UW News


March 20, 2024

Statement from UW President Ana Mari Cauce on the departure of Troy Dannen, Director of Athletics

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The following is a statement from University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce regarding Director of Athletics Troy Dannen’s departure.


December 7, 2023

Appellate court rules in favor of the UW on all counts in developer’s lawsuit over west campus project

digital rendering of a building

The University of Washington has again prevailed on all claims brought by Alexandria Real Estate (ARE) following the UW’s selection of another developer for a new building that will house important clean-energy and medical innovation research, along with other tenants. This time, the clear and concise ruling came from the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II, confirming Thurston County Superior Judge Carol Murphy’s dismissal of ARE’s three claims — bringing apparent closure to ARE’s nearly three-year effort to delay progress on the project.


October 31, 2023

University takes action after faculty hiring process inappropriately used race as a factor

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Late last academic year, concerns were reported about a faculty hiring process in the University of Washington’s Department of Psychology. A review was requested by Dianne Harris, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, after she learned of these potential issues. The review was completed in September and indicates that race was inappropriately considered and used in a way that is inconsistent with University policy in the hiring process for an assistant professor position in the department.


October 17, 2023

UW announces four non-compliant items in recent USDA inspection of animal facilities in Seattle

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The University of Washington’s animal facilities on the Seattle campus underwent a routine, unannounced inspection by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) between Sept. 12 and 14. The inspection identified four non-compliant items, all of which had previously been self-reported by the UW and rectified before the inspection took place.


October 7, 2023

University of Washington appoints Troy Dannen as Director of Athletics

Troy Dannen

The University of Washington has appointed Troy Dannen to serve as its 16th Director of Athletics, UW President Ana Mari Cauce announced today. Dannen most recently served as the Director of Athletics at Tulane University, where during his eight-year tenure the Green Wave had 49 All-Americans and 21 conference champions, and made 41 postseason appearances,…


August 21, 2023

Statement from UW President Ana Mari Cauce on the departure of Jen Cohen, Director of Athletics

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We’re grateful to Jennifer Cohen for her 25 years of outstanding service to the University of Washington, including the last seven years as the Director of Athletics. We wish her success in her next endeavor, and we thank her for all that she has done to make Husky Athletics a thriving program for our student-athletes and our global community of alumni, fans and supporters.


August 4, 2023

University of Washington will join the Big Ten Conference in 2024

The University of Washington will join the Big Ten Conference, leaving the Pac-12 Conference, effective in August 2024, UW President Ana Mari Cauce announced Friday.


June 29, 2023

Statement from UW President Ana Mari Cauce on the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decisions

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A statement from University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce on the United States Supreme Court decisions Thursday striking down the consideration of race in college admissions.


June 7, 2023

UW statement regarding ongoing contract negotiations with postdocs, research scientists — June 7, 2023

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We are very disappointed at the postdoctoral researchers and research scientists’ decisions to strike after some significant progress was made in both negotiations recently. The UW has continued to bargain in good faith and has offers on the table in both negotiations that are fair and represent significant wage increases. Our postdocs and research scientists…


May 17, 2023

Tricia Serio named provost at the University of Washington

Tricia Serio

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce today named Tricia Serio Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Pending approval by the Board of Regents, the appointment is effective Aug. 1.


November 29, 2022

UW names Jack Martin VP for Marketing and Communications

Jack Martin

Jack Martin has been named Vice President for Marketing and Communications at the University of Washington, Senior Vice President for University Advancement Mary Gresch announced Tuesday. Martin’s appointment begins Dec. 1.


November 9, 2022

Fundraising effort to restore, reimagine historic ASUW Shell House is in full swing

ASUW Shell House

Perched on the southeast corner of the University of Washington campus, where the Montlake Cut meets Union Bay, the ASUW Shell House looks as vulnerable as it does majestic. Over the course of a century, the structure built as a critical wartime post later was the home to a group of rowers who captured the nation’s imagination before becoming an all-but-forgotten artifact of the past. Now, propelled by a wave of renewed interest, the 12,000-square-foot wooden structure is the focus of an $18.5 million campaign that will restore and renovate the space.


October 24, 2022

Sociology Professor Alexes Harris appointed UW’s first Faculty Regent

Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Alexes Harris, professor of sociology, to the Board of Regents, effective Oct. 21, 2022. Harris becomes the first to hold the new Faculty Regent position on the Board.


