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�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder was established in 1876 on land taken from Indigenous peoples, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute, who lived on and stewarded the Boulder Valley for generations before their forced removal. Today, the university formally recognizes this history through its land acknowledgment, which names these nations and acknowledges that their displacement has had “devastating and lasting impacts.” This statement connects the university’s founding to an ongoing responsibility to engage with Indigenous communities and histories.

Source: �鶹��Ѱ�����Land Acknowledgement
Photo credit: Traditional territory map data provided by . Used with permission for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Long before the university was founded, Boulder’s landscape was reshaped by water. Beginning in 1859, irrigation ditches diverted Boulder Creek across the valley, transforming semi-arid prairie into arable land. When Boulder leaders campaigned to bring the state university here in the 1870s, access to reliable water was a decisive advantage. Ditch shares were offered as part of the incentive, ensuring that a future campus could be irrigated, planted and maintained in an otherwise dry landscape. The familiar features of �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder today—tree-lined quads, lawns and shaded walkways—are rooted in this earlier transformation. They are not natural to the place, but made possible by a 19th-century system of water diversion that still underlies the campus.

Source: ��and
Photo credit: The Anderson Ditch stock certificate, February 7, 1888. �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

In 1902, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s natural history museum began not as a formal institution, but as an effort to bring together scattered scientific collections across the university. Appointed curator without pay, Junius Henderson worked with faculty to organize a small assortment of fossils, shells, rocks and mounted animals into a single collection. By 1909, the university formalized the effort as a department, marking a shift from informal collecting to a structured approach to studying and preserving the region’s natural and cultural record. The Museum is one of �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder's 12 research institutes, and a global leader in the study of evolutionary innovation and ecosystem connections across the planet.

Source: �鶹��Ѱ�����Museum of Natural History
Photo credit: William "Bill" Weber in the University of Colorado Herbarium collection, 1984. Photo by Jerry Stowall, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

In 1908, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder established an early field station near Tolland, where faculty and students left the classroom to study geology, plants and ecosystems directly in the Rocky Mountains. Led by professor Frances Ramaley, these field courses marked a shift toward hands-on environmental science, treating mountains, watersheds and alpine ecosystems as living laboratories.

Source: Mountain Research Station
Photo credit: Transportation outside the mess hall, Summer 1946. Photo from the Theodora "Theo" Bird scrapbook, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

In 1910, a red sunflower growing wild in Boulder caught the attention of Wilmatte Porter Cockerell and her husband, Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell, a professor at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder. Drawing on their scientific training, they cultivated and cross-pollinated the plant, stabilizing its unusual color and introducing it to seed companies. What began as a local discovery became a globally distributed plant. Today, the university continues this legacy through the University Libraries’ One Seed Program, which shares red sunflower seeds and invites the campus community to grow a living piece of this history.

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Photo credit: Photo by Alex Mandrila, �鶹��Ѱ�����.

In 1917, as the university committed itself to the war effort, female students stepped up to form the university branch of the Red Cross. Created in November and ran out of Macky, their main duty was sewing thousands of surgical dressings to meet quotas for evacuation and base hospitals, producing 55,000 in total. Over 265 women committed 6-12 hours per week, and it was reportedly the biggest and most productive university branch of the Red Cross. They greatly contributed to the Boulder chapter, which received outstanding praise from the department headquarters as a leading unit in the nation. More than a century later, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder continues its partnership with the American Red Cross. In 2026, the Division of Employee Health and Well-Being launched a campus safety initiative to expand training and emergency preparedness resources for faculty and staff—extending a legacy of community care and response from wartime service to everyday readiness.

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Photo credit: Corner of Senate Room in Macky Auditorium used by University Chapter of American Red Cross, April 1918. The Colorado Alumnus. �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

As many American universities embraced Collegiate Gothic architecture, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder chose a different path. Under President George Norlin, the university committed to a unified campus vision that responded to Colorado’s landscape. Beginning with a 1918 master plan by architect Charles Klauder, �鶹��Ѱ�����adopted a Tuscan Vernacular style—defined by locally quarried sandstone, red tile roofs and forms suited to climate and setting. The result was a cohesive campus identity shaped as much by environment as by design.

Source: �鶹��Ѱ�����Klauder Years
Photo credit: Center for Community in front of the Flatirons on the �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder campus May 2024. Photo by Glenn J. Asakawa, University of Colorado.

