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Content that has a shorter shelf life and is less likely to be republished over time.

New guidebook helps faculty and instructors support student well-being

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Cover of Well-Being for Life and Learning guidebookThis week, the 乱伦社区鈥檚 Resilience Lab released the , a new resource for instructors to aid them in designing learning environments that promote well-being. Combining research, best practices and personal testimony, the guidebook gives faculty and other instructors concrete ideas and direct input from the campus community around supporting the whole student and promoting resilience and compassion on campus.

Students鈥� well-being has been a growing concern for several years and has been exacerbated by 2020鈥檚 COVID-19 pandemic, economic fallout and the national reckoning over race and policing. A recent found that campus mental health was the top concern of university presidents.听

鈥淎s we prepare the next generation of citizens and servant leaders, future educators, researchers, entrepreneurs and more, it really is critical that we incorporate practices that support our students鈥� whole lives and lived experiences,鈥� says Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean on Undergraduate Academic Affairs. 鈥淎s a public research university, much of our work is focused on understanding the factors that contribute to resilient communities. This guidebook helps us with that work right here at our UW home, knowing that it expands beyond campus as we all interact with our broader community through research, service and teaching.鈥�

The guidebook鈥檚 Foundations for Advancing Student Well-Being are the framework for the guide and include the themes of teaching for equity and access, building resilience coping skills, nurturing connection and connecting to the environment. This framework promotes core skills and mindsets of social and emotional learning and draws on best practices modeled at other institutions. This resource was researched, developed, co-written and edited by the Resilience Lab team and more than 40 Well-Being for Life and Learning Fellows who are faculty members, instructors, staff and students across disciplines and from all three UW campuses. Their contributions give the guidebook a UW-focused, holistic perspective on the impact of teaching the whole student. In that way, the guidebook is both a call to action and an invitation to the work of helping students develop the tools and habits for well-being so they are mentally and emotionally equipped to learn and thrive.听

鈥淎ll of us at the Resilience Lab are so honored to have worked on this guidebook with such a committed group of instructors, staff and students,鈥� says Resilience Lab Director Megan Kennedy. 鈥淲e know that advancing student well-being really takes all of us, so our goal was to create a tool for our campus colleagues to add to their pedagogical toolbox. We wanted to give instructors a foundation of both why this work matters and how they can incorporate it into their teaching no matter where they are in terms of personal and professional experience.鈥澨�

Support resilience, compassion and well-being

The Resilience Lab promotes well-being at the 乱伦社区 through education, research partnerships, and core programs and initiatives.

 

The Well-Being for Life and Learning guidebook sits at the prevention and promotion end of a mental health continuum of care within the UW and is aimed at preventing larger issues or crises by bolstering students鈥� resilience coping skills and helping them respond to stress and stay connected to others. It鈥檚 a part of the Resilience Lab鈥檚 Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative, one of the Lab鈥檚 efforts toward building and sustaining a culture of well-being at the UW.

About the Resilience Lab

The Resilience Lab was founded in 2015 and is a program within Undergraduate Academic Affairs that promotes well-being at the UW through education, research partnerships and core programs and initiatives.

For more information about the Resilience Lab or its Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative and guidebook, contact Megan Kennedy at meganken@uw.edu.

Ryan Burt named director of Academic Support Programs

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Congratulations to Ryan Burt, who was appointed the new director of Academic Support Programs in September, 2020.听

runs the Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE) 鈥� a free, late night, peer-to-peer, drop-in tutoring program and academic support coaches, a peer-to-peer coaching program. Academic Support Programs sits within along with First Year Programs and Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising. Burt explains that being situated here 鈥渃reates really powerful opportunities to collaborate with First Year Programs and UAA Advising. This is a great space for us to think creatively and collaboratively about supporting the transitional experiences of first-year and pre-major students, especially in this virtual world.鈥澨�

Photo of Ryan Burt
Ryan Burt, photographed at CLUE 鈥� a free, late night, peer-to-peer, drop-in tutoring program 鈥� in 2018. Academic Support Programs runs CLUE, along with the academic success coaching program.

