This November 9 at 12:30pm, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Anne C. Richard will speak on campus about children of the current Syrian refugee crisis.
News and features
China, revisited
Jane Yang, a UW sophomore who grew up in Shanghai, is teaching the UW men’s basketball team about her language and culture. Now, she’s looking at her home — and herself — with fresh eyes. Continue reading “China, revisited”
[PHOTOS] President of Ireland gives keynote address on campus
His Excellency Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, gave a keynote speech on the UW campus on October 23.
Former U.S. ambassador meets with Huskies
Gary Locke, who served as U.S. Ambassador to China, joined President Ana Mari Cauce Monday night in speaking to the UW Men’s Basketball team as part of the team’s preparations for the upcoming trip to China. Continue reading “Former U.S. ambassador meets with Huskies”
UW creating partnerships to spur regional, global innovation
The Puget Sound region is at the crossroads of innovation and investment, and the University of Washington is creating partnerships to grow local and global innovation ecosystems.
Seattle and surrounding communities are in close proximity to major international markets on the Pacific Rim and home to a highly educated workforce, as well as the UW – ranked by Reuters as the most innovative public university in the world.
As the collaborative innovation hub for expanding the 
societal impact of the University of Washington community, CoMotion delivers the tools and connections UW students and researchers need to team up with private industry and non-profit organizations to accelerate the impact of their innovations. Opportunities for partnerships and investment are outlined in the linked publication.
University of Washington: Your Partner in Innovation (PDF)
Opportunities to partner with the University and the Puget Sound region will also be highlighted during the UW Innovation Summit in Shanghai, including in breakout sessions following the event.
UW philosophers discuss the migration crisis
As a response to the ongoing migration crisis, the University of Washington Department of Philosophy is offering a campus discussion forum every Wednesday. One crucial question is the nature and extent of our ethical obligation to help people in need. UW philosophers in our department would like to stimulate discussion about this important topic.
Learn about upcoming forums and listen to recordings of past forums…
GIX brings global investment and opportunity to Greater Seattle
The Global Innovation Exchange, along with the UW’s many other international partnerships, will have economic benefits for the Greater Seattle area, as well as benefits for Washington students.
These will be at the forefront of the UW’s upcoming events in China, writes Vice Provost for Global Affairs Jeff Riedinger.
GIX is a game changer for the Greater Seattle region, solidifying our reputation as a world-class innovation hub. …
While most university partnerships are outward-facing, GIX brings global here. It will attract some of the world’s finest thinkers, experts and learners to our region, beginning with Tsinghua University students and faculty. Locating GIX in Greater Seattle will give our students the global experiences they need to succeed in our modern economy without ever setting foot outside the U.S.
Read more in this piece for the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle.
UW Law professor’s land reform agency receives humanitarian award
Roy Prosterman, professor emeritus of the University of Washington School of Law, founded Landesa, an international land reform agency a half-century ago. Today, Landesa was honored with a prestigious Hilton Humanitarian Prize. The prize comes with a $2 million cash award.
Prosterman is delighted that the award will help continue Landesa’s important work. “It will be extremely helpful and will lead, I’m sure, to a great deal of coverage of land and the land issue,” Prosterman said. “The award itself will be unrestricted and so it will allow us to work in places where it might otherwise take an extended period of time to get funding earmarked to do it.”
China trip provides Huskies with leading-edge student experience
The UW’s upcoming events in China are more than just a way to share the Puget Sound’s unique spirit of innovation, they’re also an opportunity for the student-athletes on the UW men’s basketball team to enhance their educations with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The Pac-12 China Game in Shanghai will be the first regular season game an American sports league has played in China. And for all but one of the Huskies who will take on the University of Texas Longhorns, this will be their first trip to the world’s most populous nation.
To prepare, the team is taking a course from Professor Shawn Wong and teaching assistant Jane Yang, a UW sophomore from Shanghai. In addition to classroom work, which spawned friendly debates over whose pronunciation of various Mandarin phrases was the closest to hitting the mark, the members of the team will be making presentations during the course of the trip. These presentations on historic sites, cultural heritage, and prominent figures, such as Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba and sponsor of the game, will enable the Huskies to share what they’ve learned with their teammates.
Tim Booth of the Associated Press has more on this unique study abroad opportunity, and check back over the course of the trip for updates on the Huskies’ experiences in China.
Celebrating global partnerships and innovation
The University of Washington connects Washington to the world and brings the world to Washington, creating opportunities for our students, our region and our state. In the Pacific Northwest, we innovate through collaboration. This unique spirit of innovation is apparent in the UW’s strategy for global engagement.
Rather than establishing UW outposts overseas, we forge lasting partnerships with universities, business firms, foundations, non-profits and government agencies overseas. We work across boundaries of discipline and distance. We link partners in Spokane and Shanghai, in Seattle and São Paulo. We create cross-continent collaborations that help us better understand and address the world’s most challenging problems, for a world of good.
The UW’s long-standing and growing connections with Chinese institutions give our students the global experiences they need to succeed in our modern economy, build relationships with partners and leaders in East Asia, and attract entrepreneurs and investment to Washington state. The Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) – our pathbreaking partnership with Tsinghua University, supported by Microsoft – is one great example of how lasting partnerships with Chinese institutions benefit UW students and our region.
The University of Washington’s visit to China this November is a celebration of our unique spirit of innovation and deepening trans-Pacific ties. Please follow along to learn more about UW partnerships in China and groundbreaking research, meet international alumni and friends, and cheer for the Husky men’s basketball team!
All the best,
Jeff Riedinger
Vice Provost for Global Affairs