CHAPTER 5: Accomplishment of Purposes

Key Strengths

• High-quality faculty. CU-Boulder faculty members possess outstanding professional and teaching credentials, receiving numerous internal and external awards and recognition.
• Interdisciplinary emphasis. The Boulder campus has built a reputation for its broad-gauge interdisciplinary focus, through such programs as the multidisciplinary centers and institutes and certificate programs.
• High external recognition. Many academic programs on campus have achieved widespread recognition for quality and innovation, as exemplified in numerous ranking systems.
• Commitment to excellence in teaching. The campus sets high standards for teaching, with clear expectations for teaching quality to be considered in decisions on hiring, salary, promotion, and tenure.
• Excellent federal funding. CU-Boulder faculty members have established an outstanding record for garnering competitive federal research contracts and grants over the past 10 years.
• Strong collaborations with federal laboratories. The campus’s location in proximity to several federal agencies has led to numerous extremely productive partnerships in research and education.
• Strong research in learning/cognitive processes and the role of technology. The campus is a leader in the study of information technology and in the application of cognitive processes to pedagogy.
• Extensive outreach effort. The campus engages in significant outreach activity in a broad array of disciplines over a wide geographic distribution. Long-standing relationships have developed between the campus and Colorado communities.

• Significant assessment activity. The campus’s commitment to assessment is exemplified by a well-established system of academic program review, a long-time series of student learning evaluations, and analyses of student feedback.