Wednesday 2026 Schedule

 

CWA 
Wednesday | April 15, 2026

Dive deeper into critical conversations and forward-thinking ideas, including the Sustainability Summit and a robust lineup of expert-led sessions. Please note: Schedule and programming are subject to change and will be updated regularly as details are finalized.

Recording links are now available for most panels and programming on our 2026 Schedule page and our YouTube Channel

Note: Recording links will be available indefinitely. 

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9:00 AM - 10:10 AM:

Flags, Borders and Belonging: The Politics of Nationalism
 

Description: 
How are countries protecting their national identity in an increasingly globalized world?

Location: Limelight Flatiron 1

Speakers: 
Dr. Ruth Alminas
Ernesto Araújo
Joe Cirincione
Natasha Lindstaedt 


Moderator: 
Luca Vincenzo Scuriatti

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/5rYFslX4Q88?feature=share 

Art in the Open: A Catalyst for Community
 

Description: 
How public art can foster connection and spark dialogue.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 3

Speakers: 
Guillermo Galena Galindo
Seth Shafer 
Lynn Warshafsky 

Moderator: 
Melissa Fathman

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/DdSMik4-pJ0?feature=share 

Africa: Opportunity in the World's Richest Continent
 

Description: 
How is the the world of international business reshaping the African continent?

Location: Limelight Flatiron 2

Speakers: 
Aboubakr Jamai Berraoui
Azadeh Khalili
Luvuyo Rani 
Lizzy Shackelford

Moderator:
Erick Mueller

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/Wi2qHNw_PH4?feature=share 

150th: From Cadet Corps to Space Force: CU Boulder’s Military Legacy
 

Description: 
From cadet training to connections with the U.S. Space Force, our military legacy has influenced campus life and generations of Buffs who have served.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 4

Speakers: 
CAPT (ret) Stew Elliott 
Capt Jorge Cervantes
Lt Gen (ret) David S. Nahom
Maj Daniel Vancil III
 

Moderator:
Cadet Nicole Schmoll

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/aqXWuAjBEaw?feature=share 

11:15 AM - 12:25 PM:

AI Wild West – Who is in Charge?
 

Description: 
Examine who holds AI responsibility and how policy, institutions and public trust are evolving as the rules continue to take shape.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 1

Speakers: 
Asher Jay
Sofia Romansky 
Sheila Warren 
Ling Xin 

Moderator: 
Kayleigh Bishop

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/HIU_Bg8IvPE?feature=share 

Population Decline: Crisis or Cure?
 

Description: 
How will plummeting birth rates impact the future of human society?

Location: Limelight Flatiron 3

Speakers: 
Kevin Kuruc
Nalini Nadkarni
Dr. Leslie Root
Lizzy Shackelford

Moderator:
Professor Jane Menken

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/HTJ1xrdwBJ0?feature=share 

Occupied States of America: Balancing Power and Civil Liberties 


Description: 
When domestic tranquility becomes state-sanctioned chaos, what do para-military and military presence in cities cost the American people? 

Location: Limelight Flatiron 2

Speakers: 
Charlotte Clymer
Major General (Ret) Bob Latiff 
Dr. Natasha Lindstaedt
Benjamin R. Teitelbaum

Moderator:
Georgia Butcher

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/TxDqlUjDyxY?feature=share 

Trad Wives and the Conservative Movement
 

Description: 
Women's perspectives on rising conservatism and how it's shaping feminism.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 4

Speakers: 
Hadley Manning
Hadar Harris
Cynthia James 

Moderator: 
Soledad Diaz

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/UIwuvTNQaTI?feature=share 

1:00 PM - 2:10 PM:

Why We Need to Preserve Independent Cinema
 

Description: 
A discussion with leading curators and archivists on the challenges of saving indie films and the social and historical benefits for doing so.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 3

Speakers: 
Maya S. Cade
Sandra Schulberg 

Moderator: 
Dr. Andy Uhrich

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/FC3FSvgcRgU?feature=share 

New World, New Arsenal
 

Description: 
How new defense technology is redefining the future of conflict, who holds power and what else is at stake for humanity.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 1

Speakers: 
Joe Cirincione
Major General (Ret) Bob Latiff 
Ken Liu
Sofia Romansky

Moderator: 
Ariel Conn

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/0bSQzD7LzLg?feature=share 

2:30 PM - 3:40 PM:

Buy Now, Pay Forever: The Financial Traps Facing Young People
 

Description: 
From buy-now-pay-later and crypto to sports betting and prediction markets, what is the impact of modern financial traps targeting young people?

