Category: Uncategorized

Coping with Current Events

Our world is facing multiple changes and challenges – on global, national, and local levels. These shifts have various, disproportionate impacts depending on our identities and communities. With this said, we acknowledge that you are not only navigating life as a graduate student, you are also dealing with the stress of ever-evolving, current events. While it’s impossible to control what happens around us, we do have agency to cope with uncomfortable feelings.  

Check in with yourself. Set aside 5 min. during the day to check in with yourself. This can be right after waking up, at your work desk, while studying at the library, or sitting in a café. 1) Ask yourself, “How am I feeling right now?” The practice of naming what you’re feeling can make a difference, because it helps you be more aware of what’s going on and feel less lost. 2) If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, take a few deep breaths to calm your nerves. 3) If your body is feeling tense, try stretching to relax your muscles.  

Take breaks from the news. While it is generally good to be informed of current events, it’s also easy to doomscroll. And this can worsen how we feel. Set boundaries for yourself when it comes to the news: Turn off app notifications when needed, select specific times during the day to access social media, and step away from your devices to engage in hobbies and recreation. Reach out to a friend (or two) to hold you accountable for taking breaks from the news.  

Connect with community. During these challenging times, turn towards trusted peers, friends, and community members for connection and to reduce feelings of isolation. This can look like organizing a potluck with peers from your graduate program, attending a film screening on or off campus, joining a weekly, informal exercise group, or learning about community organizations that you can volunteer with — no matter the frequency or duration of service. Engaging in social connection can have a positive impact on our health and well-being.  

• Improving Social Connections, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention  

Finally, if you’re seeking information about a range of resources to support you during these challenging times, visit the following Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma webpages.  

We hope you find these strategies helpful and best wishes on completing the quarter.  

Best, 

Graduate Student Affairs 
UW Graduate School  

As faculty, we play a pivotal role in equipping graduate students for diverse career paths. Beyond academic rigor, students benefit from guidance on essential career skills such as networking, communication, and adaptability. By integrating career readiness into mentorship, we help students thrive in academia, industry and beyond.

This brief provides valuable perspectives from graduate students who lacked this exposure in graduate school.

From admissions to dissertations to grievance policies, connect with the right support for your needs:

• Questions about Slate: gradslate@uw.edu
• Enrollment and admissions: uwgrad@uw.edu
• Grievances: gsacad@uw.edu
• Policies: gsacad@uw.edu
• Dissertation: uwgrad@uw.edu
• Undocumented students: undocu@uw.edu
• Communications, marketing and website: gradcomm@uw.edu

In 2022, the UW Graduate School introduced the “stacked degree” policy, allowing graduate programs to include as part of its degree requirements one or more earned graduate certificates. 

The intent of a stacked degree is to provide for flexible entry to graduate education for students who would benefit from a graduate certificate credential and who may or may not ultimately pursue a graduate degree. 

We approved, or are in the process of approving, three degrees under this policy:

• Master of Engineering in Leadership and Systems Innovation in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
  • Students complete two of the three graduate certificates listed below, plus a capstone
    • Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics for Systems Operations
    • Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering Design and Analysis
    • Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering Leadership
• Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Engineering in the College of Engineering Dean’s Office
  • Students complete two of the four graduate certificates listed below plus a thesis or capstone
    • Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Engineering
    • Graduate Certificate in Data Driven Dynamic Systems & Control for Engineering 
    • Graduate Certificate in AI/ML Driven Molecular and Process Engineering 
    • Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics for Systems Operations
• Master of Engineering in Multidisciplinary Engineering in the College of Engineering Dean’s Office (Approval in progress)
  • Students complete two graduate certificates, plus a capstone
    • Proposed eligible graduate certificates include any currently approved graduate certificates from across the College of Engineering

Review and approval of a stacked degree is managed as part of the degree program approval or program change process overseen by the Graduate School. If you are interested in exploring this option for your own college or department, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs.

To give you an understanding of our graduate student demographics, here are a few snapshots of Autumn 2024 enrollment:

Summary

For Autumn 2024, we received 39,866 applications, which is 19% higher than the number received for Autumn 2019. 

Overall new enrollment for Autumn 2024 is 5,260 students, which is a 4% increase from Autumn 2019. New enrollment in research doctoral programs has dipped 10% from Autumn 2023 and 1% from Autumn 2019. While educational specialists represent a small slice of graduate students at UW, entering cohorts have been growing and the new enrollment in Autumn 2024 is twice as large as in Autumn 2019. 

The race/ethnicity patterns in new enrollment this year are of particular interest since the June 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling to limit the use of race in admissions decisions. Compared to last year’s Autumn, we do not see a large change in the race/ethnicity breakdown for new enrollment.

The UW Graduate School supports and empowers the next generation of scholars, researchers and leaders. As a tri-campus partner with academic units, we provide critical advocacy, funding and programming to support our students.  
 
This Husky Giving Day, we are highlighting three units and programs within the Graduate School where amazing things are happening. We believe in the transformative power of graduate education to address today’s global challenges. With your support of graduate education and graduate students, we can give to student success and to public good. Thank you for your support! 

