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UW Tacoma Chancellor Debra Friedman

Last night, University of Washington Tacoma Chancellor Debra Friedman passed away after a long battle with lung cancer. She was 58.

In just two-and-a-half years at UW Tacoma, Chancellor Friedman brought into sharp focus an identity for UW Tacoma as an urban-serving campus, building on the substantial investment the region has always made in its university. That identity and investment is rooted in her unyielding passion: the transformational impact of education—that changes the lives of individuals and the communities of which they are a part. In those two-and-a-half years, she became a key leader in the South Sound region.

Chancellor Friedman was a true daughter of the University of Washington. She received her graduate degrees from UW – a Master’s in Sociology in 1978 and a Ph.D. in Sociology in 1983, during which time she received an Excellence in Teaching award. Her daughter Eliana graduated from UW in 2006 as a Rhodes Scholar.

Debra was a teacher, a scholar and a gifted administrator. She was known for her constant energy, her tenacity, and her persistence.

A formal event to memorialize Chancellor Friedman will be held in the coming days. More information will be available soon.