Taking over as director of the Goodlad Institute for Educational Renewal, mathematics professor Dr. Allison Hintz knew she stood on big shoulders. Her first order of business: return to the work of Dr. John Goodlad, the renowned educational researcher for whom the institute is named. In doing so, Hintz came to more deeply appreciate — and take fresh inspiration from — his profound influence on the field of education. “Through many large-scale research projects and influential books, Dr. Goodlad strengthened the democratic purposes of schooling, deepening the understandings of how schools work and how they could improve,” Hintz said….
Community engagement stories archive
Global recognition for Livable City Year partnership
In Pacific County, collaboration is fueling change. Local leaders and the University of Washington’s Livable City Year (LCY) program joined forces to address housing, health, and sustainability challenges, and the results are being recognized on the global stage. In recognition of a three-year collaboration designed to drive community-centered innovation, the Pacific County Economic Development Council and the LYC program have received the 2025 Partnership of the Year Award from the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N). Housed in the…
Community Connect UW Winter 2026 Update
Community Connect UW (CCUW) is a database and management platform that allows UW faculty, staff, students and community partners to connect, organize, and understand impacts of collaboration. Interested in exploring? Login (using your NetID) and join both CCUW’s home group and your campus group (below) to start! Bothell | Seattle | Tacoma This winter, we’re expanding Community Connect UW in many directions: More, and more varied, community-engaged courses at each campus Civic Health Scorecard and NextGen Civic Leader Badge, piloting on Seattle campus…
Assessing community engagement at the UW: A new report details key pathways
A new report has been released from the project to Build Tri-Campus Capacity for Community Engagement, in partnership with the eScience Institute through its Data Science and AI Accelerator program. Assessing community engagement at the UW: a roadmap, finalized February 2026, provides guidance on how to better assess whether the University of Washington is being a good neighbor and partner to communities that lie beyond its walls, with the recognition that it has not always done this well. The roadmap…
Mentorship in medicine
Meet Dr. Estell Williams, ’13, an emergency surgeon, community builder, dedicated mentor and the UW’s 2026 honoree for Black History Month. From the first grade, Dr. Estell Williams knew she wanted to be a doctor. The self-described science nerd isn’t quite sure where that came from, but she’s got a few guesses. Maybe it’s the fact that she had a Black pediatrician growing up, one whose office walls were plastered with photos of Black patients and their families, making it…
Career growth in Eastern Washington
TRI-CITIES AND YAKIMA, Washington — Corey Smith’s office window overlooks one of the massive production lines inside the Douglas Fruit processing plant at the outskirts of Pasco, Washington. The scene is fantastic, like something out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Conveyor belts fill the gigantic room. On one end, apples are dumped by the bin into a water flume that floats the fruit like a carnival ride. A giant machine inspects, weighs, photographs (about 100 images for each piece of…
UW recognized across all campuses with Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification
The University of Washington has again earned a prestigious recognition for the impact and importance of the connections faculty, students and staff have with local, regional and global communities. All three UW campuses were recognized with the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification, placing the university among 277 peer institutions nationwide. Officials with the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, who award the designation, noted that these universities are deepening partnerships, centering community assets…
Tacoma performance turns dumpling-making into a sensory experience
Cooking is one of humanity’s most ancient communal events. For centuries, we have gathered around fire pits and kitchens to catch up with friends and family while conducting the laborious task of preparing a meal. But in today’s society that increasingly relies on outsourced food, the dedication and community that goes into cooking your favorite dishes can go unrecognized. University of Washington Tacoma art professor Yixuan Pan is looking to change that through an unconventional and empathetic sensory experience. While…
Restoration projects benefit local communities
For students who want to go into environmental sciences careers, having opportunities to get outside and get their hands dirty is an integral part of their undergraduate studies. Even better is when learning outside the classroom leads to real-world impacts and engagement with local communities, says Dr. Amy Lambert, an associate teaching professor in the University of Washington Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. “Student engagement with places and the communities that they support is central to my teaching,”…
Five CELE-community connections we loved in 2025
Across Seattle and throughout Washington state, the Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center is instrumental in the University of Washington’s community engagement — connecting the UW with neighborhoods, schools and community organizations to address critical social issues. Through authentic, reciprocal partnerships, the CELE Center provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to thriving communities. The CELE Center’s programs are centered around four focus areas: community-engaged learning, leadership education, pre-K–12 student success and…