The Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) will host an Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on January 28, 2025, to officially celebrate our new building name, the Richard Jessor Building. The event will also showcase current research from all 12 Institute programs and centers.
“We are all thrilled to welcome the CU Boulder community and beyond to the Institute of Behavioral Science to celebrate Dr. Richard Jessor and the Institute’s important research,” said Lori Hunter, director of IBS and professor of sociology at CU Boulder. “For many decades, IBS investigators have generated critical, policy-relevant insight on gun violence, health disparities, substance use, criminal behavior, disaster vulnerability, and many other challenging social problems. Join us in celebrating these impactful research contributions and the essential role played by Dr. Jessor.”
IBS is the second research institute to call the University of Colorado Boulder campus home. Programs and centers are based on faculty interest and must be both problem-focused and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary in approach. IBS currently houses ten research programs and centers that focus on societal issues of today:
Research Programs:
- Environment and Society
- Health and Society
- Population
- Prevention Science
- International Development
Research Centers:
- Natural Hazards Center
- Center for the Governance of Natural Resources
- CU Population Center
- Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
- Center for Collaborative Synthesis in Archaeology
- Center for Resilience + Wellbeing
- Rocky Mountain Research Data Center
The Institute was founded in 1957 after social science faculty at CU Boulder recognized a need for interdisciplinary research to tackle pressing social issues. Distinguished Professor of Behavioral Science, Emeritus at CU Boulder, Richard “Dick” Jessor, helped found IBS and continues to be a notable leader for the Institute.
“The renaming of the Institute of Behavioral Science Building as, now, the Richard Jessor Building, is an extraordinary and unexpected honor, one that is deeply meaningful for me personally,” said Jessor. “For more than half a century, my life, my scholarship, and indeed, my identity, have been entwined with the Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS), from its very founding in the mid-1950s to its not long-ago occupancy of this very building. I take immense pride in what has been accomplished in this building by my colleagues, our students, and our staff over the decades in contributions to knowledge and to the making of a science that has reverberating implications for societal and human wellbeing. I share this honor with them all.”
With nearly six decades of research at CU Boulder, Jessor is the longest-serving faculty member at the university. Jessor is best known for his extensive work on adolescent behavior and bridging research with practical approaches to support youth development and resilience. The World War II veteran has been instrumental in advancing the field of developmental psychology on an international scale. His research has influenced public policy, education, and preventive interventions in diverse cultural contexts.
Jessor was the director of IBS from 1980 to 2001 and was the former director of the Health and Society Program. IBS celebrates the naming of our building in honor of Jessor, who is not only a pioneer in adolescent behavior research, but also helped forge a space for behavioral and social science research.
The current IBS building was constructed in 2010 to better serve the Institute’s interdisciplinary collaboration. The Richard Jessor Building will continue to provide a space for dedicated IBS faculty and students to address social challenges with impactful research for many years to come.
“I see the future of IBS continuing its upward trajectory as the foci of its Programs gain even greater national and international recognition, not only for the accrual of basic social knowledge but for the relevance such knowledge has for positive societal and human development,” said Jessor.
For more information on the IBS Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, visit our event page:
