Students are the University’s and my highest priority, from learning opportunities and personal growth experiences to safety and equality.
In my conversation with KUOW Public Radio‘s Marcie Sillman today, we discussed how the UW is actively addressing sexual assault, as well as student-athlete compensation.
You can listen to it online at kuow.org.
What does it take to be the first in innovation, to solve the challenges that face our region, our country and our world? Certainly, it takes tenacious, brilliant minds, with a drive not only to answer the questions but also to question the answers. And, just as importantly, it takes a strong, consistent commitment of national support.
Earlier this week, we welcomed two of the most ardent supporters of groundbreaking UW research to talk about its future, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, and Patty Murray, Washington state’s U.S. senator. Dr. Collins and Sen. Murray met with the top leaders in the Pacific Northwest’s NIH-funded research organizations, as well as groups that support and promote research development at our incomparable South Lake Union (SLU) campus.
Our group joined Dr. Paul Ramsey, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the UW School of Medicine, for a tour of two labs at SLU. One was Michael Gale’s lab. Professor Gale and colleagues at Kineta, a Seattle biotech company, have identified compounds that stop the spread of Ebola and other viruses in laboratory experiments on human cells. His team is sharing in a five-year, $8.1 million NIH grant to identify compounds that rev up the natural infection-fighting ability of cells, allowing them to repel many types of viruses. This is just one example of how UW research can translate into saving lives around the world.
The NIH is the largest funder of biomedical research in the world, investing nearly $30 billion each year in medical research. Last year alone, $835 million of that funding flowed into our state through our SLU campus. Yet the federal investment in NIH has not kept pace with the need. During the last decade — and particularly following the government sequester in late 2013 — federal funding of the NIH has steadily declined, putting on hold research efforts here in Washington and across the country.
In addition to biomedical breakthroughs, the NIH’s investment in research has led to new startups in the region, creating high-quality jobs, attracting additional investment from outside the state and increasing the state’s exports. And at a time of unprecedented scientific opportunity, it is critical that the United States make forward-thinking investments that promote medical breakthroughs and maintain our international leadership in biomedical research. We appreciate Sen. Murray’s and Dr. Collins’ continued support of our boundless pursuit of the greater common good.
At its heart, commercialization moves ideas with impact into the lives of people who benefit most. Right here on campus, our students are going beyond improving lives; they are cultivating a lifelong passion for discovery that leads entrepreneurism in our region and our country.
At the UW, we are committed to fostering commercialization because we know it can change the landscape of learning. How do we do it? Through programs like the Environmental Innovation Challenge (EIC), the Center for Commercialization (C4C) and the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship. These programs equip students with the skills and tenacity to navigate our rapidly advancing world and encourage Huskies to think expansively, challenging them to be the first in their fields.
PolyDrop is a great example of our students daring to do. As one of 18 UW startups launched this year, PolyDrop began as a senior design project for two of our chemical engineering students. Their innovative technology is now revolutionizing the airline industry, a process supported from the start by the C4C. More than a year after taking home the top prize at the 2013 EIC, the students — now UW alumni — are working with PolyDrop full time and preparing the company to enter the market. With help from UW programs such as these, students gain exposure to experienced business and research talent, engaging them to pursue their ideas and make a difference in our world.
Our students’ passion is why we lead collegiate commercialization and their work has given the UW much to be proud of. Our New Ventures Facility was listed among the world’s top 10 business incubators in 2014, and we spun out a record-breaking 18 startups in the past fiscal year alone. In fact, we have had two successive years of record-breaking startup launches. We possess the most signed technology licenses among universities in the nation. UW startups also average 60 employees per company, increasing the opportunities for students to find a job after graduation.
Looking to the future, the UW is poised to become an epicenter for collaboration, innovation and experiential education. By providing unparalleled experiences and support for students, we believe that our culture of commercialization will transform higher education.
Through innovation, collaboration and partnership, the University of Washington is committed to improving health care for all Washingtonians. Our outstanding medical professionals and educators are changing lives in every corner of our state, including partnerships in greater Spokane and beyond.
In Spokane, the UW delivers a high level of excellence in medical education through local partnerships, discoveries in medical research and engagement with the students and communities we serve. Our WWAMI program — the nation’s preeminent regional medical education program through the UW School of Medicine — has been serving students and communities in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho for more than four successful decades.
In fact, The Olympian and The Everett Herald have each opined about the indisputable success of our nationally lauded program. We’re ready to collaborate with our partners and the community to expand WWAMI to the “Next Generation of Medical Education.” Toward that end, we recently launched a website that details our plans to expand Spokane’s medical school.
