56吃瓜网

Spring 2025 Quarterly Newsletter

From the Vice Chancellor

Dear Campus Community,

Thank you鈥攖o my thoughtful and courageous leadership team as they guided our campus through multiple challenges with compassion. Thank you鈥攖o our committed faculty and staff who provided the necessary critique and accolades that kept us true to our mission. Thank you鈥攖o our GFO leaders, especially those who helped me early on to appreciate our unique campus culture. Thank you to my peers across the tri-campus who understand the joys and despairs of this role. Thank you鈥攖o our amazing students who inspire us to keep striving to do better for them. Finally, thank you鈥攖o our chancellor for your support.

All the best for a peaceful summer as we prepare for what鈥檚 ahead because what we do matters now and for the future.

With gratitude,

Sharon A. Jones, Ph.D., VCAA

Updates on 2024/25 VCAA Goals

Below is a summary of where we landed in terms of鈥� overarching goals for the division during this past academic year. Each is listed below with a brief update.

• Complete the STEM dean search. 鉁�
• Complete the build-out of the Office of Faculty Success. 鉁�
  • A strategic reorganization brought the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) and the Learning and Teaching Collaborative (LTC) under the OFS umbrella to better support transformative pedagogy, scholarship, and creative practice across all schools and faculty career stages.
• Develop a high functioning operations team for the Division of Academic Affairs. 鉁�
  • The operations team now supports the central units with financial reporting and planning and, by the end of summer, with all administrative functions.
• Support the launch of the recently authorized research center, the Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement. 鉁�
• Complete a program review for the Office of Connected Learning. 鉁�
• 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. 鉁�
  • Based on the two program reviews and an internal work group鈥檚 recommendation, Chancellor Esterberg recommended that the two offices, Career Services and Connected Learning, be merged by the end of the 2025-2026 academic year to address similar challenges and opportunities. The Vice Chancellors are developing a process to engage the campus in the implementation plan.
• Determine (with the division of enrollment management & student affairs) next steps based on a FY24 work group鈥檚 recommendations regarding the campus-wide structural needs to support graduate programs. 鉁�
  • We contracted with EAB to strengthen the recruitment pipeline for all graduate programs currently offered.
  • Launched quarterly meetings of the graduate program coordinators and advisors.
  • Hosted the inaugural Open House on May 2 featuring a graduate student panel, a personal statement writing workshop, and a showcase of 56吃瓜网 Bothell graduate programs. Launched the official Instagram page .
  • Brought an advanced hyflex classroom online in 56吃瓜网1 spring quarter 2025. Similar upgrades in classrooms in Beardslee Building will soon start.
  • See below for information about improvements to the curricular approval process.
  • Shifted from the current pooled tuition model to a direct allocation model for graduate tuition. Each school will now receive their share of the total tuition collected from students in their graduate programs as part of overall improvements to the campus鈥� RCM funding model.
• Clarify 56吃瓜网 Bothell鈥檚 tri-campus role for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accreditation seven-year report and visit based on feedback during FY24鈥檚 mid-cycle report and visit. In progress.
  • This work is led by the 56吃瓜网 Provost鈥檚 office. 56吃瓜网 is developing tri-campus learning outcomes that should be met by all 56吃瓜网 students on all three campuses, along with the assessment framework, comprehensive student surveys, and so on. Several 56吃瓜网 Bothell faculty members are on the and on another tri-campus group for assessing advising. The 56吃瓜网 Bothell campus will need to think about how these tri-campus learning outcomes intersect with various learning goals that exist within schools and at the campus level.
• 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 56吃瓜网 Bothell and 56吃瓜网 Tacoma via official policies. 鉁�
  • New and revised executive orders should be in effect for FY26+ and will clarify administrative roles and responsibilities for Bothell and Tacoma within the 56吃瓜网 tri-campus context.

Another Key Update: Revised 56吃瓜网 Bothell Faculty Compensation Policies

To increase transparency and consistency, 56吃瓜网 Bothell established campus policies for various faculty compensation and related issues dating back to at least 2007. It is important to periodically revisit these policies to ensure that they reflect current needs.