During World War I, the Spanish influenza emerged as the first modern pandemic. The first local cases of influenza were recorded at �鶹��Ѱ�����on September 19, 1918, brought by Student Army Training Corps (SATC) soldiers from Montana. Infections spread quickly on campus, in Boulder, and throughout the county. Fraternity houses and campus buildings became makeshift hospitals and recovery wards, while the University Hospital handled cases from both the campus and the town. Boulder's medical staff was overwhelmed. On October 7, the town was placed under quarantine, followed by a week later. On November 11, 1918, the day the war ended, the quarantine was lifted and classes resumed. By that time, Boulder had recorded over 1,200 cases of influenza, with 64 deaths, including 18 university students and one professor. Nationally, it's estimated that the pandemic caused over 300,000 deaths. More than a century later, in 2020, Boulder found itself under quarantine once again, relearning the lessons from 1918.

Source: College of Arts and Sciences Magazine
Photo credit: Montana men’s open-air SATC tent camp, 1918. Photo by Edwin Tangen, Carnegie Library for Local History/Museum of Boulder Collection.

Originally named “United Nations Week” and initiated by Professor Howard Higman in 1946, the first Conference on World Affairs took place in the spring of 1948. The weeklong conference gives students an opportunity to interact with academics, leaders, innovators and experts. As international matters and politics have shifted over the last 78 years, so have discussions and presentations on world-shaping issues. Some significant topics over the years include: the South African Apartheid, Nazi trials, the space race with the Soviets, abortion, the Arab Israeli conflict and women’s liberation. Some historically notable speakers include Eleanor Roosevelt (1955), Henry Kissinger (1961), Joe Biden (2007) and Cynthia Erivo (2025). This year’s conference will feature Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, along with speakers representing more than 10 countries around the globe. The conference is completely free and open to both students and the public.

Source: Conference on World Affairs
Photo credit: Flags for Every Nation, 1950s. Daily Camera Collection, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

In 1948, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder established what would become the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, beginning as the Upper Air Laboratory. Using instruments launched on surplus World War II rockets, researchers began measuring the upper atmosphere and solar radiation at unprecedented heights. These efforts—shaped by wartime technologies and federal partnerships—positioned �鶹��Ѱ�����at the forefront of atmospheric and space science.

Source:
Photo credit: Some of the founding members of the Upper Air Laboratory at �鶹��Ѱ�����and an ogive that was produced for the two unknown scientists standing at the far right. .

In 1950, �鶹��Ѱ�����law student Luis Rovira initiated legal proceedings on behalf of Jamaican graduate student Edward E. Johnson against Fred Hall, the owner of the Buff Barber Shop. Hall had refused service to Johnson twice, arguing that serving Black customers would harm his business. This sparked an outcry from the Silver and Gold student newspaper, which reported on the story and refused all advertisements from Hall’s barbershop. In response, several student groups, including the Associated Students of the University of Colorado (ASUC), supported the formation of a student-led human rights committee to fundraise for legal proceedings and organize a boycott of Hall’s shop. Although the court never reached a decision in the case, the pressure from the boycott and the involvement of students and Boulder residents ultimately compelled Hall and all barbers in Boulder to implement a non-discrimination policy. Rovira later described the case as “losing to win.”

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Photo credit: 1300 block of College Avenue, 1952. The Buff Barber Shop, at 1317 College, is seen just to the right of the Shoe Box and Squire Shop. Carnegie Library for Local History.

Dr. Oakleigh Thorne II is a �鶹��Ѱ����� alum whose early interest in biology shaped a lifelong career in environmental education and conservation. He attended �鶹��Ѱ�����in the 1950s where he began to explore the ways people connected with nature. As a graduate student he founded Thorne Films that produced educational videos for classrooms across the U.S. to teach kids about wildlife and ecology. In 1954 he took wildlife education to a new level and established the Thorne Ecological Institute in Boulder to provide a hands-on learning environment. Over the following decades, Thorne became a central figure in Boulder’s conservation movement, and he helped advocate for the preservation of natural areas around Boulder. Through his educational programs and leadership, he has inspired many students in the ecological stewardship of the world around them.

Source:
Photo credit: Dr. Oakleigh Thorne in the field. Thorne Nature Experience.

Since its founding in 1960, the National Center for Atmospheric Research has anchored Boulder as a global hub for climate and atmospheric science, linking �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder with federal agencies and a national network of researchers. Managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and funded by the National Science Foundation, NCAR represents a model of large-scale, collaborative science. Today, that model is under threat. The current federal administration has proposed dismantling or relocating NCAR, prompting lawsuits, public opposition and a formal response from �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder. University leaders argue that breaking up the lab would fracture one of the world’s most concentrated atmospheric research ecosystems, and have proposed taking on a larger role in operating the center to keep it in Boulder.