Inclusiveness is central to Academic Support Programs鈥� work. When examining the effectiveness of their programs, Burt and team ask who is coming, and more importantly, who isn鈥檛 coming and why? Even before the pandemic hit, Burt and his team were planning to offer their services online to make it easier for students to access these resources. The University鈥檚 move to online learning in spring 2020 sped up the timeline for this change.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e working to make the online experience a rich one. Even though it鈥檚 a challenging year, there is still a lot of possibility of collaborating differently in the virtual setting.鈥� Burt explains 鈥淚 want students to know we care about each of them. We know that being a student at a large public university can be overwhelming, daunting. That鈥檚 where we come in: we鈥檙e their academic home away from home.鈥澨�

Associate Dean Michaelann Jundt shares, 鈥淚 am thrilled to have Ryan leading Academic Support Programs. His curiosity fuels his dedication to deep learning and informs his leadership. I am impressed by how well he handles unexpected change and the ways he has embraced collaborative projects. His commitment to students will continue to move us forward in supporting UW student success.鈥澨�

Academic Support Programs鈥� offerings rely on students teaching other students. The peer-to-peer model is impactful. Students learn from other Huskies who are going through similar experiences and challenges. It allows them to relate and to learn from someone who is balancing the demands of student life, just like they are. To that end, Academic Support Programs increased the number of student coaches they hired in spring 2020 to both provide jobs for students who may have otherwise lost them and to be able to better serve UW undergrads.听

To all faculty, staff and students thinking creatively about how to best support students, . Academic Support Programs is eager to connect, share ideas and work together.

Burt and team are eager to collaborate across campus. Because they work with both faculty and students, they have a unique vantage point to see both the faculty鈥檚 learning goals and how students are understanding the class material. They are available to meet with faculty and staff to share their observations and help support their classes.听

Burt鈥檚 involvement with Academic Support Programs began in 2013, when he was a program manager. His work included overseeing the CLUE writing center and teaching academic support classes for multilingual students. The majority of students Burt was working with were international students, so Burt co-founded the International Student Success Committee. The Committee鈥檚 work brought together colleagues serving international students together to focus on enriching the international student college experience.听

Burt continued to grow his career in Academic Support Services, serving as senior program manager, assistant director and most recently served as interim director. He continues to focus on how to best support the University鈥檚 diverse undergraduate student population.听

He is a triple Dawg, earning his Ph.D. in English literature. His graduate work focused on critical multiculturalism in literature. He also holds a B.A. in both the comparative history of ideas and literature, and an M.A. in literature. He led the Academic Support Programs course English 295: Imagination, Immigration and Identity in Post-Colonial Rome听and spent two years as a visiting professor of English at the Universit茅 Ibn Zohr in Agadir, Morocco.

Beyond his work in Academic Support Programs, Burt has been involved in several committees including Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� general studies curriculum committee and the diversity and inclusion team. He co-chaired the Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� staff teaching committee with Carissa Mayer, which brought together staff from across campus to think critically about undergraduate education.听 He is also co-chairing the University鈥檚 Task Force on Writing, where he鈥檚 helping to reimagine the W (writing) requirement. Burt brings a unique perspective to this work, having been an undergrad and grad student at the UW, in addition to having taught classes as both a grad student and now a staff member. This work seeks to broaden the writing requirement to include diverse fields and writing intensive, upper-level language classes.

Outside of work, Burt, his wife Jennifer and their son Lucien recently welcomed their newest family member, Zin茅dine. Burt is a musician and drummer for the band . In addition, he鈥檚 an avid coffee drinker. Pre-pandemic, he鈥檇 offer you a Chemex pour over when you visited his office. His current favorite coffee is , which translates to鈥渃offee, coffee, coffee鈥︹�� in several East African languages 鈥� perfect for a coffee enthusiast.

