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.
Presidential Blog
Welcoming our new provost, Mark Richards
It’s my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Mark Richards, the University of Washington’s new provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and Professor of Earth and Space Sciences. I am delighted to be working with Mark and look forward to his contributions to our community. Mark’s responsibilities are broad and include serving as the University’s chief academic and budget officer in support of teaching, research and service across the UW.
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Prior to joining us, Mark was a professor of Earth and planetary science and special assistant for diversity in the mathematical and physical sciences, having previously served as executive dean of the College of Letters and Science (2006-2014) and dean of Mathematical and Physical Science (2002-2014), all at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a celebrated scholar of geology and will be delivering a public lecture of great general interest — the seismic and meteoric activity that coincided with the extinction of the dinosaurs — on October 30. It will be a wonderful opportunity for our campus to get to know Mark and learn more about his fascinating research — I look forward to seeing you there and at the welcome reception that will follow.
Until then, Mark will be taking time this summer to get to know our campus and community, as well as our beautiful region and state. He’ll be visiting many units and departments to learn about the extraordinary teaching and scholarship that define our academic community, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Please join me in making Mark — along with his wife, Dr. Sarah Noonberg, and their three children — feel welcome, as we all work together to advance the great public mission of the UW.
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.
Sexual harassment in academia is a problem we can address – together
This week, I had the opportunity to take part in a livestreamed panel hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) about their recent report, Sexual Harassment of Women. The report offers recommendations for the cultural and systemic changes needed to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in the academic STEM fields and its release couldn’t be more timely, coinciding with the #metoo movement.
We stand with our international students and scholars
Today’s Supreme Court decision does in any way diminish our pledge to our community, here in Washington and across the globe, to remain a welcoming, inclusive and supportive place for people of every faith and nationality. We will continue to do all we can to support the members of our community.
Yes, we will miss Provost Jerry Baldasty
This Friday, Jerry Baldasty – my friend and colleague – will walk out of Gerberding Hall as the University of Washington’s provost for the last time. It won’t be his last day on campus or even his last act of service to this University to which he’s already contributed so much. But it will mark the end of an era for me, and for many of us who work, teach and learn here. All of us, in some way, have benefitted from Jerry’s leadership, wisdom and kindness, not just since he became provost, but throughout his four decades of serving the UW.
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.
In memoriam: Hubert G. Locke, a champion for justice
I am saddened, along with many colleagues throughout the University, by the passing, this Saturday, of Hubert G. Locke, professor and dean emeritus of public policy. For more than two decades, Hubert served the University of Washington – as assistant dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, as vice provost for academic affairs and as dean of the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. But long before he arrived at the UW, and long after he retired in 1999, Hubert was a force for justice, ethics and historical context. His work left an indelible mark on the Evans School and our whole University; he will be greatly missed.
Over the years, he served as my confidant and mentor. He had a brilliant mind, was an avid reader, and he was always well-informed on key issues affecting the University, our region, and the world. His integrity was legendary, as was his eloquence. He was generous with his time, beginning when I was a junior colleague and just starting to consider administrative work. He particularly relished his interactions with students, especially students of color and those from less privileged backgrounds. Although we saw each other less frequently in recent years, when we would meet, he would always ask me about the University and the Evans School and he took a great deal of pride in the rising prominence of both.
Hubert was a professor of public affairs who both studied law enforcement policy and American policing and served, most notably, as the administrative assistant to the Detroit Commissioner of Police during the 1967 Detroit riot. That experience led him to publish the highly regarded book, The Detroit Riot of 1967, a firsthand account of that violent conflict. Throughout his life of public service, he remained a devoted advocate for racial and social justice in law enforcement.
Hubert was also a passionate student of the Holocaust and the Third Reich, and his deep knowledge of that period colored his awareness of the need for justice, equity and a civil society committed to those ideals. In a letter to his late father in which he celebrated the election of Barack Obama as president, Hubert wrote, “It is, I think, one of the surprises of history — that hardship and oppression can produce leaders of enormous vision and immense compassion.” Hubert exemplified those qualities in everything he did as a scholar, educator, and civic leader.
We mourn his death, but we are grateful for his many and lasting gifts to the UW, Seattle and world.
A memorial service will held on Saturday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. at the University Christian Church, followed by a reception.
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.
Addressing a potential ASE strike
As we shared recently, we are committed to a fair contract for the University of Washington’s academic student employees. ASEs are an integral part of the University, and the UW continues to negotiate with their representatives in good faith. It’s very disappointing that with two negotiating sessions still scheduled before June 2, the United Auto Workers Local 4121 (UAW) has announced a strike for June 2-15.