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Photo credit: North side of the Engineering Center with the Flatirons and NCAR visible in the background. �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

The United Mexican American Students (UMAS) of Boulder was founded in 1968 to promote student activism and scholarship within the Chicano communities of Colorado. However, the group began to strain under the management of the University-appointed directors. Joe Franco and Paul Acosta. UMAS expressed concerns about Franco and Acosta’s frequent absences from important advisory tasks and meetings, misappropriation of funds and outright refusal to participate in picket marches supporting the group. In response, 12 Chicano students and dozens of supporters barricaded themselves inside the top floor of Temporary Building 1, demanding the resignation of both directors. The leaders communicated their demands to both the Student Government and the two accused and braced for police intervention. After multiple rounds of negotiation, several of which Franco failed to appear for, the Board of Regents and vice president Corbridge finally resolved the dispute. Franco and Acosta were placed on leave while an inquiry board investigated the allegations, ultimately leading to permanent removal.

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Photo credit: Small monument made in front of the TB-1 at the time of its occupation. “In Memory of the late UMAS program. Born: 1968, Died: 1974. Rest in Peace.” Photo by Keith Sealing, Colorado Daily. �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

In 1969, Sam Ichiye Hayakawa, San Francisco State University President, was slated to speak at Macky Auditorium regarding his opposition with Black Panthers, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and protests of the Vietnam War igniting one of the most volatile protests in campus history, exposing deep tensions over race, free speech, and who controls the university’s public voice. As Hayakawa’s speech began, almost 400 students protested. Hayakawa likened the protestors to Nazis and was said to have chanted “rats off campus.” Audience members threw chairs and rushed the stage. In the aftermath, Colorado House Republicans apologized, �鶹��Ѱ�����expelled two students, disaffiliated the SDS, and State criminal charges were filed and subsequently dismissed for six others. Hayakawa served six years in the US Senate and testified that Japanese American internment camps were a source of pride, highlighting his often-incendiary rhetoric throughout his career.

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Photo credit: Hayakawa poses for a photo before his speech, March 1969. Colorado Daily, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

As enrollment grew in the mid-20th century, demand for parking increased at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder, leading to the development of permits, pricing and enforcement systems to manage vehicle access. Campus planning documents identify parking as a persistent challenge—requiring significant space and financial investment while competing with other land uses. These pressures highlight an ongoing tradeoff between accommodating cars and preserving campus space.

Source: �鶹��Ѱ�����Task Force Master Plan
Photo credit: Campus map, with parking locations identified throughout campus.

In 1973, Vine Deloria Jr. published “God Is Red,” challenging dominant Western views of land, religion and science. Later a faculty member at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder, Deloria’s work—including “Red Earth, White Lies”—introduced Indigenous perspectives into debates about environment, knowledge and power, reshaping conversations around sustainability and stewardship.

Source: �鶹��Ѱ�����Law: Vine Deloria Jr.
Photo credit: Vine Deloria Jr., September 1990. Photo by Ken Abbott, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

In late 1977, a bill was introduced to the student government regarding allocation of a mandatory $1.60 activity fee included with tuition that provided funds for campus student groups. The proposed bill, EC-4, would give students a choice to fund those organizations or send it to student government institutions, like Wardenburg Health Center. This bill came after several attempts by the student government to strip funding of groups entirely. The bill's author and Tri-executive, Dan Caplis, came under fire from minority-rights organizations unified as the Coalition, remarking that it was an attempt to remove minorities from campus. These tensions culminated on September 29th, 1977, when the bill passed, despite an earlier veto. Violence broke out in response, leaving Caplis with a mild concussion and several others injured. Two students were later indicted for their role in the event.

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Photo credit: Students protest EC-4 bill in UMC fountain. October 8, 1977, Daily Camera, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

�鶹��Ѱ�����students have a long history of promoting environmentalism, which began with the creation of the �鶹��Ѱ�����Eco-Center in 1970. The student-run recycling program, the first in the nation, began on campus in 1976. Over the years, the initiative evolved to become what is now know as the Environmental Center, which expanded its projects to include a bus pass and bike program to reduce emissions, a composting program that drastically reduced waste, and roof solar cells across campus. During the 2000s, the Environmental Center experienced increased budgets and resources as well as new project considerations. In 2005, the Zero-Waste program was introduced, aiming for minimal waste on campus, and by 2008, the dining halls achieved zero waste. Additionally, the Athletic Department and Student Government committed to, and achieved, carbon neutrality by 2015. In recent years, the �鶹��Ѱ�����Environmental Center has continued to focus on these projects to create a better tomorrow through education and effort.

