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Barbara Kraus, who’s worked for CU Boulder for over 30 years, will retire at the end of this month

Colorado Diversity Initiative Director and Founder Barbara Kraus is retiring at the end of this month, following a successful decades-long career preparing students for STEM fields of study at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Kraus began her career within the Graduate School but, after receiving two major federal grants at the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health with the faculty support of Professor James Curry and Professor Emeritus Bob Boswell, left to create a brand-new program: the Colorado Diversity Initiative.

The Colorado Diversity Initiative, which is part of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement, oversees several programs at CU Boulder, including the SMART (Summer Multicultural Access to Research Training) program, that promote diversity among science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. These programs do that by preparing undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds for graduate school and offering educational and mentorship opportunities for graduate students.

Since its inception, the program has helped prepare hundreds of students for graduate school.

In addition to her work with the Colorado Diversity Initiative, Kraus has also helped faculty across campus prepare federal grants for submission.

“Barbara has been a huge asset to the university for many years. Her work to assist faculty to shape their proposals to successfully compete for and receive grants has had a huge impact on the research opportunities at CU Boulder. Equally impactful has been her tireless work in encouraging and providing support to students, often under-served, to get them into STEM fields of study and graduate school,” said Christopher Pacheco, the acting vice provost and associate vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at CU Boulder.

“We want to thank her for her many years of service and dedication to the university and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”