September 23, 2014

Welcome from the Dean, autumn 2014

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

One of the most commonly-asked questions undergraduates get from family and friends is, “What’s your major?” And it makes sense that people want to know. Choosing a major (or two, or three) is a necessary rite-of-passage in college.

At today’s University of Washington, pursuing a degree is just one part of the experience.

Students find a wide range of opportunities inside and beyond the classroom that help them not just shape their career-focused skills but that lead to a personal understanding of who they are and what they believe in. In Undergraduate Academic Affairs alone, students can find programs that inspire them to a life of service; opportunities to discover answers to some of life’s most perplexing problems; deepen their commitment to study and scholarship; develop their leadership skills and so much more.

Earning a University of Washington degree is an opportunity and privilege that comes with a certain responsibility. That charge includes continuing to learn, understanding and serving the world we live in, responsibility to self (me) and connectedness to others (we). E pluribus unum, meaning “out of many, one,” is a time-honored ideal from the formation of the United States that resonates ever more strongly today.

A commitment to a major is essentially a promise to the community to pursue a world of good, in the student’s own, individual way.

Sincerely,

Ed Taylor
Vice Provost and Dean
Undergraduate Academic Affairs