We are all in shock and sadness over the death of a UW student after a tragic fall on the Seattle campus yesterday. I have spoken with the student’s father and my heart is with her grieving family and friends and all who knew her. This was a tragic accident, one that is felt very personally by me and all the UW staff who work to keep our campus safe, every day.
Category: Archive
Responding to proposed Title IX changes
The Department of Education released a set of proposed new regulations that would govern how universities address charges of sexual harassment and sexual assault under Title IX. During the comment period for the proposed changes, we conducted an analysis of the proposed rules and held public forums and solicited online feedback to encourage the UW community to provide their thoughts. We have submitted a formal response to the Secretary of Education with the UW’s comments about the proposed changes.
Shutdown’s effects on lives and research continue to grow
As the partial federal government shutdown continues, its consequences are increasing daily and are profoundly felt in the lives of federal government employees and contractors – and those who they serve. They are in our thoughts as they deal with the impact and overwhelming stress of this unprecedented shutdown on their families and livelihoods. At the University of Washington, we are seeking to mitigate the effects of the shutdown wherever possible.
Honoring King’s legacy on our journey toward a more equitable world
This Monday, classes and the day-to-day business of the University of Washington will pause in annual remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. He remains an enduring example of how one person can change the world. Although countless individuals — both famous and unsung — participated in the American civil rights movement, he provided the spark that ignited the movement. His life and work are the irrefutable proof that a lone voice can raise a chorus, a single step can inspire thousands to march, and unyielding resistance to injustice can be the foundation for lasting change.
Graduation marks a ‘magical moment’ for GIX
This past weekend, the University of Washington and Tsinghua University marked a significant milestone as the very first cohort of Global Innovation Exchange students received their degrees. I was proud and honored to congratulate these 37 path-breakers as they picked up their diplomas.
Celebrating a year of impact
This year has been an incredible year of impact, full of amazing and inspirational UW stories — more than I could ever convey in a single message — and I hope you will explore a few of them in the links below.
Team of rivals – working with WSU for Washington students
This week, as we gear up for an epic contest on the football field, the University of Washington and Washington State University are joining forces in support of something even more important than the outcome of the Apple Cup: ensuring students and their families in the state of Washington know that earning a four-year degree is possible. As our state’s two public research universities, it’s our shared responsibility to dispel the myths and misperceptions about college affordability and the value of a college degree on the job market.
Research shows that many students and their families think a college degree is financially out of reach. But national headlines about rising tuition, student debt and default rates obscure an important truth here in Washington. Nearly half of bachelor’s degree earners in Washington – and 60 percent at the UW – leave with no debt at all. And of those students who do take on loans for their undergraduate education, the average in our state is less than $24,000 for all four years. Indeed, Washington ranks second in the nation in the amount of financial aid it provides to undergraduates to pay for college, and through the Husky Promise, the UW ensures that the cost of tuition is not a barrier for low-income students.
The data showing the value of a college degree are just as clear. Regardless of background or family wealth, college graduates earn more and are more likely to have productive careers and healthier, more rewarding lives. College truly does create a leveling effect and it’s one of our most powerful tools for increasing equity, diversity and inclusion. But it starts with students and families across Washington having accurate information about the availability and affordability of our public colleges and universities.
This Friday, I’ll be rooting loud and proud for the Huskies from the first whistle to the last. But I’ll also be arm-in-arm with our friends and colleagues from WSU and all of our state’s public universities and community and technical colleges to ensure that Washington’s students can see that their path to higher education really is possible. They just have to take the first step.
Supporting and celebrating our first-generation college students
For students who become the first in their family to earn a college degree, the impact of that achievement can be transformative, for themselves and for their families. And the impact can be felt for generations. The power of college to increase equity is what makes the UW so pleased to once again be participating in the National First Generation College Celebration.
Through Be the Match, your impact could be life-saving
We often talk about our work at the University of Washington in terms of impact – and our impact truly is felt across our state and the world. But each of us also has the opportunity to make an impact in profound and personal ways. One way that you can make an impact with the potential to actually save a life is by learning about Be the Match, an organization that manages the world’s largest marrow registry.
In the face of tragedy, what can we do?
It is with great sadness that I write to our community to express my deepest condolences to all who have been affected by the truly horrific events of this past week, and especially the shootings at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.