Faculty Community Building

Faculty SPACE

Shared Perspectives and Community Engagement, or SPACE sponsors community-building events for faculty throughout the academic year. Faculty SPACE is held monthly throughout the year in locations across the CU Boulder campus, where faculty meet up over breakfast, lunch, happy hour, or campus walks. SPACE is faculty-initiated and faculty-led, with the support of the Office of Faculty Affairs.

Be engaged. Be inspired. Be connected.

Learn More About Faculty SPACE

Faculty offices, labs, conference rooms, and lounges are spaces that generally reinforce silos rather than transcending them, as these are associated with individual faculty, units, or schools rather than faculty as such. The result of this separation is that few opportunities exist for interaction among faculty across the Boulder campus. The continuing expansion of the university to the East Campus and potentially to the South Campus adds further complications in bringing faculty together.

As part of the effort to bridge these gaps and build a greater sense of faculty community, the Faculty Leadership Institute (FLI), with support from the Provost initiated the Shared Perspectives and Community Engagement (SPACE) project and to ensure its continuation SPACE is now managed by the Office of Faculty Affairs. The basis of the effort is the idea that these events bring faculty together regularly and build the community that many feel is lacking on the campus.

We acknowledge the original Faculty SPACE planning committee, who began this community-building effort: Tiffany Beechy, Paul Chinowsky, Ginger Ferguson, David Hekman, Mark Hoefer, Heather Lewandowski, Shelly Miller, Rebecca Safran, Steve Vanderheiden, Gabby Wiersma, and Phoebe Young. Learn more about SPACE in Shelly Miller's interview with CU Boulder Today and the grassroots effort to create a community-building series inviting faculty and instructors to gather and discuss topics they care about.

If you would like to be involved, bookmark this page to see our upcoming events, and contact Sam Boyd, Faculty Fellow for Faculty SPACE for more information.

Faculty SPACE thanks the following partners for their co-sponsorship of the AY 2024-25 events: Research & Innovation Office, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Engineering & Applied Science, College of Media, Communication & Information, University Libraries, Leeds School of Business, Fiske Planetarium, Department of Environmental Studies, Department of Physics, and the Office of the Chancellor.

International Faculty

Open to all faculty, Faculty Affairs’ international faculty programming aims to foster a vibrant and inclusive community that celebrates global perspectives, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and empowers international faculty. We host an exciting lineup of events throughout the academic year. From lively social hours to networking luncheons and insightful discussions on topics unique to our international faculty, these events are designed to foster connection, collaboration, and community.

Join our international faculty listserv to be notified of Faculty Affairs programming that welcomes all faculty who identify as international, regardless of formal visa or citizenship status. Whether you bring an international faculty friend from your department, or come alone, you will find a friendly group of international faculty who may have many experiences in common with you.

Questions? Contact Nathalie Vriend, Faculty Fellow.

Women+ Faculty

We are committed to the advancement and professional development of women+ faculty on the Boulder campus. Each year, OFA will bring women+ faculty together regularly and provide more opportunities to build the community that many feel is lacking on the campus. We host events twice a semester, with the intention of building campus connections across colleges, disciplines, and ranks. The language “Women+” indicates that these events are open to all and oriented for women, non-binary, and genderqueer faculty.

Questions? Contact Michaele Ferguson, Faculty Fellow.

Faculty of Color & Friends

The Office of Faculty Affairs is proud to partner with the campus' Faculty of Color and Friends Affinity Group to hold community-building events for all faculty, with particular focus on our CU Boulder faculty of color. For example, an annual welcome and recognition luncheon is held every fall semester to welcome new faculty and to celebrate faculty who have achieved significant career milestones.

Questions? Email OFAFDS@Colorado.EDU.