This email was sent to GPAs and GPCs on October 7, 2026.
Letter from the Dean
Dear GPAs and GPCs,
As we begin a new academic year, I’m grateful to welcome our graduate community back to the University of Washington and to continue our shared work to provide an exceptional graduate education for every student. As GPAs and GPCs, you are essential partners in that work, helping students navigate their programs, connecting them with resources and support, and often seeing firsthand where our systems are working well and where students encounter barriers.
That perspective is especially important as we continue asking difficult questions about where we are succeeding, where students face barriers and how graduate education must evolve to meet the needs of today’s students and the world they will enter. The Ph.D. Taskforce is an important part of that effort.
Over the past year, faculty, staff, students and academic leaders from across the UW came together to examine the Ph.D. student experience — from funding and mentoring to belonging, student support and academic success. Their work gave us a clearer picture of both the strengths of doctoral education at the UW and the areas where we have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to do more. This year, our focus turns to action.
With our Year 2 Action Plan, the Graduate School is beginning work on the Taskforce’s recommendations, advancing changes within the Graduate School while partnering with schools, colleges and central units on challenges that require a broader university response. As this work moves forward, we know that implementation matters: changes must ultimately make graduate education clearer, more supportive and more effective for students and for those of you who work with them every day. Some of this work can move quickly. Other changes will require continued attention and collaboration over several years.
The Taskforce report will remain our guidepost as we continue this work in the years ahead.
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who contributed their experiences and expertise to this work, and especially to GPAs and GPCs for the thoughtful care and problem-solving you bring to supporting graduate students every day. Your perspective will continue to be important as we move from recommendations to implementation. I look forward to all we accomplish together in the year ahead.
Warm wishes,
Joy Williamson-Lott
Dean, UW Graduate School
The Ph.D. Taskforce
Over the past year, the Ph.D. Taskforce brought together faculty, staff, students and academic leaders to examine the doctoral student experience and identify opportunities to strengthen Ph.D. education at the UW. Now, the Graduate School is moving from recommendations to an action plan, with the Taskforce report serving as a guide for our work in the years ahead.
Learn more about the Taskforce Report and see our Year 2 Action Plan.
Graduate School news and events
The Graduate School Handbook: It is designed to support graduate students – and those who support them – in navigating the many aspects of graduate study across UW. See the handbook.
New Graduate School website: We’re building a new Graduate School website. To improve our experience for all users, we’ve created a five-minute survey. Take the survey.
Graduate student resources: As we welcome graduate students to a new academic year, we’ve collected resources to support them during their time at the UW. Read more.
Save the date – GEMS Forum: Our Autumn 2026 GEMS Community Forum will be Wednesday October 28th, 2026 at 1:30-3 p.m. More info to come.
Resource guide for MyGrad or Slate: We created a resource guide for MyGrad and Slate faculty and staff users (GPA/GPC/PDE). See the resource guide. Bookmark this page for future use and send feedback/ideas to gemshelp@uw.edu.
Graduate student showcase
2026 Gatzert Child Welfare Fellows: The one-quarter fellowship recognizes Ph.D. candidates writing dissertations that contribute to the lives of children with disabilities. Congratulations to 2026 Fellows Malcom King and Mackenzie Pitts. Learn about their research.
The Sound of Research: We asked our graduate students to share songs that connect to their research – ones that capture the questions they’re asking, the ideas that inspire them, or the work they’re doing. See their picks.
Office of Academic Affairs
A year in review:
This summer marked the completion of the first full academic year for the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) under the leadership of Dr. Mayumi Willgerodt. The OAA 2025–26 Annual Report provides an overview of the office’s work across its four core areas: Academic Unit Review, Graduate Curriculum, Graduate School Council, and Academic Policy.
Highlights from the year include managing a record volume of graduate curriculum proposals, completing a comprehensive review and revision of Graduate School academic policies, and undertaking a forward-looking assessment of the Academic Unit Review process. The report also highlights OAA’s work in response to emerging priorities and a changing higher education landscape, including the growing influence of artificial intelligence on graduate programming and changes in federal policy affecting international admissions and teaching assistant language requirements.
In case you missed it
News and resources from across the University of Washington campuses and beyond:
- STEM Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Program Policies, Degree Requirements, and Available Supports // Council of Graduate Schools
- 2026 Status of International Graduate Students in the United States // Council of Graduate Schools
- A launchpad to science and medicine for local teens // UW Bothell
- How do I change labs gracefully during my Ph.D.? // Nature
- How do I rekindle my motivation for earning my Ph.D.? // Nature
- Grit makes a survivor – MSW alum joins the hit show // UW Tacoma
- After a career in educational leadership, double-dawg Stephan Blanford now heads Earshot Jazz // UW Magazine
- Career Prep When No One Knows What’s Next // Inside Higher Ed
- A Rare Bright Spot for International Enrollments? // The Chronicle of Higher Education
- The Education Dept. hasn’t been dismantled. It’s become more inefficient, staff say // NPR