Provost Ana Mari Cauce, paraphrasing something I said when I first arrived in her wonderfully succinct way, described the UW’s recent success in commercialization aptly: “Dreaming is important, but dreaming is not enough.” For entrepreneurial Huskies, our Center for Commercialization (C4C) fosters the dreamers into doers, and yesterday we celebrated the center’s latest extraordinary achievement: 18 new startups in the past fiscal year. That number beats our record from the previous year and gives us a two-year average that makes us first in the nation. Even more important, it highlights how a campuswide innovation ecosystem is developing a new generation of innovators who simply dare to do.
C4C’s robust infrastructure provides support every step of the way, from connecting enterprising faculty to mentors, venture capitalists and leaders in the business community to offering students myriad opportunities to do research and participate in entrepreneurial training, mentoring programs and competitions. It not only engages discovery and learning, but it is one more way to make an impact by extending what we do on campus out into the world to do good.
At C4C’s second annual UW Startup Celebration, Gov. Jay Inslee, state and local legislators and many members of the UW and greater community came together to reflect on the bold vision that led us to this success. From medical devices and therapeutics to software and clean technology, these startups represent the breadth and depth of the impactful, life-changing research that takes place every day on our campuses.
C4C has a lot to celebrate this year. Its New Ventures Facility was named “emerging incubator of the year” by the 2014 University Business Incubators Global Index, which cited the center’s ability to produce startups with high survival and growth rates, success in fundraising and job creation levels well above the global average. The economic benefit to Seattle, the Pacific Northwest region and the state is exponential as our success attracts investors, creates family-wage jobs and leads to an increase in interstate commerce and exports.
Most importantly, C4C’s accomplishments make an impact on the greater good. Congratulations to Linden Rhoads and her entire team for making the world a better place for us all.
A person can get a lot of mileage out of a dash of optimism, and the University of Washington has more than 150 years of history to prove it. From the bold actions of early visionaries who built the Territorial University to the remarkable achievements of subsequent generations who discovered the cure for tuberculosis and pioneered the human genome, an optimistic outlook — a believe-it-in-our-bones mindset that good things will happen if we pursue them — has taken us a long way. Successfully navigating a century and a half of sweeping, sometimes turbulent, change has further affirmed our upbeat institutional worldview. We are seasoned and sager, and we go boldly toward a great future.
Plenty of recent UW achievements invigorate our optimism today. First and foremost, our faculty are 21st-century leaders passionate about discovery, as evidenced by their capturing of competitive research funding that grew by $100 million in the aftermath of the 2007–09 recession. We’re equally encouraged by current rankings, which place the UW among the top five universities in the nation for research commercialization.
Our partnerships with stakeholders are stronger than ever, our undergraduates are thriving thanks to a transformed Husky Experience and the UW has just been named a great college to work for in a 2014 national survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. And, we just closed fiscal year 2013–2014 with a record-breaking $482,452,318 in private support —exceeding last year’s total by more than $140 million.
Growing the economy is another area in which the UW delivers in a big way. All kinds of data tell us that a college degree increases one’s earning potential, but the news is even better on our campus: UW graduates consistently are among the top earners of all college graduates, according to PayScale’s 2014 college salary rankings widely reported in The Economist and The Atlantic. Perhaps less well known is the connection between per-person earnings (the individual good) and the health of our broader economy (the global good).
Between UW alumni earnings, research funding, commercialization and other outreach, including our regional and global contributions to human health, the UW’s impact on our economy is real and long lasting. Our contribution of more STEM-educated graduates than any other institution in the Pacific Northwest, a commitment we are working to grow rapidly with Seattle’s booming tech sector, shows the direct correlation between producer and product to the economy. And more broadly, growth in our capacity to partner through health care, and research and scholarship with industry, agencies and other universities on the discoveries that will shape our world is expanding the combined impact of us all.
If ever on tough days we question whether college is worth it, or whether the great public universities of our country truly address the complex challenges of the world, the answer is a resounding yes. I’ll say it again: yes, yes, and yes. The University of Washington — in partnership with our great state — sees the future through the eyes of the next generation and those who are shaping it. And we are more optimistic than ever.
Dear Colleagues,
The University of Washington is a great place to work. Our faculty and staff bring tremendous knowledge, creative energy, a passion for discovery and a collaborative spirit across our classrooms, campuses and communities. Earlier this week, our collective passion for the UW was recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2014 Great Colleges to Work For Survey.
The UW was ranked among 71 four-year universities as a great place to work, most notably in two categories: tenure clarity and process, and job satisfaction. The survey reported that UW faculty and staff understand and actively pursue the requirements for professional growth, and are pleased with the autonomy and resources the UW provides.
