Vision
Undergraduate Academic Affairs serves at the heart of a University of Washington where every undergraduate engages in deep and meaningful work and graduates prepared to thrive in a future they help to create.
Mission
Undergraduate Academic Affairs is a catalyst and advocate for excellence and innovation in undergraduate education.
Values
Collaboration
Active, intentional partnerships are foundational to our work toward common goals. We are committed to working together with students, staff, faculty and the broader community to enrich our collective efforts.
Connection
Our success as a community depends on creating a culture that promotes a sense of belonging and authentic relationships. We foster a work environment where individuals see themselves as part of the whole and are committed to community-building to accomplish our shared goals.
Curiosity
Wonder and inquiry are critical components of learning and innovation. We listen openly, engage in disciplined inquiry and seek opportunities for feedback to inspire our work.
Equity
We believe in a community where all people have the opportunities and resources needed to thrive. We commit to addressing systemic oppressions, challenging our own individual biases and working toward transforming our culture, policies and practices to accelerate change.
Integrity
An exemplary educational environment is built on a foundation of mutual respect, honesty and ethical engagement. We practice honesty, strive for clarity and hold ourselves accountable to living our values in our work.
UAA strategic plan 2026-2030
Bold leadership for the future of undergraduate education
Our role
Undergraduate Academic Affairs is a catalyst and advocate for excellence and innovation in undergraduate education. We advance student learning and belonging by developing programs and services that enrich the undergraduate experience and by partnering with faculty, departments, schools and colleges across the University of Washington campus in Seattle and in collaboration with UW Bothell and Tacoma.
We extend our reach and impact through collaboration — supporting curricular innovation, expanding high-impact educational practices, creating opportunities for meaningful reflection, and advancing holistic student learning and development. We also strive for equitable access to educational experiences that deepen learning, broaden perspective, and prepare students to engage and contribute to the world, with particular attention to students who have had the fewest opportunities to participate.
The challenges and opportunities of the 21st century call for a renewed approach to undergraduate education. Universities must prepare students to succeed academically and professionally and to engage thoughtfully in a complex and changing world. Undergraduate Academic Affairs will continue to lead in providing academic services to students, developing student leaders, advocating for systems change and sharing best practices. The following priorities aim to position UAA as the leader in shaping the undergraduate experience for all students.
UAA strategic priorities
1. Launch every student into an academic community.
UAA will focus on academic wayfinding through higher education, building meaningful transition experiences, and providing an academic home to every incoming UW undergraduate.
We will:
- Define and develop educational pathways throughout the state in partnership with prospective students and families, K-12 schools and community colleges.
- Ensure successful transitions to new admissions and enrollment processes in partnership with faculty, departments, schools and colleges.
- Expand access to transition experiences for first-year and transfer students so that every student develops the knowledge, relationships and confidence to thrive at the University.
2. Center high-impact practices.
UAA will ensure that high-impact practices are central to a UW undergraduate education.
We will:
- Expand and amplify opportunities for high-impact educational experiences at the UW and beyond, including undergraduate research, community engagement, internships, leadership development, global experiences and student employment.
- Increase equitable participation by identifying and reducing financial, informational, structural and cultural barriers to high-impact learning.
- Strengthen partnerships across the University and with community organizations to deepen learning, expand community-engaged educational opportunities, improve civic health and advance the common good.
3. Connect students to purposeful pathways for learning and growth.
UAA is committed to student success at the UW while preparing for the world beyond campus.
We will:
- Increase students’ sense of belonging to support student learning, leadership development, well-being, resilience and success.
- Broaden academic planning to integrate curricular and co-curricular learning, high-impact educational experiences and career development, enabling students to make informed choices and pursue lives of learning, purpose and service.
- Embed reflection, dialogue and learning across differences throughout the undergraduate experience so that students can connect, communicate and apply their learning across courses, experiences and communities.
- Make career readiness explicit throughout the undergraduate experience.
- Model and disseminate effective strategies for mapping and assessing student learning outcomes to co-curricular programs and services.
4. Lead institutional change and capacity building.
UAA will build on our strengths as a leader for the undergraduate experience to strengthen how we support students and the University.
We will:
- Advance organizational effectiveness by improving systems and services, reducing barriers, and developing approaches that benefit UAA and the broader University.
- Contribute expertise to university-wide initiatives, committees, processes, and shared challenges and opportunities while partnering with faculty, departments, schools and colleges to advance the future of undergraduate education.
- Invest in our people by prioritizing leadership and professional development, knowledge sharing and sustainable ways of working.
- Use data as an institutional asset and technology as a tool to inform decisions, improve services and programs, and plan for the future.
- Assess and improve UAA programs and practices to advance holistic student learning, development, transferable skills and success.