I hope that you have had a restorative summer. Please see below several important transitions, updates and resources for Academic Affairs.

I am pleased to share the news that Dr. Yoko Furukawa will join the UW Tacoma Office of Research as our new director beginning Sept. 8.

Throughout the months of June and July, we celebrate Pride and honor the LGBTQIA+ community — comprising of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and other individuals whose identities are part of this vibrant spectrum.

Just four years ago, Juneteenth received unanimous support in the U.S. Senate and became our newest federal holiday. Juneteenth is a much-needed cause for celebration.

Starting Autumn quarter 2025, our bookstore partner, Follett Higher Education, is introducing Kortext, a new ebook platform that will improve the student and faculty experience with digital course materials.

On Memorial Day, we honor military service personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. If you walk along the Prairie Line Trail through campus, you’ll see small American flags planted by UW Tacoma’s Veterans & Military Resource Center.

After 24 years of dedicated service to the UW Tacoma community, Patrick Pow will retire as Vice Chancellor for Information Technology at the beginning of June. 

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This is a time for us to celebrate the histories, cultures, and societal contributions of community members with roots in Asia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia.

In order to create flexibility and balance for UW Tacoma staff while maintaining a high degree of access for our students and community, we have developed new policies for office hours during summer and over the winter holidays for 2025.

On Sunday, the state legislature passed Washington’s 2025–27 operating, capital and transportation budgets. Legislators developed a compromise budget in the context of the largest state budget deficit since the 2007–09 Great Recession.