Working together, we are going to have a great year

This message is being sent to all UW Tacoma students, faculty and staff.

Welcome back!

I have been looking forward to this day for months, and I am overjoyed it is finally here.

There is nothing that lifts my spirits more than seeing all the daily interactions that happen on a college campus: friends and colleagues meeting in the hallway, faculty and students deep in conversation and staff members working together to make sure everything runs smoothly.

During the past two-and-a-half years, much of that in-person activity was curtailed. It was necessary, but as we return to a shared campus experience, I join President Cauce in a feeling of excited anticipation.

I have been in higher education for many years, but this year feels special. First, it is the beginning of my second year as your Chancellor at this amazing place that is one of the best regional universities in the nation.

And, even more fundamentally, we are on a roll. We have new leaders in academic affairs, enrollment management, equity and inclusion, and interdisciplinary arts and sciences who are deeply committed to our mission. We are the recipients of three brand-new multi-million-dollar grants that will support innovative projects in the School of Education, the Center for Urban Waters/Puget Sound Institute and in service to our Asian American and Pacific Islander students. This year we will be convening several new cross-campus teams to develop holistic plans for student success, enrollment planning and campus safety.

You have chosen to be here at UW Tacoma because you believe that you belong here and that education transforms the lives of individuals and their families. I am so proud of the work UW Tacoma is doing to be an engine of social and economic mobility for our students.

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