This recognition is a testament to the outstanding collaboration between the Faculty Senate and the administration over the years to clarify and refine the tenure and promotion process. And with our Whole U initiative, the UW is inspiring employees to live healthier and more balanced lives. At our kickoff event in January, more than 1,000 of us participated in the world’s largest kettlebell workout, smashing a Guinness record. Thousands more have participated in Whole U programs focused on nutrition, exercise and personal growth.
Also paramount is our commitment to retention and to our retirees. In May, we honored 475 retirees, dedicated employees who collectively served the University for 10,276 years. And in the spring we launched our new UW Encore Initiative to facilitate opportunities for retirees to enrich the UW community with their valuable time and unique experience.
The Chronicle’s ranking is a satisfying affirmation of the talent at the UW, but more importantly it is a reflection of a campus community that values the needs and contributions of every individual. Day in and day out, we are proud to work alongside you, the UW’s world-class faculty and staff, who work tirelessly to serve our students and our communities. Thank you for your passion, vision and dedication to making the University of Washington a truly great place to work.
With gratitude,
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Michael K. Young |
Ana Mari Cauce |
Last week, U.S. News & World Report ranked UW Medical Center (UWMC) the 11th “Best Hospital” in the United States on its honor roll, alongside institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Mt. Sinai Hospital. That is rare and great company to be in. UW Medicine hospitals ranked highly in the 2014–15 edition of Best Hospitals, with UWMC and Harborview Medical Center ranking in the top three in the Seattle metro area, and among the top four hospitals in the state.
This is a remarkable feat for UWMC, considering more than 4,806 medical centers across the country were analyzed. And this news comes on the heels of the UW School of Medicine’s No. 1 ranking for overall primary care by the same magazine in March.
While the numbers are impressive, the UW’s achievements are really a testament to all of the people who work at UW Medicine’s centers across the state, from medical transcriptionists in Renton to surgeons in Seattle. Our patients face everything from challenging health conditions to minor surgery, but they don’t do it alone; our medical professionals guide patients of every age and from every background with kindness, commitment and courage.
Thank you to all of the people who care for our communities with a shared ethos of health-care excellence. Your outstanding work is changing lives and transforming health through innovation, collaboration and boundless compassion.
It has been a banner year at the University of Washington. For our fiscal year ending June 30, donors contributed a record-breaking $482,452,318 in private support, a tremendous show of confidence in the University’s outstanding students, faculty and staff. This news demonstrates in a spectacular way the momentum of the University and the deep strength of our philanthropic partnerships.
The unheralded generosity of 108,696 donors supports everything from student scholarships to scientific breakthroughs. Notably, 40,398 of those donors gave gifts of $99 or less. Those smaller gifts, which included donations to KEXP and Husky athletics, added up to a big number: $1.4 million in Excellence Funds that help Huskies.
The loyalty and vision of our alumni and friends is humbling and heartwarming. Last November, the UW was the beneficiary of the trust of UW alumnus and local philanthropist Jack MacDonald. His $56 million gift to the School of Law will support faculty, programs and student scholarships for generations to come, and made history as the largest ever in the school’s 114 years, as well as the largest ever estate gift to the UW.
Our momentum is also fueled by continuing support from our foundation partners. These organizations gave $117 million to the UW to support research grants, faculty, students and programs at home and around the world; this is only the second year in history the UW has received more than $100 million in foundation gifts.
The UW remains on a course of excellence thanks to the shared vision of our supporters and their gifts, large and small. The outstanding work of our Advancement staff, deans and faculty in every college, school and department has propelled this historic achievement. Thank you for your work in inspiring our community to support the boundless opportunities at the University of Washington.
Veterans make for some of the best students. They hold discipline, drive and innovation in the highest regard. They know when to lead and when to follow. When they fall down, vets get right back up. And they know that education — with the help of trusted compatriots — is the key to overcoming any obstacle.
As we celebrate Independence Day, I want to showcase how the University of Washington is committed to helping our veterans transition from service to the classroom. Combined, they’ve served thousands of tours of duty; our duty as a university is to acknowledge and reward their service with support.
Last spring, I was honored to meet a host of Husky veterans at UW Tacoma who are transforming their civilian lives through the Veterans Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship (VIBE) program. It’s a first-in-the-nation approach to developing the talent of military veterans as entrepreneurs and gives them access to valuable resources — idea development, mentoring, coaches, financial advice, work space and networking — while they pursue their UW degrees.
As deployments in Afghanistan wind down, military personnel are concluding their active duty at nearby Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) and returning to civilian life. JBLM and UW Tacoma leaders founded VIBE to enhance the South Sound’s start-up culture and to provide more options to a group of men and women perfectly suited to entrepreneurism.
VIBE’s focus on developing talent and turning ideas into viable businesses is part of the environment of opportunity we’re fostering at the UW. Watch this video to learn more about VIBE and the extraordinary veterans who are leading the charge in a new chapter of Husky entrepreneurism.
