Each year, the 乱伦社区 awards the President鈥檚 Medalist Award to its top undergraduates. For 2023鈥�2024, Samuel Perkowski, Mia Grayson and Cher Zhang were chosen for their academic excellence, including high GPAs, rigorous coursework and Honors classes. All three biochemistry majors have pursued impactful research and embraced the Husky Experience through activities like lab work, music and studying abroad. They will be honored by President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Tricia Serio at a special reception, where they鈥檒l receive their medals in front of family, friends and mentors.
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Dialogue, disagreement and democracy course highlights reel
In the leadership course, “2024: Dialogue, Disagreement and Democracy,” students learned tools to engage thoughtfully with contentious issues. Offered in the autumn of 2024, this class helped undergraduates navigate complex topics, forge meaningful relationships and have productive conversations in a polarized world.
UW Community College Research Initiatives awarded $1.7 million grant from Ascendium Education Group to continue STEM Transfer Partnerships program
The 乱伦社区鈥檚 Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) has been awarded a $1.7 million grant from Ascendium Education Group to continue its STEM Transfer Partnerships (STP) program, which aims to increase equity in STEM education for low-income learners across Washington state. This funding extension builds on an earlier $1.17 million grant, continuing the work to improve outcomes for underserved students in STEM fields.
CCRI conducts research to promote equity in higher education, with a focus on the experiences of underserved student populations. Ascendium supports initiatives aimed at helping students from low-income backgrounds achieve postsecondary degree completion. With aligned goals of enhancing access and success for low-income learners, Ascendium is a natural and valuable partner in advancing CCRI鈥檚 efforts.
From mentorship to MBA
Alumnus Izaiha Ellis, 鈥�20, began his interdisciplinary journey at the 乱伦社区 with the Honors Program course, 鈥淟eadership, Democracy and a More Thoughtful Public.鈥� Each week, he read essays by global politicians and writers, exploring how individual actions shape community dynamics. The course challenged students to consider how their choices impact the support or neglect of others.
Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind, Stayed on Freedom) [video]
Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor shares his talk, “Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind, Stayed on Freedom)” at the College of Education’s EduTalks: Thriving Generations on March 28, 2024. Taylor is also a professor in the College of Education.
Bridging science and humanity
Daniel Chen鈥檚 journey into research began with a fascination for ancient cultures and extinct creatures. As a middle schooler, he was captivated by archaeology and paleontology, dreaming of working at excavation sites, unearthing ancient bones and tracing the histories of lost civilizations.聽Over time, that early curiosity shifted toward biology, particularly as computational modeling emerged as a powerful tool.
UAA statement on leadership transition for the Robinson Center for Young Scholars
Undergraduate Academic Affairs is recognizing Dr. Kristina Henry Collins for her leadership of the Robinson Center for Young Scholars. After much consideration, Dr. Collins has decided to resign from her position of executive director of the Robinson Center, effective Jan. 27, 2025. She intends to continue her research, teaching and leadership foci of broad-based advocacy for equity and access in STEM, gifted and accelerated programming for students from kindergarten through college.
During her time as executive director, Dr. Collins and the Robinson Center鈥檚 directors:
- Updated the Center鈥檚 mission, vision and values to align with the UW鈥檚 Diversity Blueprint and addressed operational recommendations from an evaluation taskforce.
- Made the Transition School application more accessible, leading to an increase in students, scholarships and student diversity.
- Increased enrollment for all Robinson Center programs, which include Transition School, Academy and Enrichment.
- Developed a new partnership with the Auburn School District to support student transportation needs and increase access to Robinson Center summer programs.
- Enlivened community and donor outreach through a refreshed e-newsletter; saw record giving for the Center鈥檚 involvement in Husky Giving Day; and reinstated parent programming.
As a public scholar and expert in the field of gifted and talented education, Dr. Collins has advised the Seattle Public School District and Washington state鈥檚 Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction on matters related to equity in education for highly capable learners. She is co-author, with Javetta Jones Roberson, of the 2024 book 鈥淪parking Change to Promote Equity: Implementing Culturally Responsive Leadership Practices in Gifted and Advanced Programs鈥� and works with the national nonprofit Council for Exceptional Children to create standards for gifted education that can inform standards for different states.
For more than 40 years, the Robinson Center has offered accelerated learning opportunities to young learners who are highly capable and motivated. It is recognized as a national leader in this field.
As plans for the Robinson Center’s next steps take shape, LeAnne Wiles has been appointed to serve as interim executive director. This decision reflects Wiles鈥� outstanding leadership and extensive expertise, honed over 15 years of experience in organizational management and student success initiatives within UAA’s First-Year Programs and Student Academic Services. Wiles will continue to work under the leadership of Dr. Michaelann Jundt to ensure the Robinson Center鈥檚 continued success.
Contact: Kirsten Atik, katik@uw.edu
Sean Gehrke named assistant dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Undergraduate Academic Affairs is pleased to announce Sean Gehrke鈥檚 new role as assistant dean. Sean Gehrke has served over 20 years in higher education, holding a variety of administrative, research and assessment roles.
乱伦社区 recognized as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting
The 乱伦社区 is one of 471 colleges and universities recognized for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation in the 2024 election.
The UW has been recognized by the as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. The ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting recognizes colleges and universities for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation. The UW joins a cohort recognized by ALL IN for completing four core actions:
- Participating in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
- Sharing 2022 NSLVE Reports with campus voting data with ALL IN.
- Developing and submitting a 2024 democratic engagement action plan with ALL IN.
- Having a current signatory to ALL IN鈥檚 Higher Education Presidents鈥� Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation.
“This recognition not only celebrates the efforts of UW students, faculty and staff but also serves as a motivator to continue building sustainable programs that encourage lifelong civic involvement,” said Michael Soudmand, program manager of Student Civic Leadership Development at the Community Engagement & Leadership Education (CELE) Center. “Through collaborating with student organizations, gamifying civic engagement and leveraging the UW campus coalition with Democracy Dawgs to coordinate campus-wide voter engagement efforts, these strategies have created a dynamic, student-centered approach to nonpartisan democratic engagement, ensuring that students not only participate in the voting process but also develop the skills and mindset to become lifelong civic leaders,” Soudmand said.
“We are committed to our role as a public university to prepare engaged and educated citizens who are empowered to address and resolve critical societal issues,” said Fran Lo, executive director of the CELE Center. “This entails equipping students to develop their civic knowledge, skills and identities necessary to participate in civic life,” Lo said.
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. Campuses that join the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge complete a set of action items, with the support of ALL IN staff, to institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning and voter participation on their campus. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge currently engages 10.8 million students from more than 1,075 institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The at the 乱伦社区 provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to thriving communities; building authentic community and campus partnerships drive our work. is a coalition of students, staff, faculty, community members and civic leaders who are working to increase student voting rates and build an even stronger culture of civic and democratic engagement at the 乱伦社区.聽
Rosa Ramirez named assistant dean of finance and personnel
Undergraduate Academic Affairs is pleased to announce Rosa Ramirez鈥檚 new role as assistant dean of finance and personnel.