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President Young attends Bothell groundbreaking

President Young at Bothell groundbreaking

President Young joined UW Bothell students, faculty, staff and friends Friday for the groundbreaking for a Science and Academic Building, which will be known as UWB 3.

The 74,000-square-foot building will house 11 science labs, several classrooms, gathering space and a 200-person lecture hall. This space translates into the ability to serve an additional 1,000 students each year. It is the first building to be constructed on the UW Bothell campus in 10 years.

Join us for the 2012 UW Awards of Excellence, June 7

Please join me in celebrating the outstanding achievements of our faculty, staff, students and alumni at the 42nd Annual Awards of Excellence.

Thursday, June 7, 2012
Meany Hall Auditorium
3:30 p.m. Awards Ceremony
4:30 p.m. Reception
Reservations are not required.

The Awards of Excellence ceremony honors members of the UW community who exemplify the University’s values with special distinction. While the first ceremony was held in 1970, the origins of these awards date back to 1938, when the Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award was first presented. Since that time, other awards have been added to pay tribute to individuals from across our UW community who have demonstrated exceptional talents, dedication and service.

To read more about these awards and their history, visit the Honors & Awards site.


2012 UW Awards of Excellence Recipients

Distinguished Staff Award
Given to staff who contribute to the mission of their unit and the University, respond creatively to challenges, maintain the highest standards in their work, establish productive working relationships and promote a respectful and supportive workplace.

  • Billy H. ColburnPsychiatry, HMC
  • Deborah HarperCenter for Studies in Demography and Ecology
  • Freddie A. TapuroCampus Engineering and Operations
  • Julie Jothen ValleyRadiation Oncology
  • Holly Broadbent-Horvat, Karin Huster, Patricia A. McElveny, Jodie Prescottand JoAnn RodgerTrauma Surgical ICU Quiet Time Group

David B. Thorud Leadership Award
Given to one UW faculty member and one staff member who have demonstrated exceptional abilities to lead, serve, inspire and collaborate with broad impact.

  • Faculty Award, Alex CahanaAnesthesiology & Pain Medicine
  • Staff Award, Joyce YenEngineering

Distinguished Librarian Award
Recognizes excellence in librarianship, especially as it benefits the academic community through teaching, research, learning and innovative approaches to practice.

  • Timothy D. JewellInformation Resources and Scholarly Communication, Libraries

Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award
Given to individuals who make outstanding efforts on behalf of the UW Alumni Association and the University.

  • Frazer Cook, ’65

Distinguished Retiree Excellence in Community Service Award
Given to a faculty member or staff retiree for the quality of the individual’s contributions, subsequent to retirement, in service to the community locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.

  • Nancy AmideiSocial Work

Distinguished Teaching Award
Presented to faculty who show a mastery of their subject matter, intellectual rigor and a passion for teaching.

  • Leslie AshbaughInterdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, UW Bothell
  • Jeffrey W. BermanCivil & Environmental Engineering
  • Sarah ElwoodGeography
  • Hugh M. FoySurgery
  • Maria Elena GarciaComparative History of Ideas and Jackson School of International Studies
  • Andrew D. LovelessMathematics
  • Christine A. StevensNursing, UW Tacoma

Excellence in Teaching Award
Given to graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate outstanding skills in the classroom.

  • Michael BowmanEducational Leadership & Policy Studies
  • J. Bart KlikaSocial Work

Distinguished Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award
Presented to faculty who have taught for at least two years in non-degree programs sponsored by the UW and aimed at adults who are pursuing professional development, personal interest or career redirection.

  • Mamidala RamuluMechanical Engineering

S. Sterling Munro Public Service Teaching Award
Recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in community-based instruction, including service learning, public service internships and community partnership projects.

  • Gillian HarkinsEnglish

University Faculty Lecture Award
Honors current or emeriti faculty whose research, scholarship or art is widely recognized by their peers and whose achievements have had a substantial impact on their profession.

  • Batya FriedmanInformation School

Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award
Recognizes faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the education and guidance of graduate students.

  • Peter J. MayPolitical Science

Outstanding Public Service Award
Presented to a faculty or staff member to honor extensive local and/or national and international service.

