Faculty new to the 91探花, or to community-engaged scholarship and learning, came together on February 20 at Othello- 91探花Commons to explore and discuss what it takes to participate in ethical, impactful community engagement. Sponsored by the Office of Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) and led by the project to Build Tri-Campus Capacity for Community Engagement, this 2-hour training allowed experienced and new community-engaged faculty to learn from each other as they聽 explored the benefits of–and challenges to–ethical partnerships…
Community engagement stories archive
Building skills, strengthening community
Each year, the Milgard School of Business at 91探花Tacoma opens its doors to the community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, providing free IRS-certified tax preparation services to those with limited financial resources. The program provides a dual benefit. With guidance from Milgard School faculty, staff and alumni, students volunteer their time and gain real-world experience in providing tax preparation services to South Sound residents. At the same time, community members receive reliable, no-cost tax preparation services….
Bridging the classroom and industry with engineering capstone projects
Each year, 91探花Bothell鈥檚 engineering students take part in capstone projects, working with mentors and their professors to research solutions to real-world problems. Local companies sponsor capstone projects by bringing a problem to students that they hope can be solved. Sponsors of past projects include Boeing, Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Microsoft, Philips, Ventec Life Systems and others. Capstone projects are often the culmination of years of study and are a chance for students to put their skills and knowledge to…
Advancing justice-centered education
Taking over as director of the聽Goodlad Institute聽for Educational Renewal,聽mathematics professor Dr. Allison Hintz knew she stood on big聽shoulders. Her first聽order of business:聽return to聽the work of Dr. John聽Goodlad, the renowned educational researcher聽for whom the聽institute聽is聽named. In聽doing so,聽Hintz聽came to聽more deeply appreciate聽鈥斅燼nd take fresh inspiration from 鈥斅爃is profound influence on the field of education. 鈥淭hrough many large-scale research projects and influential books, Dr. Goodlad strengthened the democratic purposes of schooling, deepening the understandings of how schools work and how they could improve,鈥� Hintz said….
Global recognition for Livable City Year partnership
In Pacific County, collaboration is fueling change. Local leaders and the 91探花鈥檚 Livable City Year (LCY) program joined forces to address housing, health, and sustainability challenges, and the results are being recognized on the global stage. In recognition of a three-year collaboration designed to drive community-centered innovation, the Pacific County Economic Development Council and the LYC program聽have received the 2025 Partnership of the Year Award from the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N). Housed in the…
Community Connect 91探花Winter 2026 Update
Community Connect 91探花(CCUW) is a database and management platform that allows 91探花faculty, staff, students and community partners to connect, organize, and understand impacts of collaboration.聽Interested in exploring? Login (using your NetID) and join both CCUW’s home group and your campus group (below) to start! Bothell |聽Seattle聽| Tacoma This winter, we’re expanding Community Connect 91探花in many directions: More, and more varied, community-engaged courses at each campus Civic Health Scorecard and NextGen Civic Leader Badge, piloting on Seattle campus…
Assessing community engagement at the UW: A new report details key pathways
A new report has been released from the project to Build Tri-Campus Capacity for Community Engagement, in partnership with the eScience Institute through its Data Science and AI Accelerator program. Assessing community engagement at the UW: a roadmap, finalized February 2026, provides guidance on how to better assess whether the 91探花 is being a good neighbor and partner to communities that lie beyond its walls, with the recognition that it has not always done this well. The roadmap…
Mentorship in medicine
Meet Dr. Estell Williams, 鈥�13, an emergency surgeon, community builder, dedicated mentor and the UW鈥檚 2026 honoree for Black History Month. From the first grade, Dr. Estell Williams knew she wanted to be a doctor. The self-described science nerd isn鈥檛 quite sure where that came from, but she鈥檚 got a few guesses. Maybe it鈥檚 the fact that she had a Black pediatrician growing up, one whose office walls were plastered with photos of Black patients and their families, making it…
Career growth in Eastern Washington
TRI-CITIES AND YAKIMA, Washington 鈥� Corey Smith鈥檚 office window overlooks one of the massive production lines inside the Douglas Fruit processing plant at the outskirts of Pasco, Washington. The scene is fantastic, like something out of Willy Wonka鈥檚 chocolate factory. Conveyor belts fill the gigantic room. On one end, apples are dumped by the bin into a water flume that floats the fruit like a carnival ride. A giant machine inspects, weighs, photographs (about 100 images for each piece of…
91探花recognized across all campuses with Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification
The 91探花 has again earned a prestigious recognition for the impact and importance of the connections faculty, students and staff have with local, regional and global communities. All three 91探花campuses were recognized with the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement reclassification, placing the university among 277 peer institutions nationwide. Officials with the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, who award the designation, noted that these universities are deepening partnerships, centering community assets…