One of the most influential Jan Plan programs \u2014 for both the students and faculty involved \u2014 was led by Professor of Astronomy, Anthropology, and Native American Studies Anthony Aveni (now emeritus). During the Jan Plan program and subsequently, Aveni coordinated approximately 30 van trips to Mexico, introducing students to ancient Mesoamerican architecture and astronomy on-site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI could sense the excitement of young people in a new place, most of them independent of their families for the first time,\u201d Aveni wrote in his 2014 book, Class Not Dismissed<\/em>, of the first group he brought to Mexico City. \u201cThey were eager to explore, to see things, and to encounter new experiences for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the spirit of Colgate\u2019s conversion to a coeducational university, Aveni\u2019s trips incorporated female students as soon as 1970.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlong the way, we had priceless opportunities to meet and talk with scholars in Mexico and countless culinary adventures that sometimes resulted in Montezuma’s revenge,\u201d Jill Seyfarth \u201979 remarked in a submission to the Bicentennial site, Colgate at 200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other departments, students and faculty explored a range of projects during Jan Plan, including the study of classical art, chemistry, woodworking, multicultural literature, and genetics. \u201cWhat\u2019s more, the experience was ungraded, just pass-fail,\u201d says Aveni. \u201cSo a science student who wondered what it would be like to write a novel or a humanities student with a desire to learn what goes on in a chemistry lab could indulge in their curiosities without fear of penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the Jan Plan program formally ended in 1988, stretching the academic calendar back to a 16-week schedule, tenets of the program still remain a part of Colgate\u2019s Core. Opportunities for extended and independent study retain the spirit of Jan Plan without breaking the conventions of the academic calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his 1969 book, A History of Colgate University<\/em>, former University Archivist Howard D. Williams underscores the impact of this program: \u201cThe University\u2019s historian of the future may well evaluate this period as one which saw the most rapid and far-reaching changes of any of the institution\u2019s entire development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Students](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/01\/lectureone31-1-1024x699.jpg\")
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