Campus update promises student involvement in UW Tacoma development
Faculty and staff gathered at the October 6th meeting to learn about campus updates.
By Ella Walken
During Husky hour on Oct. 6, UW Tacoma faculty, staff and community members gathered to hear the first campus update of the 2026-2027 school year. As the current school year brings about the end of the current campus five-year plan cycle, much of the discussion focused on developing a new five-year plan.
UW Tacoma chancellor Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange began the meeting with brief updates about the Center for Equity and Inclusion. She shared that, while the university has won lawsuits against the Trump administration, the government is not complying with the outcomes of the lawsuits. No specific lawsuits were mentioned. The chancellor also warned audience members that the current budget is a “mess” and a deficit is predicted.
As for capital development updates, the renovations of Swiss-Wild and Tioga are still on track to be completed in 2040. Dr. Lange shared that the campus gala will take place on October 24th and the theme will be career and social mobility of students. The chancellor encouraged those attending the campus update to bring a plus one to the gala. The event will feature programming, food and an auction. Tickets can be purchased on the UW Tacoma website. The chancellor concluded her opening remarks shortly after.
Keeling & Associates, the higher education consultant working on UW Tacoma’s upcoming five-year campus plan, joined the call remotely to outline the development of the forthcoming plan. The consultants said they will visit campus in the coming weeks to meet with staff, faculty, and students alike to hear the needs of the UW Tacoma community.
According to Eric Narburgh, Keeling & Associates “seek to prioritize student voices” and “engage students where they are” in regards to gathering student feedback. At the time of the meeting, no specific plans were shared for gathering student feedback. Keeling & Associates will visit UW Tacoma on Nov. 9 and 10.
In 2027, March and April will serve as the review period for the new campus plan. In May, a draft of the plan will be established.
The meeting shifted focus to recent hires and promotions of UW Tacoma faculty. Various deans of UW Tacoma schools shared information about new hires, including those from the Milgard School of Business, School of Education and the School of Engineering and Technology.
A few of these new hires included assistant professor Sikha Pentyala of the School of Engineering and Technology, as well as Angel Jones, an assistant professor at the School of Education.
As the new school year ramps up, the incoming campus plan will continue to be a topic of discussion among UW Tacoma administrators, faculty and staff. Every other month there will be a campus update meeting in Milgard Hall, room 110. The next campus update meeting will take place on Dec. 1 at 12:30pm.
