Academic resources – Page 5 – Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Welcome to campus, we belong together

Photo of Ed Taylor — Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor

We belong together. I made that statement at this year鈥檚 , an annual event filled with academic flourishes to mark the beginning of a student鈥檚 university journey. This year鈥檚 event was decidedly different and intentionally formatted for public safety. We are still trying to emerge from a pandemic, after all, so this year鈥檚 event was under a tent with new students only. I hope their families and loved ones were watching the livestream so they could share the moment. These times are still not yet 鈥渘ormal鈥� and require all of us to continue to adjust our sails.

But we belong together. The 91爆料鈥檚 leaders made that important declaration when we determined that we could bring our campus community back together safely with public health protocols and expectations for caring for our common good in place. I am encouraged about the year ahead.

In Undergraduate Academic Affairs, much of our work is centered around creating a sense of belonging among students. To that end, we come together to serve every student, no matter how they got here. From finding common ground through Advising & Orientation to developing and leading co-curricular experiences so undergraduates can access a truly transformational education alongside their peers, faculty and staff. Connecting, finding belonging amidst the many opportunities at the 91爆料 is foundational for undergraduates.

Together, and only together, can we create the kinds of classrooms, community-based opportunities, research spaces and campus that will enable deep learning for all our students. Together, we support students from the time they are admitted through graduation. Today鈥檚 undergraduates are tomorrow鈥檚 teachers, business people, civic leaders, doctors, nurses, scientists, artists. UAA鈥檚 reach across campus and into research spaces and the community is an intentional move toward connecting students to the big issues that are affecting people and the people who are working on solutions to these issues. In this way we take steps toward a future that is equitable and just, healthy and whole, innovative and informed. This work can only be done together.

Welcome to campus. We belong together, and together, we are strong, healthy, brave and boundless.

Q&A for 91爆料/Seattle Colleges partnership

Overview

The 91爆料 is excited to build upon the success of to connect students to a baccalaureate degree at the 91爆料. Historically, transfer students have had success at the 91爆料, but there are still barriers. Prospective students need better information about options for majors and how to prepare for them. Newly admitted transfer students often need up-front academic support in order to transition to a research university. Investment in this partnership will provide information and support to ensure that Seattle Promise students can reach their academic goals.

A Seattle Promise student鈥檚 journey with this partnership

Year one of the student鈥檚 journey

Q. Who is eligible to participate in this opportunity?

Seattle Promise students who have completed their first year at Seattle Colleges.

Q. What happens in the first year of the partnership program?

Year one of the partnership program is designed to help students understand what academics at the 91爆料 are like, to support their academic planning and career preparation, and to introduce them to opportunities that are unique to a research university. It helps them learn how to take advantage of the supports that exist at different institutions so they can have a successful transfer experience.

Details:

Academic preparation

From late-August to mid-September, Seattle Promise students who have completed their first year at a Seattle College take a three-week course focused on a subject that relates to what they are interested in majoring in.

Course is taught by a 91爆料 faculty member.
Student will earn credit that will apply to their Seattle College AA degree.

Major and career exploration

The 91爆料 is proud to offer more than 180 undergraduate majors and recognizes that some are better known than others. Part of our goal with this partnership is to support students鈥� exploration of majors that are both well-known and those that tend to fly under the radar but would still support students鈥� academic and career goals. To that end, this partnership will support students鈥�:

Academic planning for multiple majors.
Mapping academic and experiential learning opportunities to their career interests.

Research university opportunities

As one of the country鈥檚 leading research universities, we are excited to ensure Seattle Promise students are aware of the benefits and opportunities that exist at the 91爆料. Students who earn their bachelor’s degree from a different institution still benefit from a deeper understanding of how a research university in their backyard connects to their lives.

Year two of a student鈥檚 journey

Q. Who is eligible to participate in the second year of this partnership?

Seattle Promise students who have been admitted to the 91爆料 for autumn quarter. Some, but not necessarily all, will have participated in the first year of the program.

Q. What happens in the second year of the partnership program?

Year two of the partnership program will delve into preparing specifically for entering the 91爆料鈥檚 Seattle campus.

Details:

Academic preparation

From late-August to mid-September, Seattle Promise students admitted to the 91爆料 for autumn quarter take an intensive, four-week course focused on writing and research.

Course is taught by a 91爆料 faculty member.
Students will learn about academic resources such as libraries, writing centers, tutoring centers.