Neuroscience 

Neuroscience provides broad accessible training in neuroscience to our students, capitalizing on the diverse set of research interests of our faculty. Your support helps sustain graduate education, cultivate networking opportunities, strengthen recruitment and outreach, support student conference attendance and foster student activities. Learn more about how your gift helps us reach our goals. 

“The University of Washington’s Graduate Program in Neuroscience provides unparalleled support to foster and train the next generation of neuroscientists. The program’s mentorship and community have been instrumental in my work researching Alzheimer’s disease and throughout my PhD journey.”
– Randall Eck, current student

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Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) 

As an interdisciplinary graduate program jointly offered by the UW and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, MCB has created a wonderful community who are inspired and trained to address the world’s most challenging biological problems. We know this would not be possible without fellowships that provide professional development opportunities and financial support for our talented students. 

Our fellowship funds:  

• Molecular and Cellular Biology Late Career Internship: To provide financial assistance to 4th and 5th year MCB students to undertake an internship prior to graduating.  
• Molecular and Cellular Biology Student Relocation Fellowship: This fund provides financial assistance to prospective MCB students to offset the costs of relocating to Seattle. 

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Office of Graduate Student Equity and Excellence (GSEE) 

GSEE, formerly GO-MAP, fellowships and awards have been integral in recruiting and supporting graduate students from marginalized communities for 54 years and counting. We help ensure historically underrepresented graduate students feel welcome, supported and connected at the UW through outreach, community building and career development opportunities.  

Sebastián Gallegos’ and Ngoc-Vy Mai’s stories 

We understand the importance of investing in equity and are asking you – our friends, alumni, and supporters – to join us in our mission of making graduate education accessible to all.  

This Husky Giving Day, we are grateful to receive an anonymous donation challenge — 10 gifts of any size will unlock $5,000 in support of GSEE. 

Effective October 13, 2021, the Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program, known as GO-MAP, is now the Office of Graduate Student Equity & Excellence, or GSEE (pronounced “gee-see”).

It is the most recent name change in the Office’s over 50-years of service to students and the University. The name change is more than cosmetic. It represents not only a renewed commitment to supporting graduate students impacted by racism and its intersections* as individuals, but to dismantling the institutional barriers that inhibit their success at the University of Washington.

Why the name change now?

One, we are in a new historical moment.

The Office of Recruitment for Minority Graduate and Professional Students was established in1970, at the height of various social movements in which Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander peoples demanded access, equality, and justice. The Office focused on recruitment, counseling and providing financial support.

Its existence was unique — while other campuses created programs for undergraduates, it was the first to focus on post-baccalaureate students and their particular needs.

It became part of the Graduate School and was renamed the Minority Education Division in 1979. As recognition of its positive impact on students, it became known as the Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program in 2000.

We are living through another historical moment of racial reckoning. Racialized injustice, violence and stunted opportunities remain too ubiquitous in American society. At the University of Washington, GSEE represents a rejuvenated focus on not only supporting graduate students impacted by racism and its intersections*, but on seeding institutional change.

Two, language has shifted over the last half-century.

The use of the word “minority” was common at the time the Office was created and remained in use into the early 21st century. Now, however, the term “minority” is not only outdated, but it does not signify the change-making we are committed to in our current historical moment.

Lastly, the name change signifies the Office’s expanded footprint.

The vision and mission of the Office has necessarily grown over the last 50 years. While it will continue to provide invaluable direct-to-student programming, GSEE will also focus on improving departmental climate and equity for our students in their academic homes.

A strategic collaboration with the Office of Equity & Justice (OEJ) crystalizes this new dual approach. This broader vision and mission positions GSEE and the Graduate School as advocates for the powerful pairing of equity and excellence we seek in order to make positive changes within the University.

We are incredibly proud of the foundation that GSEE and its previous leaders and staff have created. We hear countless stories of how the Office played a role in recruitment, retention, and a sense of belonging.

It is because of that strong foundation that we can take this step forward. The essence of GO-MAP remains — it will continue to be a space for graduate students to be in community, learn from each other, and push our institutions to be better. We look forward to all that GSEE will accomplish in the next 50 years.

Explore GSEE

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*Intersections include sexism, homophobia, ableism, Islamophobia, antisemitism and other forms of discrimination

Review Policy 3.6 Graduate Registration Waiver for complete details. If you are eligible, then follow the below instructions to pay the fee and graduate without being registered:

How to Request Fee to be Added to Student Account

• Send an email to student Fiscal Services at sfshelp@uw.edu requesting the fee to be added to student account. Once you receive a reply that the fee has been added, pay the fee using one of the methods below.

Payment Methods

• Online through MyUW: webcheck (free) or credit card (added convenience fee)
• U.S. Mail: Mail in the payment along with a note identifying payment for the $250 Graduate Registration Fee, student name and number.
  Address: UW Fiscal Services, PO Box 3981, Seattle, WA 98124-3981
• In person: Pay the $250 Graduate Registration Waiver Fee at the Student Fiscal Services Office.