Conferences

Get involved with the Conference on World Affairs

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:44:51 +0000

Get involved with the Conference on World Affairs Megan M Rogers Tue, 03/31/2026 - 11:44

The Conference on World Affairs (CWA) is powered by an incredible community of volunteers, collaborators and supporters—and you're invited to be part of it. There are meaningful ways to get involved both in the months leading up to the conference and during the week of CWA, April 13–16, 2026.

Whether you’re interested in helping shape programming, supporting speakers and attendees, assisting with logistics, or being an on-the-ground ambassador during the conference, there’s a role for a wide range of interests and availability. Your involvement helps make CWA welcoming, engaging and impactful for thousands of participants from around the world.

Curious where you might fit in? Learn more about opportunities and sign up.

In the weeks and days leading up to the conference, CWA is powered by a community of volunteers, collaborators and supporters. Be part of this magnificent event.

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John Bolton and Susan Rice to debate America's superpower future at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

Megan M Rogers — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:31:09 +0000

John Bolton and Susan Rice to debate America's superpower future at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Megan M Rogers Mon, 03/30/2026 - 08:31

As global tensions rise and questions about America’s role in the world intensify, two former U.S. national security advisers will face off at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder on April 13 in a high-profile debate kicking off the university’s 78th Conference on World Affairs (CWA).

The debate, hosted in partnership with the Steamboat Institute and �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, will explore the resolution: “The United States is in the process of committing superpower suicide.”

Former U.S. national security advisers John Bolton and Susan Rice

Who’s debating:

John Bolton—former U.S. national security adviser (2018–19), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (2005–06) and author of "The Room Where It Happened"
Susan Rice—former U.S. national security adviser (2013–17), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (2009–13) and domestic policy adviser (2021–23)

The discussion will be moderated by Carine Hajjar, opinion journalist and editorial board member at The Washington Post and Steamboat Institute Fellow for Public Policy and American Exceptionalism.

“When the world feels divided and the issues before us are complex, universities have a responsibility to lead with openness and dialogue,” said �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “Our campus is committed to being a space where difficult conversations can happen thoughtfully and respectfully.”

The debate is part of the Steamboat Institute’s Campus Liberty Tour, which since 2018 has brought ideologically diverse discussions to universities nationwide. The tour focuses on strengthening critical thinking and encouraging civil discourse at a time of deep political polarization.

“Our goal is to teach students—and all who attend—how to think, not what to think,” said Steamboat Institute co-founder and CEO Jennifer Schubert-Akin. “Civil, fact-based debate is essential to a functioning democratic republic, especially when national and international stakes are high.”

Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in pre- and post-debate polling and submit questions to the speakers using their mobile devices.

If you go

Who: Open to the public
What: Debate—“Is the United States in the process of committing superpower suicide?”
When: Monday, April 13; doors open 6 p.m., debate 7–8:30 p.m.
Where: University Memorial Center, Glenn Miller Ballroom
Tickets: Free; registration required

Two former U.S. national security advisers will face off April 13 in a high-profile debate on whether the United States is "committing superpower suicide" at the 78th Conference on World Affairs.

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Malala Yousafzai tickets sold out

Megan M Rogers — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:45:00 +0000

Malala Yousafzai tickets sold out Megan M Rogers Thu, 03/26/2026 - 10:45

Editor's note: As of March 26, tickets to the Malala Yousafzai talk are sold out. This article was originally published on March 24.

In partnership with the Center for Leadership and the Center for Asian Studies, the Conference on World Affairs is excited to share that tickets for Malala Yousafzai are now available.

Reserve your tickets

Submit your questions by April 1

Yousafzai will be the closing speaker for the Conference on World Affairs 2026 on April 16 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Macky Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required to attend.

Important notes

Tickets for Yousafzai's talk are expected to sell out, so guests are encouraged to secure their tickets as soon as they become available at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, March 26.
Macky Auditorium uses EventBrite for ticketing, which is separate from the primary CWA registration system. You will need to register for the Yousafzai event using EventBrite.

For those who are unable to attend the closing event, the university regrets the limited capacity and encourages you to participate in the inspiring programming taking place throughout CWA week!

Tickets to see Malala Yousafzai at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's Conference on World Affairs are now sold out.

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Elected leaders to headline �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Climate Week event April 1

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:40:40 +0000

Elected leaders to headline �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Climate Week event April 1 Megan M Rogers Tue, 03/24/2026 - 08:40

Colorado Climate Week is an event that convenes communities across the state and beyond to unite and elevate Colorado as a regional hub for climate innovation and resilience. This year, Climate Week will take place from March 30 to April 3. In partnership with event organizer Colorado Cleantech Industries Association, �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder will host the event on Wednesday, April 1, at the Limelight Hotel.

While most of the week’s programming will be held at the CSU Spur Campus and other locations across the region, Wednesday’s panels, presentations and discussions will take place at the Limelight Hotel Boulder. Speakers from across �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder will participate, including Chancellor Justin Schwartz, who will deliver opening remarks.