Grounding and belonging

Research tells us that students who feel grounded and find a sense of belonging are more likely to persist through college and earn their degree. The unique circumstances and lived experiences of transfer students, coupled with their shorter time on campus can make it more difficult for them to find those points of connection and community. Year two of this partnership aims to lessen those difficulties in these ways:

Develop a cohort of Seattle Promise students who are new to the 91爆料
Build community among other new transfer students
Connect this cohort with current 91爆料 students who have already experienced what it鈥檚 like to transfer to the 91爆料
Orient Seattle Promise transfer students to campus resources and opportunities before the beginning of autumn quarter

Operational details

Q. How many students will this partnership support?

We鈥檒l know how many students we will be able to support once all the details of the funding are known. That said, and while it depends on the final funding, we鈥檙e hopeful that we鈥檇 be able to serve 100 Seattle Promise students to start.

Q. How will this partnership be staffed?

A 91爆料 adviser will be dedicated to this partnership and will work closely with Seattle Colleges and Seattle Promise students on admissions requirements, exploring majors and being academically prepared. Additionally, this adviser will be able to show how academics at Seattle Colleges specifically map to different majors at the 91爆料 and they鈥檒l be able to connect students with financial aid and other student resources for Seattle Promise students who transfer to the 91爆料.

Q. What kind of financial aid is available to students to participate in the program?聽

The programs will be free for Seattle Promise students 鈥� all course costs will be covered by this investment in the partnership. Seattle Promise students who are admitted to the 91爆料 as transfer students will be eligible for financial aid. Many of the current Seattle Promise students who are from low-income backgrounds will be eligible for the Husky Promise (which covers tuition and standard fees at the 91爆料).

Q. What does the program cost to students? Will students have to pay tuition for the three- and four-week courses?

There is no charge to Seattle Promise students to participate in this program or the three- and four-week programs.

Q. What happens after 2023, when the federal funding runs out? Will the program continue?

While we don鈥檛 want to speculate about funding sources after 2023, we know that the 91爆料鈥檚 commitment to continuing to build upon and improve partnerships to benefit transfer students will remain strong.

Q. Where can students learn more about and sign up for this program?

We鈥檙e glad you鈥檙e interested! We are working out those details with our partners at the Seattle Colleges. Please stay tuned and check back.

Q. Does this guarantee admission to the 91爆料 for Seattle Promise students?

This partnership does not guarantee 91爆料 admission for Seattle Promise students. We do anticipate that students who participate in the program beginning after their first year in a Seattle College will be well-positioned to be admitted.

Q. For participating students admitted to the 91爆料, does this guarantee admission into the major of their choice?

This partnership does not guarantee admission into particular majors for Seattle Promise students. We do anticipate that students who participate in the program will be well-informed about their major options.

For more information about this partnership, please contact Michaelann Jundt, associate dean, Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

91爆料 Junior Sophia Carey named Beinecke scholar聽

91爆料 junior Sophia Carey was recently selected for the Beinecke scholarship! Carey, who is majoring in English and comparative history of ideas and minoring in theatre studies, was selected from 95 applicants to join this year鈥檚 class. Each year the offers 20 scholarships to undergraduates who intend to pursue a master鈥檚 or doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences. The selected students receive $30,000 to be used for graduate study and $4,000 in their senior year. The last time a 91爆料 student received this award was 2011.聽

Carey entered the 91爆料 through the Early Entrance Program at the and has since focused her interdisciplinary studies in the arts, humanities and social sciences into a passion for community-based theater and the intersections between public policy and the performing arts. She is also in the .

Research and leadership experiences have been hallmarks of her time as a 91爆料 student. Her past research includes the paper 鈥淧erforming Beyond Utopia,鈥� which explored how residents of Lima, Peru, in the 1970s used community-based theater to resist and transcend dictatorial state agendas. Outside of performance studies, Sophia鈥檚 research has been featured in an open glossary of law, society and justice terms, and in 2019, she won the 91爆料 Library Research Award for Undergraduates for her paper investigating barriers to Latin American youths鈥� access to educational support services.聽

Sophia is currently the president of the Early Entrance Drama Society, a student-run drama club at the 91爆料. In almost three years of involvement in the club, she has co-facilitated the translation of a 2020 production into a virtual format, performed in and directed several productions, and hosted drama-related events designed to build community and provide performance opportunities for students interested in arts and arts leadership. In addition to her work with the Early Entrance Drama Society, Sophia has acquired significant experience with local nonprofit and community-directed theater, as a directing intern at Stone Soup Theater, a development assistant at ArtsWest, and currently as a volunteer at the Seattle Rep.聽

She plans to continue studying the potential for community-based theater to bring about material and political change through graduate research in a Ph.D. or MFA program that combines practical approaches and critical scholarly research methods in the study of theater.

About the Beinecke聽

The Beinecke Scholarship program is open to juniors in studying the arts, humanities and social sciences. The scholarship provides funding for students to pursue a masters聽 or Ph.D. in these fields. Since 1975 the program has selected more than from more than 110 different undergraduate institutions for support during graduate study at any accredited university.

About the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards聽

The Beinecke 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.

