YOU’RE INVITED
Annual President’s Address
President Cauce invites you to her annual address on how the UW is working to advance Washington and the world.
Reception to follow.
When: 3:30–5 p.m., Oct. 17, 2017
Where: wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House
After a hazy, smoky last few days of summer here in Washington, the snap in the autumn air is a welcome change. It matches the mood at our great University as we welcome a new entering class, transfer students and returning students, many of whom arrived on our campuses last week to begin the 2017–18 academic year.
With each new class, our University of Washington community grows in both size and potential. Our entering class of undergraduates, more than 8,100 strong, includes students from 100 different countries, as well more than 5,700 of you from right here in Washington — a record number. This is the most diverse class in UW’s history, and an impressive 37 percent of you are the very first person in your family to attend college. Our undergraduates are joined by thousands of graduate and professional students taking the next step in their educational careers to become our future doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, nurses, college professors and so much more.
We also welcome more than 200 new faculty who, together with staff members who join us throughout the year, add to the wealth of diverse perspectives and experiences that enrich our shared community.
I want to extend an especially heartfelt welcome to those of you from parts of the country and world that have been affected by natural disasters — such as the fires in the West, earthquakes in Mexico, hurricanes in the southern U.S. and the Caribbean, and flooding in India and Bangladesh — and to our DACA Dreamers. We have a wealth of resources available to help support you, no matter what challenges you face. Whatever your role at the UW, you have things to teach and things to learn.
My hope for this year is that we will teach and learn as a community. We must remember to ask questions and to listen to one another, as well as learn to find our voices and be heard. The UW is dedicated to the exercise of free expression, as well as to the principle that we are all equal in our humanity — two ideas that not only can but must coexist. Our University is many things — a citadel of learning, a research powerhouse, a font of innovation, a healthcare provider, a force for increasing equity and justice — but to serve the vast reach of our ambitions, we need the strength that comes from being a community founded on mutual respect, trust and support.
In that spirit, I invite our community to join me for the Annual President’s Address, one of my favorite parts of the fall. It’s my opportunity to share a perspective on our University’s core commitments to the greater public we serve, our priorities and direction. It’s also a chance to talk directly with you, the members of this community. I hope to see you there.
An exciting academic year lies ahead. New collaborations, discoveries and opportunities are just over the horizon. With them will come mistakes and hard lessons, which are valuable in their own way. Remember to take care of yourselves. Remember that it’s okay to ask for care from each other. And remember that this is our community; it’s up to us to tend it. Have a great year, everyone.