Love and appreciation filled CU Boulder’s ornate Macky Auditorium when the School of Education hosted its first in-person graduation since 2019, a welcome change after virtual celebrations that followed COVID-19 health guidelines for the past two years.
One of the school’s most cherished events, graduation featured accomplished undergraduate and graduate student speakers, and it offered 2022 graduates the opportunity to take part in the tradition of crossing the stage to cheers and applause from loved ones. Graduates from 2020 and 2021 were also invited back to the in-person event following their virtual celebrations, and 630 supporters joined via livestream.
The 2021–22 academic year offered a renewed sense of togetherness, including other in-person gatherings, such as faculty, staff and student retreats to kick off the year, a Homecoming open house showcasing the school’s new campus building in the fall, and a regional conference for Latinx youth called Latinos in Action in May.
Other events that were typically offered only in person have expanded access for alumni and friends to engage online, such as the Children’s Book Festival and Ed Talks, the school’s signature TED-Talks-inspired series about pressing issues in education. Moving forward, hybrid online/in-person offerings may provide new ways to stay connected.
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Student projects to counter movements restricting teaching about race, gender identity, sexual orientation and more
Over the summer, 22 doctoral students answered the call to design and lead summer grant projects that address growing movements to ban race-conscious curricula, limit teaching about LGBTQ lives, compel teachers to teach white-centric versions of history and more.
A committee of faculty and graduate students who were focused on expanding the school’s diversity and equity curricula launched the grant initiative to learn from and with students. The committee intended to fund three to five projects with $3,000 to $12,500, depending on project size and scope, only to be overwhelmed by the depth of the proposals.
With topics ranging from “Examining Student-led Resistance to Oppressive Education Policies” to “Surviving and Thriving: A Collective Inquiry into How Higher Ed Critical Race Scholars Are Handling In-person and Digital Attacks on CRT Nationwide,” all 11 projects were selected and supported.
Each project is designed to be conducted or initiated in the summer, although many will continue into the fall and spring.
“This is one concrete way to address just a few of the injustices in our communities and schools,” Dean Kathy Schultz said. “We are so excited to learn with the students and their colleagues.”