 

Dear Students: Voting is a habit that holds our democracy together

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Voting is a habit that holds our democracy together.

The 乱伦社区 has one of the highest voter participation rates of any college or university in the nation. This legacy of civic participation 鈥� that #HuskiesVote 鈥� is something we can all be proud of. And it鈥檚 something we can continue.

If you are eligible to vote make sure that your voter registration status is up-to-date so you are ready to vote in the upcoming November 2020 election.

Important dates

October 26, 2020

Deadline for online voter registration in Washington state.
NOTE: Deadlines and processes vary from state to state, so it is wise to register as soon as you can. Check the for deadlines in other states.

November 3, 2020

Election Day

In Washington state, your ballot must be in a ballot box before 8 p.m. on November 3 or postmarked on or before November 3.

This November, you have the chance to vote for the president, governor and local officials as well as ballot initiatives 鈥� all of which are important decisions that impact your life. Voting is a way you can use your civic voice; we encourage you to use it. But first: You need to register.

As the largest and most diverse generation alive right now, young people have a chance to make a real impact in our country 鈥� if every eligible voter participates in elections. In order to make sure that you can vote in the upcoming local, state and federal elections, you need to be registered to vote at your current address.

Please take five minutes and听.听

Let鈥檚 exercise some civic muscle and vote.听#HuskiesVote

Additional resources

:听Check your voter registration status and find out more about upcoming elections, including how to vote safely by mail. If you are residing in another state, this website has information about voting in each state.

Huskies Vote:听Get step-by-step guidance on how to vote and how you can help others vote.

Do you need in-person assistance or did you miss the registration deadline?

Come to the Vote Center at the听. It will be open Saturday, October 31, 10 a.m.鈥�4 p.m.; Monday, November 2, 8:30 a.m.鈥�6:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 3, 8:30 a.m.鈥�8:00 p.m. You鈥檒l be able to register for the first time or update your registration, get a replacement ballot if you need one, or use an accessible voting unit if you have a disability and would prefer an audio ballot, touchscreen or other adaptive equipment. Public health precautions will be in place and wearing a face covering will be required.

This post is an edited compilation of a couple messages sent to students at UW鈥檚 Seattle campus to encourage them to register to vote and vote because civic engagement is an important component to a UW education.

Studying in progress signs now available

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Download and print a copy so everyone around you knows when you are busy with classes, studying and meetings.

Download a PDF of the do not disturb signs:

 

Class in progress signs

Click on an image for the full size version.

 

Class in progress - dark gold

Class in progress - gold sign

 

Studying in progress signs

Click on an image for the full size version.

Studying in Progress -purple sign

Studying in progress - black

 

Studying in progress - dark gold

Studying in progress - gold

 

Meeting in progress signs

Click on an image for the full size version.

Meeting in progress - do not disturb

Meeting in progress - black

 

Meeting in progress - dark gold

Meeting in progress sign

Megan Kennedy named director of UW Resilience Lab

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Megan Kennedy, director of the UW Resilience Lab

Undergraduate Academic Affairs is happy to share that Megan Kennedy was named director of the UW鈥檚 Resilience Lab in May. Kennedy has been connected to the Resilience Lab through multiple roles on campus that have all focused on student well-being. Since August, 2019, she served as interim director of the Resilience Lab, a unit within Undergraduate Academic Affairs that promotes mental health and well-being at the UW through education, research partnerships and a range of programs and initiatives.

Kennedy brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, ranging from a deep, clinical understanding of the importance of mental health to influencing organizational structures and systems so they better support individuals. Creating more concrete connections between the Resilience Lab and other campus partners whose work intersects with resilience and compassion is one of the ways Kennedy is infusing the Resilience Lab鈥檚 work more deeply into current structures.

Kennedy says she thinks about the Lab 鈥渁s existing along a continuum of care at the UW, working collaboratively and intentionally with colleagues on campus, whose work is complementary. This work is also deeply aligned with my values of community well-being and kindness. It鈥檚 one of the ways the Lab is reflective of who I am.鈥�

The Resilience Lab situates itself on the prevention side of that continuum, promoting resilience coping skills and mindsets across campus, including collaborating with faculty and programs to support integrating resilience practices into classroom settings and existing structures.

