History

Eleanor Roosevelt speaking to CU students during the Conference on World Affairs in 1955.

Originally founded in 1948 as a forum on international affairs, the Conference on World Affairs offered a week of panel discussions open to students and the public, without charge, featuring thought leaders from around the world. The CWA expanded rapidly in its early years to encompass the arts, media, science, diplomacy, technology, environment, spirituality, politics, business, medicine, human rights, and more.

Roger Ebert, who participated in the CWA for four decades, always referred to the CWA as "the Conference on Everything Conceivable." Each year in early April, speakers and performers are invited to exchange ideas in a variety of panels and performances to create an annual week-long community of learning.