October 17, 2022

UW President Ana Mari Cauce elected to National Academy of Medicine for ‘exemplary, visionary leadership’ and research

Ana Mari Cauce

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce is among the new members elected to the National Academy of Medicine “for exemplary and visionary leadership in public higher education administration; innovations in health research, education, and service systems that enhance pathways for women and underrepresented groups; initiatives to address interconnections between health equity, population health, and climate change; and pioneering behavioral health intervention research on Latinos.”


October 2, 2022

UW statements on weekend violence in the University District

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Early Sunday morning, the University of Washington used the UW Alert system to warn the Seattle campus community about a shooting that occurred near NE 43rd Street and University Way NE just after 1 a.m. Four UW students were injured and transported to Harborview Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries. UW President Ana Mari Cauce made the following statement in response to the shooting.


September 8, 2022

UW Board of Regents votes to exit direct fossil fuel investments by 2027

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The University of Washington Board of Regents on Thursday approved a resolution to begin exiting all direct investments in fossil-fuel companies with the goal of complete divestiture by Fiscal Year 2027. The resolution includes a commitment not to renew indirect investments in funds primarily focusing on fossil-fuel extraction or reserves. Both commitments include allowances for firms contributing to the transition to sustainable energy.


May 20, 2022

UW Fitness Day aims to strengthen community and bone marrow registry

Husky Stadium

The annual University of Washington Fitness Day returns as an in-person event on Monday, May 23. This year’s Fitness Day includes a fundraising and registration goal for Be The Match, the nation’s largest marrow-donor registry.


April 25, 2022

La primera: Communication major Paula Thiele breaks in new ‘¡Spain Works!’ internship

Paula Thiele

Paula Thiele, a communication major who will graduate this spring, became the inaugural scholar to participate in the UW’s new Scholarship for Immersive Internships in León, dubbed “¡Spain Works!” — a partnership between the UW León Center, UW Study Abroad and the UW Career & Internship Center.


March 28, 2022

Sherri Berdine named UW’s Director of Tribal Relations

Sherri Berdine

Sherri Berdine has been named Director of Tribal Relations at the University of Washington, UW Vice President for External Affairs Randy Hodgins announced Monday. Berdine’s appointment is effective March 28.


March 14, 2022

UW Regents approve milestone development in new Portage Bay Crossing area on Seattle campus

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The University of Washington Board of Regents last week approved the development plan for the first major project in the UW’s newly named Portage Bay Crossing area on the west side of the Seattle campus. The Regents approved a ground lease of the property at Site W27 to Wexford Science + Technology and a lease of building space by the University.


February 28, 2022

UW statement on recent gift return, status of Israel Studies program

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University of Washington Professor Liora Halperin, supported by the Benaroya endowment, expressed views in a statement that were not shared by the donor, Becky Benaroya. Our mission as a university demands that our scholars have the freedom to pursue their scholarship where it leads them and to freely express their views as academics and as individuals. After several months of good faith conversations between University and Stroum Center leadership, Prof. Halperin and the donor, Mrs. Benaroya requested that her gift be returned, and it was determined that returning the gift was the best path forward.


September 1, 2021

Mary Gresch named UW’s Senior Vice President for University Advancement

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Mary Gresch has been named senior vice president for advancement at the University of Washington, UW President Ana Mari Cauce announced this week. Gresch’s appointment is effective Sept. 1.


May 14, 2021

$38M set of gifts from Ballmer Group to address behavioral health crisis aims to bolster workforce, resources across Washington through UW-led programs

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The University of Washington today announced that the School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center are part of a transformational $38 million set of gifts from Ballmer Group to support a broad, collaborative response to the state’s behavioral health crisis. The gifts aim to address the state of Washington’s serious workforce shortage in the community behavioral health system, in large part by supporting statewide education and training innovations at partner institutions developed through the University of Washington.


May 3, 2021

UW announces COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students

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The University of Washington on Monday announced it will require all students on all three of its campuses to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the start of the autumn quarter. The announcement comes with six weeks remaining in the spring quarter to provide time for students who are in the area to get vaccinated before summer.


February 19, 2021

Vice Provost for Research Mary Lidstrom stepping down after 15 years

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After more than 15 years serving as Vice Provost for Research, Mary Lidstrom will step down from her position on Aug. 31, 2021, with plans to return full time to the faculty, concentrate on her research, and establish mentoring and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.


December 5, 2020

UW statement on the suspension of Nahziah Carter

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The UW’s Title IX Office acted swiftly to gather information, investigate the facts and render carefully considered decisions after fair hearings on these matters. The UW is committed preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment, and to supporting and protecting our students, faculty and staff while upholding due process, and properly investigating and addressing allegations of this nature.


