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Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Category: Features

Typically longer in length and relevancy than content in the news category. Features content is more likely to be republished over time.

Welcome from the Dean, autumn 2014

Written by Ed Taylor
Posted on

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

One of the most commonly-asked questions undergraduates get from family and friends is, “What’s your major?” And it makes sense that people want to know. Choosing a major (or two, or three) is a necessary rite-of-passage in college.

At today’s University of Washington, pursuing a degree is just one part of the experience.

Students find a wide range of opportunities inside and beyond the classroom that help them not just shape their career-focused skills but that lead to a personal understanding of who they are and what they believe in. In Undergraduate Academic Affairs alone, students can find programs that inspire them to a life of service; opportunities to discover answers to some of life’s most perplexing problems; deepen their commitment to study and scholarship; develop their leadership skills and so much more.

Earning a University of Washington degree is an opportunity and privilege that comes with a certain responsibility. That charge includes continuing to learn, understanding and serving the world we live in, responsibility to self (me) and connectedness to others (we). E pluribus unum, meaning “out of many, one,” is a time-honored ideal from the formation of the United States that resonates ever more strongly today.

A commitment to a major is essentially a promise to the community to pursue a world of good, in the student’s own, individual way.

Sincerely,

Ed Taylor's Signature

Ed Taylor
Vice Provost and Dean
Undergraduate Academic Affairs

 

“W” stands for welcome!

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Posted on

On September 21, 2014, thousands of new University of Washington freshmen and transfer students formed a gigantic W on the field at Husky Stadium and had their class photo taken.

The big “W”

Photo of students in W formation
Entering students stand together to form a giant W on Husky Field.

 

The W photo tradition began in 2005 as a freshman photo. In 2011, transfer students joined the photo. The W spans 80 yards of the field, from one 10-yardline to the other. First Year Programs estimates that 4,500 students are in the photo.

Coordinated by First Year Programs, the W photo culminates a rollicking Husky Kick-Off event. At Husky Kick-Off, students are led through a series of active ice breakers that get them moving around and meeting other students.

2014 freshman class

Preliminary figures show the incoming class will include about 6,400 students, with nearly 5,000 from Washington and others representing 47 more states and Washington, D.C., plus 38 other countries.

 

Summer is for undergraduate research at the UW

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Posted on

For most, campus life is a little quieter during the summer but undergraduates continue to pursue research in a range of disciplines, from STEM fields to the humanities. They’re preparing to show their summer projects to a broader audience as well. Undergraduates participating in one of several summer research opportunities at the University of Washington will present their work August 20, 21, and 22.

Celebrating service and leadership

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
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Each year, thousands of UW undergraduates engage in service and leadership projects on campus and in the community, bringing the classroom beyond the four walls that house desks and chairs. At the annual Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership, students showcase their work and learning related to these projects. Students, staff, faculty and community members hear about these dynamic experiences from the students firsthand.

Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor receives College of Education Distinguished Graduate Award

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
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Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, has been selected for the 2014 Distinguished Graduate Award by the University of Washington College of Education. The faculty of the College of Education votes upon and bestows this award.

Dream Project freshmen reflect on year 1 at the UW

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
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The Dream Project assists low-income and first-generation high school students in attaining higher education. Students in the Dream Project overcome incredible obstacles to attend college, but the challenges—and rewards—don’t end once they step foot on campus. Three Dream Project students describe their journey to UW, what they’ve learned their first year, and how it feels to give back (also, how important the bowling alley is and when to stop calling your mother!)

Entrepreneur Kirsten Rogers aims to take a bite out of cancer

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
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In 2013, David Rogers was retired and living his dream, having made his boat his home, sailing with his wife through the Sea of Cortez, when he became very ill. He was advised to return to the States, where he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, most people feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness. Not so David’s daughter, Kirsten Rogers. Kirsten (‘05, ‘10) set out to research all she could about how to best support her father.

Undergraduate research to take over Mary Gates Hall on May 16

Written by Undergraduate Academic Affairs
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On Friday, May 16, more than 1,100 University of Washington undergraduates will participate in the 17th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium—an event that might well be the country’s largest “show and tell” for undergraduate research. The Symposium takes place from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. in Mary Gates Hall; select oral presentations will happen in Johnson Hall and visual arts and design presentations will be in Odegaard Undergraduate Library.