Our Guiding Purpose: We are guided by the academic success of all students. Ultimately, the measures of our success are improvements in students’ persistence, achievement, and graduation rates—particularly students who are the first in their families to go to college and those from groups historically under‐served in higher education. 

Dear colleagues and friends,

As this academic year unfolds, we face intensifying pressures on higher education - from federal compacts demanding compliance in exchange for funding to state-level attempts to restrict what can be taught and discussed in our classrooms. Yet throughout history, lasting change has often come not through grand gestures, but through persistent, collective action. When we gather in community to share resources, support each other's growth, and honor diverse ways of knowing, we create small but meaningful resistance to forces that seek to legislate what, how, and who we teach.

Over the past year, our community has explored how status shapes participation in learning, examined antiracist approaches to college writing, and investigated ways to create more equitable classroom spaces. These conversations - available as recordings in our Slack space - remind us that transformation happens through intentional, daily practices. These seemingly small actions can create meaningful friction against constraints to academic discourse and expression. Each workshop participant who examines their own assessment practices, each faculty member who creates space for culturally responsive teaching and learning, each administrator who protects academic freedom through policy; finding joy in these actions is throwing sand in the gears of attempts to control what knowledge is valued and whose stories can be told.

This fall, we continue building our collective capacity through workshops that matter: examining strategies for teaching Palestine with Therese Saliba, and adopting human-centered strategies to gathering with our own communities. Each session offers practical strategies while strengthening the relationships that sustain our work.

We invite you to join our Slack community, where we're creating space to share our own stories of persistence and resistance. How are you creating spaces for authentic inquiry and meaningful dialogue for students? What wisdom can you offer about creating friction without burning out? Together, we can fortify our communities through these exchanges.

In times that demand both courage and care, let us remember that we are strongest when we gather, share, and support each other. Our upcoming workshops offer spaces to do exactly that - to build the relationships and skills that help us persist in our mission of facilitating learning that honors the rich diversity of ways of knowing and being in the world.

In community,
JuliA Metzker
Director
Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education

The Washington Center is pleased to partner with the Washington Learning Communities Consortium (WLCC) to host the 2026 Integrative Learning Curriculum Planning Retreat at Rainbow Lodge in North Bend, Washington on April 23-24.

The Integrative Learning Curriculum Planning Retreat is designed to support faculty building integrative learning experiences for students. Sessions provide value for both those newer to integrative learning and those with many years of experience in linked or paired courses, clustered courses, first-year experience programs, living-learning communities, or coordinated studies programs.

Join us for this two-day retreat and enjoy:

Comments from 2025 Participants:

I had a wonderful time getting to know my colleagues in a beautiful setting. It was a time for team building and growth in that respect. 

I would say my experience at this retreat was phenomenal even though I could only attend one day. The staff, participants, and session leaders were all welcoming and warm. 

It was relaxing and probably just what I needed at the end of an academic year in April. I understand why it was a "retreat" and not a seminar, workshop, or institute, and I appreciate that and the opportunity it provided now more. 

The work of the Washington Center is only possible through the vibrant community of higher education professionals who collaborate with and support our team in many ways. When we all work together, we can make a difference for student success. If you'd like to learn more about opportunities to contribute, we'd love to hear from you! 

The Washington Center Collaborative is a space for higher education faculty, scholars, practitioners, and administrators to come together and discuss emergent issues of importance to our collective work educating and supporting students. The Collaborative consists of free virtual workshops, a newsletter, and a slack space.

Monday, November 17

2-3:30 PM ET | 11 AM - 12:30 PM PT

Facilitated by Therese Saliba | The Evergreen State College

How can we teach about Palestine in ways that foster understanding, belonging, and critical inquiry, rather than polarization and silence? This interactive workshop equips educators with interdisciplinary tools to challenge Orientalist narratives and engage students through human rights, national histories, and feminist intersectionality. Learn more →

Tuesday, December 9

2 - 3:15 PM ET | 11 AM - 12:15 PM PT

Facilitated by JuliA Metzker | The Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education

Want to design meetings and workshops that truly engage and inspire? In this hands-on session, you’ll use human-centered design to craft purposeful, energizing gatherings, leaving with a facilitation plan tailored to your audience and goals. Learn more →