History
The Early Entrance Program (EEP) was created in 1977 by the late Dr. Halbert Robinson, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Washington. The goal of the EEP from its inception was to enable a small and carefully selected group of academically advanced middle school students to accelerate into post-secondary education at a pace equal to their intellectual development. Dr. Nancy Robinson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington assumed directorship of the Center following Dr. Hal Robinson’s death in 1981, stewarding the Center until her retirement in 2000.
In 2001 the Robinson Center and the University of Washington Honors Program partnered to create the UW Academy for Young Scholars. The first class of Academy students enrolled at the University of Washington in 2002.
The Washington Search for Young Scholars was created in 2003 to identify and work with Washington’s most capable students, their families, and schools to develop more opportunities for academically gifted young people.
Summer programs were first offered at the Robinson Center in the 1980s. The Robinson Center’s summer programs have expanded to include classes for students in grades 5-10, and serve as a model for summer academic commuter programs.
The Robinson Center is a growing and evolving organization committed to the development of Washington’s brightest students.