Welcome to Winter Quarter 2023

Happy new year and welcome to Winter Quarter. And, above all, welcome to UW Tacoma!

Whether you are new or returning, student, faculty or staff, you belong here.

That phrase – you belong here – is not just empty words. It is baked into every decision we make, every dollar we spend, every degree we award. It is an expression of our mission as an urban-serving university.

That mission is contained in our recently updated five-year strategic plan, and is worth repeating here. As an urban-serving university, we expand access to higher education in an environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed. We foster scholarship, research and creativity to address the challenging problems of our time and place. We partner to collaborate for common good. And we catalyze the economic and social vitality of the region.

On a practical level, our mission translates into how we interact and support each other as a community. For those of you who are students, I know many of you have complicated lives and limited time to spend on campus. Studies have shown that the more students engage with the life of their university, in big and little ways, the more successful they will be meeting their educational goals.

One opportunity to connect with the Husky experience is to apply for or nominate someone you know for the Husky 100. The award recognizes 100 UW undergraduate and graduate students who are making the most of their time at the UW. Nominations are open through Jan.23, and applications are open through Feb. 6. (Kelly Tyrrell of Student Life is holding an application workshop on Jan. 19.) Since the program began in 2016, 49 UW Tacoma students have been recognized, and I would love to see ten more added this year!

Also, as we all continue to experience varied challenges associated with our transition back from the pandemic, I encourage you to visit our new HuskiesCare site via this link: https://uwtacoma.concerncenter.com/.

I wish for you an inspiring start to this academic year – working together, we are going to have a great quarter!