Today I had the pleasure of addressing our University community from the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ, or Intellectual House, about the incredible value that the University of Washington delivers to the people of our state. As the University FOR Washington, the time is now for public reinvestment in this resource that serves all of Washington, before we begin to erode this great institution.
Category: Archive
Mourning the loss of Paul G. Allen, a true innovator and friend of the UW
Today we mourn the loss of Paul G. Allen, a man of extraordinary vision, leadership and generosity whose impact on our world is profound. Paul was a true innovator — co-founding Microsoft and launching the revolution that put a computer on every desktop — and what many would call a Renaissance man.
Celebrating a milestone – and the people who made it possible
Today, the University of Washington’s philanthropic campaign – Be Boundless – For Washington, For the World – passed a historic milestone. We met the campaign’s goal two years ahead of schedule thanks to the extraordinary generosity of more than 380,000 donors — including many in our own UW community — and through the collaboration of so many of our faculty, staff, alumni and students.
To our community, new and returning, welcome!
There has been an undeniable uptick in our tempo over the past few weeks as we welcome new students, faculty and staff — and their families — to our community. To all of you, whether this is your first year at the UW or your 40th, welcome. You infuse the UW with a vast potential that is truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together this year.
A dose of inspiration from Justice Sotomayor
This weekend, I had the tremendous honor of interviewing Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor who was invited here by the University Book Store and the UW School of Law to talk about her newest book, Turning Pages
Mourning a loss for our community
As we have feared, and as the Seattle police today confirmed, tragically, two UW students, Kornkamon Leenawarat and Thiti-On Chotechuangsab, died in an apartment near the Seattle campus earlier this week. Both were students in the UW School of Law Masters of Law program.
Learning doesn’t take a summer vacation at the UW
For the University of Washington, the summer remains a dynamic and energetic environment. So while the lines are shorter at the coffee shops and dining halls and parking spots a little easier to come by, it’s anything but quiet.
What a joy to welcome the Special Olympics to the UW
It is truly wonderful to have the Special Olympics 50th Anniversary Games in Seattle this year, and the University of Washington is honored to have many of the events on our campus this week, beginning with Sunday’s opening ceremonies. Part of what made the ceremony so meaningful was hearing from so many different people, including athletes, elected officials and business leaders, about why inclusion matters and how we all benefit when everyone’s talents and voices are welcome. I think Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics International, may have put it best when he said, “Exclusion is always wrong.” I hope everyone in our community will find an opportunity to share in the joy and excitement of the games this year and that we will all seek out ways to infuse the Games’ spirit of inclusion in everything we do.
Separating children from their families is cruel: The evidence is clear
The horrific images we’re seeing of children separated from their parents as part of the federal government’s new immigration policy are all the more devastating because I know what that trauma means for the children and their families. The fact that American tax dollars are being used to knowingly inflict lifelong trauma on children is a stain on our national character.
Academic student employees ratify contract
Sunday evening, UAW 4121 announced that the proposed 3-year contract with academic student employees had been ratified by a 62 percent to 38 percent margin (1476 to 918). We are heartened by this result because this contract continues the progress we’ve made in recent years in elevating wages and benefits for ASEs, and also means that undergraduates can finish their courses as planned. Academic student employees are critical to our success as a world-class research university, and this new contract represents our commitment to them and to ensuring fairness for all UW students.
We recognize that our region’s sky-rocketing housing costs are placing real financial stresses on our ASEs, along with other members of our community, and we look forward to working together during the legislative session on behalf of funding for higher education and our top priority, which will continue to be better wages for all our employees.
The negotiations were lengthy, spanning 22 sessions, and we want to thank the negotiators from both sides, as well as all those who made their voices heard constructively throughout this process. We also want to thank all the faculty and staff who made preparations for mitigating the effects on undergraduates of a strike that, fortunately, will now not take place. Students should consult with their instructors to confirm plans for finals and for concluding the quarter and academic year, and we look forward to joining the entire community in the coming days as we celebrate graduation.