The College of Liberal Arts brings people and ideas together to understand the world, challenge what’s possible, and shape what comes next. Our community of scholars, students, and creators turns curiosity into possibility—connecting knowledge with experience, research with real-world questions, and individual perspectives with new ways of seeing and doing.
Our signature initiatives focus that energy on some of the most pressing challenges of our time, bringing disciplines and perspectives together in ways that distinguish the College of Liberal Arts within Colorado State University and position the College as a leader in shaping the future of Colorado and beyond.
We pursue ambitious ideas with purpose, create with intention, and stay grounded in the people and communities who give our work meaning.
We are enterprisingly human.
Signature Initiatives
The work that moves us forward.
Our signature initiatives bring the liberal arts into some of the most important conversations shaping Colorado and beyond. Each initiative connects research, education, creativity, and community partnership to tackle complex challenges—and create new possibilities.
Together, they show what happens when CLA moves beyond the traditional boundaries of the liberal arts and works with others to shape what comes next.
Strengthening Democracy
Democracy requires participation.
We connect scholarship, civic learning, and public engagement to strengthen democratic life across Colorado. From classrooms to communities, we create opportunities to ask difficult questions, engage across differences, and turn participation into action.
Sustainable Rural Futures
Build what comes next, rooted in place.
We bring research, creativity, and local knowledge together to address the opportunities and challenges shaping rural Colorado. By working alongside rural communities, we develop ideas and solutions that strengthen economies, communities, and quality of life.
The Future of Creativity
Creativity powers Colorado’s future economy.
We explore what happens when imagination, research, technology, and creative practice come together. We prepare students to contribute to—and shape—the creative industries of tomorrow while building partnerships that expand creativity’s impact across Colorado.
Strategic Priorities
Our strategic priorities define how we are building the College of Liberal Arts for what comes next. They connect the student experience, the work of our faculty and staff, and the culture we create with a larger ambition: a CLA that puts ideas into practice, creates meaningful opportunities, and makes an impact beyond the university.
Student Success & Healthy Growth
Turn what you learn into what you can do.
We are creating a distinctive liberal arts experience that connects what students learn with what they can do. Through research, creative work, community partnerships, public projects, and other opportunities to learn by doing, students build the skills, experience, and confidence to shape meaningful careers and lives.
We’re building pathways from learning to possibility.
Research & Creative Excellence
Ideas that move the world forward.
We are advancing ambitious research and creative work that challenges assumptions, crosses disciplines, and creates new possibilities. By investing in people, partnerships, and bold ideas, CLA is expanding the reach and impact of the liberal arts across CSU, Colorado, and beyond.
We’re turning curiosity into discovery, and discovery into impact.
Culture & Climate
Build the culture that sets us apart.
We are building a culture that values initiative, creativity, curiosity, connection, and shared purpose. CLA is a place where people are encouraged to bring their perspectives, pursue new possibilities, take thoughtful risks, and build meaningful things with others.
We’re creating a culture where ambition and belonging work together.