WWU named an Ashoka U Changemaker Campus

Western Washington University has been selected to join the Ashoka U Changemaker Campus consortium, which now stretches across 29 campuses in five countries and provides students and faculty alike with interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial and solution-oriented skills to succeed and make a positive difference in the world.

“We are delighted to be accorded the status of Changemaker Campus by Askoka. Our strengths in sustainability, social entrepreneurship, service learning, teacher education and interdisciplinary learning were recognized by the Ashoka U accreditation team that visited us. They noted what we have always known: that ‘Active Minds Changing Lives’ isn’t a slogan, it’s the Western way of learning,” said Western President Bruce Shepard.

Along with Western, Ashoka U on Oct. 1 also named Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland and Hamilton College in New York State to join the Changemaker Campus consortium. Western is the first public comprehensive university to be selected for the consortium.

Led by Ashoka, the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs, the Changemaker Campus designation is an excellent match for Western, which seeks to address critical needs in the state of Washington and beyond.

“The essence of ‘learn it, live it’ is clearly embodied and exemplified in the enthusiastic response from students on campus, as well as faculty and staff. Western is dedicated to creating a community that cares about giving back to our state, nation and world in new and creative ways,” said Brian Burton, associate vice provost for Academic Affairs at Western. “The applied learning opportunities at Western are deeply embedded into the essence of the campus community. Both on-campus in terms of student organizations, classes, and field opportunities, and off-campus with internships and jobs, the applied learning opportunities are bountiful.”

To receive the Changemaker Campus designation, institutions typically spend over a year navigating a very rigorous selection process. They are evaluated and coached on a wide range of criteria that include the strength of the team behind social innovation initiatives, the availability and accessibility of a variety of social innovation opportunities for students, genuine senior leadership support, and commitment to advancing the field.

“Through creativity and innovation, Western is developing students with the changemaking skills they will need to succeed in a world defined by change,” said Michele Leaman, Ashoka U’s Changemaker Campus director.

Other Changemaker Campuses include Brown University, Portland State University and Middlebury College, as well as an increasing number of institutions outside the United States, including Tec de Monterrey in Mexico and Ryerson University in Canada.

For more information or to become involved, e-mail Western’s Change Leader Danica Kilander, at danica.kilander@wwu.edu.