CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz, Center for African and African American Studies Director Reiland Rabaka and CU President Todd Saliman celebrate the start of Black History Month, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the center, the 150th anniversary of the Boulder campus and the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. Photo by Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder
Chancellor Justin Schwartz and CU System President Todd Saliman unveiled the investment during a celebration marking the start of Black History Month — a moment that coincided with the center's fifth anniversary, CU Boulder's 150th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of Black History Month itself.
Founded in 2021, the Center for African & African American Studies supports teaching, research, creative work and community engagement focused on the histories, cultures and lived experiences of people of African descent. The center serves the broader CU Boulder campus while also building ties with communities in Boulder and across Colorado.
The funding will support CAAAS programs, student services, faculty initiatives and community partnerships through the next five years.
Schwartz framed the investment as essential to the university's long-range ambitions.
"This investment allows the center to continue meeting its mission to support students, faculty, staff and outreach commitments to the state as we look toward CU Boulder's next 150 years," he said.
Saliman, whose office is contributing to the investment, highlighted its significance across the entire CU system, noting the university's responsibility to serve Colorado communities through education, research and engagement.
"It helps to build knowledge and the learner while it also builds community — and that's what we are all about," he said.
Reiland Rabaka, who directs the center, said the announcement reflects years of collaborative work and an ongoing commitment to excellence.
"I don't just want a center, I want a world-class center," Rabaka said. "A beacon of hope, a sanctuary, a powerful and beloved community committed to research, scholarship and the stubborn belief that anything is possible."
The investment arrives at a politically fraught moment for diversity-centered programs at colleges and universities nationwide, as federal and state-level pressures have prompted some institutions to scale back or shutter similar initiatives. CU Boulder's public commitment of sustained, multi-year funding runs counter to that trend and may draw attention from peer institutions watching how flagship public universities navigate the landscape.
The center was established through faculty and student collaboration, a fact Saliman highlighted as central to its identity.
"It was created through impressive student and faculty collaboration," he said. "It's really a special place because it is simultaneously academic, research and student life centered."
