As the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity welcomes a new class of undergraduate and graduate students onto campus to begin their educational journeys, we also welcome a new president and celebrate the UW’s 150th anniversary. This is an exciting time and we take great pride in sharing news of our accomplishments with alumni and friends.
Michael K. Young was introduced as the new University of Washington President in April and officially took office on July 1. Six weeks later he partnered with OMA&D to host a campus reception with local minority community leaders. It was a great opportunity for guests to become acquainted with President Young and his wife Marti. During the reception, he emphasized how much he shares our commitment to diversity and appreciates this work. We whole-heartedly welcome President Young to the University and look forward to working with him for many years to come.
Several campus-wide events will be held throughout the year to commemorate the UW’s sesquicentennial, including “W” Day on November 4 and HuskyFest April 18-21. The new 150th anniversary web site offers an exciting opportunity for faculty, staff, students and alumni to share their UW memories. I encourage all of you to submit your stories and participate in this great forum.
UW Homecoming is also right around the corner, which means we are gearing up for The Weekend, OMA&D’s third annual homecoming event for alumni of color and friends of diversity to be held October 29. Join us for the Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) Bridging the Gap Breakfast that morning, before heading over to the tailgate and football game at Husky Stadium. We always have a great time cheering on the Huskies together and tickets are going fast, so be sure to reserve yours today.
Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni continue to accomplish great things, many of which are highlighted in this eNewsletter. Dr. Luis Fraga, associate vice provost for faculty advancement, was appointed by President Obama to serve on an Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, while OMA&D academic counselor Linda Ando made a special visit to Japan to deliver “Prayer Flags of Hope” to victims of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in May. Junior Veronica Quintero, a cancer survivor and peer mentor with OMA&D’s College Assistance Migrant Program, became the first Latina to be crowned Miss Seafair in July. Not to mention, the several students who participated in study abroad programs over the summer and documented their life-changing journeys on a new student blog on the OMA&D web site.
Exciting progress is taking place with our ongoing facility projects. On August 19, the historic Ethnic Cultural Center murals were extracted from the building and transported to a facility where they will be stored under archival conditions until being reinstalled in the new building. Once the murals were removed, the old building was demolished and the new ECC is ready to undergo construction. Donations also continue to roll in for the UW Intellectual House, a long-house style facility to be built on the UW campus.
Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in the coming months. Your generosity makes it possible for OMA&D to provide educational opportunity and access for students, and in this current economic climate, financial support is more important than ever.
We welcome your input, so please remember to stay in touch and share your newsworthy items with us as well.
Sincerely,
Sheila Edwards Lange
Vice President for Minority Affairs
Vice President for Diversity