91爆料 junior awarded selective Goldwater Scholarship

Congratulations to 91爆料 junior Daniel Chen, whom the Goldwater Foundation honored with its undergraduate scholarship for students studying the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Chen, who is majoring in and , is one of 410 undergraduate students selected for the award from a pool of 1,256 students nominated by 438 institutions across the country.

91爆料 junior Daniel Chen was selected for the competitive Goldwater Scholarship. (Photo taken following public health guidelines at the time.)

Goldwater Scholarships are granted to sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise and plan to pursue research careers in math, engineering or the natural sciences. These scholarships award up to $7,500 a year to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, room and board.

Chen on a snowy hike above Pratt Lake in Washington.

Chen鈥檚 interest in challenging himself can be seen through his academic choices: In addition to majoring in two disciplines, informatics and microbiology, he is pursuing in microbiology. Chen has previously been awarded the Levinson Emerging Scholars award and the , and is also listed on the annual Dean鈥檚 List.

He began his college path early, entering the 91爆料 after middle school through the . To balance out his rigorous academic and research work, Chen enjoys hiking in nature preserves and crocheting amigurumi animals, hobbies that suit the environment of his hometown of Sammamish, WA.

鈥淭his news is simply wonderful,鈥� says Undergraduate Academic Affairs Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor. 鈥淭hrough his involvement in undergraduate research, Daniel has shown a dedication to furthering science and understanding as well as to the purpose of making people鈥檚 lives better. As a University community, we couldn鈥檛 be more proud of him. I extend my warmest congratulations to Daniel as well as his faculty mentors and others who have supported him on his journey so far.鈥�

As an undergraduate, Chen was one of the co-authors of the research paper,

Chen currently conducts research under Dr. Yapeng Su and Professor Jim Heath in the Heath lab at the Institute for Systems Biology. His research is focused on using the single-cell multi-omic paradigm to analyze COVID-19 peripheral blood mononuclear cells to identify the disease state effects of SARS-CoV-2 on patient immune systems. Such research has also branched out into investigating heterogenous patient responses to COVID-19 in convalescence along with interrogation of patient epigenomes to identify the early-stage immune cell subpopulations responsible for humoral immunity formation and the epigenomic changes that may guide such. In combination with Chen鈥檚 previous research investigating melanoma subpopulations using single-cell transcriptome (scRNA-seq) and epigenome (scATAC-seq) data, his current research projects have continued to push and develop his passion for biomedical informatics particularly when applied to clinically relevant problems.

After his undergraduate studies, Chen intends to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. centered on leveraging computational resources and advances to solve human medical challenges such as cancer and infectious diseases. He particularly looks forward to identifying best practices and applications for such research to develop more accessible medical solutions for the given problem. He eventually hopes to pursue a faculty position at a university to conduct translational research in biomedical-informatic oriented fields.

For more information, contact Robin Chang, director of the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards, at robinc@uw.edu.

Husky Stories show there are many, many ways to be a Husky

Each and every Husky goes through their own journey, undergoes their own unique experiences and, most importantly, has their very own story to share. Husky Stories is a mini-series in which Huskies share their successes, failures, experiences 鈥� their stories. There is no one way to be a Husky. Indeed, the culmination of individuals’ stories shape the picture of what it means to be a Husky.

Husky Stories: Taking advantage of failure with Ryan Lowery

Welcome to the very first episode of Husky Stories! Ryan Lowery is majoring in math and atmospheric sciences here at the 91爆料. Other than school, Ryan is also involved with the , a program within Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Here, he shares his stories of dealing with failure and resiliency. (Note: This interview took place prior to the coronavirus pandemic.)

The Resilience Lab is a campus partner in the Husky Health & Well-Being initiative. If you would like to talk with a counselor or simply learn more about the mental health resources available to students, visit the .

Video by Sovechea Sophanna.

New guidebook helps faculty and instructors support student well-being

This week, the 91爆料鈥檚 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.聽

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 91爆料 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 91爆料 campuses. Their contributions give the guidebook a 91爆料-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.聽

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.鈥澛�

Support resilience, compassion and well-being

The Resilience Lab promotes well-being at the 91爆料 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 91爆料 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 91爆料.

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 91爆料 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

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

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.鈥澛�

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.聽

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.鈥澛�

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 91爆料 student success.鈥澛�

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 91爆料 undergrads.聽

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.聽

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.聽

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.聽

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聽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.聽 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 91爆料, 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.

Studying in progress signs now available

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.

Studying in progress signs

Click on an image for the full size version.

Meeting in progress signs

Click on an image for the full size version.

Welcome to the 2020-21 academic year

Our inter-connected and inter-dependent community is filled with people聽who care, and I want to remind everyone to find moments of joy and gratitude in each day.