Equity and Racial Justice
An ambitious goal: To be the nation’s exemplar equity-serving institution
The first goal of CU Denver’s 2030 Strategic Plan: Make Education Work for All is to become the nation’s first equity-serving institution. This goal was derived from a series of deliberate actions led by Chancellor Marks since her arrival in 2020.
A priority since Day 1
From July 1-10, 2020 (her first 10 days on the job), Chancellor Marks undertook a number of listening sessions on issues of equity, with a particular focus on racial justice. What the chancellor heard informed her commitments for action, released to the community on July 20, 2020.
Among the early actions was the formation of the Equity Task Force in October 2020 to address longer-term issues requiring significant analysis and further work. The task force doubled also one of the eight vision teams in CU Denver’s strategic planning process in early 2021.
The recommendations of the Equity Task Force served as the basis for the first goal in CU Denver’s 2030 Strategic Plan, released in June 2021.
Goal: CU Denver will be the first
equity-serving institution in the nation
Once an exclusive club, higher education has made strides to increase access and equal opportunity. However, merely opening the door is not sufficient to reach equity or ensure success for all. We propose and will pursue a new way to advance equity for all by creating an inclusive and just environment for our campus and broader community.