Skip to content
Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity

Student Success

Empowering Diverse Husky Students

The Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) Student Success Unit is a suite of programs and services that collectively empower students to make the most of their Husky Experience. OMA&D affiliated students totaled over 6,500 in the fall of 2023 and includes undergraduates who qualify as economically disadvantaged, first in their family to attend college, alumni of foster care or unaccompanied homeless youth, from migrant agricultural work, those who are undocumented, or students who identify as American Indian/Alaska Native or part of a racial or ethnic group federally defined as under-represented in higher education. Within the larger University of Washington student population, OMA&D has a longstanding commitment to serving students who are furthest from educational equity.

Academic Counseling Services

OMA&D Academic Counseling Services (ACS) provides holistic advising, professional and peer mentoring opportunities, and scholarships and financial aid counseling from diverse teams of academic advisers who acknowledge and support the different educational pathways that students encounter as part of their Husky experience. OMA&D ACS is funded through a mixture of state and federal funds that support staffing, operations and student activities. 

The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), TRIO SSS, College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), and Champions staff are often the first touchpoint for students entering the UW and OMA&D and they continue to be a foundational part of OMA&D student success throughout participants’ undergraduate journey. OMA&D ACS teams serve pre-major students as well as those in their majors and meet with them at key points along their academic path.

 

Research, Instruction, and Professional Pathways

Tutoring and supplemental instruction are available at the OMA&D Instructional Center which serves more than 2,000 unique students per year. The center is a national model for supporting students in critical STEM, social science, and writing courses. In a typical year, students log 50,000+ in-person contact hours and over 700,000 page views of content available through the center’s Canvas pages. 

In addition to the IC, OMA&D features a variety of programs that support STEM (The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation – LSAMP) and health sciences majors (The Health Sciences Center Minority Students Program – HSCMSP), as well as those who wish to conduct research or pursue doctoral or professional studies (Graduate School Preparatory Services). These teams facilitate early exposure that enriches participant growth through seminars, conferences, faculty mentorship, stipends, and research. Program staff support pathways to post-baccalaureate opportunities and assist in the search, application, and selection of experiences after graduation.

 

Community, Leadership & Belonging

OMA&D is proud to represent a ‘home away from home’ for students to grow and learn in community with others who share common experiences, cultures and identities through The Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center (Kelly ECC) and wəɬəbʔaltxʷ-Intellectual House (IH). Located on the UW Seattle west campus, the Kelly ECC is the largest stand-alone university ethnic cultural center and theater of its kind in the United States and is dedicated to serving and empowering historically marginalized and underrepresented students by providing educational and cultural opportunities for holistic student development. The Kelly ECC is also home to more than 135 registered student organizations on the UW Seattle campus. One important program at the Kelly ECC is Leadership Without Borders which provides community and resources for undocumented students.

wəɬəbʔaltxʷ-Intellectual House (IH)

wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House

wəɬəbʔaltxʷ-Intellectual House (IH) is a longhouse-style facility and gathering space that supports our American Indian and Alaska Native students and community. The IH serves as the primary hub for connecting UW AI/AN students to resources for student success and academic support at the UW. IH staff host events and provide programming that prepares students for leadership roles at UW and in their communities.

Student Success Event Calendar