMS SUPPORTING INNOVATION AT COLORADO COLLEGE

ORIGINALITY. IT STARTS WITH A SPARK. It sets us free. To discover. To reimagine. To innovate. To dare to be the ones who lead the way. AN IDEA. A MOMENT. AN OPPORTUNITY. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 1

Colorado College RANKED THIRD on Forbes 2015 list of America s Most Entrepreneurial Colleges. Colorado College is one of only 37 Ashoka U CHANGEMAKER CAMPUSES, and one of only four liberal arts colleges in this elite group. WE CALL THE HORIZON HOME. Since our founding in 1874, and even now, as the only liberal arts college in the Rocky Mountain West, we ve always been most comfortable when we re pushing the limits. It s why we reframed liberal arts education with the Block Plan. And it s why we re doubling down on our commitment to innovation. Because we re a liberal arts college, innovation means something a little different to us. It isn t confined to a research lab or limited to the technological. It spans every department and program an interdisciplinary effort that inspires creative research, thought leadership, and entrepreneurial pursuits. At Colorado College, innovation is more than a buzzword. It s who we ve been, who we are, and who we ll always be. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 3

OUR BOLD VISION FOR THE FUTURE. We re committed to making our mark as leaders in innovation. To do so, we ve outlined distinct opportunities to set Colorado College apart. One of these opportunities is to build a dedicated space where our students can grow as inventors and entrepreneurs. This center for innovation will provide tools, technology, and support to empower students at every stage of the creative process. Another priority is investing in Innovation at CC, our collection of signature programs, and initiatives devoted to innovation. Whether it s supporting a current strategy like our Innovatorin-Residence Program or the Big Idea pitch competition or kicking off an entirely new project, we want to establish ways for our students to turn dreaming into doing. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 5

A BUILDING FOR THINKING BIGGER. The innovation center will be a dedicated space for expressing originality. Here, the traditional skills of the liberal arts creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication will come to life. We envision a minimalistic, flexible space where the inventors and innovators in our midst can work on projects, day or night, with access to the state-of-the-art tools and technology necessary for creation. But the center for innovation will be much more than a place to create. It will build on our strong foundation of intellectual assets the talents of alumni, parents, and community mentors who are innovators, social professionals, and business experts bringing them together to turn leading thought into action. It will connect signature CC initiatives and bolster interdisciplinary programs, expanding our reach and strengthening our outcomes. And it will be a place to forge partnerships on campus, bringing together faculty and practitioners to engage in solution-based thinking. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 7

OUR FOOD ECOLOGY LAB will have a commercial kitchen and indoor and outdoor gardens, providing spaces for cooking, workshops, and scientific research. Students will be able to prototype their ideas in OUR PRODUCT REALIZATION LAB, complete with tools like sewing machines, a 3-D printer, and a laser cutter. FLEXIBLE CLASSROOMS will enable teachers and students to get creative with how they teach and learn. ADAPTABLE CO-WORKING SPACES will be made up of movable walls and whiteboards to create functional, collaborative workrooms. WHERE OUR OUR MEDIA LAB will include a recording studio, a darkroom, a computer lab, and a video and green studio, inviting students to hone their communication skills. INNOVATIVE SPIRIT CAN THRIVE. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 9

INSPIRATION IS ALWAYS WITHIN REACH. From the programs and initiatives the new facility will house to the space itself the innovation center will take student interests and endeavors into account to create a true incubator for entrepreneurship. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 11

WE LOVE A TRAIL- BLAZER. PAUL-MIKI AKPABLIE, A 2016 GRADUATE AND ENTREPRENEUR, UNDERSTANDS THE POWER OF A CC EDUCATION. HE ALSO KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE A DEDICATED CENTER FOR INNOVATION COULD MAKE FOR VISIONARIES LIKE HIM. When I was a young child growing up in Ghana, I loved to watch American movies on TV. My favorites were the ones set in New York City. I wondered, though, why isn t our village or Ghana, in fact ablaze with lights like that city? I took my first stab at that problem when I was 12. I built a solar collector for our community center so children could study, read, and play during the blackouts every few days. In the years that followed, I devised a new battery technology, and when it was time for me to attend college, I chose CC. Why Colorado College? Because CC is a place that prepares you, through an immersive, liberal arts education, to go out in the world and find solutions to complex problems. The college attracts adventurers, risk-takers, and innovators. These people, and the potential they possess to create a better world, are why Colorado College needs a center for innovation. In many ways, such a place is an extension of CC s pioneering spirit and an evolution of the Block Plan, the system that gives the college and those who teach, learn, and create here the flexibility and the creativity to push the possibilities of higher education. CC is the place where I took my dream of developing an alternative power source and made it a reality. Today, Kadi Energy, which was started by several CC alumni and me, has released the Ray 20, a $20 solar-powered charging device that is being marketed in West Africa. THE COLLEGE ATTRACTS ADVENTURERS, RISK-TAKERS, AND INNOVATORS. THESE PEOPLE, AND THE POTENTIAL THEY POSSESS TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD, ARE WHY COLORADO COLLEGE NEEDS A CENTER FOR INNOVATION. Paul-Miki Akpablie 16 SUPPORTING INNOVATION 13

