UW News


September 15, 2022

UW breaks ground on $102 million Interdisciplinary Engineering Building

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Wearing purple hard hats and using gold-plated shovels, officials from the University of Washington broke ground Thursday on a new, $102 million Interdisciplinary Engineering Building to be constructed along Stevens Way east of the Husky Union Building. Once complete, the state-of-the-art 70,000-square-foot building will be an example of a student-focused learning facility backed by both public and private investments. The project aims to fuel economic growth and create a pipeline of future, local engineering talent.


August 4, 2022

UW to construct new Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, expanding contemporary educational spaces for students

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The University of Washington will break ground this fall on a new, $90 million Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, thanks in part to a $10 million donation from Boeing. Once complete, the state-of-the-art building will be a leading example of a student-focused learning facility backed by both public and private investments. The state of Washington has also dedicated $50 million to support the project that aims to fuel economic growth and create a pipeline of future, local engineering talent.


July 27, 2022

Craig Wilson promoted to chief of UW Police Department

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Craig Wilson has been promoted to chief of police at the University of Washington Police Department, UW Vice President for Student Affairs Denzil Suite and UW Interim Vice President for Campus & Community Safety Sally Clark announced Wednesday. Wilson’s appointment is effective Aug. 1.


July 20, 2022

UW atmospheric sciences achieves No. 1 global ranking; nearly three dozen UW subjects in top 50

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Eight University of Washington subjects ranked in the top 10 and Atmospheric Sciences moved to its position as No. 1 in the world on the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects list for 2022. The ranking, released Tuesday, was conducted by researchers at the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, a fully independent organization dedicating to research on higher education intelligence and consultation.


July 5, 2022

Tamara F. Lawson named dean of the School of Law

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Tamara F. Lawson has been named to the next Toni Rembe Endowed Deanship of the University of Washington’s School of Law, Provost Mark A. Richards announced today. Her appointment, set to begin Aug. 16, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents.


June 30, 2022

André Ritter named dean of the School of Dentistry

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Dr. André Ritter has been named the next dean of the University of Washington’s School of Dentistry, Provost Mark A. Richards announced today. His appointment, set to begin Sept. 16, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents.


June 9, 2022

Faculty Field Tour resumes Monday after COVID pause, connecting faculty from all three UW campuses with Washington state

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In the fall of 2020, amid the COVID pandemic, Kara Wells began her career as an assistant professor of accounting at the University of Washington Bothell’s business school.


June 7, 2022

Burke Museum receives national award

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The Burke Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle today announced it is one of six recipients of the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. The award is given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Burke Museum is the only institution in Washington to be selected.


June 3, 2022

UW graduation celebrations include 147th Commencement and Return to Husky Stadium festivities

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Cue the band: It’s time for “Pomp and Circumstance.”

There will be flowing robes and purple-and-gold tassels. The gonfalons, symbols of the 16 colleges and schools that make up the University of Washington, have been unfurled and prepared. Campus is being adorned and the iconic Drumheller Fountain soon will again be cast in a purple glow.


April 22, 2022

Former UW Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Robert Stacey to deliver address for classes of 2020 and 2021 on June 12

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Former UW Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Robert Stacey will speak to the graduates of the classes of 2020 and 2021 when they return to Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium for an in-person celebration on Sunday, June 12.


April 14, 2022

Rosalie Fish, student, athlete and activist, selected as Truman Scholar

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University of Washington junior Rosalie Fish has been selected for the prestigious Truman Scholarship, the third consecutive year that students from the UW were recognized with this national award.


April 13, 2022

UW names Tamara Michel Josserand VP for Development

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Tamara Michel Josserand has been named Vice President for Development at the University of Washington, Senior Vice President for University Advancement Mary Gresch announced today. Josserand’s appointment begins May 31.  


Tony Award-winning producer and actor Ron Simons to deliver 2022 Commencement address

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Four-time Tony Award-winning producer Ron Simons, a University of Washington alumnus who is well known for his work on Broadway and in Hollywood, will deliver the 2022 Commencement address for the 147th ceremony, which takes place at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium on June 11.


March 28, 2022

UW graduate and professional disciplines again place high in US News’ best graduate school rankings

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The University of Washington’s graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Graduate School rankings released Tuesday.


