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See below for highlights from the Summer 2024 Academic Affairs Quarterly Newsletter. Click the link to read the full newsletter. Reach out to Sawyer Dedmon with any questions.

From the Vice Chancellor

Dear Campus Community,

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a terrific summer. For me, the summer meant a combination of fun, restorative health, terrific conversations with many of you, reflections and decisions.

As we begin this quarter, we are using this newsletter to provide a summary of the significant things that happened in the Division of Academic Affairs throughout the summer, along with a taste of what’s ahead. I also want to draw your attention to this video that Provost Serio created for 56³Ô¹ÏÍø students across the tri-campus. I hope you can share broadly. Look closely because there are many photos from our extraordinary campus.

As you now know, this will be my last year as your VCAA. As a first-generation college graduate, it’s been a privilege to serve our campus. For me, 17 years is a long time to be away from the primary reason why I pursued a Ph.D. — to teach and mentor students — and I cannot wait to return. I am grateful for your trust as we navigated a challenging higher education context across the last five years that included a pandemic, racially motivated violence, political surprises, leadership changes, enrollment changes, budget adventures and more. Through it all, my fondest memories will be those opportunities that allowed me to witness (in action) the dedication that many of our faculty, staff and administrators place on advancing student success and regional impact.

All the best for a successful autumn quarter.

With gratitude,

Sharon A. Jones, Ph.D., VCAA

Priorities for 2024-25

In addition to the priorities for all subunits within the Division of Academic Affairs — and recognizing the unexpected can happen — the VCAA’s priorities for this upcoming year are as follows:

1. Complete the STEM dean search.
2. Complete the build-out of the Office of Faculty Success.
3. Develop a high functioning operations team for the Division of Academic Affairs.
4. Support the launch of the recently authorized research center, the Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement, housed at the Environmental Education & Research Center at St. Edward State Park.
5. Complete a program review for the Office of Connected Learning.
6. Co-sponsor (with the division of enrollment management & student affairs) a prioritization of the recommendations from the FY24 external review of the Office of Career Services.
7. Determine (with the division of enrollment management & student affairs) next steps based on the FY24 committee’s recommendations regarding the campus-wide structural needs to support graduate programs.
8. Clarify 56³Ô¹ÏÍø Bothell’s tri-campus role for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accreditation seven-year report and visit based on feedback during FY24’s mid-cycle report and visit.
9. Support the process that the Office of the President is launching (with the Faculty Council on Tri-campus Policy) to clarify the leadership structure for 56³Ô¹ÏÍø Bothell and 56³Ô¹ÏÍø Tacoma via official policies.