Supporters of the University of Washington Bothell gathered on Nov. 13 at The Westin Bellevue for the I ♥ UW Bothell luncheon, raising more than $190,000 for students. Proceeds from the event, last held in 2019 before the pandemic, will provide funds for scholarships and student success programs as well as faculty support and research that enhances the learning experience for students.
The event attracted more than 370 members of the UW Bothell community, gathering alumni, donors, faculty, staff and students together to celebrate and support the UW Bothell Husky experience.
During the “pre-party,” before sitting down for the main event, guests explored the innovative work and activities of the Collaboratory, connected with Clamor literary and arts journal contributors, and got an up-close view of the EcoCar team’s vehicle and TrickFire Robotics club’s rover. The Vietnamese Student Association also gave a captivating performance of a traditional Vietnamese fan dance, adding a vibrant element to the festivities.
The purpose of the luncheon, however, was encouraging philanthropy to expand access to a UW education — and expand access to opportunities inside and outside the classroom that prepare students for life after graduation.
Rebecca Ehrlichman Blume, vice chancellor for advancement and the event’s emcee, highlighted the University’s goal to provide students and faculty with opportunities to go wider and further with their impact. “UW Bothell was founded on an access mission so that all individuals who want to change their lives can do so. We still have work to do to make this a reality,” she said.
“We believe that students who attend UW Bothell are getting the best education in the state,” she added. “And we believe that what you are learning and what you do after graduation should be the focus of your time in college, rather than how you will afford groceries, let alone pay your next tuition bill.”
“UW Bothell was founded on an access mission so that all individuals who want to change their lives can do so. We still have work to do to make this a reality.”
Rebecca Ehrlichman Blume, vice chancellor for advancement
Nurturing students through academics
In her remarks, Dr. Brinda Sarathy, dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, shared insights into UW Bothell’s interdisciplinary approach to education and how it helps students understand and address a variety of complexities and issues in the modern world.
She drew a powerful analogy from her research and the forests of the Pacific Northwest, where mother trees act as highly connected hub trees that share their excess carbon and nitrogen with understory plants through networks called mycorrhizae.
“The nutrients shared by the mother tree at IAS enrich and enlighten the full and thriving forest together,” Sarathy said. “Our core values (in IAS) are rooted in knowledge practices and methods aimed toward achieving social and environmental justice, contesting and reshaping unequal relations of power, and working in deeply interconnected, creative and collaborative ways to pay it forward.”
Sarathy emphasized that UW Bothell prepares students to enter a regional, national and international workforce equipped not only with valuable career-related skills but also with the ability to serve with good judgment, lead with moral courage and consider the well-being of the broader collective.
Supporting students to reach graduation
Dr. Tim Wilson, dean of student affairs, spoke of his father’s inspiration. Jonathan Wilson was a first-generation student who retired from the military after 27 years. He went on to college, at the same time his own children were in school. After he received his bachelor’s degree and a Master of Divinity degree, he had a second career as a pastor that lasted 20 years.
His journey appeared seamless, but his son would later learn otherwise. After Jonathan Wilson passed away in 2023, Tim Wilson found paperwork that documented how tight finances were for his parents.
“I discovered letters that my dad wrote to the Veterans Administration and to his school,” he shared with the luncheon audience. “They would say something like, ‘We’ve got a mortgage. All our kids are in school where they need some sort of tuition. I just need a little more.’”
As an administrator of UW Bothell’s student emergency fund, Wilson said he sees how big a difference “just a little more” can make to students who need help when unexpected costs arise, such as a laptop breaking, food insecurity or a family emergency — costs that have students wondering whether they can afford to stay in school.
“I’ve read through the letters that students send when they apply for emergency funding, and I can hear my father’s words.” Wilson said. “‘I’m several weeks away from graduating, but I gotta pay this bill. So, can you give me just a little bit more?’”
Imagining the future of UW Bothell
Chancellor Kristin G. Esterberg told the audience that UW Bothell often provides the sole opportunity for many students to pursue a local and affordable education that can change their lives, their families’ futures and the future of the region.
A little bit more support, she said, helps students who are preparing to be business and nonprofit leaders and who want to tackle issues of justice and equity right here in local communities.
“The vast majority of our students live within 20 miles of the UW Bothell campus,” she said. “They contribute right here at home to our communities. Our students and our alumni give me hope for our democracy, hope for our society and, especially, hope for our planet.”
Looking to the future, Esterberg also spoke about the hope that comes from creating equitable and fair access to education and inviting students to grow as valued and valuable individuals. She highlighted inspiring stories of alumni such as Abigail Echo-Hawk, who this month received the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.”
“I believe powerfully in our students, and I know firsthand that if we give them a little bit of support, a little bit more, if we give them a little bit of opportunity — and if we give them a whole lot of access — they can do amazing things.”
Join luncheon attendees in supporting UW Bothell students. Click here to make a donation.
We give our heartfelt thanks to event sponsors Alaska Airlines, Astronics Corporation, Chateau Retirement, HealthPoint, Pepsi, Symetra and the Washington State Employees Credit Union.
