July 1, 2000
UW Names Ed Lazowska to Bill & Melinda Gates Endowed Chair in Computer Science
The University of Washington has named Professor Ed Lazowska to the first Bill & Melinda Gates Endowed Chair in Computer Science. Two endowed chairs in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering were created through a $3 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced in October. Lazowska’s appointment is effective July 1.
Lazowska is internationally recognized for his work on the design and analysis of advanced computer systems. He serves on a variety government, industry, and university advisory boards both regionally and nationally, and has headed UW’s top-ranked Department of Computer Science & Engineering since 1993 – a department that he led to UW’s inaugural Brotman Award for Instructional Excellence last year.
“I’m grateful to the Gates family for their support of the University of Washington, my department, and me personally,” said Lazowska, in formally accepting the appointment from William H. Gates, Sr., UW Regent and Co-Chair and CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“As a regent and as a father this is a special day. The work of our foundation and the work of the University of Washington are two of the things I care the most about, and it is really rewarding to have the two converge,” said Gates, Sr.
Bill Gates, co-founder of the Foundation and Chairman of Microsoft Corporation, added, “Ed Lazowska is a great choice for the first appointment to this Chair. Melinda and I are very proud to support the University of Washington Department of Computer Science & Engineering, and are confident that Ed and his department will continue to provide innovative leadership right here in our own backyard.”
“The Department of Computer Science & Engineering is one of the jewels of the University of Washington,” said UW President Richard L. McCormick. “It is one of our strongest graduate and research programs, ranked among the top ten in the nation. It is also a model for integrating research and teaching. The department’s outreach activities, ranging from K-12 to entrepreneurship, have enormous impact on our region. This gift comes at a critical time in the history of the department, when faculty recruitment and retention are increasingly challenging, and when creating new facilities for the department is the University’s top priority for capital fundraising.”
To date, Bill and Melinda Gates have donated $57 million to the UW.
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Photos of Dr. Lazowska may be found at: http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/lazowska/edl.photos.html?20,94
For more information, contact: John O’Connor (206) 543 0998 joconnor@cs.washington.edu
