University of Washington Graduate School
Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program
(GO-MAP)

CGS/Thomson Peterson’s Award for
Innovation in Promoting an Inclusive Graduate Community

“Committed to Diversity; Connected to Community”

The prestigious annual Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/Thomson Peterson’s 2005 Award for Innovation in Promoting an Inclusive Graduate Community was awarded to the University of Washington Graduate School and GO-MAP (Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program). The award is sponsored by the CGS and Thomson Peterson’s, a leading provider of information and advice on graduate admission, test preparation, and financial aid, and a part of the Thomson Corporation.

A major goal of the University of Washington Graduate School Graduate Opportunities and Minority Achievement Program (GO-MAP) “Committed to Diversity; Connected to Community” (CDCC) programming is to create a wider, more diverse group of mentors for UW graduate students. Drawn from local businesses and industry, from the professions, from government and non-profit sectors, as well as from other area higher educational institutions, these community-based mentors will provide UW students with important role models and social support. They will also be instrumental in helping students (often the first in their families to pursue advanced degrees) with important networks for pursuing either academic or non-academic careers subsequent to degree completion. The availability of both informal support and career and professional advice are critical factors not only in the recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds but also in their degree completion.

CDCC also enhances relationships among the UW, the Graduate School, communities and businesses of color, and others interested in advancing diversity and inclusiveness. CDCC programming will model for students the kinds of partnerships likely to be the hallmark of high quality university education in the future, i.e., partnerships in which the community serves as a vital laboratory for student learning, in which student and faculty research may be, and often is, informed by community interests and needs, and in which communities, in turn, both financially and otherwise support the educational aims of graduate students and graduate programs.

“Committed to Diversity; Connected to Community”

The “Committed to Diversity; Connected to Community,” programming builds on current GO-MAP activities to develop a more comprehensive set of university and community programs and relationships.

Graduate Diversity Scholars Research Seminars build on our Top Scholars Program, creating an interdisciplinary forum in which graduate students present their work. Strongly encouraged for GO-MAP fellows but open, as well, to other UW students, these seminars allow students to receive the kind of help with content and presentation skills that is not always available in a home department. Although similar research seminars have been conducted by The Graduate School in the past, they have, by and large, been limited to members of the UW community. As part of CDCC, we are expanding participation in these seminars to community partners. Their inclusion will benefit all students, but it will provide especially valuable opportunities for those students who are not planning to pursue traditional academic careers. Whether in the sciences, professional schools, or the liberal arts, our students have the opportunity to learn how to discuss their scholarly work, not only to students and faculty members in other fields, but to members of the broader community. These seminars also aid in building the interdisciplinary community of UW graduate students. The broader group of faculty and community partners with whom our students will interact will give them more opportunity to find mentors who may aid in their scholarly and professional development.

Voices in the Community (ViC) Lunches expands our Voices in Academia (ViA) Lunch series. Currently, ViA Lunches provide opportunities for a featured faculty member to lunch with graduate students and discuss topics significant for future faculty members and others interested in issues of higher education. These lunches provide an important informal opportunity for professional socialization and development. ViC Lunches would be similar in format, featuring prominent community and business leaders, while addressing topics significant to community and business. We depend and build on our community relationships made through the Community Advisory Board, Diversity Book Talks, and Mangels lectures to bring these community and business leaders on campus, as well as to bring students to sites in the community. This is also an opportunity to build new relationships throughout community and business sectors. Our ViC lunch sites utilize minority-owned businesses and community organization venues.

Committed to Diversity; Connected to Community Seminars and Workshops expands programming surrounding the Diversity Book Talks and the Mangels lectures. The seminars and workshops connect the featured lecturer, student, faculty, and community leaders in ways designed to more clearly illuminate the connections between graduate education, scholarly work on diversity and inclusion, and issues of relevance to the community. The seminars and workshops have an “action plan” component that asks participants to think through “next steps.” Together, participants generate new and innovative concepts and initiatives that incorporate student and community based solutions to issues around diversity, recruitment, retention, mentoring, etc., developing leadership skills and professional socialization for the students, as well as access to the university for community leaders. These ideas would then be reviewed and considered during the year-end “Committed to Diversity; Connected to Community Summit” and by the Community, Faculty, and Student Advisory Boards in their consultations with the Graduate Dean and Associate Deans.

Committed to Diversity; Connected to Community Networking Receptions enhance programming around the Mangels lectures and Diversity Book Talks. The Networking Receptions connect community, the University of Washington Alumni Association Multicultural Alumni Partnership (UWAA MAP), alumni of color, and discipline appropriate students and faculty with one another and will be an opportunity to meet and talk with the featured speaker. The Networking Receptions serve several purposes, such as to:

• Give students of color and white students interested in diversity opportunities for professional socialization with faculty, community leaders, and national scholars
• Give UW faculty opportunities to interact with national scholars of color around common academic and research interests
• Re-connect with alumni of color
• Build relationships among The Graduate School, GO-MAP, and communities of color

A Community Advisory Board operates independently, as well as in conjunction with the existing Faculty and Student Advisory Boards, to advise the Graduate Dean and Associate Deans on matters relevant to the community, diversity, and graduate education. These community leaders are chosen from a wide spectrum of organizations and businesses for their leadership skills, their ability to assist in providing professional development opportunities for GO-MAP and other graduate students, and their willingness to help advance the message of graduate education to the larger Seattle and Washington State community. The Board will also recommend and assist in recruiting various community leaders to participate in the Committed to Diversity, Connected to Community events, activities, and programs.

Committed to Diversity; Connected to Community Summit is the culminating event for the year’s CDCC events, activities, programs. Participants from all of the CDCC events, as well as all UW students, faculty, staff, and administrators; students and educators from area high schools, colleges and universities; community members; and any other interested parties are invited to participate. A plenary session will feature a keynote speaker to discuss diversity; higher education, highlighting the importance of graduate education; and the role of community in effective and excellent leadership. CDCC leaders give an overview of CDCC and review of the year’s surrounding events.

Breakout sessions on varying topics related to diversity, community, graduate education, and leadership, as well as sessions to review CDCC event summaries and evaluations are opportunities to discuss and prepare policy and programming recommendations that will be designed to enhance the connections and relevance among diversity, community, graduate education, and leadership. These recommendations will be submitted to the Vice Provost and Graduate Dean for her consideration.

Evaluation
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Participate!
To participate in any CDCC programming, please fill out this form or call 206-543-9779.

About The Thomson Corporation and Thomson Peterson’s: http://www.thomson.com

About The Council of Graduate Schools: http://www.cgsnet.org

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