About us

Vision

The Vision of the University of Washington’s Women’s Center is to be a vital place where everyone can come together and work in a community that serves as a catalyst for change not only across campus but locally and globally as well.

Mission

The Women’s Center mission is to help catalyze the change that we, ourselves, want to see in the world by forging a community of both belonging and resilience. We empower, uplift, and support all those who have experienced educational and career difficulties through transformational education programs, leadership development, and a variety of different workshops, services, and events.

Value Statement

A Powerful Network: Through its vast and wide network of alumnae, volunteers, and supporters, the Women’s Center provides access to resources and opportunities that promote collective empowerment and amplify peoples’ voices by addressing the very issues that impact them.

A Community For All: The Women’s Center is a safe space for all individuals to flourish. While we serve everyone who walks through our door, the center emphasizes supporting those who are first-generation to higher education, returning or non-traditional students, and aspiring leaders on their academic and career paths.

A Transformational Model: The Women’s Center programs are globally recognized for their success, and they serve as a model for other organizations, networks and individuals.

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The History of the Women’s Center

The Women’s Center is housed in historic Cunningham Hall, the first building built for women in the state of Washington in 1909.

Since its inception 115 years ago, the Women’s Center has served the community in a multitude of different ways–including acting as a meeting place for the suffragists who organized for women’s right to vote in our State.
These meetings culminated in Washington being the fifth state to award women the right to vote in 1910.

Alene H. Moris died August 31, 2019 at the age of 91. She was born to Henry Halvorson and Jona Jonasson on March 28, 1928 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

She graduated from St. Olaf College, Minnesota, with a B.A. in Music, where she met and, in 1949, married Walter J. Moris.

Together, they served Lutheran parishes in Wyoming, Nebraska and Montana before she and her husband were sent to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia on a four-year mission.

After teaching for four years at Lok Yuk Senior Secondary School, in Kota Kinabalu, Alene returned with her family to the U.S., where she earned her master’s degree in Educational Counseling at Northern Illinois University.

In 1970, Alene became the assistant director of Continuing Education for Women at the University of Washington.

In 1972, Alene left the University of Washington, and co-founded the Individual Development Center, a pioneer career counseling center on Capitol Hill in Seattle which she directed for 14 years. Alene’s lifework was dedicated to helping women become leaders in society. For 38 years she counseled individuals, taught seminars and consulted with organizations nationally on issues pertaining to women in leadership in the workplace. Alene was also the keynote speaker at a wide variety of business, professional and political conferences. Well known for her sense of humor in her presentations, her passion was to bring men and women into full partnership for a more just and humane society.

In addition to authoring two books, Alene wrote many career-oriented materials and was a columnist for the National Association of Bank Women Journal for 8 years. She was given multiple awards and honors for her contributions, including an honorary doctorate from Seattle University in 1990, distinguished alumna awards by both her college and her graduate university as well as the 1996 Seattle Community Catalyst Lifetime Award from Mothers Against Violence in America.

In 2004, the University of Washington Women’s Center established an endowment fund in her honor. Upon retiring in 2010, she moved to Horizon House, a senior community in Seattle, where she continued her work, presenting seminars for both men and women. Her husband, Walter Moris, Director of the Lutheran Center on Aging in Seattle, passed in 1996.

She is survived by her children Karin, Kristina, Erik and Karl, 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

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Imogen Cunningham

Cunningham Hall was named after Imogen Cunningham, an inspiring woman who graduated from the University of Washington in 1907. Although she majored in Chemistry while attending the UW, she became one of the first professional female photographers. To help pay for her own education while in college, she photographed plants for the botany department. This photo job and her scientific background helped Imogen combine unique elements to create memorable contemporary images, with her most famous photos including botanicals and nudes. The University houses four of her images, and they can be found on the 6th floor of the Allen Center.

Learn more about Imogen Cunningham’s life and photographic works

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Cunningham Hall in Seattle

In 1909, the Woman’s Building on the University of Washington campus opened as part of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition to showcase women’s art and to provide hospitality to visiting women. It then served as a center for campus and community women until 1916, when it was put to other use. 

Read more here about the history of Cunningham Hall