鈥淭he work of compassion for self and others is guided by important research and is much needed now,鈥� says Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. 鈥淯ltimately, Megan鈥檚 work on well-being, mental health and her alliance building aims to foster compassionate communities. I am glad Megan is leading this work here.鈥�

As director, Kennedy will primarily focus the Lab鈥檚 work on:

  • Supporting faculty to promote well-being within their classrooms by modeling and teaching social and emotional skills and mindsets
  • Providing seed grants to support resilience- and compassion-building initiatives that foster connection and community
  • Offering the 6-week long Be REAL program (Resilient Attitudes and Living) to UW students, staff and instructors
  • Revitalizing a vulnerability collective, a student-led initiative that encourages compassion and fosters resiliency through storytelling
  • Deepening and developing research partnerships with faculty, other UW divisions and initiatives that research themes of resilience and well-being
  • Launching the Well-Being for Life and Learning guidebook, a tool to equip faculty and instructors with foundational research about the importance of integrating well-being practices into their pedagogy as well as practical, how-to tactics.

鈥淭his work is designed to deepen the resilience and coping layers of the University so students can see and experience staff and instructors modeling the change,鈥� explains Kennedy. 鈥淪taff and faculty play a key role in inspiring a culture of well-being at the UW 鈥� starting with ourselves is part of that work.鈥�

Prior to her work with the Resilience Lab in UAA, Kennedy served in the division of Student Life as the manager of strategic initiatives for student wellness and the suicide intervention coordinator. Before coming to the UW, Kennedy was clinical director and interim outreach director at Youth Eastside Services, where she counseled youth and families, was a leader in the organization鈥檚 diversity efforts, and brought the clinic鈥檚 work into school district and community-based organizations. She is the co-founder and gender and sexual diversity consultant and trainer for Revelry Media and Methods, a consulting company that addresses social isolation, violence and mental health disparities faced by LGBTQ youth. Through this work and her work as an independent counselor and consultant, Kennedy鈥檚 career has focused on issues of well-being and equity, empowering individuals to build their resilience and well-being, and engage in the long-term work of creating more equitable systems.

I am breathing, but I鈥檓 not OK

Written by Ed Taylor
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Are you OK? People have been asking me, and I鈥檝e been asking others. I appreciate the question and those asking. Please keep asking. The truth of the matter is that things are not OK. As I write this, I鈥檓 staying home because of COVID-19, and a citywide curfew resulting from threats of violence throughout our city and county. I am also grieving the death of George Floyd. The simple answer is I am breathing, but I鈥檓 not OK. Nothing about the moment is OK.

The 23rd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium moves online

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On Friday, May 15, 2020, more than 850 undergraduates will participate in the 23rd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, which will be held online. When held in person, the UW鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Symposium is one of the largest in the country. This year鈥檚 online event is likely to follow suit. Student presenters represent all three 乱伦社区 campuses as well as some community colleges, regional colleges and universities.

听

Registration is required to attend this year’s virtual Symposium. To register, visit symposium.uw.edu. Attending the event is always free.

Circle avatar for research championShow students your support by updating your social media profile picture with a Symposium avatar, available for researchers, mentors, parents and champions of undergrad research.

Planning for the traditional event, which completely takes over Mary Gates Hall and expands into Odegaard Undergraduate Library, was well underway by the Undergraduate Research Program. Then the novel coronavirus pandemic hit, putting a halt to in-person events. More than 1,200 students had already applied to present their research, and staff were reading their applications and abstracts.

Rather than simply cancel the event outright, Undergraduate Research Program staff surveyed students to learn if they would want to present their research in a virtual format. The demands and new realities of students鈥� research projects varied 鈥� some projects, for example, are on hold and cannot be moved forward remotely and others are able to continue remotely 鈥� yet students鈥� interest in presenting was overwhelmingly positive.