March 3, 2022

Mindfulness meditation can reduce guilt, leading to unintended negative social consequences

man sitting meditating

Mindfulness meditation is a stress-management practice with ancient lineage that cultivates nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, often by directing attention to the physical sensations of breathing. Initially inspired by centuries-old Buddhist practices consisting of philosophies and meditations together, today a secular version of mindfulness — consisting of meditations alone — is becoming increasingly popular.


March 2, 2022

UW’s campuses in Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell announce the return of in-person commencement ceremonies

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University of Washington’s 147th commencement ceremonies are scheduled to return this June to in-person celebrations in Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium for the first time since 2019. Similar in-person commencement ceremonies are being planned for UW Bothell and UW Tacoma.


March 1, 2022

UW celebrates 50 years of the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center

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Visit the University of Washington’s Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center once, and you’ll be impressed by its size, the historic murals and the number of resources available to students.


February 16, 2022

Faculty programs welcome most diverse cohort in recent UW history

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Angélica Amezcua never thought she’d achieve a doctoral degree, never mind landing a tenure-track job at the University of Washington. Raised in Mexico, she moved to California when she was 11, and she’s the first in her family to earn a Ph. D. She once believed that a career in academia was unattainable due to the obstacles placed in society for people of color.


February 9, 2022

New Center for Environmental Forensic Science aims to disrupt and dismantle international illegal wildlife trade

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Across the globe, endangered species are at risk for illegal poaching. African elephants are sought out for their ivory, rhinoceros for their singular horns, and armadillo-like pangolins for their protective, brittle scales. Add to that list valuable and environmentally sensitive trees illegally harvested throughout the world where entire ecosystems are being deforested and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing that is devastating oceans. These illicit markets, estimated at $1 trillion annually, cause enormous environmental impacts and have the potential to unleash new, deadly pathogens.


UW and Amazon announce creation of the Science Hub

aerieal shot of UW

The University of Washington and Amazon today announced the Science Hub, an effort that deepens the relationship between the two organizations and will advance innovation in core robotics, artificial intelligence technologies and their applications.


November 17, 2021

UW’s Interrupting Privilege expands with new website, celebration

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Not long after the 2016 general election, faculty at the University of Washington’s Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity (CCDE) recognized a need for students, especially BIPOC students, to talk about their experience of race.


November 8, 2021

Creating a supportive environment for veterans, UW pauses to recognize those with military service

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Arriving at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus, Brandon Green had a familiar feeling of disorientation.

Green, 33, who transferred to the UW from Everett Community College after spending seven years as a U.S. Army medic, had travelled the U.S. and the globe, including two tours in Afghanistan. He’d undergone rigorous training and knew what it was like to deploy to foreign, often dangerous places.

Even with all that experience, college life was different.


October 26, 2021

UW rises to No. 7 in US News’ Best Global Universities ranking

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The University of Washington climbed one spot to No. 7 on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities rankings, released on Oct. 26. The UW maintained its No. 2 ranking among U.S. public institutions.


October 21, 2021

UW welcomes robust and diverse 2021 entering class

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The University of Washington’s newest class of undergraduate students is robust and diverse, according to the finalized fall 2021 census of enrolled students.


October 11, 2021

UW Resilience Lab aims to change campus culture toward compassion and mindfulness

Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor chats with Director of the UW Resilience Lab Megan Kennedy about how students, faculty and staff can create a more supportive, compassionate environment in which to learn and discover as the University of Washington community comes back to the campuses and recovers from the traumas of the last two years.


September 27, 2021

New Student Convocation on Tuesday afternoon opens UW’s 2021-22 academic year

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University of Washington Associate Professor Wendy Barrington will be the featured speaker at the university’s 38th annual New Student Convocation. Barrington has joint appointments in the Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing in the School of Nursing and the departments of Epidemiology and of Health Systems and Population Health in the School of Public Health.


September 16, 2021

Rankings: UW among best in world for health and life sciences

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The University of Washington is among the best universities in the world for the studies of health and life sciences, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2022.