Other notable speakers include Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Sen. Michael Bennet, who will speak to their visions of Colorado’s climate future, as well as Gov. Jared Polis, bestselling author and Foundry founder Seth Levine and many more.

The event is free and open to the public, and students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. Register here.

Now in its second year, Colorado Climate Week highlights Colorado’s collaborative culture and commitment to innovative climate solutions. The event aims to showcase and accelerate the state’s potential for climate impact.

This vision aligns closely with sustainability efforts at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, where researchers collaborate across disciplines to develop climate solutions, educate the next generation of climate leaders, use campus as a living laboratory, and partner with organizations across the state to drive climate action.

“This event reflects �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s deep commitment to advancing climate solutions through collaboration,” said Andrew Mayock, vice chancellor for sustainability. “One of our core sustainability priorities is community engagement—working alongside peers across the Boulder community, the state of Colorado, the nation and around the world to develop and scale innovative climate solutions.”

“Colorado Climate Week highlights the opportunity of connecting university expertise with leaders and policymakers across Colorado,” said Kirsten Schuchman, associate vice chancellor for external partnerships. “By strengthening partnerships at the local and state level, we can help translate innovative ideas into policies and actions that benefit communities throughout Colorado.”

For more information about registration, the day’s schedule and featured speakers, view the full agenda.

Colorado Climate Week with �鶹��Ѱ��at Limelight | April 1, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.

8:30–9 a.m.
The Buff Blueprint: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s Next Chapter in Climate Leadership
Chancellor Justin Schwartz, �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

9–9:30 a.m.
Fireside Chat: Capital Evolution—What the Future of Capitalism Means for Climate
Seth Levine, Partner and Co-Founder, Foundry
Moderator: Wendy Lea, Board Director, Ecosystem Builder

9:30–10:15 a.m.
Plenary 1 Panel: AI at Scale: Energy, Water, and the Infrastructure of Intelligence
Moderator: John Goldman, Partner at Cooley LLC
Will Toor, Executive Director, Colorado Energy Office
Kyri Baker, Associate Professor at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and Research Scientist at Google DeepMind
Lon Huber, Senior Vice President, Chief Planning Officer, XCEL Energy

10:30–11:30 a.m.
Breakout I: AI at Scale -Clean Inputs, Transformative Outputs and Community Impact

Noon–1 p.m.
Lunch Session: Conservation, Climate and the Colorado Outdoors (lunch provided)
Moderator: Megha Agrawal Sood, Board Director, Mountainfilm Festival
Erin Sprague, CEO, Protect Our Winters
Drew Rayburn, Colorado Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy
Noah Molotch, "Professor of Snow," �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder
Natalie Ooi, Professor, Outdoor Recreation Economy, �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

1:15–2 p.m.
Plenary 2 Panel: From Pledges to Performance: The New Era of Climate Leadership
Moderator: Kathryn Wendell, Exec Director, Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility, �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder
Kendra Tupper, PE, Head of Carbon Reduction Planning & Strategy, Google
Deanna Bratter, Chief Sustainability Officer, Crocs, Inc.
Eli Gordon, Head of Sustainability Advisory – North America, Watershed

2:15–3 p.m.
Breakout Session II

3:15–4 p.m.
Plenary 3: Risk, Reward, and Impact: Climate Investment Playbooks
Moderator: Trent Yang, CFO, Energy Dome
Kristen Rocca, Partner at DCVC
Danya Hakeem, COO, Elemental Impact
Maggie Rodney, Partner, Massive

4–5 p.m.
Plenary 4: Colorado’s Climate Policy Agenda: A Fireside Chat with Democratic Candidates Attorney General Phil Weiser and Senator Michael Bennet

4–5 p.m.
Concurrent Breakout Session: 1000 Gretas—Intergenerational Fairness

4–5 p.m.
Concurrent Session: Boulder Climate Ventures student pitches

5–6 p.m.
Networking Reception

Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser and Sen. Michael Bennet will join �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz and speakers from across campus for a day of climate-focused panels and discussions.

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Register for the 33rd annual Campus Sustainability Summit

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:29:19 +0000

Students, faculty and staff are invited to the Campus Sustainability Summit on April 15 in the UMC. Explore how sustainability connects to your interests, build connections and discover ways to get involved and take action.

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Planners rejoice! Conference on World Affairs schedule, registration live

Megan M Rogers — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:36:42 +0000

Planners rejoice! Conference on World Affairs schedule, registration live Megan M Rogers Fri, 03/13/2026 - 06:36

Browse the sessions, select your panels and build your CWA week, happening April 13–16 at the Limelight Hotel.

Come ready for incredible speakers and timely conversations exploring the issues shaping our world today. From global perspectives to personal stories, CWA 2026 will bring together bold ideas and meaningful dialogue you won’t want to miss.

Now’s your chance to explore this year’s lineup and build your schedule.

Registration and the full schedule for the Conference on World Affairs 2026 are now live. Browse sessions and start building your personalized CWA week—April 13–16 at the Limelight Hotel.