The Undergraduate Research Symposium typically happens in Mary Gates Hall and will be online this year.

鈥淚 believe it is more important now than ever to have a feeling of pride in our community,鈥� says Hank Cheng, UW senior majoring in biology. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of something better than bringing together hundreds of scholars to share their accomplishments.鈥澨�

Organizers committed themselves to maintaining a professional Symposium experience for student presenters and to creating learning opportunities along the way, just as they have done for past symposia. Students were given feedback on their abstracts, offered workshop opportunities to learn how to put together a presentation or poster, and encouraged to participate in practice sessions to test-drive their presentation.

鈥淚鈥檓 just so impressed and excited by the way these students rose to this challenge,鈥� says Jennifer Harris, director of the Undergraduate Research Program. 鈥淥ur undergraduate researchers, working under the guidance of world-class mentors, demonstrate resilience, creativity and truly engaged learning.鈥澨�

Harris also noted that one of the benefits of being online this year is that students鈥� friends and family from around the region, country and world will be able to tune in to their presentation.听

As in years past, the Undergraduate Research Symposium showcases the diversity of undergraduate research, which spans politics to pediatrics, astrobiology to oceanography, history to computer science, engineering to education and more, showing that undergraduate creativity and scholarship truly is boundless.

Overview of the format and registration

The Symposium begins at 9 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time, and will run to about 4:30 p.m. UW President Cauce, Provost Mark Richards and UAA Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor have each recorded videos to welcome students and guests; congratulate undergraduates on their accomplishments; share who the recipients of the Research Mentor Awards are; and recognize the invaluable role mentors play in encouraging undergraduates to transform their education through research.

Students will present their research in one of these formats, all followed by a question and answer period:

  • 3-minute poster presentation or lightning talk,听
  • 10-minute oral presentation,
  • 5-minute visual arts and design presentation, or
  • 15-minute performance presentation.

Registered guests will be able to access students鈥� abstracts and presentation times, watch presentations by students they specifically want to see, and explore and attend multiple sessions.听

All presentations will be pre-recorded and played in real time, according to the event schedule; they will not be available for later viewing. Registration is required to attend this free event.听

To view the sessions, and make sure to if you do not already have one. Information about how to access the sessions and a detailed Symposium conference schedule will be emailed to registered attendees the week of Symposium. 听

Support undergraduate researchers

There are many ways to support undergraduates presenting their research.

Through undergraduate research, students contribute to groundbreaking work and gain the experience necessary to one day lead innovative research themselves. UW undergraduates are getting involved in research in increasing numbers 鈥� more than 9,000 students participated in research in 2017鈥�18. More than 700 faculty, post-doc, research staff and graduate student mentors supported this year鈥檚 Symposium presenters through their research, helping students develop subject area knowledge, transferable skills and an entrepreneurial perspective that will prepare them for future employment, education and civic engagement.

Join the undergraduate research ecosystem by supporting the Symposium in these ways:

Attend the Symposium and ask questions. and tell your friends.

Show your support on social. Invite your friends and family ahead of time, and then post and tweet about your experiences using #UWsymp. Incorporate a new avatar and images from the Symposium social media toolkit.

Make a gift. Because of the generosity of donors, our students can continue their research and stay on track in the face of unprecedented challenges.


Support undergrad research

乱伦社区 junior Virginia Burton receives prestigious Truman Scholarship

Written by Jenelle Birnbaum
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Congratulations to 乱伦社区 junior, Virginia Burton, for being selected for the prestigious Truman Scholarship. A highly competitive award, only 62 students were selected听 from more than 773 nominations. The scholarship recognizes future leaders driven to make change at the policy level. Students are selected based on outstanding leadership, demonstrated civic engagement, academic potential and a desire to pursue a career in public service. Scholars receive up to $30,000 for graduate school to help prepare them for a career in public service. Burton plans to earn a joint law degree and masters of public administration in order to advocate for prison and criminal justice reform. The political science major鈥檚 goals and extensive background in social services are deeply personal.

