Husky Catalyst Initiative
The Office of Connected Learning’s Husky Catalyst Initiative is designed to merge students’ academic experiences with real-world professional skills that are required for career success. This initiative offers important ways for students to become involved in high-impact practices that are centered around social justice, research, or workforce development. Participants will engage in equity-centered skill development, project-based learning and micro-credentialing.
Many UW Bothell students are currently unable to engage in these key professional development experiences during their course of study, so participating in Husky Catalyst Initiative opportunities will allow them to augment their degree with skills critical to employers. The Husky Catalyst Initiative will:
- Prepare students for engaging in professional careers by providing opportunities to explore career pathways, develop career readiness skills, and engage in practices that provide experience for careers in technology and engineering.
- Empower students to develop a strong network of people and campus resources as it relates to their career exploration and discernment. This network includes faculty, staff, peers, alumni, and community and industry partners.
As students and faculty need a dedicated location for these efforts, UW Bothell has upgraded the Collaboratory in Discovery Hall to provide a centralized space for connected learning opportunities. The renovated Collaboratory will serve as the first of several hubs for student project work guided by faculty and industry/community partners.
Connected learning projects are organized along meta-majors: Arts & Media; Business & Policy; Education & Society; Health & Natural Sciences; Technology & Engineering. These clusters allow staff to match undergraduate students with appropriate faculty mentors in order to undertake campus and community-based projects.
WSECU Initiative
WSECU has provided $50,000 per year for three years to fund three critical connected learning experiences for Husky Catalyst students, including:
Internships
Many first-generation students cannot participate in career-connected unpaid internships because they may be responsible for providing income for their household. These funds will be used to provide stipends to students so they can participate in unpaid internships connected to their project work that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
Student communities
These funds will be used to provide stipends to faculty and students to build learning communities and undertake projects focusing on career development and social justice.
Credentialing
These funds will be used for the staff support and faculty stipends necessary for the Office of Connected Learning to create key micro-credentialing opportunities for students to gain critical skills and competencies.
Developing and implementing the Husky Catalyst Initiative enables UW Bothell to institutionalize support for first generation students as the campus moves toward national recognition as a First-Gen Forward Institution.