As Dean Mia Tuan begins her final quarter leading the University of Washington College of Education, she is taking time to notice the familiar rhythms of fall — and to reflect on more than a decade spent leading the College.

Tuan will complete her service as dean on Dec. 15, 2026, after more than 11 years in the role. She will retain her faculty appointment while stepping into new leadership roles with Washington Rising and the Rainier Rising Early Learning Campus.

We sat down with Tuan to talk about what she has learned, what she is proud of and what gives her hope for the future.

As you welcome our community back this fall, what's on your mind as you begin your final quarter as dean?

I recently had an opportunity to tour the Haring Center with some supporters of the College. It was probably my eighth or ninth time doing the tour, but it doesn't get old.

I'm always amazed and reminded of the impact we have. You'll hear stories about people who started here, earned their degrees and have dedicated their lives to working with young people. I'm reminded of the sense of hope I feel when I see the good work being done by people who are doing it for all the right reasons — and the role the College has played in helping them develop the skills to be the best professional versions of themselves.

And that's just at the Haring Center. I know that's true across the board when I think about our students, our alumni and the work they do.

So I begin this final quarter confident in the knowledge of our impact and in the timelessness and clarity of our mission. I also begin it with some worry, given the uncertainty in the world and the challenges facing higher education. There is a lot of disruption happening right now, and I think about how the College will continue to weather that while maintaining its hope and clarity.

When you think back to when you first became dean, what did you hope for the College?

Coming to the UW was such a gift. I felt like I was coming to an institution where the things that mattered deeply to me — equity, diversity and inclusion — weren't things we should pursue. They were musts.

I had this image of a fern. Here we are in the Pacific Northwest, and I imagined a fern that's tightly curled. I felt like I was being given permission to unfurl — to take up space and pursue this work with full intensity.

The College didn't disappoint. The University didn't disappoint. We were in an environment that was ready for bold ideas that could really create change in systems around equity, belonging, inclusion and greater diversification.

When you think about who the College has become, what makes you especially proud?

I think what I'm most proud of is the faculty we've hired. More than half of our faculty were hired during my time as dean, and the people we collectively chose embody our values.

We chose stellar scholars who are in it for the right reasons and who are going to have a lasting impact in the field.

Certainly, I didn't do that alone. But when we put our flag out and said, “This is what we stand for, and this is who we need,” people came. To me, that says a lot.

What have you learned from our students, faculty, staff and community partners?

It's not necessarily a new learning, but a deepening of something I've learned over and over: Relationships matter. Trust matters.

When you have trust, you can move pretty swiftly. When you don't have trust, you don't move quickly.

I've also learned that dreaming big is a good idea. I think about the Rainier Rising Early Learning Campus. Faculty had been talking about how they wished we had a place-based space in community where we could do our work alongside community. It was a dream.

Then we had an opportunity to see if we could make it happen — and we did. Public and private partners leaned in, and now we're preparing to break ground.

So I've learned never to underestimate a good dream — or what a small, committed group of people can accomplish together.

As you think about the College beyond your tenure as dean, what gives you hope?

It comes back to our faculty. I have every confidence that they will continue to be movers and shakers in the field when it comes to advancing educational equity. I have absolutely no doubt about that.

And I have confidence in the University of Washington. This is a difficult moment for higher education, and things won't necessarily be the same on the other side of it. But I believe the UW will stand.

What would you like our community to carry into this new academic year, particularly during this period of transition?

I want people to hold onto hope and the power of community.

Community isn't just something “out there.” It's what we create through what we do — and don't do — every day in our immediate circles. Wherever you find yourself, you're in a community. The question is: How do you contribute to making that community stronger, better and more resilient? More forgiving and loving?

In a time when resources are scarcer and there are real challenges around us, it can be easy to close down, fall into an “us versus them” mentality and take care of a much smaller circle. I think that is the opposite direction from what our world needs right now.

I hope people stay connected to their North Star: What is community, and what is my responsibility for making my communities as strong as they can be?

When you imagine looking back on this final fall as dean, what do you hope you'll remember?

I hope I'll remember the goodness of people. And I think I'll remember the seasons.

When you're governed by an academic calendar, every season has a particular feeling. Fall has convocation, new people coming in, move-in day, new student orientation — all these rituals of arriving at a new place.

I get emotional watching young people, many of them first-generation students, walking around with their parents. Their parents may look bewildered or nervous, but they're also so hopeful. They've worked with their child toward this dream of attending a place like the University of Washington, and they're trusting us.

There's something beautiful about witnessing that moment. I've had the privilege of seeing it many times, and it never gets old. It reminds me how sacred what we do is. These families are hoping beyond hope that their child will flourish here — and we're all part of that picture.

I'm paying attention to those moments this fall. They're not necessarily my last times experiencing them, but they are my last times in this role.

Any final thoughts you'd like to leave with the College community?

This is a special community. Protect it. Take care of it. Take care of one another.

There are much bigger challenges out there that we should be involved in trying to solve. Keep your eyes on what really matters.