Welcome to a new academic year!

The start of a new academic year at the University of Washington is always an exciting season — a time for friends and colleagues to reunite, a fresh new page for returning students and a whole new chapter for those just beginning their UW experience. Wherever you are in your journey, the energy and enthusiasm that you bring to campus are the lifeblood of our great public university, and I’m grateful to be kicking off the UW’s 159th year together.

For new students, whether you’re arriving as a first-year, transfer, graduate or professional student, as you embark on your Husky Experience, I am confident that you’ll find meaning and excitement both through your academic life and outside it. And for new faculty and staff, we are so happy that you’ve chosen to add your talent and passion to our shared endeavor. I hope the UW is proving to be a place where you can flourish and grow professionally, confident that you are making a meaningful impact for our students and the public we serve. We are thrilled that all of you — students, faculty and staff — have joined our UW community.

All of us have been drawn here by the desire and opportunity to learn and be inspired. Our work and talents are as diverse as we are, but we share a deep intellectual curiosity that might be sparked anywhere and everywhere — in classrooms and labs, cafes and conference rooms. Together, we ignite ideas with the power to blaze into collaborations with true impact. Together, we advance discovery, serve the public, provide a world-class education and even save lives.

This year holds incredible promise, and the calendar is already filled with events to anticipate. You’ll be hearing more about the continued work of our Population Health Initiative, including the construction of a new building designed to convene the many disciplines working to improve health and well-being for all people. In just a few weeks, the new Burke Museum will open its doors. And throughout the year, the UW will be home to countless cultural events, academic lectures and opportunities for fun and games — in short, there will be something for everyone.

This fall will also include the launch of a University-wide climate survey in order to better understand — and improve — the working, learning and living experiences of students, faculty and staff across the UW. I hope you’ll take the survey when you receive it on October 8.

I encourage you to get involved this year. Whether you’ve been here for a week or for decades, I hope you’ll try something new or explore an unfamiliar corner of the UW. I also hope you will ask lots of questions. One opportunity to do so will be at my Annual President’s Address to our community on October 15. I invite you to join me, in person or via livestream, and I welcome your engagement.

As we begin another academic year together, there are many rituals and traditions that make this time of year feel familiar. But the arrival of thousands of new faces, ready to meet new challenges with new ideas, ensures that our University could never be too predictable. So, in the unwritten year ahead, I can’t wait to see what lights up when the sparks of our curiosity begin to fly.