Skip to content
News & Updates

News & Updates

President’s Annual Address

Posted on

This week (Oct. 15), President Young gave his annual address to the UW community. He highlighted the University of Washington’s recent successes and discussed how our unique vision, commitment to innovation and shared passion for the work we do is shaping a boundless future for our community, our state and our world.

Read his remarks.

Legislators and staff tour UW’s Clean Energy Institute

Posted on

Today (Sept. 30) a group of state legislators and staff had a chance to tour UW’s Clean Energy Institute to learn more about its innovative faculty, students and leading edge research in the fields of next generation solar energy and battery technologies.

In 2013, the Legislature invested $3 million to establish the Institute at UW. In its inaugural year, CEI faculty and graduate student researchers have begun conducting leading-edge research with the power to sustain and grow Washington’s leadership and economic advantages in clean energy.

Tour attendees got a first-hand look at the impact of the Governor and Legislature’s forward-thinking investment, as well as a chance to meet the faculty, students, community and industry partners working to make it all happen.

Several key takeaways from today’s lab tours and research showcase:

  • UW is leveraging state investment to pursue new discoveries and innovations that will grow Washington’s clean energy economy, and enable a new future of high-paying jobs.
  • CEI faculty and students are working to develop efficient, cost-effective solar power and better energy storage systems, creating new materials that will dramatically improve solar technology, while also educating the next generation of clean energy leaders.
  • Shared instrumentation such as advanced microscopes and lasers have the power to accelerate the knowledge and development of new clean energy materials, as well as enable collaborative research.
  • Advances in new materials and battery systems are needed in order to monitor and deploy clean energy to the power grid when needed.

Learn more about CEI by watching this informational video or visiting them on the web at cei.washington.edu. Photos from today’s event follow below…

Continue reading “Legislators and staff tour UW’s Clean Energy Institute”

Correcting the record: WSU consultant’s medical school study deeply flawed

Posted on

Last week, Washington State University released a consultant’s study regarding separate accreditation for a WSU medical school in Spokane.

The WSU Board of Regents subsequently took action directing WSU leaders to pursue the report’s recommendations.

Unfortunately, the WSU consultant’s report contains several inaccuracies, concerning assumptions, and at least one critical and highly misleading error that require immediate attention and consideration.

Ultimately, the decision to establish a second medical school in Spokane is a decision to be made by the Governor and Legislature.  We believe it’s important for all parties to have accurate information to consider and make your decisions. This is a significant and important issue for the University of Washington.

Read the response detailing our concerns from UW Board of Regents Chair Orin Smith to WSU Board of Regents Chair Mike Worthy, and UW’s statement released to the media.

Learn more about UW’s plans for Next Generation Medical Education.

Statement from UW Regent Orin Smith in Response to WSU Medical School Proposal

Posted on

“We’re disappointed by WSU’s announcement today to pursue a separate, independent medical school aside from the existing Spokane medical school we’ve worked hard to build together in partnership with the Spokane community.

At a time when fully funding basic education and addressing our mental health crisis loom large, we believe creating a second, $47 million medical school raises many questions and concerns about the highest and best use of limited resources.

Addressing our healthcare disparities in Eastern Washington and growing an innovative, sustainable economy in Spokane demand that we put aside individual institutional ambitions and focus on what is best for our students, the Spokane community and the state. WWAMI, our existing UW-WSU partnership in Spokane, is currently recognized as the most efficient, effective community-based medical education program in the nation, with the potential for $1.6 billion in economic impact for the Spokane region.

The UW remains committed to investing in and growing this partnership with the support of the Spokane community and the Washington state legislature to support sustainable economic development for the region.”

Learn more about UW’s Next Generation Medical Education proposal.

UW External Affairs hosts local, state, and federal staff for U District tour

Posted on

Legislative Staff Take U District Tour

Last week, a group of 20 legislative staff from local, state, and federal offices joined the UW External Affairs team on a tour of the U District.

Participants visited: The Burke Museum, learning about the Genetic Resource Center, and the museum’s “New Burke” capital project; Sound Transit’s U District Station site for an update on construction and the agency’s light rail plans; Startup Hall to learn about the innovative partnership between UW, UpGlobal, and TechStars that is transforming the space into a hub for startups; Cultivate for conversation and lunch featuring locally-sourced food; The U District Partnership to hear about community engagement and collaboration on a range of issues; the Burke-Gilman Multimodal Connector Project to learn about changes coming to the trail; and finally an overview of the Bryants Park Project on the waterfront for a chance to hear about the future of the park, and the successful partnership to-date between the city, state, and University.

View photos from the tour on Facebook here and here.

If you missed last week’s tour, we hope you can join us for a visit in the future!

As always, please feel free contact us for more information, or to schedule a future visit. Also, be sure to stay tuned for more details on opportunities to visit our campuses this fall, which we’ll post here to the blog!

UW External Affairs staff participates in service project at Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands

Posted on

Dubs Up!
Today University of Washington External Affairs staff participated in a service project at the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, owned by Seattle Parks and Recreation and co-operated by Seattle Tilth, a non-profit community-run organization. Staff is pictured here after spending the morning helping to restore wetlands by removing invasive plants (bindweeds). The annual service project is a chance for EA staff to give back to the local community.

