Published: Sept. 1, 2016 By

Eric Gershon

Eric Gershon

About half of all CU Boulder alumni live in Colorado, no surprise for a flagship public university in a thriving, scenic part of our country. Many alums started in Colorado and stayed, others sank roots after graduation, won over by opportunity or the majesty of life in the Rockies.

The other half of our nearly 300,000 alumni spread and cluster around the United States primarily (see map, pages 21-22), but also in distant places and far corners of our vast world.

This issue takes you beyond Colorado and the domestic concerns of the United States. You’ll meet Gayle Smith (Engl’78), who leads the U.S. response to urgent humanitarian crises worldwide, and you’ll see Cuba up close in a photo essay by Glenn Asakawa (Jour’86). You’ll also see a global icon in CU headgear — the Dalai Lama came to campus in June.

Through your web of CU friends — past, present and future — the rest of the world is closer than you’d think.