September 15, 2021

Rankings: UW School of Nursing undergrad program tied for No. 2 in nation

The University of Washington School of Nursing tied for second-best in the nation for its undergraduate programs, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.


September 10, 2021

UW campus prepares for return to in-person classes, activities

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It’s been about 18 months since the University of Washington led the nation in pivoting to largely online learning and working as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.


July 15, 2021

Dianne Harris named dean of UW College of Arts & Sciences

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University of Washington Provost Mark A. Richards today announced Dianne Harris will become dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, beginning Sept. 1.


July 13, 2021

Sheila Edwards Lange selected as chancellor of UW Tacoma

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University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark A. Richards today announced the selection of Sheila Edwards Lange, president of Seattle Central College, as chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma. Her appointment, pending approval by the UW Board of Regents, is set to begin Sept. 16.


July 8, 2021

Mari Ostendorf named UW Vice Provost for Research

Mari Ostendorf, UW professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been named a corresponding fellow by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's National Academy.

University of Washington Provost Mark Richards today announced the appointment of Mari Ostendorf as Vice Provost for Research, set to begin Sept. 1. Ostendorf has been serving as Associate Vice Provost for Research in the Office of Research since 2017.


June 25, 2021

Kristin Esterberg selected as chancellor of UW Bothell

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University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Mark A. Richards today announced the selection of Kristin Esterberg, president of the State University of New York at Potsdam, as chancellor of the University of Washington Bothell. Her appointment, pending approval by the UW Board of Regents, is set to begin Oct. 1.


June 14, 2021

Communication technology, study of collective behavior must be ‘crisis discipline,’ researchers argue

Our ability to confront global crises, from pandemics to climate change, depends on how we interact and share information. 

Social media and other forms of communication technology restructure these interactions in ways that have consequences. Unfortunately, we have little insight into whether these changes will bring about a healthy, sustainable and equitable world. As a result, researchers now say that the study of collective behavior must rise to a “crisis discipline,” just like medicine, conservation and climate science have done, according to a new paper published June 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


June 7, 2021

Simon Neame named dean of UW Libraries

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Simon Neame was appointed the new dean of University Libraries, University of Washington Provost Mark Richards announced today. The appointment, pending approval by the UW Board of Regents, is set to begin Sept. 1.


June 3, 2021

Anticipation builds for UW’s 146th commencement, to be held virtually

Fountain with light streaming in through the water

Drumheller Fountain is turning purple.

The iconic University of Washington landmark will be illuminated in the school’s signature color from dusk to dawn as the anticipation builds for the June 12 commencement ceremonies.

The special accent lighting is just one of many features the UW is adding to its already beautiful campus to provide graduates opportunities to pose for photos with family and friends. Special banners will hang on Suzzallo Library and the HUB, among other locations. Sidewalks in the Quad and along Rainier Vista will be decorated and 4-foot-tall block Ws will be strategically placed making already terrific photo ops even better.


Renowned marine scientist and former NOAA chief Jane Lubchenco to speak at 2021 commencement

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Renowned marine scientist, University of Washington alumna and former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Jane Lubchenco will deliver the 2021 UW virtual commencement address on June 12.


June 2, 2021

Maya Tolstoy named dean of the UW College of the Environment

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Maya Tolstoy has been named the Maggie Walker Dean of the College of the Environment, University of Washington Provost Mark Richards announced today. Tolstoy’s appointment as dean, set to begin Jan. 1, 2022, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents.


May 27, 2021

‘Quarantining while Black’: Conference examines twin pandemics through radical listening

The University of Washington’s Center for Communication, Difference and Equity 2021 conference will examine “Quarantining while Black.” The two-day virtual event, scheduled for the morning of June 1 and the afternoon of June 2, is an invitation to radically listen to the ways in which Black Americans in Seattle and beyond have experienced the dual pandemics: COVID-19, with its disproportionate impact on Black communities, and the worldwide racial reckoning that emerged after the murder of George Floyd.


May 25, 2021

UW’s León Center in Spain renews lease through 2025

The UW’s connection to León, Spain, has been extended through 2025, with an option to renew it an additional four years to 2029.

President Ana Mari Cauce signed the new agreement earlier this month and city leaders in Spain celebrated the decade-old relationship last week.



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