The University Task Force on Scholarships Policy, Systems, and Practices aims to strengthen the clarity, consistency, sustainability and student-centered administration of scholarship and fellowship awarding across the University.
Task force members
- Danny Barrow, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management co-chair
- Chris Bailey, Assistant Dean for Admissions & Financial Aid, School of Law
- Tomitha Blake, Assistant Vice Provost for Advancement, Academic & Student Affairs
- Robin Chang, Director, Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards, Undergraduate Academic Affairs
- Emily Christian, Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management & Student Affairs, UW Bothell
- Vikki Haag Day, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Foster School of Business
- Charlotte Goddard, Director of Policy & Administration, College of Engineering
- Jason Johnson, Chief of Staff to the Provost
- Jill Lee, Executive Director, Compliance & Risk Services
- Helene Obradovich, Director of Fellowships & Awards, Graduate School
- Candice Rai, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, College of Arts & Sciences
- Lynn Sullivan, Director, Endowment & Donor Services, Advancement
- Kristian Wiles, Associate Vice President, Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity co-chair
- Emory Wogenstahl, Assistant Attorney General
- Tim Wold, Interim Executive Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships, Division of Enrollment Management
- Gabriel Sarah, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, School of Medicine
- Genesha Lee, Senior Financial Aid Counselor for Scholarships, UW Tacoma
Charge letter
Dear Colleagues,
We are writing to establish the University Task Force on Scholarships Policy, Systems, and Practices and to invite your participation in this important institutional effort to strengthen the clarity, consistency, sustainability, and student-centered administration of scholarship and fellowship awarding across the University.
The purpose of this task force is to develop practical, implementable recommendations that make compliant scholarship and fellowship administration more consistent across the institution, easier to understand and administer. Scholarship and fellowship administration across the University has evolved in a highly decentralized manner, resulting in varying approaches to implementation, documentation, training, and operational support. The University has an opportunity to improve how students experience scholarship and fellowship processes; reduce unnecessary administrative burden and institutional risk; ensure ongoing compliance with applicable federal and state law, Board policy and University requirements; strengthen alignment between donor intent, policy, and implementation; and provide units with clearer tools, guidance, systems, and support.
The task force will develop recommendations that support scholarship and fellowship awarding practices that are:
- clear, fair, and understandable for students;
- fully compliant with federal and state law, Board policy, and University guidance;
- faithful to donor intent and supported by legally sound match pool methodologies;
- operationally sustainable and well supported for staff and awarding units;
- and adaptable across the wide range of academic and professional programs at the University.
In carrying out its work, the task force may consider, but need not be limited to, the following areas of inquiry:
- undergraduate, graduate, and professional student experience in scholarship and fellowship application and awarding processes;
- transparency, predictability, and communication regarding financial support;
alignment of scholarship awarding timelines with admissions, recruitment, financial aid packaging, enrollment, and student success goals; - operational consistency and administrative burden across schools, colleges, campuses, and units;
the development of common guidance, tools, templates, rubrics, and training resources; - approaches to reducing reliance on individualized interpretation of donor agreements and awarding practices;
systems and infrastructure needs that could support compliant awarding practices, improve documentation and auditability, and streamline administration; - the appropriate balance between centralized support and unit-level decision-making authority;
- best practices related to match pool implementation, including neutral criteria, blind review practices, standardized evaluation approaches, and post-ranking allocation methodologies;
- approaches to supporting units with limited staffing or administrative capacity;
- alignment among donor-facing materials, fund agreements, and operational implementation;
- and supportive, preventive approaches to compliance oversight, remediation, and institutional guidance.
The task force should also consider the systems and operational infrastructure necessary to support these goals collaboratively over the long term. This should include recommendations regarding centrally supported tools (e.g., an information system used by scholarship administrators and students), shared services, implementation models, compliance support structures, and phased approaches to adoption that preserve appropriate local decision-making authority while improving institutional consistency and reducing administrative burden.
This work is anticipated to unfold in several stages over the coming academic year:
- Summer 2026: The task force will establish priorities, define areas for further analysis, and identify operational and policy questions requiring additional review and consultation.
- Autumn 2026: The task force and supporting administrative partners will undertake research, systems evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and the development of preliminary recommendations and implementation considerations.
- Winter 2027: The task force will synthesize its work into a set of recommendations and implementation considerations intended to support a more consistent, student-centered, and sustainable institutional framework for scholarship and fellowship administration.
We look forward to meeting with the co-chairs at the conclusion of Summer and Autumn 2026, and the full task force at the conclusion of Winter 2027.
This work is critically important and deeply complex. Scholarships support plays a critical role in student access, opportunity, recruitment, retention, and success across the University community. We are grateful for your willingness to contribute your expertise and leadership to this effort on behalf of our students and the institution.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Jones
President
Professor, Biology
Tricia R. Serio
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor, Biochemistry
Download charge letter: University Task Force on Scholarships Policy, Systems, and Practices (PDF)