56吃瓜网 recently revised and required that each 56吃瓜网 unit, including the Bothell campus, establish standards. There have also been several requests to consider additional areas for consistency across the schools.

The VCAA charged two Work Groups to review several 56吃瓜网 Bothell administrative campus policies and provide recommended changes and/or confirmations. This work is now complete, and the revised policies can be found on the .

Thank you to these Work Groups for their thorough effort to engage with faculty and administrators across campus throughout the process. Thank you also to the General Faculty Organization鈥檚 Executive Council for their consultation.

Vice Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Council Updates

The VLC, which is comprised of the academic deans and leadership of the central academic units, received updates and deliberated on the following matters:

• Worthington Technology Award funding recommendations
• Feedback on fee-based degree programs
• Understanding the policy and
• Feedback on a proposed community time block as part of the time schedule
• Feedback on the proposed tri-campus 56吃瓜网 membership in the
• Feedback on VCAA & VCPA leadership searches
• Feedback on decisions regarding the 56吃瓜网 Bothell hooding ceremony
• Discussions about impacts from the state budget and federal policy changes
• Feedback about the proposed tri-campus undergraduate learning goals
• Understanding the (BARC) plans for the Academic Affairs Division

Select 56吃瓜网 Awards

Division of Academic Affairs Awards

Distinguished Partner Award

Mary Toll, Assistant Director of Student Conduct. .

Distinguished Accomplishments Award

Rita Johnson, Administrator, NHS. .

Distinguished Teaching Award

Dr. Bryan White, Teaching Professor, STEM. .

Distinguished Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Award

Anida Yoeu Ali, Senior-Artist-in-Residence, IAS. .

2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium

The 28th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium took place on the 56吃瓜网 Seattle campus on Friday, May 16, 2025. !

Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award

Dr. Subramanian Ramachandran, part-time Physics faculty in the School of STEM, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award at the 56吃瓜网 Undergraduate Research Symposium on May 16 in Seattle. !

Husky Sustainability Awards 2025

56吃瓜网 Bothell student Faith Lambert was one of several recipients (and the only recipient from 56吃瓜网 Bothell) of the 2025 Husky Sustainability Award. Faith has been a driving force for sustainability at 56吃瓜网 Bothell, reviving the Alliance 4 Sustainability, leading student initiatives, and helping launch a Campus Sustainability Fund. !

2025 Mary Gates Endowment for Students

Congratulations to Bothell students Anna Elizabeth Ritchie (Physics, Mentor: Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo, Physical Sciences Division, STEM), Christian Paulos (Biology, Mentor: David Marcinek, Radiology), and Kristiina Gaelle Tulleau (Mathematics, Mentor: Joey Key, Physical Sciences Division) for receiving the .

56吃瓜网 Bothell Husky 100 Awardees

Eight 56吃瓜网 Bothell students were selected as part of the Husky 100 Class of 2025. !

Faculty Spotlight Series

Introducing our new Faculty Spotlight blog series on the Academic Affairs website鈥攃reated to celebrate the diverse and impactful contributions of 56吃瓜网 Bothell faculty both inside and outside the classroom. This series goes beyond awards and headlines to highlight a broad range of educators whose work embodies the university鈥檚 mission of innovative curricula, interdisciplinary teaching, and a dynamic, multicultural learning community.

Here are the wonderful faculty we have featured so far this year:

Dr. Yue Bian

Dr. Sunita Iyer

Dr. Ursula Valdez

Carrie Bodle

Faculty & Librarian Promotions

For the third year in a row, 100% of the 56吃瓜网 Bothell faculty who applied for tenure and/or promotion were successful. We鈥檙e proud to have these distinguished scholars as part of our community. Please join us in congratulating the following faculty and librarians with their new ranks:

Librarians

• Je Salvador has been promoted to Associate Librarian
• Heather Cyre has been promoted to Librarian
• Nia Lam has been promoted to Librarian

Faculty & Staff Retirements

We are deeply grateful to our retiring faculty and staff for their years of dedicated service, impactful teaching, and invaluable contributions to the 56吃瓜网 Bothell community.

