Back to School: UW Tacoma is 25 years old, fast-growing, military-friendly, in a great college town
TACOMA, WASH. — The start of a new school year has given UW Tacoma a lot to crow about.
On Sept. 24, UW Tacoma kicked off its 25th year by welcoming 1,310 new students to its growing campus, more incoming students than ever before. These 440 freshmen and 870 transfer students our bring enrollment up to around 4,500. (Look for exact figures in early October.) Of these freshmen, 68% are first-generation college students. One hundred and twenty come to us through the Pathways to Promise program, a partnership UW Tacoma has with local high schools to help foster a college-going culture in the South Sound. With these students come 47 new full-time faculty members, ready to inspire students with classes on everything from smartphone app development to humanitarian journalism and the psychology of super-heroes.
Small wonder UW Tacoma is in the list of top ten fastest-growing public master’s institutions, according to the Almanac of Higher Education. Enrollment increased over 85%, starting with 2,111 in 2002 and reaching 3,919 in 2012.
The UW Tacoma family celebrates the beginning of the school year at Convocation, this year on Sept. 26, with food, music and a local business fair showcasing downtown Tacoma and UW Tacoma’s community partnerships. Students, faculty and staff converge on campus from three locations in the surrounding community, marching down the new Prairie Line Trail. Community members greet the students and “pin” them with special badges recognizing the campus’s 25th anniversary.
Campus is growing right along with the student population. The Prairie Line Trail at UWT Station opened Sept. 25, bringing a green space full of pedestrians, bicyclists and Japanese maple trees to UW Tacoma. The trail follows the original tracks of the Prairie Line, which formed the western end of the Northern Pacific Railway and was integral to the growth of Tacoma. The path honors this history with exposed tracks tracing the rail line’s original route, large silver signal cabinets (called “bungalows”) and railroad crossing signs.
In early October, public art comes to the trail as the Japanese Language School Memorial is installed near the corner of 17th and Pacific Ave. From 1911 to 1942, the Japanese Language School was a center for the Japanese community that once thrived in downtown Tacoma. Most did not return to Tacoma after WWII, and the building, which stood on Tacoma Ave., was demolished in 2004. The Japanese Language School Memorial will celebrate and honor this community, the school, its principal and its teachers. The unveiling of the memorial is scheduled for Oct. 10 at 10 a.m.
Around campus, Tacoma’s downtown continues to thrive. In fact, the city has been named one of the top 50 college towns in the country—the only city in the state of Washington to make the list. In the ranking, by Best College Reviews, Tacoma was particularly celebrated for its livability and the large number of potential workplaces in the area.
“Art, seafood, microbreweries, and coffee make Tacoma a joy,” says the site. It praises the variety of employers in the region, including universities, state agencies and departments, healthcare providers and Boeing.
UW Tacoma has also been named a 2015 Military Friendly® School for the fifth year in a row. The title, given by veteran-owned Victory Media, is only awarded to 20% of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country. The UW system as a whole was ranked 2nd in the nation in the list of Best Colleges for Veterans by U.S. News and World Report. For more on UW Tacoma’s commitment to veterans, see the campus’s Veterans and Military Services site.