Dear CU Boulder community,
As the official start of summer approaches, and with it many welcome routines, turmoil and uncertainty continue to confront us across the nation and world. There are weighty issues in the public conversation—including racism, gun violence, abortion, immigration, inflation and the right to free and fair elections—that will impact all of us in the coming months and beyond.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue nearly 30 decisions this month, as it wraps up the term. The ramifications of some of the court’s decisions could be significant, opening the door to the retrenchment of both long-held and more recently recognized individual rights. The decisions will likely exacerbate deep fissures in our society even while other important debates are occurring in Colorado and across the country. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say the upcoming rulings and broader debates impact all of us, and any setback of individual rights poses a threat to our nation’s fragile democracy.
It’s important to recognize that these issues impact groups and individuals in different ways. As a university, we often have not included all perspectives in our conversations. And I cannot presume to know how upcoming societal changes might affect each of you personally. However, I can commit to ensuring that CU Boulder will remain true to its core mission and values as a leading public research university by playing our unique role in sustaining a healthy democracy.
Our mission supports and leverages world-class study, research and debate around our nation’s priorities, values and ideals. In addition to our June 28 webinar on gun violence and public health impacts, we are planning other programming in which our faculty and community can share expertise and engage in crucial informed discussions. While we navigate these topics, I encourage you to explore the links below to public scholarship and campus resources.
I hope you all take care of yourselves and each other, and I look forward to seeing everyone back on campus in August.
Sincerely,
Philip DiStefano
Chancellor
