Administrative affairs

December 6, 2011

Ana Mari Cauce selected as provost of University of Washington

Ana Mari Cauce, who has been dean of the University of Washingtons College of Arts and Sciences since 2008, has been selected as the next UW provost, effective Jan. 2, 2012, President Michael K. Young announced today.  The appointment is subject to the approval of the UW Board of Regents.

“Dean Cauce is an accomplished scholar, a brilliant teacher, and a seasoned and widely respected administrator,” said Young. “She has earned a well-deserved reputation for respecting and practicing shared governance and collaborative decision-making, traits that I value highly and which will be particularly important as the University addresses the issues in front of it. I look forward to working with her in the coming years and leading this great university to even greater heights.”

Cauce, who came to United States at age three when her family fled Cuba at the start of the Cuban revolution, is the Earl R. Carlson Professor of Psychology. She joined the UW faculty in 1986. She received her B.A. in psychology and English from the University of Miami in 1977.  Her M.S. in psychology was awarded by Yale University in 1982. She received an M. Phil. in psychology from Yale in 1982 and a doctorate in 1984.

She holds a joint faculty appointment in American Ethnic Studies, as well as secondary appointments in gender, women & sexuality studies, Latin American studies, and the College of Education.

Cauce was director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology from 1996 to 2000. She was also chair of American Ethnic Studies from 1996 to 1999. She directed the UW Honors Program from 2000 to 2002, and she was chair of the Department of Psychology from 2002 to 2005. She served as executive vice provost from 2005 to 2008.

Throughout her career, Cauce has been an active teacher and mentor to undergraduate and graduate students. She is a recipient of the UW Distinguished Teaching Award in 1999. In nominating her for the award, one student commented, “I have never met a faculty member who was more egalitarian and concerned about the welfare of her students.” Another wrote, “The sheer volume of students whose lives she has touched through small classes and personal mentoring is staggering.”

She has continued to teach every summer in the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity Transition Program.

At-risk youth are central to Cauces research. She has worked with homeless youth in the University District, teens from disadvantaged families, and minority youth. While her projects have varied, her subjects are usually adolescents.

Cauces annual salary will be $405,000.