On Friday, June 8, Colby-Sawyer College President Susan D. Stuebner presented the 2018 Town Award to Mount Sunapee Resort during the spring meeting of the President’s Community Forum. The Town Award is presented annually to an area resident or organization who has demonstrated extraordinary involvement in, and made noteworthy contributions to, the college.

The college honored Mount Sunapee Resort with the award for its significant contributions to the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee region for the past 70 years, as well as for its collaboration with the college in hosting the championship Men’s and Women’s Alpine Team as their training facility; supporting the college in its efforts to provide free skiing and riding to all students; and helping students gain valuable professional experience through internship opportunities.

Mount Sunapee’s Director of Marketing Megan Burch ’01, an Elkins resident who studied exercise and sport science at Colby-Sawyer, and Kurt Wehde, a Newbury resident and the resort’s digital content manager, accepted the award.

“Mount Sunapee is tremendously honored to have received the Town Award,” Burch said. “Community is invaluable to us, and our relationship with Colby-Sawyer and other local businesses will always be a priority in order to get students and families outdoors enjoying activities year-round at Mount Sunapee.”

Since the mountain opened in December 1948 with three trails, Mount Sunapee has been a favorite destination for New Englanders. Today, they continue to offer family-friendly, big-mountain skiing on 66 trails served by 10 lifts covering more than 1,500 vertical feet. During the 2017-18 season, 218 Colby-Sawyer students made 1,036 trips to Mount Sunapee to take advantage of the free passes offered by the college.

“Our students, faculty and staff who enjoy all that Mount Sunapee Resort has to offer year-round join with generations of New London-area residents who have benefited from having this gem in our backyard,” President Stuebner said during the award presentation. “As the resort continues to celebrate its 70th season of operation, Colby-Sawyer is proud to present the annual Town Award to Mount Sunapee.”