Burton is a 47-year-old mother of three and a first-generation, non-traditional student. After taking more than two decades off from formal education, she decided to return to school in 2017 after becoming frustrated with the criminal justice system. Having experienced addiction, incarceration and seeing her family鈥檚 experiences with the criminal justice system, she recognized education was the key to continuing her work more intentionally.

Burton, at Camp Muir, on her way to summit Mt. Rainier. Burton learned mountaineering from a friend at church. The skills gained mountaineering, combined with the Post Prison Education Program and her church family, helped her develop the strength, confidence and mindset to return to school and pursue her career goals.

鈥淢aking the decision to return to school so late in life was a challenge for me. I thought I might be too old to start my life over again and that learning might be harder than I imagined. I decided that I would tackle each challenge I faced with the same drive I tackle mountains. There is no excuse to stop moving forward. If I want to reach the summit, I must keep climbing.鈥�

Burton鈥檚 drive is apparent. She earned her associates degree from South Seattle College in 2018 and is currently a junior at the UW. She鈥檚 received several scholarships, including the Martin Family Honors Scholarship, All Washington Academic Team and was a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship. When she was a student at South Seattle College, she was named to the dean鈥檚 list, and she鈥檚 continued to earn a spot on the dean鈥檚 list at the UW.

鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled for Virginia,鈥� explains 乱伦社区 President Ana Mari Cauce, 鈥渂ut even more for the world, because she is so committed to making it a better place. Her combination of brilliance, a quality education, and lessons learned from difficult life experience is truly rare.鈥�

Burton鈥檚 leadership and dedication to creating systems that empower people to improve their lives is strong. In her three years as a supervisor at a men鈥檚 shelter, she trained her case managers to navigate the usual barriers people face when looking for stable housing. By the time she left, her programs had helped house nearly 600 people, representing a six-fold increase in people exiting homelessness. She has also been volunteering with the Post Prison Education Program since 2011, a nonprofit that provides support to former prisoners while attending school post-release. She goes into prisons, shares her story of rehabilitation and is available to mentor people once they get out. Based on her experience, she knows 鈥減risons are not rehabilitative,鈥� and that people often are released without having the skills to succeed when they are released. Her long term goals are to realize her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer, run for elected office and to restructure prison time. Her vision for prison reform includes requiring treatment, therapy, education, job training, parenting, conflict resolution and finance classes, ultimately reducing the recidivism rate and creating a safer community.

鈥淰irginia Burton is a unique and praiseworthy choice for this fellowship,鈥� says Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Ed Taylor. 鈥淪he exemplifies the very purpose of the Truman Fellowship: She is devoted to public good, she is inspired, brave and she leads from her heart and mind. This fellowship intends to recognize leadership potential and commitment to public service. Virgina Burton is a spot-on selection.鈥�

鈥淚t is hard for me to explain what receiving the Truman means to me,鈥� reflects Burton. 鈥淚 went back to school because the system made me angry. I believe I have a voice that speaks for people who are overlooked and disregarded. This scholarship allows me to develop my voice, speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and be a part of a community of world changers. It will provide me an opportunity to obtain a graduate degree without accruing tremendous debt. The Truman is also giving me an opportunity to model to my children how hard work pays off. More than anything, I want to show my kids a different life than the one I lived.鈥�

About the Truman
The was created by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to President Truman and the Presidential Memorial to Public Service. The Truman Scholarship recognizes outstanding leadership potential, academic achievement, and the desire to pursue a career in public service. The scholarship听 provides up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields.听There have been 3,322 Truman Scholars selected since the first awards in 1977. Truman Scholars lead at all levels of government and throughout the nonprofit sector.

About OMSFA听
The Truman Scholarship application process is supported by the (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with faculty, staff and students to identify and support promising students in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for this and other prestigious awards.