  • Jacqueline McMurtrieLaw

President’s Medal
Awarded to two graduating seniors who have achieved the most distinguished academic records at the University—one to a student who has completed at least three-fourths of his or her degree requirements at the UW and one to a student who entered the University from a Washington community college.

  • Melissa Rose Winstanley
  • Nicole Guenther

Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus
Awarded to a former UW student whose lifetime achievements have earned him or her national or international prominence.

  • Steven M. Holl, ’71

To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at least 10 days in advance at: 206.543.6450 (voice), 206.543.6452 (TTY), 206.685.7264 (fax) or dso@uw.edu.

UW president Michael Young comments on Charlie Earl’s retirement

“I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Charlie Earl only since I arrived in Washington in July. It is clear to me what an important role he has played in our state’s community college system, and it became immediately apparent what an exceptional collaborative partner the four-year institutions had in him. He has been a strong advocate for the community colleges and for smooth articulation between them and the four-year universities. He’s been great to work with. We wish him a very joyful retirement.”

News from Olympia

Dear Members of the University Community:

Those among you who watch what transpires in Olympia know that early this morning, the Legislature completed its work and adopted a supplemental budget for the second year of the current biennium. The very good news is that for the first time in three years, funding for higher education and the University of Washington has not been further reduced. For far too long, part of the equation of balancing the state budget in times of fiscal duress has been the erosion of state support for higher education. The hemorrhaging has stopped, thanks to a great many people, including key leadership on both sides of the aisle in the Legislature, the Governor, editorial voices from our state’s newspapers — led prominently by The Seattle Times and its Greater good Campaign — and thousands of alumni, friends, students, faculty, staff, and citizens. We have to keep in mind that our fiscal challenges remain, and we are still dealing with the reductions of the past three years. This budget does not make additional cuts to our funding, but “additional” is the operative word. No money has been added back into our budget to make up for the significant reductions sustained in the original biennial budget. But, nevertheless, this is an important first step on the way to stabilizing our situation and welcome news for our University community and the citizens of Washington.

Other vital pieces of legislation were also adopted during the session that give the University additional flexibility in the areas of procurement, purchasing, human resources, and investment that will ultimately save the University money and generate more resources to support students and our academic mission. It takes a great deal of effort and leadership to see legislation like these bills become law, and we are very grateful to all those who helped shepherd these bills through the grinding process of making law in a democracy.

All of this effort went toward adjusting the 2011–13 biennial budget to deal with further projected revenue shortfalls in the second year of this biennium. We will be at this all over again as we prepare our 2013–15 budget request and resume the hard work of securing stable funding for the future, including funding for salary increases. So while this is a moment to celebrate, I am fully cognizant that there is much heavy lifting to do as we look toward the future.

Sincerely,

Michael K. Young's signature
Michael K. Young

Statement from UW President Michael Young on Rep. Norm Dicks’ retirement

On behalf of generations of students, faculty and staff at the University of Washington, I want to express our deep gratitude to Congressman Dicks for his lifetime of service to the citizens of Washington and especially for his unwavering support over the many years he served in Congress for higher education and his alma mater. His service to his constituents and his knowledgeable commitment to education have benefited countless numbers of people in the Northwest and beyond, especially his staunch support for protecting the environment and conducting research to understand it better. He also was one of the early supporters of establishing the University of Washington in Tacoma. He has been a great friend to this university and a special alumnus in whose accomplishments as a public servant we take great pride. It is hard to imagine Washington’s Congressional delegation without him. If ever the phrase ‘well-deserved’ applies to a retirement announcement, this is certainly one of them.

Statement from UW President Michael Young on Senate budget proposal

The Senate budget proposal released today puts a halt to four years of public disinvestment in higher education. The Senate is to be commended for taking this bold stance. Investing in students and their futures charts a course towards sustainable economic recovery and is the best possible form of securing our economic future. Higher education sets people on a path that provides a lifetime of benefits for themselves, their families, and our communities. The Legislature needs to adopt this budget for higher education.

Editorial roundup

Here is a roundup from the past few months of newspaper editorials addressing higher education funding and related issues.

February 2012

January 2012

December 2011

November 2011