About

HISTORY OF COLLEGE FOR A DAY

In the early 1970’s, nine women, along with their classmates and colleagues, created College For A Day (CFAD) in Denver. The initial founders represented Bryn Mawr, Connecticut, Mills, Mount Holyoke, Sweet Briar, Skidmore, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley Colleges which were all women’s colleges until the late 1960’s. Over five decades later, each January, College For A Day continues to present a one-day program of lectures featuring three professors, on a rotating basis, from these same colleges. A box lunch is served between the second and the third presentations, allowing participants to visit with friends and classmates.

Today, College For A Day continues to feature the most notable and entertaining lecturers from these outstanding schools. The cost of transportation to Denver is underwritten by the school, while the CFAD committee covers lodging, food, and ground transportation using funds received from our event admission fees. Also, visiting faculty members often meet with local alumnae/alumni clubs.

Every year, CFAD offers talks on a wide variety of subjects from the fields of Art/Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science/Mathematics. Recent topics have included neurology and neurobiology, women writers of fiction and nonfiction, educational innovation, history, forensic anthropology and archaeology, recent presidential elections, mathematics, sustainability, leadership, Asian architecture and astronomy.

The College For A Day program draws several hundred attendees annually. Although we market our annual event through e-mail invitations and our website, old-fashioned “word of mouth” recommendations remain effective in attracting new attendees.

With the continuing dedication and hard work of our CFAD Committee volunteers, we look forward to hosting the College for a Day event for decades more to come.