Since 2020, the UW Office of Graduate Student Success (OGSS), which includes the Offices of Graduate Student Equity & Excellence (GSEE) and Graduate Student Affairs (GSA) has hosted an annual tri-campus event for faculty, staff, graduate students, and university leadership across the Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma campuses. This summit is a partnership with units across the tri-campus to support our shared commitment to graduate education at the university.
Building on our 2025-26 Excellence in Graduate Education Series (EGES), our 2026 Summit focuses on building skills and resources to address challenges facing graduate students, faculty, and staff. Colleagues from the Office of the Ombud and Civil Rights Compliance Office will share their insights about the myriad issues brought by graduate students and the staff and faculty who support them. From the 2025 UW Campus Climate Survey, staff from Institutional Assessment & Evaluation will share what students have shared about their graduate experience at UW. Together, we’ll explore real-life scenarios, helpful strategies, and resources that help turn challenging moments into opportunities for support and growth.
We encourage everyone to join us at the School of Social Work (4101 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105-6299) in room 305 on the Seattle Campus for this event. For those who are unable to attend in person, there will also be a hybrid option.
2026 Sessions
April 28, 2026
Welcome
1:00 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.
Session 1: Listening to Students: Key Findings from UW Climate & Institutional Surveys
1:25 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Take an in-depth look at what UW Graduate and Professional students are sharing from recent climate and alumni surveys. In this session, colleagues from Institutional Assessment and Evaluation will present tri-campus wide data from graduate students. They will share insights and themes to provide a clear picture of UW graduate student needs and experiences.
Session 2: Understanding Compliance at UW: Context, Cases, & Community Impact
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Join us in learning about the newly established UW Civil Rights Compliance Office. Participants will receive information about the ways the team supports students, staff, and faculty in managing difficult situations. The session will include real‑world scenarios to illustrate how your unit can best respond to students, staff, and faculty using effective and supportive strategies.
BREAK & LIGHT REFRESHMENTS
2:30 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
Session 3: Supporting the UW Community: Insights from the Office of the Ombud
2:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
In this session, colleagues from the UW Office of the Ombud will provide an overview of the roles and services the Ombud provides to prevent, manage, and navigate conflicts in the UW community. The session will include sample cases that are brought to the Ombud with recommendations for handling challenging situations in your local units before and in collaboration with their office.
Session 4: Perspectives Across Campus: A Cross‑Office Conversation on Graduate Student Needs
3:20 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.
Join all of our featured speakers in a panel to reflect on shared themes emerging across their work with graduate and professional students. The conversation will explore current challenges and actionable pathways toward enhancing the graduate student experience, followed by open‑floor questions from attendees.
Closing
3:55 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.