Colorado College President L. Song Richardson announced June 9 that Mike Edmonds, senior vice president, will retire after a 30+ year career at the college in May 2023.
Edmonds changed the landscape of Colorado College, illustrating the power of inclusive leadership. He is the first Black leader to serve as president in the college’s history and has been integral to advancing the college’s institutional initiatives including the college’s commitment to antiracism, creating greater access for students, and the partnership with the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. He served and mentored countless students through his many years leading Student Life.
“I have seen my students become parents and their children become my students,” Edmonds says. “That’s been a remarkable blessing. One of my favorite R&B singers, Dorothy Moore, said it best: ‘Ain’t it funny how time slips away.’”
In celebration of Edmonds’ tremendous career and the lasting impact he has made on CC, the college has established the Mike Edmonds Legacy Fund to provide resources for future generations of students of all backgrounds and allow access to all CC has to offer.
“So many people made my life possible, some I knew and some I didn’t. Their commitment to young people and their potential served me well,” Edmonds says. “I hope this fund will provide means for many future generations of CC students. This is a way to say ‘thank you’ to the many students who have made my CC experience a truly incredible and fulfilling one.”
CC Trustees Susie Burghart ’77, Phil Swan ’84, and Amy Shackelford Louis ’84 have each generously given $500,000 in order to launch the Mike Edmonds Legacy Fund right away. Your contribution to the Mike Edmonds Legacy Fund will make a meaningful impact.
Among his many accolades, Edmonds was inducted into the National Speech and Debate Association Hall of Fame, as well as the Gold Key Society at Emory University. He also received the Delores Taylor Arthur award from the Holy Cross School in New Orleans and the Martin Luther King award from James Logan Forensics in California. The classroom on the first floor in Tutt Library is named the Frank Jr. and Hattie Mae Edmonds Experimental Classroom as well as the Hattie Mae balcony at Cornerstone Arts Center, all thanks to Edmonds’ generous donations to the college in his parents’ honor.
Edmonds originally hails from Clarksville, Tennessee, holds a bachelor of arts, master’s, and Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi, where he serves on the Liberal Arts Board, sits on the Ole Miss Campaign Steering Committee, and is a double Hall of Fame graduate. He also completed a post-graduate institute at Harvard University and is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership. Until his retirement, Edmonds will continue to oversee the FAC and work on external partnerships and relations critical to Colorado College.