Source: E-center
Photo credit: A new array of solar panels installation. �鶹��Ѱ�����MEVN Sustainability.

In 1976, with a few bins in Baker Hall, the Eco-Center (now Environmental Center) initiated a student-led recycling program to reduce waste on campus. As climate consciousness grew alongside the counterculture movement in Boulder, the Eco-Center quickly evolved from a passion project into a national leader in waste reduction and economic sustainability. The Environmental Center hired Jack DeBell to head recycling in 1984, and he transformed the program into today’s award-winning standard. Within five years, recycling efforts significantly lowered the overall cost of waste disposal, and student participation in recycling surged. By the early 2000s, campus was saving a quarter million dollars annually, and a formal set of campus recycling guidelines was introduced. In 2005, the recycling program merged with the Zero-Waste program to enhance waste reduction efforts in a modern context.

Source: Recycle Program
Photo credit: Jack DeBell and Environmental Center staff sort through newspapers in the 1990s. Photo by Ken Abbott, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

The IBS Natural Hazards Center was founded in 1976 by world-renowned flood geographer, Dr. Gilbert White. Dr. White was called the “father of floodplain management,” received a National Medal of Science from NSF (and many other awards), and is memorialized along the Boulder Flood Creek. The Natural Hazards Center is the world’s clearinghouse on the social science of hazards and disasters and the place where researchers, practitioners and policymakers come together to enhance resilience and reduce vulnerability. The center has had consistent NSF support for its important role in supporting research and practice. In 2019, the center expanded via the initiative CONVERGE, another NSF-funded initiative expanding the network of scholars and practitioners.

Source:
Photo credit: Lori Peek, Natural Hazards Center director. �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Today.

While the first documented HIV death was in 1959, it wasn’t until that the U.S. AIDS epidemic, largely effecting the gay community, was recognized. By 1987, the Campus Press, a student-run newspaper, ran several articles on AIDS awareness and systems the University was implementing to halt its spread, including the creation of an AIDS Task Force. While response to educational AIDS workshops was good, overall, the student population wasn’t taking the disease seriously, mostly due to stigma surrounding it. In January 1988, the Buying and Contracting office began taking bids for condom vending machines in dorms to decrease the spread, despite the administration's initial opposition. The Dormitory Representative Council also attended educational programs on the topic, later offering classes to their dorm residents. �鶹��Ѱ�����continues to acknowledge and educate about the AIDS epidemic through A Day With(out) Art, hosted annually on December 1 in partnership with the Brakhage Center and Visual AIDS.

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Photo credit: World AIDS day display at the UMC, December 1995. Photo by Marc Killinger, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a federal law, prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in programs receiving federal funds. To comply with this law, classes were often moved to accessible buildings as accommodations for students who needed it. In 1987, Wynn Vaughn had a journalism course in the basement of Macky Auditorium. This class could not be accessed by those who, like Vaughn, were in a wheelchair due to the lack of a ramp or elevator in the building. As a required course for graduation, he had hoped that the university might relocate to an accessible building, which he was denied. When the time came to take the class, he was forced with the only choice to descend the staircase. He brought attention to the issue by inviting the press to witness as he crawled down the stairs, dragging his wheelchair behind him.

Source:
Photo credit: Wynn Vaughn. Photo by Emmett Jordan, Daily Camera, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

In 1992, a proposal was made to enact Amendment 2 into the Colorado constitution intending to ban anti-discriminatory protections based on sexual orientation statewide. Football coach Bill McCartney, made several public comments in favor of Amendment 2, drawing students and members of the �鶹��Ѱ�����community to protest in response, remarking that he was using his position with the University to push his personal religious beliefs and his views that homosexuality was an abomination. McCartney hosted his Promise Keepers events on campus, often at Folsom Field. University leadership under President Judith Albino clarified that his views did not represent institutional policy despite his platform and use of university resources. The amendment passed with 53% majority, earning Colorado the nickname the “Hate State;” however, it was never truly in effect and was struck down in May 1996 by the Colorado Supreme Court.

