A Culture of Giving in IAS

The University of Washington Bothell recognizes donors whose giving reaches $25,000 as Founder-level benefactors. Bruce Burgett, Dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (IAS), recently met that level, an amount he admits reaching accidentally, simply because he was supporting a school he believes in and helping students and faculty whose success he champions daily.

I started simply by donating a portion of my paycheck to IAS to support activities that we could not otherwise afford. More recently, I have redirected those donations to targeted areas that the IAS Advisory Board has prioritized as part of “mini-campaigns” that advance civic and community engagement. The 2018 campaign seeks to raise $25,000 for the Washington D.C. Travel Assistance Fund, with the goal of eliminating financial barriers to students’ participation in the transformational learning opportunity provided annually by the D.C. Seminar. – Bruce Burgett

UW Bothell’s mission is to provide an affordable, high-quality education for all students. As the campus’s founding academic unit, IAS embraces high-impact learning practices and student scholarships, which are only possible through generous donors. Their support is crucial to the success of IAS students and faculty. Other recent gifts include:

Associate Director of Advancement Victoria Sprang started The Nony Clark Milmoe Endowed Scholarship, the first endowed scholarship for the School of IAS, in recognition of her mother’s sacrifices for her children, which included giving up her college career.

The University of Washington Bothell, and especially IAS, embodies the kind of campus where nontraditional students find the support and encouragement they need to be successful. My mom would have thrived at UW Bothell and found a natural home with the faculty and students in IAS. – Victoria Sprang

In support of community-engaged research projects that influence social change around the globe, former IAS faculty members Diane and Mike Gillespie established and continue to give to the Diane and Mike Gillespie Community Action Research and Learning Support Fund.

Mike and I are so pleased that we can support life-changing experiences for students. We both received scholarships during our college years, and it made it possible to focus and explore in ways we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to. We are both giving back, but also giving forward, to the next generation of leaders. – Diane Gillespie

IAS faculty member Minda Martin created and supports The Sandra Martin Roberts Memorial Scholarship, the first scholarship specifically designated for IAS students, in memory and recognition of her sister. The scholarship helps a nontraditional student in financial need who has a specific interest in improving the lives of women.

Sandra was a joyful, wise, strong, generous person who did not have the opportunity to attend college earlier in her life, despite her aptitude and passion for learning. Her dream to return to school is being passed on to someone who, like Sandra, possesses the drive and desire to learn and become credentialed despite challenging circumstances. – Minda Martin

IAS faculty member Shauna Carlisle recently named the School in her estate.

I love our institution (UWB) and the vision and mission to make education accessible to all. Our institution is actively engaged in addressing equity and diversity and committed to addressing structural issues that lead to disproportionality in who has access to education, benefits from educational processes and who completes their education. This is a vision I wanted to invest in. – Shauna Carlisle

Please consider joining these generous donors! Support financial access to school, help make transformative experiences possible for all students, and champion quality teaching. Contact Victoria Sprang to talk about ways to give, or visit our Make a Gift web page to give directly to a fund.