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Positive change in the CU Boulder community will require continuous effort and struggle. It is on us to make our community everything we desire and know it can be, starting with individual action and outreach.

At this time of year, we celebrate the vision, accomplishments and ultimately the life of Martin Luther King Jr., who inspired a nation to stand up against racism and discrimination. Help CU take steps toward creating a welcoming community that embraces inclusion, diversity and respectful dialogue.

It takes a lot of year-round work to make the university run, and while our halls may be quieter and the parking lots a bit emptier, our work at CU Boulder certainly doesn’t go away when we’re not in full academic session.

I would like to take my final column of the semester as an opportunity to celebrate CU's accomplishments with just a few examples of the way CU Boulder is impacting humanity, developing tomorrow’s leaders and establishing CU Boulder as the innovation university.

As the fall semester comes to a close, several events locally and nationally have affected our campus community. We know that these events, along with the stresses of finals and the end of the semester can be difficult to manage for all of us. Please take care of yourselves and look out for each other. If you need additional support, contact one of the numerous campus resources available to you.

The Research & Innovation Office has brought together several departments under one roof in an effort to create an environment that sparks and enhances outstanding research and creative work and encourages it to be more collaborative and interdisciplinary.

As we rush to meet deadlines during the semester wind-down, we can often get caught up in what's happening around us, or to us. It is worth stopping, taking a breath and realizing our success is truly up to us and our individual frame of mind. We each have a great deal to say about our own success just through our approach and beliefs. Believe in yourself and your capabilities.

You may have seen that conservative journalist Milo Yiannopoulos will be coming to CU Boulder on Jan. 25 at the invitation of two student groups, the College Republicans and Turning Point USA. Some of you have expressed your concerns on social media, in letters to my office, and to me in person that CU Boulder is allowing such a controversial speaker to hold an event in a campus building.

I’d like to take a minute to congratulate our Buffs on a great football season. Our team has a lot to be proud of, and we as fans have enjoyed The Rise throughout the season beginning back in August.

As we return to the campus after fall break, it is hard to believe we have only two full weeks left before finals begin, and our semester comes to a close. This campus is a remarkable place, and I encourage us to finish strong, and celebrate the community we are building here at CU Boulder.