Presentation May 29 to look at diversity opportunities and challenges in higher education

University Residences at Western Washington University is holding a presentation titled "Degrees of Closeness: Impacting Students of Color in Higher Education" by Connie Tingson-Gatuz May 29 on campus.

Tingson-Gatuz is vice president for student affairs and mission integration at Madonna University in Livonia, Mich. She'll present to numerous groups on campus throughout the day. The public session will take place at 2:45 p.m. in the Library Presentation Room, with a reception to follow in the Learning Commons, Wilson Library 270.

Tingson-Gatuz has worked in both academic and student affairs houses of higher education for the past 22 years. She has created dozens of student support initiatives and advised multiple student organizations at  Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Madonna University.

In 2010, she received the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators API Knowledge Community Outstanding Mentor award for her devotion to developing students and professionals in higher education.

In 2013 she received the OCA Pioneer Community Educator Award and continues to develop students and professionals in higher education. She consults on training and facilitation and invited as a  motivational speaker on mentorship development, leadership sustainability. She has served as a lead trainer for both the UNCF and APIASF Gates Millennium Scholarship program, the largest college scholarship program in the world, for more than a decade. She successfully authored government and corporate grants totaling $4 million to support college students, while publishing in the areas of mentorship and leadership development. For 13 years, she served as the lead facilitator for a national college leadership training program based in Washington, D.C., and has read for various national college student
scholarships.

She earned a bachelor of arts in political science, a master of arts in college and university administration and a doctorate of philosophy in higher education administration from Michigan State University.