Letter from the Dean
Dear GPAs and GPCs,
Welcome to a new academic year! I hope the summer months brought you time for rest and renewal. Here in the Graduate School, we have been busy preparing for the year ahead, and I’m excited to share some important updates in this newsletter.
Over the summer, we launched several significant initiatives designed to strengthen graduate education at the University of Washington. Among them, a new task force is taking a fresh look at the future of Ph.D. education, and we have released the very first Graduate Student Handbook—a resource created to clarify policies, requirements and support services for our community. We’ve also finalized important policy updates, including revisions to the Academic Grievance Procedure, ensuring graduate students across all campuses and programs have fair and transparent processes available to them.
Each of these developments is intended to support you as you do the vital work of guiding graduate students. Together, we are not only ensuring graduate student success but also continually enhancing the quality of graduate education at UW. I look forward to partnering with you throughout this year as we continue to build a strong, supportive environment for our students.
With gratitude,
Joy Williamson-Lott,
Dean, The University of Washington Graduate School
Big initiatives
Upcoming Ph.D. Task Force
In October, we will launch a strategic Ph.D. Task Force to chart bold, forward-looking directions for doctoral training. As a top R1 institution with nearly 4,264 Ph.D. students, UW is uniquely positioned to shape national conversations and ensure our programs prepare graduates to meet evolving societal, academic and workforce needs. All Ph.D. students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to stay engaged through upcoming monthly town halls and other opportunities to contribute feedback. The Task Force will deliver short- and long-term proposals by mid-2026. Our first town hall will be on October 8, from 10-11 a.m.
New Graduate Student Handbook
The Graduate School is pleased to share the inaugural Graduate Student Handbook, a comprehensive resource that brings together key policies, procedures, academic expectations and support services relevant to graduate education at UW. Designed with student success at its core, the handbook serves as a central reference for students, faculty, and staff, supporting a shared understanding of institutional standards and resources. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the handbook and direct students to it as a reliable guide. It will be reviewed and updated annually, and your feedback will help ensure it continues to meet the evolving needs of graduate programs.
Policy updates
Updated Academic Grievance Procedure
As of September 15, revisions to Graduate School Policy 3.8 are in effect. Graduate students will now be included in their school, college or campus’s existing academic grievance processes (previously serving only undergraduate and professional students). For most units, this requires only minor adjustments. The key change: graduate student appeals now go to the Dean of the Graduate School rather than the Provost. Please review your local process to ensure alignment and consult available best practices and examples as you prepare for implementation this academic year.
Update to Policy 3.7 Academic Progress and Performance
With the new school year, we are enacting the major revisions to Policy 3.7: Academic Performance and Progress that we announced last year. This includes the ability to move students directly into Final Academic Alert under certain circumstances and the ability to establish multi-quarter Alerts.
Resources for developing Exit/En Route Master’s
Thanks to those of you who were able to attend our conversation on exit and en route master’s last week. If you don’t already have a master’s program that your PhD students can complete within a short period of time after deciding not to proceed with the PhD, please review our FAQ on exit and en route master’s, and our guidelines for programs with and without pre-existing master’s programs. We’re available to answer your questions about the process of developing exit master’s curriculum and moving students into those programs at progprop@uw.edu and gemshelp@uw.edu respectively.
Updated guidance for potentially duplicative graduate programs
We have updated guidance and the process for evaluating Duplicative Graduate Degree Program Proposals in order to help ensure communication between academic units and create clear, step-by-step procedures for evaluating potentially duplicative programs. Key updates include: (1) specifying when units proposing potentially duplicative graduate degree programs should communicate with other UW units that have similar programs; (2) clarification on the specific factors that will be considered when evaluating a proposed duplicative program; (3) outlining step-by-step procedures for resolving concerns from units with existing programs when a potentially duplicative program is proposed.
Connect with the Graduate School
GEMS Forum
The Autumn 2025 GEMS/GPA Forum is scheduled for Thursday October 30 from 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. (PST) via webinar. Join us for updates from the Graduate School’s Graduate Enrollment Management (GEMS), Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) and Computing and Information Resources (CAIR). Graduate School staff will be on hand to answer questions. Be on the lookout for a “save the date” soon.
