Task: The Quad students were tasked with constructing ideas and designing a structure for a women-to-women mentoring program that could be seamlessly implemented into the Colorado College campus departments.

Task: The focus for the students was to capture major periods in Colorado Springs history, archival and historical information from published sources as well as local historians/museums and history with other major events in Colorado Springs history.

Task: The students’ objective was to ultimately research the viability and desirability of building a Center for Documentary and Social Impact (CDSI) in the Colorado Springs community. In the process of researching the desirability and viability, the students were also tasked with engaging partners, assessing capacity and conceptualizing what CDSI could look like in the community.

Task: The main objectives for the students were to identify qualities and services of a competitive entrepreneurial ecosystem and map the Pikes Peak region’s existing service provisions, leverage community networks and relationships to identify key “epicenters of the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” and inform future strategic work within individual organizations and across the community to strengthen overall entrepreneurial opportunity.

Task: The student team was tasked with anticipating and informing the adaptation of City Economic Development strategies regarding the Federal Opportunity Zone (OZ) tax incentive program to support COVID-19 economic recovery, serve community needs, and build trust in local economic resilience and City-provided support.

Task: Prevent teen and adolescent suicide

Colorado has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, and El Paso County is an epicenter. This ongoing work supports both region-wide program development strategy and tactical implementation of emotional resilience programs that keep kids alive.

Task: Identify viable opportunities to sustain the legacy and positive community impact of Venetucci Farm.

For over a century, Venetucci Farm has held a special place in the Colorado Springs community as a source of food, education, and pumpkins for area school children. Water contamination forced the historic operation to close. Teams of interdisciplinary students and faculty engaged community stakeholders, analyzed opportunities, and ultimately identified a viable path forward.

Task: The focus of this work was to understand exactly how nonprofits have been impacted and what specific strategies can be used to improve organizational resilience in order to protect essential community services.

Task: Increase participation and representation of youth perspectives in decision-making about electricity generation.

Students conducted focus groups, interviews, and a survey to capture how area youth think about electricity production and to understand their priorities in the future. Findings were used to support the weighing of different factors (cost, environmental impact, reliability, innovation etc.) in scenario planning, and also to support the ultimate adoption of a planned energy portfolio that will reduce carbon emissions from electricity generation by 90% by 2050.