Location: Limelight Flatiron 1

Speakers: 
Diana Moss
Diane Hirschhorn
Carl Quintanilla

Moderator: 
Dennis Paul

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/eEJ-S2YjClg?feature=share 

Empowering Citizens: Civic Education, Information and YOU
 

Description: 
How do we equip citizens to understand, assert and defend their rights in a divided, anti-intellectual era?

Location: Limelight Flatiron 2

Speakers: 
Devon Gray
Hadar Harris
Jaisal Noor 
Ellen Weintraub 

Moderator: 
Jan Burton

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/xd5IU76eY04?feature=share 

From Rubble to Reconstruction: What Comes Next?
 

Description: 
How societies coming out of a period of violent conflict can recover and rebuild successful governments.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 4

Speakers: 
Meghna Guhathakurta
Laura I Harder
John Heffernan 
Luvuyo Rani 

Moderator:
Dr. Ruth Alminas

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/FJK2lRe-GZM?feature=share 

Rewriting the Historical Narrative with Artifacts in Art
 

Description: 
How have artists used and transformed cultural objects from the past and present to tell powerful, visual stories?

Location: Limelight Flatiron 3

Speakers: 
Guillermo Galena Galindo
Pushpamala N 

Moderator: 
Nancy J. Stevens

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/CQOzAGEbDxY?feature=share 

4:00 PM - 5:10 PM:

Risk-y Business: The Strategic Game of Geopolitical Conquests
 

Description: 
Examine how shifting global power dynamics affect security, economies and everyday life, and why it matters now more than ever.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 1

Speakers: 
Ernesto Araújo
Paul Bierman
Dr. Meghna Guhathakurta 

Moderator: 
Dr. Mathias Nordvig

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/gDhhW1ryhuA?feature=share 

Young, Wild & Free: How to Find your Niche and Build your Career
 

Description: 
How younger generations can create new opportunities for themselves and make a difference in the world.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 2

Speakers: 
Devon Gray
Asher Jay
Alexa Mohsenzadeh 
Dr. Scott Sherman

Moderator: 
Jessi Follet

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/Uo9I8wq2arE?feature=share 

From Headlines to Hashtags: Who gets to be a Journalist?
 

Description: 
In an age when everyone can have a platform, how can audiences separate fact from viral spectacle?

Location: Limelight Flatiron 3

Speakers: 
Charlotte Clymer
Carine Hajjar
Jaisal Noor 

Moderator:
John Masulit

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/LIyiXrmHLqM?feature=share 

150th: Shaping a Sustainable World: How Buffs Have Enabled Global Impact
 

Description: 
Buffs have built a strong foundation for a more sustainable future and continue to drive global impact and lead what comes next.

Location: Limelight Flatiron 4

Speakers: 
Sean Benjamin
Joe Hartter
Colleen Scanlan Lyons
Will Toor
 

Moderator:
Andrew Mayock

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/XJREp_G_iHA?feature=share 

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Sundance Film Festival is coming to Colorado. Now what?
 

Description: 
Join host Ryan Warner (Colorado Public Radio) for a conversation on the future of film and independent storytelling. Featuring producer and Sundance Institute board member Gigi Pritzker, filmmaker Lulu Wang, and CU Boulder Cinema Studies.

Followed by a free screening of Lulu Wang’s film, The Farewell, at the International Series at Muenzinger Auditorium!

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Location: Limelight Flatiron 1

Speakers: 
Gigi Pritzker
Lulu Wang
Kate Yezzi

Moderator: 
Ryan Warner

Recording Link:
https://youtube.com/live/kNecQEocnNc?feature=share