News Roundup: UW startups, medical education expansion, and women in computer science

Posted on

Governor Jay Inslee returned to campus this week for the 2014 UW Start-Up Celebration.

Gov. Inslee, Provost Cauce, and President Young
Gov. Inslee, Provost Cauce, and President Young Photo: Photo by Marcus R. Donner Puget Sound Business Journal

 

In his keynote remarks, Governor Inslee lauded the Center for Commercialization (C4C) for its most recent big news: A record 18 new startups were spun out in the past fiscal year. Learn more about C4C and the New Ventures Facility at Fluke Hall here. Learn more about UW’s new Startup Hall initiative here.

5 UW startups to watch this year – Puget Sound Business Journal

Stem cells that adapt to any body, robots that repair coral and a camera that can see the inside of a carotid artery are just three of the inventions being created at the University of Washington.

Editorial: Expand, don’t dilute, UW medical school – The Olympian

The Olympian editorial board considers a number of issues related to the ongoing conversation over medical education. Learn more about UW’s plan for expansion at: http://uw.edu/spokanemedschool

UW Medicine ranks highly in U.S. News Best Hospitals listing – HS News Beat

U.S. News & World Report ranked UW Medical Center #11 in the nation in its Best Hospitals edition. Read more about the awards honoring medical excellence at President Young’s blog.

University of Washington named ‘Great College to Work For’ – Chronicle of Higher Education

The Chronicle of Higher Education recognized colleges for best practices and policies in its 2014 survey. The UW was cited for overall employee job satisfaction and tenure clarity and process — making it one of 10 large universities recognized in each of those categories.

Some Universities Crack Code in Drawing Women to Computer Science – New York Times

The UW Computer Science & Engineering Department is featured. Learn more about UW CSE’s efforts and impacts here.

Did You Know: 1,450 kids and teens are enrolled in UW summer programs this year

For more news about campus happenings and visits by elected officials throughout the week, follow @UWGOV on Twitter, and Like UWGOV on Facebook.

News Roundup: NW WA study mission, Addressing the skills gap, Record number of UW startups

Posted on

Northwest Washington Study Mission – Seattle Chamber

State Relations was back on the road in late June to participate in the Seattle Metro Chamber and Puget Sound Regional Council’s NW WA Study Mission. Delegates visited a series of sites that showcased innovation and economic development in sectors such as tourism, agriculture, maritime, manufacturing, and higher education.

Guest: How Seattle is falling behind other 21st century cities – Seattle Times

According to guest columnists Randy Hodgins, UW Vice President of External Affairs and Maud Daudon,  President & CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber, the region must take aggressive actions to close the existing skills gap.

Is a college degree still worth it? Study says yes – Associated Press

Those with bachelor’s or associate’s degrees earn more money over their lifetime than those who skip college, even after factoring in the cost of higher education, according to a recent report by The Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Spinout success: New leadership steps in at UW’s C4C – Puget Sound Business Journal

After spinning out record number of startups, UW C4C named ’emerging incubator of the year’ – TechFlash

When Michael Young took the reins of Washington state’s largest public university in 2011, he pledged to slash the red tape and spin out more companies than ever before from the University of Washington. Well, it’s working. And now the school is getting recognized for it.

10 Best Cities to Launch a Startup – CNN Money

Seattle comes in at No. 8, and UW is cited.

Recent grad seeks for serve needs of Tri-Cities – Tri-City Herald

News Roundup: Clean Tech, Faculty Field Tour, Revenue Forecast, Sustainability Award

Posted on

Expo Showcases Wash. State Companies’ Budding Clean Tech Economy – KPLU

Among the companies … is Arlington-based Microgreen Polymers, which spun out of research at the University of Washington.

Forecast shows $395M uptick in state revenue – AP/The Columbian

“While the revenue increase is welcome news, we still face a significant budget challenge in our next budget,” David Schumacher, director of the Office of Financial Management, said in a written statement.

Read the forecast meeting materials here.

High costs of college: The truth behind the myths – Seattle Times

Eight myths (and some truths) about why college costs so much, and why you can’t work your way through school anymore.

On the road with the UW Faculty Field Tour – President’s Blog

UW Faculty Filed Tour visits Sen. Mark Schoesler's farm in Ritzville, WA.
UW Faculty Filed Tour visits Sen. Mark Schoesler’s farm in Ritzville, WA.

 

The Annual UW Faculty Field Tour is a 5-day, 1,000-mile tour of Washington state for faculty members new to Washington and the University. View more posts on Tagboard, and photos on State Relations’ Facebook page.

The Spokane Solution – Columns Magazine

Expanding medical education in Eastern Washington’s largest city will address a key problem: increasing the number of primary care physicians in rural and underserved areas. Learn more about UW’s expansion plans at uw.edu/spokanemedschool.

State not producing enough graduates in high-tech fields – King5News.com

The College Success Foundation and Washington State Opportunity Scholarship Board hosted a round table with UW leaders and student scholarship recipients on campus June 9.

International award cites UW for leadership in sustainability – UW News