About Us

Message from the Director

Our team in Orientation & Transition Programs are here to serve the entire UW Bothell campus community. OTP has a talented team of professionals and students that want to make sure that students can fully access everything that UW Bothell has to offer and ensure that students are successful. UW Bothell is a special place because of the people we have in our community here. We believe that all students can be successful and that all students belong here.

That doesn’t mean it will always be easy or fun, as college is also about growth and being challenged. We are not doing our jobs if students leave here no different from when they arrived. That means it will take some work (lots of work at times), but our team and the rest of UW Bothell is here to help you when things get difficult. Please ask for help! Our staff can be reached by phone (call or text) and email. You can also visit us at the UW1 Welcome Desk. No question is too big or too small!

– Terry Hill


Contact Information

  • E-mail: otp@uw.edu 
  • Phone: 425.352.5266
  • Text: 425.243.0584
  • Location: UW1-061
  • Hours:  Monday – Friday:  8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Address:
    18115 Campus Way NE
    Box 358555
    Bothell, WA 98011-8246


Mission

Orientation & Transition Programs facilitate student engagement and student success for students in transition by developing and connecting students to resources, people, and opportunities.


Our Values (How we approach our work)

Collaboration

To best serve our students, we openly engage with campus partners to garner their strengths and expertise to create a holistic UW Bothell experience that contributes to student success.

Community

Together we are stronger! We foster meaningful connections that bring people together to challenge and learn from one another in the greater pursuit of shared goals.

Diversity

We create an unconditionally welcoming environment that allows students to embrace and understand the diversity within the UW Bothell community by providing programs centered on inclusivity.

Excellence

We strive for continued development of programs and staff that help to create best practices in the field of Orientation, Transition, and Retention.

Innovation

We creatively evolve our programs and initiatives through responsible experimentation and reflection to meet the ever-changing needs and priorities of our students.

Integrity

Through honesty and transparency, we ground our work in measurable outcomes that allow us to stand by our program’s effectiveness and impact.

Respect

We practice and foster a campus culture that recognizes the humanity and the life experience of all people in our community and that gives dignity to people through consideration and civil discourse.


Our Three Pillars (Programmatic Priorities)

Our goal is to inspire and engage students undergoing transitions in college by providing resources and programs that increase retention by helping students have an optimal college experience that is grounded in a sense of belonging and personal development. Peer-to-peer mentorship is integral to many of our initiatives. Our programs address:

Academic Enrichment and Achievement

  • Helping students reach milestones
  • Improve academic success strategies
  • Intentional academic planning
  • Career oriented readiness
  • Instill a culture of inquiry and civil discourse
  • Growth-mindset

Community and Social Acclimation

  • Making and maintaining friendships
  • Extracurricular involvement
  • Cultural adjustments
  • Interpersonal development
  • Civic Engagement
  • Developing support systems
  • Increasing sense of belonging

Life Skills and Personal Development

  • Finding balance
  • Work ethic and ethical reasoning
  • Choosing our focus
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Goal setting
  • Time management
  • Confidence and resiliency building
  • Cultural humility
  • Financial literacy and wellness

Transition Points (Milestones)

  • First quarter at UW Bothell (First-year and transfer students)
  • End of First Year
  • Sophomore year
  • Declaring of major
  • First quarter in school or major
  • Senior year