Dear Alumni and Friends,
Just over a week after our last eNewsletter hit your email inboxes in October, an important announcement took place at the University of Washington.
By now you all know that then-interim UW President Ana Mari Cauce has been named to the permanent presidency. She is the first Latina to be appointed to the position and has spent the last 29 years of her professional career at the UW. I’ve had the pleasure of working with President Cauce in her various roles and I know that she holds a deep and personal connection to the work on our campus that promotes access, equity and inclusion. The UW Race & Equity Initiative that she commenced last spring is evidence of this commitment, and the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) is excited to continue our support of these efforts.
Among the events happening around the initiative have been a series of facilitated conversations with students on topics of race and equity hosted by President Cauce at wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House. These events feature small group discussions led by faculty, staff and graduate student facilitators and engage participants in tough questions around race, racism, social justice, activism and equity. The response so far has been outstanding and we look forward to the fourth facilitated conversation to be held April 5.
In addition to our support of the Race & Equity Initiative, another priority for OMA&D is to reduce disparities in retention and graduation rates for students of color at the UW. We continue to see graduation rates climb, especially for the underrepresented minority (URM), first-generation and low-income students served by our Educational Opportunity Program (EOP).
Since 2004, this percentage has jumped from 70.3 percent to 80.9 percent. However, it is still three percentage points below the all-UW graduation rate. First-year retention rates for URM and EOP students have hovered around 90 percent since 2004, but there is still a bit of a gap compared to the all-UW rate as well. We are proud of the strides that have been made, but know there is still much to be done. We are working to address the disparities for each of our individual URM groups by paying special attention to their unique needs. I am confident we are heading in the right direction thanks to the great programs and dedicated staff who provide support services to students.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out a few of those OMA&D staff members who were recently recognized for their outstanding contributions. Magdalena Fonseca, ’98, ‘11, associate director of the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center (ECC), was named a nominee for the 2016 UW Distinguished Staff Award. Maggie has been instrumental in leading our efforts to better serve and support undocumented students on this campus. These efforts include the creation of the Kelly ECC’s Leadership Without Borders room, as well as training sessions for UW faculty and staff that help them become better allies for undocumented students. Stephanie Gardner, ’01, ’06, was featured by the UW College of Education for her work to increase access for and retention of URM students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors, while also pursuing a doctorate in higher education. Many thanks to Stephanie and Maggie. They are among the many OMA&D staff members who are making a difference in the lives of our students every day.
We have some big events coming up this spring that we hope you will mark on your calendars. On Friday, April 8, we will host the 12th annual Samuel E. Kelly Distinguished Faculty Lecture at wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House (6 p.m.). Our 46th annual Celebration, Fête and Honors presented by OMA&D and the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program will take place at the HUB, Thursday, May 5. More information will be sent out in the next few weeks, so please stay tuned. Students are also celebrating Black History Month in February with a series of events led by the Black Student Commission.
Speaking of big events, it won’t be too long before we begin the planning process to celebrate OMA&D’s 50th anniversary in 2018. Soon I will appoint a committee that will work on mapping out the ways in which we will commemorate this momentous occasion. There will definitely be opportunities for you, our alumni and friends, to join the festivities and we greatly look forward to bringing everyone together for this celebration in two years.
In the meantime, I hope you will take some time to look at the articles in this edition of eNews to learn more about what is happening right now in OMA&D. We continue to be grateful for your generosity and engagement. Your support makes it possible for us to provide boundless opportunities for all students.
Sincerely,
Gabriel Gallardo
Interim Vice President for Minority Affairs
Interim Vice Provost for Diversity