This newsletter was sent from the Graduate School Dean to UW leadership on October 7, 2026.
Letter from the Dean
Dear colleagues and friends of the Graduate School,
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.
That work requires us to keep 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. And, 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. Some of this work can move quickly. Other changes will require sustained attention and collaboration over several years.
And 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 to all of you who continue to invest in graduate students and graduate education at the UW. 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
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.
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.
Big Ten Alliance – graduate education at scale
What becomes possible when some of the nation’s leading research universities work together on the future of graduate education?
That’s one of the opportunities the Graduate School is most excited about as the University of Washington deepens its engagement with the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA). The Alliance brings together 18 major research universities with a long history of sharing expertise, developing academic leaders and creating opportunities for students and faculty that extend beyond any one institution.
For graduate education, that kind of collaboration matters. Universities across the country are confronting many of the same questions: How do we build sustainable models for graduate student funding? How should doctoral education evolve alongside changing career paths? How do we strengthen mentoring, belonging and student support while preparing scholars for a rapidly changing world?
- Sustainable graduate student funding: The UW Ph.D. Taskforce has identified sustainable graduate student funding as a critical priority for the future of doctoral education. Through the Big Ten Academic Alliance’s Graduate Deans network, we have a new opportunity to bring that work into conversation with peer institutions—sharing approaches, learning from emerging models and exploring where collaboration across universities could help address challenges.
- Expanding research and professional opportunities: Our BTAA membership connects UW graduate students to opportunities and resources beyond our campus, complementing the professional development and research support already offered through the Graduate School. Students can pursue opportunities such as the Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellowship and draw on the extensive library collections of member universities, expanding the networks and resources available to support their scholarship and future careers.
- Mentoring, belonging and preparing scholars for a changing world: BTAA graduate deans have collaborated on graduate pathways, mentoring and professional development for decades. Its programs have included cross-institutional mentoring and coaching, professional development, graduate recruitment/pathway initiatives and systemic approaches to improving academic environments. Through the Graduate School’s student success initiatives, we provide programming and resources designed to help students thrive during their time at UW and beyond. Our participation in the Big Ten Academic Alliance gives us an opportunity to extend that work.
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. Listen to 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:
- UW’s Convocation welcomes Class of 2030 // UW News
- A launchpad to science and medicine for local teens // UW Bothell
- STEM Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Program Policies, Degree Requirements, and Available Supports // Council of Graduate Schools
- After a career in educational leadership, double-dawg Stephan Blanford now heads Earshot Jazz // UW Magazine
- Grit makes a survivor – MSW alum joins the hit show // UW Tacoma
- Colleges once saw high tuition as a sign of quality. Now they’re slashing prices // The Wall Street Journal
- The Education Dept. hasn’t been dismantled. It’s become more inefficient, staff say // NPR
- Could AI be better at peer review than humans? // The Chronicle of Higher Education
- 2026 Status of International Graduate Students in the United States // Council of Graduate Schools
- A Rare Bright Spot for International Enrollments? // The Chronicle of Higher Education
- UW mechanical engineering