In the week since the presidential election, many in our university have come together to engage in peaceful gatherings, public forums and other forms of community engagement within residence halls, departments and other groupings across campus. Participation in difficult discussions as well as celebrations of our shared humanity represent the best of who we are, the ideals of our democracy, and demonstrate how, by working together, we can continue to build a better future — the heart of our institutional mission.
Presidential Blog
Our shared ideals
In the aftermath of this very close and highly contentious election, I want to take this moment to reaffirm our University’s commitment to our mission of education, discovery, healing and public service. I also want to reaffirm our ongoing and unwavering support toward creating and nurturing an inclusive, diverse and welcoming community.
Announcing a transformative gift for the UW’s Population Health Initiative
I am humbled to announce that the UW’s Population Health Initiative has received a transformative gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – a gift that will accelerate our work to improve human health, environmental resiliency, and social and economic equity here and around the world.
A message to faculty & staff: You make the UW what it is
Today, Jerry and I were very pleased to take an opportunity to send a message to all the dedicated faculty and staff of the UW about just how important they are to the University, to our students’ success and to the impact – near and far – that we have as an institution. Below is our message which we think is worth sharing as widely as possible.
The 2016 University of Washington Annual President’s Address: For Washington and the World
When I get asked what my vision for the University of Washington is, I have a ready answer: I want this university to be the number one university in the world in terms of impact. I’m going to take this opportunity to talk about that impact – on our state, nation and our world. Above all, on our collective future.
UW Professor Emeritus David J. Thouless awarded Nobel Prize in Physics
Photo credit: Mary Levin, University of Washington
This morning we awoke to tremendous news: One of the University of Washington’s own, Professor Emeritus David J. Thouless, has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics.
As the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences noted when awarding the prize to Thouless and two of his colleagues, “This year’s laureates opened the door on an unknown world where matter can assume strange states.” Together, they overturned commonly held theories on superconductivity and suprafluidity, including demonstrating how superconductivity is possible at low temperatures — and why it disappears at higher temperatures. Researchers today are still exploring the “exotic worlds” discovered by Thouless and his fellow laureates, F. Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz.
Prof. Thouless’ work is a perfect example of why curiosity-driven basic science is so vital. Not only did his discoveries open up entirely new fields of research, but they also have had implications for the electronic devices that power our world today and those that may do so in the future — everything from advanced superconductors to quantum computers to other applications we can hardly imagine. That’s why research that seeks to answer questions about the fundamental nature of our world, our universe and ourselves is as important as research with applications that are immediately known.
I know you will join me in congratulating Prof. Thouless on this incredible honor, as he becomes the seventh University of Washington faculty member to earn a Nobel Prize, and the second from our Department of Physics. This achievement is a testament to the groundbreaking nature of his work and an example of the excellence of our faculty, as well as a truly great day for the Department of Physics, the College of Arts and Sciences and our entire University.
We are all accountable for justice and equity
As interim president, I spoke to our university about racism, equity and the need for each of us to take personal responsibility for addressing our own biases and improving our University culture. We committed to deepen the work of more systematically combating racism and inequities, both individual and institutional, which persist here and throughout our society.
With Bob Santos’ passing, we’ve lost a giant
I had the opportunity to first get to know Bob Santos – known as “Uncle Bob” to so many he advocated for – when I chaired the UW’s Department of American Ethnic Studies. It was a tough time for the department, and our first meeting was marked by mutual skepticism. But it ended with mutual respect. Integrity and valor are the two words that first come to mind when I think of him. Through Bob’s leadership, advocacy and mentorship, the cause of civil rights and social justice has been advanced, and the lives of countless members of our community, especially Asian Pacific Islanders, have been improved.
We’ve truly lost a giant.
Seattle Times remembrance: ‘Uncle Bob’ Santos, legendary civil-rights activist, dies at 82
President Cauce speaks at Business Journal Live event on what’s next for the UW
This Wednesday, August 17, President Cauce sat down with Puget Sound Business Journal columnist Patti Payne for a wide-ranging discussion about the University, her experience thus far as president and what the future holds for the UW. Topics at the breakfast event, attended by dozens of Seattle business luminaries, ranged from the incoming freshman class to the Population Health initiative to the Husky Promise, the UW’s commitment to making education affordable to eligible Washington students. The Puget Sound Business Journal’s TechFlash blog followed up the event with a story, linked below, focused on the Global Innovation Exchange, the UW’s groundbreaking partnership with China’s Tsinghua University.
Puget Sound Business Journal: “UW president lays out vision for Global Innovation Exchange”
On free expression, universities must light the way
As we head into the home stretch of the election season there is heightened potential for visits to the UW by candidates or speakers invited by campus groups to speak on topics that may be quite controversial. That makes it a good time to remind ourselves of the fundamental importance of freedom of expression to our University and our nation.