UW Tacoma Comes of Age
The campus will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a grand party.
After decades of hoping and planning, untold hours of pushing, the work of hundreds of people building a nest, the usual labor pains and the joy and noise of a new arrival, the University of Washington Tacoma was born in 1990.
Twenty years ago this fall, the doors were opened, and the first students — transfers from community colleges or people whose college careers had been interrupted — were welcomed in to finish their bachelor’s degrees. The following spring, four people claimed the right to be called UW Tacoma’s first graduates.
During the two decades that followed, the university grew up. Got a place of its own — a fixer-upper that needed extensive reconstruction. Gradually added programs, faculty and staff. Increased awareness within the region. Got to know the neighbors. Steadily increased in student numbers. Helped the region grow and develop. Expanded its curriculum to include freshmen and sophomores. Grew student involvement from scratch. Suffered growing pains. Increased in confidence and scope.
And now, with 10,000 graduates and more on the way, UW Tacoma is preparing to celebrate its 20th birthday.
As it looks at where it came from and where it’s going, UW Tacoma invites everyone who worked to create it, who was there at its birth and who welcomed it into the family to share in the celebration of its first two decades.
The 20th Anniversary Celebration is planned for Wednesday, Oct. 6, 5:30-8:30 p.m., in William W. Philip Hall, 1918 Pacific Ave., Tacoma.
Recent news
Main Content
Omari Amili: Navigating the Post-Prison Pathway
Main Content
School of Education Welcomes First Undergraduate Students
Main Content
UW Tacoma Joins National Engineering Network
UW Tacoma in the News
Main Content
‘Identities Horizons’ spotlights AAPI students at UWT
Main Content
The enduring legacy of the Black 'Buffalo Soldiers'
Dr. Luther Adams - Free Man of Color discusses the history of Black participation in the U.S. military, particularly the regiments known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Main Content
Chancellor Lange Named to Seattle Mag’s “Most Influential” List
UW Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange is one of the region’s 25 “most influential” people in Seattle Magazine’s 2024 review.