Julia Burns Named Campus Community Coalition & New Student Program Initiatives Coordinator at Western

Julia Burns has been named the coordinator for the Campus Community Coalition, a diverse partnership involving Western Washington University, the City of Bellingham and a number of local community partners, and New Student Program Initiatives.

"Julia’s experiences, particularly working in various municipal offices in Bellingham, has provided her with insights into the types of issues that can impact quality of life in a local community. In addition, her background in project management and event planning will be a real asset in attending to programming needs that support our first year students on campus,” said Eileen Coughlin, senior vice president and vice president for Enrollment and Student Services at WWU. “We are excited to have Julia begin her work in this position and to use her strengths in relationship building to keep the partnerships and the work of the Coalition strong and firmly grounded in our local community and to collaborate with colleagues on campus.”

Burns started work as coordinator on Sept 19.  Her role is twofold: to serve as a bridge to the larger community, to provide leadership to the Coalition, to oversee Coalition projects, including the Hospitality Resource Alliance, the Bellingham Advice on Tap campaign, co-sponsored workshops on rental rights and responsibilities and efforts in the local neighborhoods; and to support various programming initiatives designed to support new freshman and transfer students as they make their way through their first year at Western.

“I am excited and honored to have been selected as the new Campus Community Coalition and New Student Program Initiatives coordinator. I relish the opportunity to build upon the good work of the Coalition and I am looking forward to collaborating with its dedicated partners to promote safety and connectedness in our community,” Burns said.

Burns has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in Community and Environmental Planning. Most recently she held a planner position for the City of Bellingham and was a Community Engagement and Education coordinator for Futurewise in Bellingham.

Through grant funding, the Campus Community Coalition was founded in 1999 by Western Washington University and the City of Bellingham to address issues of mutual concern, such as student alcohol misuse. It has a strong history of promoting working relationships and shared responsibility through collaborative education and problem-solving.  In 2008, the Coalition expanded its membership and scope to include other area colleges and local agencies in dialogue concerning issues of health, safety, and quality of life.

Western, led by President Sabah Randhawa, is highly committed to building relationships with the local community. The WWU President’s Office provided the ongoing funding needed to support the work of the Coalition and to ensure that its efforts would continue beyond the time covered by the grant.

Burns succeeds former coordinator Carmen Rasmussen, who left to take a case management position in Everett.