Wang Shi, Chairman of the Chinese real estate firm Vanke Holdings, will speak on the University of Washington campus. Mr Wang’s lecture, The New Normal: Chinese Urbanization and Sustainable Building Practices, will take place on April 22 at 6pm in the Microsoft Atrium at the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering. The event is open to the public.
News and features
CEO of living wage collegiate apparel factory speaks on campus
Joe Bozich, founder and CEO of the world’s foremost collegiate apparel living wage factory speaks on campus today. In 2010, he opened a factory in the Dominican Republic that pays workers three times the minimum wage.
UW students and leaders connect with Ambassador Kennedy in Japan
Dr. Peter Moran, Director of UW International Programs & Exchanges, visited Tokyo to serve on an expert panel and connect with University of Washington and Waseda University students at an event celebrating the exchange of students between the United States and Japan. At the panel discussion, Dr. Moran discussed the UW’s long history of student mobility to and from Japan and the UW’s special relationship with Waseda University. The UW is a worldwide leader in student exchange with Japan.
Ambassador Kennedy hosted a reception at her official residence after the event. UW student Delaney Lake, currently studying at Waseda University, and Waseda student Yuki Shimiya, who spent last year at the UW, joined Dr. Moran at the reception. Both students are part of the Waseda Global Leadership Program.
The Waseda Global Leadership Program is one example of the transformational student exchange experiences the UW offers. UW students in the program engage with a small cohort of Waseda exchange students spending the academic year at the UW. The following year, they study abroad at Waseda University.
The program engages students through academic reflection, experiential learning, and community service. Central to the impact and success of the program at the UW are strong campus partnerships. International Programs & Exchanges, UW Honors, and the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center support the students in creating a learning community focused on leadership and service.
Faculty lecture highlights importance of study abroad for underrepresented minority students
In this year’s Samuel E. Kelly Distinguished Faculty Lecture, Dr. Shawn Wong from the Department of English will discuss his experiences leading study abroad programs and explore the importance of travel for undergraduate students. The free lecture will be held on Thursday, April 16 at 6pm in Alder Hall.
Treasured UW Sephardic document featured in PBS documentary
A precious document from the UW Sephardic Studies Program’s Digital Library & Museum is featured in a new PBS documentary called The Jewish Journey: America.
Read more from the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies…
wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House will unite indigenous learning, research efforts
After 40 years of planning and hard work, wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House opens today on UW campus. The indigenous learning center will be a gathering place for the entire University community and a home base for Native students and a center for research.
Hired at Microsoft, senior reflects on study abroad in Spain
Months before receiving her diploma, UW Bothell student Eleanor Wort has already secured a position with one of the region’s top employers. In July, she will be utilizing her bachelor of arts in Applied Computing degree as one of Microsoft’s newest associate consultants.
During the interview process, Eleanor was flown to Dallas, Texas. Along with 42 other applicants, she was given two days to prepare a 20 minute presentation for a panel of Microsoft employees on something she was passionate about. She decided to present on her study abroad experience in San Sebastián, Spain.
“Everybody I met in Spain was really surprised that I was a girl doing any kind of engineering. They would tell me, ‘what, no, you can’t do that. You are a girl.’”
What they didn’t realize is that Eleanor represents the future of STEM disciplines. The number of women in STEM majors at UW Bothell has more than doubled from nine-percent to nearly 19 percent in 2014. Women make up 40 percent of STEM faculty, far outpacing the national average.
UW leads the nation in Peace Corps volunteers
The University of Washington produced the most Peace Corps volunteers for 2015, reclaiming the top spot with 72 alumni currently in service. The UW, Western Washington University and Gonzaga University combined to lead all three categories – large, medium and small schools – marking the second time in three years that institutions in the state of Washington produced the most Peace Corps volunteers in each category. Washington is the only state to top all three of Peace Corps’ undergraduate school ranking categories.
“We try to instill in students a sense of their place in the world and how one person can make a difference,” said Ana Mari Cauce, UW provost and executive vice president. “We are very proud of those students who actually make the commitment to test this by volunteering for the Peace Corps. It is very gratifying to think of our students in places all around the globe helping to make someone’s life a little better.”
Since the first days of the Peace Corps, 2,888 alumni from UW have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers, placing it third on the list of all-time volunteer producing schools. This is the second time UW has held the No.1 spot in the last three years.
UW named ‘top producer’ of Fulbright recipients
The University of Washington is one of 12 institutions to make the “top producers” list of both Fulbright scholars and students for 2014-15, according to lists released Thursday in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The Fulbright Program, operated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.
“The UW has a proud history of global engagement, with a large number of faculty engaged in international research collaborations, and many undergraduate and graduate students studying and conducting research abroad,” said Jeffrey Riedinger, the UW’s vice provost for global affairs.
Seven scholars and 13 students from the UW were awarded Fulbright grants for 2014-2015, with the university landing fourth on the scholars list and tied for 17th on the students list.
Jackson School to discuss Paris aftermath, current conflicts
The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies will hold a roundtable discussion on questions of radical Islam, European unity and conflicts in the Middle East, 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, in Room 101 of Thomson Hall. The event — which is free and open to the public — is titled “Paris and Beyond: Making Sense of the World with Jackson School Faculty.”
“The attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and the supermarket in Paris reverberated across Europe, the Middle East and North America,” said Jackson School Director Reşat Kasaba. “In the Jackson School, we are grappling with the whys and hows of these events.”