December 3, 2020

UW statement on the termination of professor John Sahr

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In October 2019, the UW shared information about the results of a University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office (UCIRO) investigation into alleged sexual misconduct on the part of John Sahr, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and former interim director of the Robinson Center for Young Scholars. The adjudication proceeding has concluded and Sahr’s employment was terminated on Nov. 12, and his tenure has been revoked.


October 1, 2020

UW COVID-19 testing reveals few positives on campus; new outbreak in Greek community

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FINAL UPDATE Jan. 11: For more than two months, this post has been updated regularly as cases have been added to the Greek community outbreak. The updates will continue to be provided on the UW COVID-19 Case tracking dashboard, which can be found here. Updates on the Greek community outbreak can be found by hovering…


September 14, 2020

UW announces COVID-19 testing program for students, faculty and staff across all three campuses

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The University of Washington on Monday announced a comprehensive COVID-19 fall quarter testing program in advance of some students, faculty and staff returning to the Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma campuses later this month.


June 11, 2020

UW removes standardized testing requirement for incoming students beyond fall 2021

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The University of Washington has removed the requirement of standardized test scores, such as the SAT and ACT, for incoming students beyond the fall of 2021. The requirement had already been temporarily removed for the fall 2021 incoming class due to the lack of available testing sites in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.


April 8, 2020

UW announces commencement ceremony via webcast, invites Class of 2020 to return to Husky Stadium next year

With an in-person commencement ceremony on campus not possible due to the COVID-19 outbreak, The University of Washington’s graduating seniors, graduate and professional students will be honored in two ways, President Ana Mari Cauce announced Wednesday.


March 12, 2020

UW graduate student tests positive for COVID-19

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The UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases (ACCD) announced Thursday that a UW Seattle campus graduate student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student is recovering at home, out of state, and we wish them well. 


March 6, 2020

UW staff member has presumptive positive test for COVID-19

Suzzallo Library at night

The UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases (ACCD) announced Friday that a University of Washington staff member who works in the Roosevelt Commons East building has received a presumptive positive test for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The employee is in self-isolation at home. Out of an abundance of caution, the building, which is located west of the UW’s Seattle campus in the 4300 block of 11th Ave. NE, has been closed for appropriate cleaning until further notice.


UW classes will no longer meet in person through end of quarter

Suzzallo Library at night

The University of Washington announced today that starting Monday, March 9, classes will no longer meet in person. For the remainder of the quarter, instructors have been asked to conduct classes and/or exams remotely, as possible, until the quarter concludes on March 20. Final exams will not be conducted in person, but may be conducted online when feasible, and at the instructor’s discretion. 


February 9, 2020

UPDATE: Negative coronavirus test results for fourth UW student; no confirmed cases and no more tests pending

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The UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases (ACCD) announced Sunday that it received negative test results for the fourth of four students who have been tested for coronavirus. Three students had previously also tested negative, and there are no remaining tests pending among any members of the UW community. There continue to be no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus among UW community members.


February 5, 2020

Fourth UW student screened for novel coronavirus; still no cases confirmed

A large 'W' is at the north entrance to the UW campus.

The University of Washington was notified by Public Health – Seattle & King County that a UW student from the Seattle campus is being tested for the novel coronavirus. The student traveled from China in January and lives off campus. There continue to be no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus among UW community members.


January 30, 2020

UPDATE: Negative coronavirus test results for third UW student; no confirmed cases and no more tests pending

A large 'W' is at the north entrance to the UW campus.

The UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases (ACCD) announced Thursday that it received negative test results for the third of three students who have been tested for coronavirus. Two students had previously also tested negative, and there are no remaining tests pending among any members of the UW community. There continue to be no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus among UW community members.


January 28, 2020

Update: Negative coronavirus test results for two people; awaiting results of third

A large 'W' is at the north entrance to the UW campus.

The UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases (ACCD) announced Tuesday that it received negative test results for the second student of three students who have been tested for coronavirus. One student had previously tested negative, and the University anticipates receiving test results this week for the third student tested. There continue to be no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus among UW community members.


January 26, 2020

Three UW students in Seattle screened for novel coronavirus

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The University of Washington was notified by Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) that three students from the UW’s Seattle campus are being screened for the novel (new) coronavirus. These three students recently traveled to Wuhan, China, and developed symptoms after returning. One person lives off campus, and that student’s test was negative…


November 19, 2019

UW drives $15.7 billion of state’s economy; sustains more than 100,000 jobs

Across its three campuses, the University of Washington generated a total impact on the state’s economy of more than $15.7 billion in FY 2018, according to an economic contribution analysis released today. The study further concludes that the economic activity of the UW system supported or sustained 100,520 jobs throughout the state.



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