Editor’s note: This is part of a series of updates on campuswide diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that will continue throughout the year.
Academic and administrative planning units continue to develop action plans, and UndocuAlly sessions are scheduled through July. Read about these updates and more.
Campus units continue work to implement diversity, equity and inclusion action plans
Academic and administrative planning units on campus—a total of 36—continued their work this spring to develop action plans to improve student, staff and faculty outcomes in their respective areas.
The broad intent of the action planning is to promote greater diversity, equity and inclusion and to further support the academic, research and career success of students, staff and faculty. The plans include specific goals for eliminating barriers that disproportionately affect people with minoritized identities, impacting their achievement, safety and sense of community.
Unit leaders from CU Boulder’s colleges, schools, programs and administrative offices are working closely with staff consultants from the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to implement the plans during the 2023–24 academic year.
“It’s uplifting and exciting to see the ideas and efforts underway to make this work a reality at CU Boulder,” said Sonia DeLuca Fernández, senior vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion. “While a lot of this work is in progress, and several units have pending plans, I encourage campus leaders to stay the course with their efforts to make meaningful change in support of the success and well-being of students, staff and faculty.”
To date, more than two dozen units have submitted plans focused on specific actions guided by five overarching goals to achieve desired outcomes with the goal of addressing challenges that are hampering the campus’s ability to sustain a more inclusive community. The units began the action planning process in spring 2022, tapping into the results of the 2021 Campus Culture Survey and other resources to develop unique plans.
Current and prospective students, faculty and staff and the public are encouraged to track the progress CU Boulder is making with these efforts by visiting the Action Planning Status webpage. After the units have implemented their plans, assessment information will also be posted on this site, giving the campus insight into unit success stories, outcomes and recommendations for improvement.
Affinity, other graduation ceremonies taking place in May
CU Boulder students who will graduate this semester are invited to participate in the university’s spring commencement at Folsom Field and to celebrate their academic achievements in other ways among family and friends, including affinity graduation ceremonies and those hosted by departments, schools and colleges.
The campus will host dozens of commencement-related events May 11–13, including 11 affinity ceremonies sponsored by the Alumni Association, campus groups, alumni clubs and the Center for Inclusion and Social Change in the Division of Student Affairs.
More complete information about all of this spring’s graduation ceremonies can be found on the campus’s official commencement website.
UndocuAlly sessions scheduled for May, June and July
The Center for Inclusion and Social Change has announced its summer schedule of UndocuAlly sessions for faculty and staff. The two-hour sessions are also open to students with administrative, professional or teaching roles on campus.
Intended to help the campus better support undocumented students and to create a more welcoming campus environment, the sessions will increase participants’ understanding of relevant terminology and the makeup of the undocumented community.
Participants will also learn more about the history of immigration to the United States; about the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Colorado’s Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) programs, as well as how they impact CU Boulder students; and about the challenges, opportunities and campus resources for undocumented students.
The schedule for summer sessions is:
- May 18, 10 a.m.–noon via Zoom. Please register by noon May 17.
- June 20, 1–3 p.m. via Zoom. Please register by noon June 19.
- July 19, noon–2 p.m. via Zoom. Please register by noon July 18.
In case you missed it
- Panel explores human rights impacts of climate change, ways to move forward collectively
- Chili peppers more deeply rooted in Colorado than previously thought
- World’s largest grammar database reveals accelerating loss of language diversity
- Tribal language in film speaks history out loud
- Why is Passover different from all other nights?
Sustaining our practice of inclusion
Campus efforts and investments to address pressing and painful inequities at CU Boulder are only a beginning. Creating a culture of belonging will take each member of our community practicing sustained personal work to truly embrace and support diverse perspectives and intersectional identities in our community.
During the current academic year, Chancellor Philip DiStefano and other campus leaders urge every member of our community to join in learning more about diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism and to work continuously together to address these challenges more actively and in ways that can help authentically transform our campus culture in the coming year.
Campus resources
- CU Boulder Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Website: Find more information about the campus’s work to create and sustain a more inclusive campus community and explore the results of the 2021 Campus Culture Survey.
- Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS): Provides a focal point for Black community and culture at CU Boulder and a multipurpose space where scholars, students, artists, activists and allies come together to study Africa, African Americans, and the African diaspora. Subscribe to the center’s newsletter to learn more.
- Center for Asian Studies: Strives to be a space of community, curiosity and respectful engagement with Asia, views the area studies endeavor as a necessary yet distinct complement to disciplinary knowledge, and recognizes the historic and geographic centrality that Asia has and continues to play in the human venture.
- Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS): Promotes collaborative research focusing on local and global Indigenous knowledge and fosters projects that aspire to open conversations in Colorado and the world.
- Center for Teaching and Learning: Offers programs focused on creating inclusive classrooms and supports CU’s community of educators through free consultations, teaching resources, programs, seminars, workshops and other events.
- CU Boulder History Project: Seeks to share CU Boulder’s history based on intersectional perspectives to demonstrate our commitment to inclusive excellence and to deepen our institutional memory.
- Latin American Studies Center: Provides an institutional space for research, teaching and discussion on Latin America and Latinx/Latina/Latino studies.
- Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement: Supports programming, events and campus wide initiatives for students, faculty and staff that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Subscribe to the office’s newsletter to learn more.
- Research and Innovation Office (RIO): Offers resources focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion in research and innovation.
- University Libraries: Provides a rich assortment of diverse reading materials and other resources, events and initiatives for students, faculty, staff, alumni and Colorado residents.
