Special to the HT
RBC | Happy New Year to all. Colorado Northwestern Community College officially welcomed staff and administrators back to campus Monday, Jan. 5. Faculty and residence life students return Thursday, Jan. 15. New student orientation will be held Jan. 15 in Rangely and Jan. 16 in Craig, with classes beginning Jan. 20, 2026.
In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, CNCC will be closed Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. The holiday, added for employees in December by CCCS Chancellor Dr. Marielena DeSanctis, provides an opportunity to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy of service, leadership and community.
Spartan Athletics is preparing for the spring season, including men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and men’s wrestling. Basketball opens at home Jan. 8 against the College of Southern Idaho, with the women’s game tipping off at 5 p.m. and the men’s game at 7 p.m. in the Hefley Gym. Men’s wrestling opens its home season Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. against Snow College, also in the Hefley Gym. Baseball opens spring competition on the road Jan. 26, with the first home game scheduled for March 13 at 2:30 p.m. against Community Christian College. Up-to-date schedules are available on the CNCC Spartan Athletics website.
CNCC also welcomes back Dr. Todd Ward, professor in the Science Division, following his academic sabbatical. During his leave, Ward completed three biology educational game concepts designed for classroom use. The games incorporate haptic, visual, kinesthetic and reward-based learning strategies to support student engagement and understanding of complex biological concepts through simulation, competitive and cooperative play. His work also emphasizes activity-based learning and the inclusion of diverse historical figures in science.
Ward explored opportunities for app development and publication or licensing of the materials and expanded his expertise in metabolism, bacterial growth and chemotaxis, infectious disease, and culturally diverse contributors to science. He will share the outcomes of his sabbatical at Convocation and has been invited to present his work to faculty across the CCCS system.
As January 2026 begins, employees are encouraged to approach the new semester with optimism, curiosity and determination. The start of the term offers an opportunity to set goals, explore new approaches and continue building on the strong foundation of collaboration and innovation at CNCC.