THE VIEWPOINT INTERVIEW:
Terryl Ross, ’03, Director of Diversity, UW Bothell
A BLUEPRINT FOR BOTHELL 2.0 B Y R O B E R T D A NI E L R U BI N
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t its Bothell campus, the University of Washington has a bold champion for social inclusivity. Dr. Terryl Ross just celebrated his first anniversary as the campus Director of Diversity. Under his leadership, UW Bothell is carrying out innovative programs aimed at promoting dialogue among diverse populations. Ross’ training in diversity began early in life. Growing up with a father in the military and then serving in military intelligence himself taught Ross to be “comfortable around difference.” As a Ph.D. student at the UW Seattle campus, he founded Mosaic, an organization that supported and empowered students from various ethnic groups. Ross’ work as a student activist sparked his lifelong commitment to building bridges between people of all backgrounds and persuasions. Today, that commitment drives his writing, documentary making and student mentoring. This past April, Ross launched UW Bothell’s first Diversity Week and Conference. This summer, he led a contingent of Bothell students taking part in the second annual Free State Global Leadership Summit in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The summit’s workshops in racial reconciliation and restorative justice forever changed him and his students. After spending time with peers from four continents, the UW attendees realized how much opportunity they enjoy as Americans, and how well positioned they are to help change the world. Ross calls his program “Bothell 2.0.” Its goal is to teach students to weave “threads of commonality”—to enable them to recognize the humanity of those who differ from themselves. Amid a society wracked by dissension, Ross helps students see beyond their own particular worldviews. “It doesn’t matter what I think” or “what you think,” he tells them. “What matters is how I’m going to work with someone who thinks opposite of how I think.” Ross’ efforts have found fertile ground at UW Bothell. “We have tremendous opportunity here,” he asserts. The school’s small and diverse student body is especially equipped to think and act in innovative ways. Indeed, it is poised, Ross believes, to spark an unprecedented level of multicultural awareness. Ross intends for Bothell to become “a destination of choice for people that are committed to social justice.” He will accept nothing less.
PHOTO BY RON WURZER the story of diversity at the UW
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