Dean’s virtual office hours
These virtual office hours, or “what’s on your mind” meetings, were created to provide a space for faculty and staff questions and discussions. These sessions take place once a month at 1 p.m. Staff and faculty will be admitted one-by-one to the meeting. The next office hour is on October 6 at 1 p.m. on Zoom.
Office of Public Lectures
The Graduate School’s public lecture series brings leading thinkers, artists and changemakers from around the world into conversation with our community. These events help demystify academia and showcase how research and big ideas connect to everyday life. We encourage you to share this resource with your students: public lectures are free and accessible, offering opportunities to engage with bold ideas, broaden perspectives, and see scholarship in action beyond the classroom. Our first lecture is on October 9 at 6:30 p.m. with Dr. Uché Blackstock on her talk “Unpacking Legacy: From the Personal to the Systemic.”
A central hub for inquiries
As part of the Graduate School’s administrative and grievance process restructuring, we have created a new “Connect with the Graduate School” site for those issues that might span the scope of our Offices of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and GEMS. Students, faculty, and staff with questions about academic policy, the grievance process, academic alerts and drops and graduate faculty status can submit their inquiry there to receive a coordinated response from the appropriate Graduate School staff. Students and faculty can submit their success stories there, too… we love to hear them!
Student support
International student support
In response to incidents of international students having their immigration records terminated this year and recent developments of a change to HIB visa fees, we developed guidance to support our international student community. This resource is designed to help graduate students and their advisors navigate federal education policy, manage uncertainty around visa status and access timely assistance when challenges arise. International graduate students should stay in close contact with International Student Services, their local academic units, especially their advisors, GPAs and GPCs, since they are best positioned to assess a student’s possible path toward degree completion.
The Office of Graduate Student Success
Starting in July, the Office Graduate Student Success is the umbrella under which the portfolio of the Graduate Student Equity and Excellence (GSEE), Graduate Student Success (GSS), formerly the Office of Equity and Justice, and Graduate Student Affairs (GSA) will reside. This new structure strengthens efficiency and aligns efforts to support student belonging, engagement and achievement across UW. GSEE and GSA’s collaboration will strengthen campus partnerships and increase offerings and programming for graduate students in the areas of professional development, community building and wellness. Faculty and staff can continue to look to GSS for tools, programming and resources that foster inclusive excellence in their programs.
Graduate School resources
Western Association of Graduate Schools Opportunities
The Graduate School is a member of the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS), and as our partners you have access to their events.
WAGS Wednesdays provides an opportunity for administrators from across the west to discuss topics via Zoom meetings at this LINK.
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| October 1 – 1:00-2:00 | Jerry McMurtry Polly Tohaneanu University of Idaho |
Graduate Admissions: Strategies for growing your applicant pool |
| October 22 – 1:00-2:00 | Carrie Robinson Arizona State University |
Using an AI chatbot for thesis/dissertation formatting |
| November 19 – 1:00-2:00 | Toby McChesney Santa Clara University |
AI integrations in the graduate curriculum |
| January 21 – 1:00-2:00 | Monica Hinds Oregon Health Sciences UniversityTracy Love San Diego State University |
Graduate Admissions: Navigating international admissions/enrollment |
| February 18 – 1:00-2:00 | Monica Hinds Oregon Health Sciences UniversityJeri Lyons University of Northern Colorado |
Mentorship Academy |
| April 22 –
1:00-2:00 |
Maria Barrios University of Washington |
Advancement efforts in graduate schools |
The Annual WAGS Conference (April 1-3) will be virtual this year making it more cost effective for you or members of your team to attend. From the WAGS President: “We have an exciting line-up of plenary speakers and will focus our concurrent session in three areas: Administration (deans and assoc/asst. deans), Admissions (graduate admissions staff and departmental directors of graduate studies), and Graduate Student Support (individuals involved in graduate student and post-doc professional development or other support services). The board wants to provide a wide range of learning and development for the entire graduate school or college.” A call for presentations will be coming soon and there will be a multi-round Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition for students as well.