www.DerekNash.com : Official Website for Derek Nash - Saxophonist at the cutting edge of the British Jazz Scene 

The Fifty-Eighth Annual
Conference on World Affairs
University of Colorado at Boulder
April 10 – 14, 2006

The University of Colorado’s Conference on World Affairs was founded in 1948, originally as a forum on international affairs. CWA expanded rapidly to become a forum on everything conceivable, encompassing music, literature, environmental activism, science, journalism, visual arts, diplomacy, technology, spirituality, the film industry, politics, business, medicine, human rights and so on.

Every year in April approximately 100 participants representing a wide range of backgrounds gather in Boulder, a beautiful college town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, for what the New York Times calls “a week-long extravaganza of discussion and debate” on over 200 non-academic, cross-disciplinary panels, plenary sessions and performances.

The Conference challenges its participants to discuss a wide-range of issues on an impromptu basis, offering a refreshing alternative to the specialized gatherings of academia and the business world. According to columnist Molly Ivins, CWA panels offer “...astonishing, cross-disciplinary insights, whole new ways of looking at old questions, and...information that can transform the way you look at things".

Film critic Roger Ebert, who is this year marking his 36th consecutive appearance at CWA, says, “Why is this week like lifeblood for me? Once we settle into our life’s careers, most of us charge the line with our heads down, doing our jobs and trying to get ahead. We become specialists, and develop tunnel vision. I have a tendency, for example, to think the world revolves around movies. Once a year at the Conference, I am forced to think on subjects not of my own choosing…I get to talk to people from other worlds.”

The Conference owes its existence to a vast network of volunteers. Although many of our panelists and performers ordinarily command large speaking fees, CWA participants come at their own expense, finding reward in a diverse group of people from around the globe. Boulder community members, University faculty, staff and students work together to plan and host the week’s public sessions, as well as the participants’ meals and social events. Student volunteers provide local transportation, greeting them at Denver International Airport when they arrive. Many gracious Boulder community members open their homes to house the participants during the week.

All events are free and open to the public and are attended by students, faculty staff, alumni, townsfolk, journalists and visitors from both around the nation and the world. Audiences range from an intimate 50 to well over 2,000 at the sessions, which gives a combined total of around 50,000 over the course of the week.

Past participants include: