15th Anniversary dinner brings together friends of UWT
 |
| UW
Regent William H. Gates at the 15th Anniversary dinner
with Vernice Kluh, UWT's oldest alumna. Kluh, now 85,
graduated from UWT in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in
IAS -- after first attending the UW in 1937. |
It
opened as an evening of celebration and reminiscence. It closed
with a focus on the future.
UW
Tacoma’s 15th anniversary gala Oct. 8 was a time to
hear tales of the past. UW President Emeritus Bill Gerberding
confessed he hadn’t always loved the idea of a campus
in Tacoma, but eventually became an enthusiastic convert to
the concept (he called the transformation in his thinking
“a road-to-Damascus experience”).
Founding faculty member Bill Richardson shared that in 1989
Gerberding had told him the most important thing was to hire
great professors.
“From
the beginning, we all worked together to create a campus that
would be welcoming to students, that would help students succeed,
and that was based on mutual respect,” he said. “This
sounds a little trite, but we were part of one big family
committed to making UWT all that it could be.”
There
was humor, of course. Richardson told of early UWT employees
commissioning tee shirts that read, “UCLA was once a
branch campus.” Nearly 350 guests enjoyed good food
and a great band that enticed many friends of UWT to strut
their stuff on the dance floor.
William
H. Gates Sr. beamed as he announced a new gift, from an anonymous
donor, of $1 million to kick off a campaign for freshman scholarships
(they’ll be renewable for the sophomore year). UWT’s
oldest graduate, Vernice Kluh, Class of 2000, had the honor
of sitting next to President Mark Emmert at dinner.
Two
student speakers, Renee Paulsen of Urban Studies and Kelly
Llewellyn of the Milgard School of Business, both seniors,
spoke of being inspired to move ahead with their studies at
UWT.
“When
I started classes here in the fall of 2004, I knew I would
be academically challenged and was prepared to take that on,”
Llewellyn said. “But what I didn’t anticipate
was the level of support and encouragement I received to reach
even higher levels of professionalism and intellectualism,
the same actions and behaviors [the UWT faculty] role-model
every day to each and every one of their students.”
Paulsen
summed up UWT’s impact through a quote from French novelist
Emile Zola: “If you ask me what I came into this world
to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.”
“I
believe this is the legacy of the University of Washington,
Tacoma,” Paulsen said. “Through professors, alumni,
world-class resources, and scholarships like the Next Step,
this inner-city institution gives many throughout the South
Sound a strong vote of confidence, encouragement, and the
opportunity to truly live out loud. In this way, not only
are many more people achieving their dreams and goals, but
the ripple effect we create enhances the growth and strength
of our city and the communities of our region.”
Charting
the Future: Town meeting today
The
Charting the Future committee will host another town meeting
Monday, Oct. 17, to discuss committee recommendations for
freshman and sophomore education at UWT.
Last
week , the committee submitted an executive summary of the
group's preliminary recommendations to the chancellor. The
group hopes to receive feedback on the recommendations before
submitting a final interim report to the chancellor Nov. 7.
The
executive summary, which is available on the Charting
the Future Web site, describes major recommendations shaped
by committees on curriculum, student services and administrative
support services. These recommendations include:
- Create
a lower-division academic advising center;
- Establish
a learning commons combining information, teaching and technology
components;
- Expand
Campus Safety, the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology,
the Library, Counseling Services, Disability Support Services,
Career Services and other campus departments;
- Create
a curriculum that encompasses a theme of "living in
a globalized world" and encourages a global perspective,
critical thinking, diversity and civic engagement;
- Develop
a MWF/TTh schedule for maximum flexibility;
- Develop
campus gathering and recreational spaces;
- Appoint
a director of general education;
- Develop
an Office of Institutional Research;
- Hire
additional faculty and staff to fulfill the above recommendations.
After
the interim report has been submitted, the proposal is expected
to be voted on by UWT faculty. Final recommendations are expected
to be submitted to the chancellor Nov. 18.
 |
| Green-shirted
orientation volunteers, including ASUWT senators Anthony
Strickland, left, and Keoni Ho, second from left, line
up in preparation to greet more than 300 new students
at orientation in September. |
New
students get to know UWT at orientation
More
than 300 new students and their families visited the campus
Friday, Sept. 16, for UWT’s first-ever all-day orientation
event.
Students
packed into The Shed to hear Chancellor Pat Spakes along with
student leaders and other speakers, met with current students,
toured the campus and participated in other activities to
help them prepare for the first day of classes.
In
addition, the campus hosted the popular “Taste of UWT”
event, where a number of local restaurants and vendors served
food to students, staff and faculty at the end of the day.
Entertainment was provided by UWT’s roving magician
– IAS Professor Mike Allen – and the jazz band
Absent Minded, featuring faculty members Bob Jackson, Steve
DeTray and Yonn Dierwechter.
Japanese
memorial garden in design phase
Plans
are moving forward to build a memorial garden to commemorate
the Japanese Language School, which stood on Tacoma Avenue
from 1911 to 2004. The school served as the heart of a bustling
Japanese American community that thrived before WWII in what
is now the Northwest corner of UWT’s campus footprint.
The garden will be located in the campus green that will be
developed just west of the Science Building on property bordered
by Market and Jefferson streets, The Swiss and the parking-housing
complex. The garden will flow across the hillside, with a
series of stairs leading up to a central plaza. The focal
point will be a curved granite wall with water running down
from a pool above, where the story of the school will be told.
The UWT Advancement Office is beginning a fundraising effort
to raise more than $1 million needed to install the memorial
garden.
The Language School building sat largely vacant for 40 years
after World War II. Poignantly, the school is where government
officials registered Tacoma’s Japanese Americans before
sending them to internment camps.
 |
| A
designer's model of the Japanese memorial garden illustrates
the flowing waterways in the garden's central plaza. |
Business
Leadership Awards: Nominate an exceptional leader
Nominations are now being accepted for the fifth annual Business
Leadership Awards, presented by the Milgard School of Business
at UW Tacoma. The presenting sponsor is Heritage Bank and
media sponsor is The News Tribune.
Nominations for this year’s awards will be accepted
in four categories: Lifetime Achievement, Business Leader
of the Year (for individuals leading an organization with
more than 50 employees), Small Business Leader of the Year
(for individuals leading an organization with fewer than 50
employees) and Non-Profit Leader of the Year. Winners will
be announced at the Business Leadership Awards dinner on April
5, 2006. The Small Business and Non-Profit Leader of the Year
awards are new this year.
Anyone may submit a nomination. The deadline is Jan. 31. Nomination
forms are available online.
This year’s Business Leadership awards will be presented
during a gala dinner event held at the Greater Tacoma Convention
Center. A panel of judges comprised of Milgard School of Business
faculty and advisory board members will select the awardees.
Dolly
Roberson Lane honors Robersons' contributions to UWT, Tacoma
A
section of Commerce Street north of 21st Street on the UWT
campus was officially renamed Dolly Roberson Lane Friday,
in memory of the mother of Tacoma revitalization leader Fred
Roberson.
The
block-long section of Commerce Street, vacated this year by
the City of Tacoma, is being renamed in recognition of an
estate gift from Fred and Anne Roberson, who recently arranged
to bequeath to UWT a $2 million interest in the Carlton Center
building, at 17th and Jefferson streets.
Fred Roberson, active in the Tacoma real estate market for
many years, owns the Harmon Building and was among the first
to see the potential for downtown Tacoma’s renaissance.
He is currently involved in helping to restore Tacoma Avenue.
Dolly Roberson, who arrived in Seattle from Johannesburg,
South Africa, as a child, had six children. She was known
to distribute money to the needy during the Great Depression
and frequently performed as an amateur actress. She passed
away in 1984.
"Seams-Sew
Ordinary" at UWT gallery
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| Rachel
J. Siegel examines her art on display in the UWT gallery.
Her exhibit, "Seams-Sew Ordinary," runs through
Oct. 29. |
In
larger-than-life form, artist Rachel J. Siegel’s “Seams-Sew
Ordinary” aims to piece together her grandmother’s
life through three eight-feet-high dress forms that stand
for the missing pieces of her secret past.The free show runs
through Oct. 29 at the UWT gallery.
Siegel,
a former UWT art instructor who lives, teaches, and makes
art in Portland, investigates social and political concerns
as well as feminist themes in her art. In her work, she often
uses humor to investigate issues that are significant to her,
including the body, family, health, and interpersonal relationships.
She currently incorporates into her art digital prints, artist’s
books, video, and installation work.
Siegel,
who taught in the IAS program last spring, teaches photography
and digital art at various institutions, including Pacific
Northwest College of Art. She holds a master of fine art degree
from the University at Buffalo, State University New York.
Her work has been shown national and internationally, including
in Japan, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Serbia, and Canada. She
was born and raised in Los Angeles and received her bachelor
of arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Gallery
hours currently are Wednesdays, from 1-4 p.m., and Thursdays,
from 1-5 p.m. For more information, call 2-5642.
Faculty
and Staff Notes
Dan
García (Student Affairs) will be a featured
speaker at the 75th annual meeting of the Middle States Association
of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (MSACRAO)
this month in Philadelphia. He has been invited to speak on
the subject of underrepresented student populations and issues
that affect enrollment and student services.
Two
UWT staff members welcomed new additions this month: Madison
Grace James was born to Melody James
(Milgard School of Business) and her husband, Jason, on Sept.
23, and Cole Benjamin Wilson was born to
Tyler Wilson (Advancement) and his wife,
Beth, Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Administrative
Snapshot: A look at issues and projects at UWT
If
you are working on something you think should be included
here, please contact Inside Track at uwtnews@u.washington.edu.
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