December 2015

Asaya Plumly, a first-year MA in Cultural Studies student, has been named the graduate student representative on the newly constituted campus Diversity Council. The Diversity Council is charged with guiding campus work to fully implement the Diversity Action Plan, and “intentionally include(s) membership from all campus units and appropriate diversity related student groups.”

Asaya comes from a mixed race family and ...

IAS faculty member Karam Dana has just published an op-ed in response to GOP presidential candidate Donald Tump’s call for closing immigration to the United States for all Muslims.  “Feeding the Monster: Islamophobia, Ratings, and Elections” appeared today on the site Informed Comment: thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion.  In his post, Dana addresses ...

IAS faculty member Julie Shayne, in collaboration with librarians Dave Ellenwood and Denise Hattwig have launched the UW Bothell Social Justice & Diversity Archive hosted by the UWB Library. The archive began with students in Shayne’s "Histories and Movements of Gender and Sexuality" course (Spring 2015), researching local gender justice and feminist organizations.

Vy Nguyen (’12, MA in Policy Studies) has focused the past year on workforce and education issues related to immigrant integration, particularly the issue of "brain waste" among foreign-educated immigrants. Many immigrants and refugees bring a wealth of knowledge and experience yet find it difficult to continue their professional careers in the U.S. This enormous underutilization of human resources has been dubbed “brain waste,” and OneAmerica’s report details ...

IAS faculty member Martha Groom is now a Co-PI on the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program.  She and collaborators from across the University of Washington successfully submitted a new proposal this year for an extension of funding, receiving an additional $1.9 million on top of the initial $1.6 million from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.  The program began in 2014 and now is funded through 2019.