Newsletter

July 2010

vice chancellor's welcome

Dear Colleagues,

UW Bothell marked its 20th anniversary this past year with much to celebrate, thanks to the extraordinary contributions of faculty and staff to create a thriving, transformational learning community. Our campus community has been transformed and enriched as well, as we have reached new milestones toward the vision of our 21st Century Campus Initiative. In Fall 2009, we welcomed a record 2800 students to a campus alive with new opportunities, from new degree programs and academic support services to our first student housing community and expanded student life programs.

Our outstanding faculty is growing as well, bringing new dimensions to our learning community. Five new colleagues joined us in Fall 2009 and we look forward to welcoming 23 new faculty members in Fall 2010. Many of you have been involved in these searches, through service on search committees and by meeting with candidates, attending presentations and providing valuable feedback. I would like to thank you for your service in these important processes. You'll find more information in the new Faculty Affairs section of this newsletter.

I am also extremely pleased to announce new leadership appointments for two of our Academic Programs. Warren Buck has agreed to serve as Director of S & T and Mike Stiber as Director of CSS. As Interim Director since 2009, Warren has been instrumental in guiding S & T in its formative stages, during which the program has grown to include a dozen faculty, new staff, new curriculum and several new degree programs. In the two years Mike has served as CSS Interim Director, the program has expanded in size and scope, adding new faculty, expanding enrollments, and successfully launching a new Master's degree. Both Warren and Mike have agreed to serve for the next two years, while we develop plans for conducting national searches. For more information, see the announcements posted on the Strategic Planning Blackboard.

Over the past year, many of you have been actively engaged in developing innovative new curricular initiatives, supporting our priorities for growth, innovation and resourcefulness. Each of the new degree programs launched this year represents a "first" for UW Bothell:

  • Leadership MBA - initial program at our new Eastside Leadership Center
  • M.S. in Computing & Software Systems - first expansion through a fee-based model
  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering - inaugural program for Science & Technology and first hybrid degree
  • M.Ed. - Leadership Development for Educators - hybrid, self-sustaining program

New programs launching in Fall 2010 include a B.A. in Business Administration in Bellevue, a B.S. in Biology, eight new IAS B.A. degrees (currently options) and an option in Media & Communication Studies. You'll find more about these and other future degrees and options in the Curricular POV section of this newsletter and on the New Degrees website.

In Spring, we celebrated the graduation of our first freshman class, marking an important milestone in our growth as a four-year undergraduate institution. This coincided with completion of in-depth campus-wide deliberations to formulate recommendations for further development of our lower division programs. I would like to thank the GFO Executive Council (EC), and in particular, Chair Chuck Jackels and Vice Chair Bruce Kochis, for their exceptional leadership in this collaborative process. The resulting GFO EC CUSP Recommendations informed reauthorization of CUSP by the Chancellor, as well as formation of a task force to implement recommended revisions. I look forward to working with the task force - and the entire campus community - throughout this process.

These and many other milestones are exciting indicators of our recent progress and I would like to thank each of you for your important contributions. A few of the many highlights include:

  • Enhanced advising and academic support through the addition of new faculty and staff in CUSP, the Writing Center, and the Academic Transition Program.
  • Appointed a Writing and Communication Task Force (WCTF) to address ways to enhance writing across the curriculum, with recommendations completed this summer. A comment period begins in August and will continue into Fall Quarter to allow for broad campus feedback.
  • Established the Diversity Council, appointed by the Chancellor and chaired by Cherry Banks. The advisory group is charged with guiding our progress in building a more diverse and inclusive campus community and is focusing initial efforts on enhancing recruitment and retention, faculty and staff development, curricular initiatives, and Web presence.
  • Expanded services for international students, including a new English Proficiency Policy (approved by the GFO 6/09), an Intensive English Program (in partnership with UWEO), a new International Student Services program in the Registrar's office, and an international student recruitment and advising service through the Admissions office.
  • Increased visibility and support for faculty research and creative activities through the Office of Research Support. Initiatives include the Research in Action video series, with home page links, a new Research Symposium, and new training and collaboration activities. Find out more on the ORS page of this newsletter.
  • Launched the Center for Serious Play, with a series of events, including a faculty/staff reception and a student open house, featuring discussions with industry leaders. The Center, directed by Wanda Gregory, held workshops throughout Winter and Spring, on topics including online game design, technology leadership and entrepreneurship.
  • Established the Office of Institutional Research (OIR). Directed by Dan Jacoby, the OIR has worked with the Academic Council, Information Technology and Enrollment Management to identify and develop data to support institutional and program decision-making. See the OIR page of this newsletter to learn more about recent initiatives.

We will continue to build on these steps, in collaboration with the campus community. I invite you to visit the Strategic Planning Blackboard for additional information about these and other initiatives. You can post questions and comments on the site or email me directly.

Your participation in these and many other initiatives is the foundation for progress toward our vision for the future. I'm grateful for your service and commitment to our campus and students, and look forward to continuing our work together in the coming year.

Sincerely,
Susan E. Jeffords
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs