Dear Alumni and Friends,
For most University of Washington students, spring break is a time of rest and relaxation. There are others, however, who choose to spend it engaging in additional learning experiences.
Last month, I had the opportunity to join 14 of our students doing just that during what was the 20th anniversary of the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D)-sponsored study abroad course at the UW Rome Center. This annual spring break trip has been a long-time collaboration between OMA&D and classics professor Jim Clauss.
This year, the course was led by English professor Shawn Wong who will also present the 11th annual Samuel E. Kelly Distinguished Faculty Lecture on April 16. Professor Wong has spent almost two decades leading UW courses in Rome, Berlin and Istanbul. His lecture will examine the impact that study abroad makes on the lives of students. We are pleased to spotlight Professor Wong’s work and the role it plays in preparing students to engage in our global community. Study abroad is just one of the many opportunities the UW provides to students that helps shape their skills and personal development so that they graduate with much more than a diploma.
The 45th annual Celebration, Fête and Honors, presented by OMA&D and the Friends of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), is also coming up on May 7. At Celebration we will honor the academic achievements and community contributions of a group of outstanding EOP students, as well as the 2015 Charles E. Odegaard Award recipient Colleen Fukui-Sketchley, ’94. This special evening is also an opportunity for alumni, friends and donors to contribute to scholarships which have supported hundreds of students over the history of the event. We hope to see many of you at the Husky Union Building next month.
Nearly a month has passed, but I am still receiving words of congratulations from across the country on the grand opening of the new longhouse-style facility, wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House. Over the course of the 40-plus years it took to complete the project, hundreds of faculty, staff, students, Elders and Native American community members played a role in making this dream a reality. Seeing it all come together was a momentous occasion, however there is still work to be done.
The festivities in March celebrated the project’s first phase, the Gathering Hall and outdoor space. We are now in the Phase II which includes fundraising for a second building, a Teaching and Learning space. wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House will help to foster a greater inclusive campus climate and provide an increased knowledge of the indigenous people whose land the UW occupies. Anyone wishing to make a gift to the second phase, can do so here. If you have not yet seen the building in person, I greatly encourage you to stop by during your next campus visit.
In each issue of eNews we take time to acknowledge friends and alumni we have recently lost. Sadly, we mourn the Dec. 23 passing of one of the Elders Committee members who played an important role in the project to build wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House, Lillian Iyall Chappell. Lillian was also the first administrator in the UW Department of American Indian Studies. Her spirit was felt during the last month’s celebration and the Chappell family remains in our thoughts.
I invite you to take a look at the other articles in this edition of eNews to learn more about what is happening in OMA&D. We continue to be grateful for the generosity of you, our alumni and friends, who make it possible for us to provide boundless opportunities and access for students.
Sincerely,
Sheila Edwards Lange
Vice President for Minority Affairs
Vice Provost for Diversity