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Explore 'Quantum & Space: The Next Frontier' at symposium March 23–24

Megan M Rogers — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 20:25:20 +0000

Explore 'Quantum & Space: The Next Frontier' at symposium March 23–24 Megan M Rogers Fri, 02/27/2026 - 13:25

Want to take a deep dive into the convergence of quantum technologies and space applications? Faculty, staff, students and the general public are welcome to attend this dynamic event, which will feature some of the top experts in their fields. The symposium is free, but registration is required.

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A restaurant owner, robotic dog and stuttering activist walk onto a stage—TEDx�鶹��Ѱ��April 4

Megan M Rogers — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 19:43:37 +0000

A restaurant owner, robotic dog and stuttering activist walk onto a stage—TEDx�鶹��Ѱ��April 4 Megan M Rogers Fri, 02/27/2026 - 12:43

TEDxCU, �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s own independently organized, student-run TED event, presents "On the Contrary" on Saturday, April 4, in Macky Auditorium. The 2026 event will challenge attendees to reconsider the tension between opposites—not as conflict but as connection.

If you go

Who: Open to the public
What: TEDx�鶹��Ѱ��2026: On the Contrary
When: Saturday, April 4, 2–5 p.m.
Where: Macky Auditorium

Get Tickets

If you are a local middle or high school interested in bringing your students, please contact tedxcu@colorado.edu about special pricing for school groups.

Featured speakers

Doris Yuen: Owner of MAKFam Denver, a nontraditional Chinese restaurant that advocates for MSG and breaks down the misconceptions surrounding it.
Dr. Vik Bebarta: Chair of Emergency Medicine at �鶹��Ѱ��Anschutz who focuses on how innovations in military medicine can be applied to improve patient care.
Benji Billman: Mathematics teacher who reframes mathematics as a practical application for the everyday person.
Ben Forman: Former screen addict who will guide through navigating the digital age by helping students reclaim attention, emotional well-being and childhood.
Leo Heuring: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder student who designs and builds open-source robots. Delivering his talk with Corndog, his robotic dog, he will explore the meaning that humans convey to their robots.
Aimee Bernard: Immunologist, medical educator and science communicator devoted to sharing the importance of spreading accessible science.
Kya Leptrone: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder psychology student and stuttering activist who challenges the notion that the goal of communication should be fluency.

'On the Contrary'

"On the Contrary" challenges us to reconsider the tension between opposites not as conflict but as connection. Just as we don’t know light without shadow, or sound without silence, it is through juxtaposition that meaning emerges.

The theme explores the beauty of contradiction and opposition where tensions like chaos and order, friction and flow, and comedy and tragedy, remind us that opposing viewpoints are often two halves of a deeper truth. In duality, we can find dialogue, rather than division.

About TEDx

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

TEDx = independently organized event

At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where the X means an independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

TEDx�鶹��Ѱ��is independently organized and a student-run initiative of �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. Support for this events translates into support for the students who run this event. Additionally, each talk featured at TEDx�鶹��Ѱ��has the chance to become an official TED Talk. This brings incredible press and attention to the speaker (and in this case, the school) that is featured.

TEDx�鶹��Ѱ��is �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's own independently organized, student-run TED event. "On the Contrary" and its speakers will challenge listeners to reconsider the tension between opposites—not as conflict but as connection.

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CWA—launching CU's 150th anniversary celebration—just 2 months away

Megan M Rogers — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 20:47:16 +0000

CWA—launching CU's 150th anniversary celebration—just 2 months away Megan M Rogers Thu, 02/12/2026 - 13:47

Since 1948, the Conference on World Affairs has brought global leaders, innovators and experts to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder for conversations exploring issues shaping society and the world. In 2026, the conference also marks the official kickoff of CU's 150th anniversary celebration—a year honoring the university's legacy of transforming lives.

Since 1948, the Conference on World Affairs has brought global leaders, innovators and experts to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder for conversations exploring issues shaping society and the world. In 2026, the conference also marks the kickoff of CU's 150th anniversary celebration—a year honoring the university's legacy of transforming lives.

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Conference on World Affairs announces 2026 speakers

Megan M Rogers — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:47:59 +0000

Conference on World Affairs announces 2026 speakers Megan M Rogers Mon, 02/02/2026 - 10:47

We’re excited to unveil the speaker lineup for the 78th Conference on World Affairs—an extraordinary group of thinkers, leaders, creators and changemakers from around the world.

Curated by dedicated committees spanning art, business, human condition, international affairs, politics and media, and science and technology, this year’s lineup brings bold ideas, diverse perspectives and timely conversations that challenge assumptions, spark curiosity and inspire action. From global issues shaping our future to personal stories of leadership, resolve and making a difference, these speakers are at the heart of what makes CWA so special.

Explore this year’s speakers and start planning for conversations and networking opportunities you won’t want to miss. Pre-register to attend.

The Conference on World Affairs returns to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder April 13–16 and is proud to host the kickoff of the university’s 150th anniversary celebration.

The speaker lineup for the 78th Conference on World Affairs is here—explore bold voices and conversations shaping our world.

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Conferences

Get involved with the Conference on World Affairs

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