Faculty

• Robert Dimpsey, Associate Teaching Professor, Computing & Software Systems, STEM, 11 years
• Robin Fleming, Associate Teaching Professor, NHS, 14 years
• John Bridge, Professor, Engineering & Mathematics, STEM, 10 years
• Bill Erdly, Associate Professor, Computing & Software Systems, STEM, 33 years
• Mark Kochanski, Associate Teaching Professor, Computing & Software Systems, STEM, 24 years

Staff

• Carolyn Brennan, Executive Director, Office of Connected Learning, 19 years
• Jon Howeiler, K12 Partnerships & Field Placement Coordinator, School of Educational Studies, 24 years

New Hires & Appointments

New vice chancellor for Academic Affairs

The 56吃瓜网 has selected Dr. Brian Martensen as its new vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, effective Aug. 1, 2025.鈥� !

New dean of the School of Business

We are pleased to share the news of Dr. Sophie Leroy鈥檚 appointment as the new dean of the 56吃瓜网 Bothell School of Business. !

Dr. Cinnamon Hillyard reappointed as associate vice chancellor of Student Success

We are excited to share that Dr. Cinnamon Hillyard has been reappointed as Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Success, effective March 16, 2025, through June 30, 2030. !

Other Central Unit Updates

Student Academic Success

The Office of Student Academic Success (OSAS) includes Academic Advising, the Academic Learning Commons (ALC), the 56吃瓜网 Bothell STARS program, and campus support for curriculum and assessment, graduate studies, and EAB Navigate.

• Academic Advising completed a major transition that included onboarding new staff, centralizing offices into a single space, conducting extensive cross-training, and planning for future improvements. The next step is to review the advising MOAs with each school and develop an assessment plan.
• FYPP continued its assessment efforts by surveying over 350 students on the effectiveness of the Discovery Core program; results will be reviewed in Autumn by the FYPP AOC for potential enhancements.
• The STARS Center officially opened in 56吃瓜网1-321, providing a dedicated space for academic and personal support for STARS scholars. Preparations are underway to welcome the new STARS cohort with a kickoff event on June 12 and Summer Bridge Week from August 17鈥�22.
• The Academic Learning Commons (ALC) hosted SpringFest GameFest on May 16 in 56吃瓜网2-030. The CROW, 56吃瓜网 Bothell鈥檚 student research journal, released its 10th issue in June. The team completed a campus-wide assessment through faculty and staff focus groups and is currently reviewing the findings to determine the next steps. Stay tuned for updates on the new ALC management in Autumn.
• To improve the curriculum approval process, a group of faculty and staff will hold a two-day retreat in July to review the current process and make recommendations for improvement. A new plan will be presented to the GFO EC and CCASC in the Autumn for review.
• As part of our work with , we are hosting faculty and staff from five universities in August to see our exciting work to support student success.

Faculty Success

The  (OFS) includes the Learning & Teaching Collaborative (LTC), the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), and centralized support to help faculty navigate their careers.

• Launched the Faculty Expertise Database to connect faculty across disciplines
• Supported four Midcareer Faculty Fellows and sponsored three faculty to participate in the NCFDD Faculty Development Program.
• Worked diligently with Principal Investigators (PIs) with existing awards to navigate the uncertainty at the federal level.
• Opened a new shared office space (in 56吃瓜网1) for lecturers.
• Expanded sponsored research capacity with the addition of a Grants Administrator.

• Funded peer-led summer reading groups on critical pedagogical issues.
• Sponsored Equity Across the Curriculum workshops including the Spring event, Supporting our Transgender & Gender-expansive Students: A Panel Discussion.
• Hosted a wide range of workshops and conversations on topics including trauma-responsive teaching, supporting students with disabilities and neurodivergence, the use of AI and digital tools in the classroom, and skills for enhancing course accessibility.
• Conducted listening sessions with each school’s elected faculty council (or equivalent body) to better understand teaching challenges and faculty needs.

Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement

The 2024鈥�2025 academic year marked significant growth for the .

• Revised mission and core commitments to reflect research-based understandings of diversity and inclusion as guides for both program design and evaluation. Cultivated a set of design principles to guide CoSEE work.
• Strengthened the advisory board with members from public education, local nonprofits, and community leaders.
• Launched collaborations with King County Libraries, State ClimeTime initiative, local school districts, and community-based organizations.
• Led programming for Kids to Parks Day at St. Edward State Park and Pollinator Fest at 21 Acres, monthly 101 Workshops, nature walks, and a book club on socio-ecological thriving topics.
• Supported place-based learning for families and educators using field-based learning kits.
• Hosted field trips and partnered with a local school district鈥檚 CTE program to offer dual credit for the High School Summer Scholars Environmental Careers program funded by the Department of Education.
• Hosted three undergraduate courses at the EERC and four additional courses for field-based projects, labs, and other engagements.
• Expanded the undergraduate intern program to include 13 paid internships during the 2024-25 academic year.
• Launched a new 鈥淩esearch Briefs鈥� series with accessible summaries of faculty work online.

Office of Connected Learning

• Hosted the that began on the evening of Tuesday, May 13, in the Collaboratory with an exhibit of student creative works. Over the next two days, 64 students delivered oral presentations and fielded questions in sessions ranging from Data-Driven Explorations in Business & STEM to Interdisciplinary Approaches to Community Empowerment. On Thursday, May 15, around 25 students presented posters engaging fellow students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
• The following faculty have been selected to receive to develop new study abroad programs in academic programs that currently have limited global learning opportunities.
  • Jong Yoon, School of STEM: Engineering – Korea Engineering Experience: Innovation, Culture, and Global Collaboration, Summer 2026
  • Ying Yang, School of Business – E-Marketing in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, Summer 2026 or 2027 (deferred)
  • Munehiro Fukuda and Jeffrey Kim, School of STEM: CSS – Evolving Identities and User Design in the Age of Connectivity and AI Technologies in Modern Japan, Early Fall 2026
• The Michael Anderson and Maria Lamarca Anderson endowment fueled the growth of the Latino Leadership Initiative, an experiential learning and leadership program that works in partnership with local organization (LETI). This program tripled in size this year from less than 10 to more than 30 students. The endowed funds paid for the LETI curriculum and supported the events that the students hosted, including a panel of local government officials and the first ever Latino Culture Night on May 6.

Campus Library

The 56吃瓜网 Bothell/Cascadia College Campus Library introduced several updates to enhance student support and engagement.

• Centered the ever-popular Community Reads program around Patty Krawec鈥檚 Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Guide to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future, focusing on themes of decolonization and Indigenous perspectives.
• Collaborated with the Cascadia Diversity & Equity Center on discussions and crafting activities related to Chapter 6, 鈥淭he Land: Our Ancestor,鈥� which explores our relationship with land and Indigenous sovereignty.
• Offered late night study hours, providing de-stressing games and snacks.
• Updated study spaces and amenities, providing various zones (including individual study pods) to accommodate different study needs.
• Partnered with Advancement to celebrate a book launch and conversation with Professor Karam Dana, who presented his new book, 鈥淭o Stand with Palestine.鈥�
• Created space for the exhibit, which 鈥渂rings together students and community members from across Seattle for intergenerational conversations about race, racism, and its intersections.鈥�
• The Campus Library will be receiving a new building sign, following the style of Founders Hall, Commons Hall, Discovery Hall, and Innovation Hall.

Upcoming Events & Critical Deadlines

• June 7-13, 2025: Spring finals week
• June 15, 2025: Commencement
• June 18, 2025: Spring quarter grades due
• June 23, 2025: Summer quarter begins
• August 26, 2025: Summer quarter grades due
• Sep. 17, 2025: Fall Kick Off
• Sep. 19-Oct. 1, 2025: Welcome Week
• Sep. 23, 2025: Convocation
• Nov. 19, 2025: I 鉂� 56吃瓜网 Bothell Luncheon