TAKING DISCOVERY TO NEW HEIGHTS. Whether it s through coursework, events, workshops, or competitions, our students do more than learn about innovation they do it. Our collection of signature programs and initiatives offers frequent opportunities for students and the community to think and solve problems, and explore entrepreneurship. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 15

BRINGING ORIGINAL IDEAS TO LIFE. THIS IS CRAZY. IT S JUST TOTAL STIMULUS OVERLOAD BUT IT S ABSOLUTELY WHAT PEOPLE EXPECT NOW. Nick Ravich 19 NEONIC, CO-WINNER OF THE 2016 BIG IDEA PITCH, IS A START-UP TECHNOLOGY COMPANY THAT USES PEOPLE S SMARTPHONES TO GENERATE A UNIQUE, CROWD-SIZED CANVAS AT CONCERTS. The idea, pitched by Cormac Siegfried 19 and Nick Ravich 19, allows concertgoers to become a part of the performance, breaking down barriers between the artists and their fans. The Neonic plan to turn the audience s smartphones into pixels to paint a light show of ripples, waves, and psychedelic colors harks back to Woodstock. The watershed 1969 concert happened long before any of the Neonic team were born, but the spirit of an audience using cigarette lighters to encourage a singer lives on in their tech. The Neonic brand is about taking what people loved at Woodstock and putting it into every concert in the 21st century, Siegfried says. Through the Big Idea pitch, Neonic received $20,000 in funding but that s just the start. We realize we don t have brand recognition, no one knows who we are, and we ve got to figure out more questions in our tech. It won t be a massive launch and huge scaling; it will be a process that takes five to six years to start to really challenge the industry giants. But the team is more than ready for the challenge. And with the help of The Big Idea and Innovation at CC, they re well on their way. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 17

TURNING PASSION INTO PURPOSE. WHEN EBONI STATHAM 17 WAS LOOKING AT SCHOOLS, SHE KNEW SHE WANTED TO BE PART OF A COLLEGE RADIO STATION. SO CC S STUDENT STATION, THE SOUNDS OF COLORADO COLLEGE THE SOCC IS SUCH A NEW ORGANIZATION THERE S SO MUCH YOU CAN DO. OUR BAND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM PROVIDES AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES SO STUDENTS CAN GO BEYOND JUST HAVING A RADIO SHOW. THEY CAN LEARN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS. Eboni Statham 17 (THE SOCC), ATTRACTED HER RIGHT AWAY. Once she was a student, Statham was drawn into program, which assists student bands with buying the college s vibrant scene of student bands and equipment, running sound at performances, and music shows. She became a DJ at the SOCC, then promoting their music. moved into a staff role as events manager. Statham s passion is contagious, and it s shaping From there, Statham says, she just went crazy, CC s music culture. taking a leadership role at the SOCC to help the station realize its potential on a campus that s wild about music. She helped start its band management SUPPORTING INNOVATION 19

WE RE DEDICATED TO ERASING BOUNDARIES. OUR GOAL IS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS THROUGH SIGNATURE PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT THEY WON T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE. I.D.E.A. SPACE The I.D.E.A. Space integrates the visual arts into our college community through exhibitions, performances, speakers, and events rooted in multidisciplinary collaborations. INNOVATION THURSDAYS AND INNOVATIVE MINDS SERIES This series of presentations and workshops teaches innovators and entrepreneurs what they need to know to be successful, including insights from successful visionaries who have disrupted their fields. KELLER FAMILY VENTURE GRANTS These grants are awarded annually to more than 100 students, allowing them to pursue their intellectual adventures on campus, across the country, and around the world. PUBLIC INTEREST FELLOWSHIP PROJECT For more than 10 years, the Public Interest Fellowship Project has given students and recent graduates practical experience with nonprofit organizations across the Front Range increasing the capabilities of the organizations, promoting progress on critical issues in our region, and developing a new generation of nonprofit leaders. STATE OF THE ROCKIES PROJECT We bring together students, conservation experts, and community stakeholders to address critical environmental and natural resource issues through interdisciplinary research. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 21

John Silvester 17, the founder of FlyPhone, is leading an effort to design AN AFFORDABLE DRONE FOR DOCUMENTING ADVENTURES AND SPECIAL MOMENTS, an idea that originated in his Block Course: Innovation in Environmental Science. Students use drones to conduct a detailed assessment of how trees are spaced at the tree line on Pikes Peak. It s part of research TO HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND FACTORS AFFECTING CHANGE TO THE FOREST IN THE AREA. ABOVE AND BEYOND. With access to the latest technology, our students learn that even the sky isn t a limit. SUPPORTING INNOVATION 23

MOUNTAINS EXIST TO BE CLIMBED. WITH YOUR SUPPORT, INNOVATION AT COLORADO COLLEGE WILL THRIVE. WITH THE SPACE TO CREATE, THE TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD, AND THE GUIDANCE TO BLOSSOM THERE S NO TELLING WHAT OUR STUDENTS CAN DO. Originality lives within us all. It s just waiting to be unleashed. There s no better place than here. And there s no better time than now.

14 E. Cache La Poudre St. Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (800) 782-6306 coloradocollege.edu/innovationgiving