The Colorado College (familiarly known as CC) is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its 90 acre (36 ha) campus, 70 miles (110 km) south of Denver in Colorado Springs. Colorado College is known for its non-conventional "block plan," which divides the year into eight academic terms called "blocks"; a single class is taken during each block. CC routinely ranks very high in the U.S. News & World Report listings for liberal arts colleges. Colorado College is affiliated with the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. Most sports teams are in the NCAA Division III, with the exception of Division I teams in men's hockey and women's soccer. Colorado College was founded in 1874 on land designated by U.S. Civil War veteran General William Jackson Palmer, the founder of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and of Colorado Springs. Founder Thomas Nelson Haskell, described it as a coeducational liberal arts college in the tradition of Oberlin College in Ohio. Like many U.S.