Source:
Photo credit: Patty Streat and Jabe Hickey, both of Niwot, hold signs urging opposition to Amendment 2. Photo by Nico Toutenhoofd, Daily Camera, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

In 1993, a task force on gay, lesbian and bisexual issues was created after a hostile climate was identified on campus following the passage of in Colorado. In 1995 a resource center was established and by 1996, Amendment 2 was struck down as unconstitutional and the center added transgender to its title, becoming the GLBT Resource Center. The center was housed in Willard Hall and provided information and referral services, programming advocacy for GLBT communities, a mentor program, student scholarships and networking opportunities. The GLBT Resource Center also hosted the GLBT Arts Festival, LesbiGayTrans Awareness Month and National Coming Out Day. Despite growing support for students through the center, it would not be until 2011 that the school’s nondiscrimination policies were updated to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Today, the GLBT Resource Center lives on in CU’s Pride Office, offering students assistance and knowledge about the LGBTQIA+ community.

Source: �鶹��Ѱ�����Pride Office
Photo credit: GLBT Resource Center working on the Ribbon Campaign for GLBT Awareness Month in October 2001. Colorado Daily, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center

In the 2000 Campus Master Plan, the �鶹��Ѱ�����Environmental Center (CUEC) alongside the city and RTD, highlighted a goal for population growth without increasing traffic by proposing more multi-occupancy vehicles on the road. Inspired by the huge success of the �鶹��Ѱ�����Bus Pass established in 1992, which allowed students to use certain RTD lines for free. By 2000, newly added routes were increasing ridership, which hit 1.5 million that year alone. While buses had become a standard around Boulder, there was still work to be done discouraging single-occupancy vehicles. After a failed vote for independent funding in 2004, the CUEC invested bus money to expand their bike program. This included the introduction of bike repair stations, massive increases in bike parking and bike registry. Currently, the bike program has focused on expanding access to E-Bikes, and promoting the usage of, and access to bikes on campus furthering sustainability options for students.

Source: E-Center Sustainable Transport
Photo credit: Student using a bike rack on campus, 1990. Photo by Ken Abbott, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Heritage Center.

Despite high attendance at sporting events, no campus venues had implemented sustainability efforts in 2008. However, this changed with the formation of Ralphie’s Green Stampede and the introduction of recycling at all venues. By 2010, the Buffaloes were collaborating with Eco-Products to replace all plasticware with compostable alternatives. When the �鶹��Ѱ�����Basketball/Volleyball Practice Facility opened in 2012, it became . Thanks to the Recycling Center and various sustainability initiatives, football and basketball games became zero-waste by 2015. The Ford Practice Facility, which opened in 2016, is a fully carbon-neutral training center. In the past decade, additional sustainability efforts in sports have included an increase in yearly zero-waste games, the implementation of Ball Corporation’s aluminum dishware, and the irrigation of Folsom Field with 90% recycled ditch water.

Source: E-Center Sports Sustainability
Photo credit: Ralphie’s Green Stampede, �鶹��Ѱ�����Environmental Center.

�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder has embedded sustainability into campus operations through formal frameworks, including climate action planning and public reporting systems. Recognition through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education STARS rating—earned multiple times since 2009—tracks performance across academics, operations and engagement, turning sustainability into a measurable institutional commitment.

Source: �鶹��Ѱ�����STARS Gold Rating
Photo credit: gold rating seal.

RASEI partnered with Toyota in 2010 to participate in some of the very first studies in of plugin hybrid vehicles. The study explored use cases, user impact, and adoption hurdles.

Source: College of Arts and Sciences Magazine
Photo credit: Toyota Prius. RASEI.

�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder co-founded the Right Here, Right Now World Climate Summit with the United Nations, addressing the intersection of climate change and human rights. RASEI Fellows were a large part of the inaugural organizing committee. A report published by RASEI Fellows was quoted as being one of the reasons the UN approached �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder to be the inaugural hosts.

Source: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute
Photo credit: Panelist Julieta Martinez addresses the audience during a youth panel at the 2022 Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit. Photo by Casey Cass, �鶹��Ѱ�����.

Boulder Climate Ventures (BCV), a program within the Leeds School of Business at the �鶹��Ѱ�����, accelerates climate tech entrepreneurship by empowering students to launch or join high growth, scalable climate tech startups while expanding venture capital activity in the Rocky Mountain West and building a regional hub for founders, researchers and investors. Led by the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR) and the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, BCV is funded by Breakthrough Energy and modeled after Stanford Climate Ventures. As the newest member of Breakthrough Energy’s University Climate Ventures network—joining Stanford, MIT, the Technical University of Munich and Nanyang Technological University—�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder is the first U.S. public university to be included.

Source: �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Today
Photo credit: Ashley Grosh, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder alum, unveils the Leeds School of Business's new initiative, Boulder Climate Ventures. Photo by Cody Johnston, �鶹��Ѱ�����.