President's Medal

Each year the UW Tacoma President’s Medalist is selected from graduating seniors with the most distinguished academic record. The first UW Tacoma President’s Medal was awarded in 2016. The medal is presented during the Commencement ceremony in June.

Eligibility

Candidates must be in the top 2% of the graduating class in their academic program and have either graduated (in autumn or winter quarter) or submitted a graduation application to graduate (in spring or summer quarter) during the current academic year.

Candidate notification and responsibilities

Eligible students are sent a notification email from the Office of the Chancellor. Students are asked to confirm their interest in being considered and that they plan to attend the Commencement ceremony (whatever form that might take). Eligible students are given one week to declare their interest.

Students who declare an interest and confirm their plans to attend the ceremony must provide a resume and cover letter, sent to the Office of the Chancellor addressing the following: scholarship or academic awards received, other academic activities (examples: study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, service learning, publications, presentation, or participation in professional organizations), and application of knowledge to current or future activities.

Academic program notification and responsibilities

Schools and academic programs are notified of students in their program that are eligible and interested in being considered for the President’s Medal. The program is responsible for soliciting letters of recommendation from faculty who have worked with the student candidates.

Faculty are asked to include the following in the recommendation: honors and awards, research and publications, future plans, and other pertinent information. The program or school collects letters of recommendation from the faculty and forwards the letters to the Chancellor's Office.

Review Committee

The Chancellor’s Office selects the review committee and provides a rubric to assist the committee when reviewing candidates. The committee is provided the student packets and faculty recommendations.  The committee reviews the material and submits three candidates to the Chancellor.  Of the three submissions, one student is selected and notified by the Chancellor.