The ATLAS Institute is—first and foremost—a community, and a strong commitment to this community is at the heart of our continued success. We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive learning, teaching, research and working environment for all students, faculty, staff and guests. 

To grow and succeed as an institute for radical creativity and invention, diversity at every level of teaching, learning and research is essential. 

We recognize that our work in teaching, research, creativity and scholarship, along with our service and community partnerships, take place in a social context that has a long history of injustice and inequity. Through our work we are committed to contributing to addressing these issues.  

We are happy that our academic programs have attracted a student body that is more diverse in race and ethnicity than the campus as a whole, that campus surveys show our climate is positive and respectful of individuals, and that more than 50 percent of our students and faculty identify as female or non-binary, which is exceptionally high among engineering programs. 

At the same time, we aim to do more, as reflected in these goals from our 2025 strategic plan:

  • Maintain and further develop our positive social and professional climate, ensuring that we provide a safe and inclusive learning and working environment. Recognize that members of groups under-represented in academia bear additional burden and labor, and seek to recognize and support these members of our student body and faculty.
  • Foster a more demographically diverse ATLAS community that reflects the diversity of the United States population by: 

(1) engaging diverse CU students, including building relationships with student groups,

(2) engaging teachers at high schools and community colleges serving minority students to recruit for our undergraduate programs, 

(3) participating in recruiting events for graduate students from minority-serving colleges and marginalized STEM organizations, and 

(4) facilitating access for students from underserved backgrounds (low-socioeconomic status, first-generation students, underrepresented racial/ethinic minorities, LGBTQIA+).

  • We shall leverage opportunities to connect with faculty and students of color, as well as disabled and deaf and hard-of-hearing faculty and students, including through the B2 Center for Media, Arts & Performance.
  • Establish greater clarity in faculty roles, fostering professional development and leadership for all faculty members.  

To achieve these goals, ATLAS particularly welcomes applications to our academic programs from students who will broaden the diversity—in every dimension—of our undergraduate and graduate community. And we continue to be introspective as a community, soliciting ideas to enhance inclusivity and welcome difference.

University of Colorado Boulder Land Acknowledgment

The University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado’s flagship university, honors and recognizes the many contributions of Indigenous peoples in our state. CU Boulder acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute and many other Native American nations. Their forced removal from these territories has caused devastating and lasting impacts. While the University of Colorado Boulder can never undo or rectify the devastation wrought on Indigenous peoples, we commit to improving and enhancing engagement with Indigenous peoples and issues locally and globally.

 We will do this by:

  • Recognizing and amplifying the voices of Indigenous CU Boulder students, staff and faculty and their work. 
  • Educating, conducting research, supporting student success and integrating Indigenous knowledge.
  • Consulting, engaging and working collaboratively with tribal nations to enhance our ability to provide access and culturally sensitive support and to recruit, retain and graduate Native American students in a climate that is inclusive and respectful.

Additional Resources

Learn more about CU Boulder's Land Acknowledgement and the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies

Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder Diversity Initiative

Learn more about The BOLD Center (Broadening Opportunities through Leadership and Diversity)