Today marks six months since the executive order to end the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was issued, which, at the time, was the deadline for the program to end. Despite popular support for protecting the Dreamers, there has been no legislative action yet from Congress to create a fix. However, the program continues to be in effect, based on the rulings of two U.S. district courts and last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to fast-track cases related to DACA. This means the DACA-related cases will continue to work their way through the courts and for now, the program will remain in limbo.
Category: Archive
Encouraging our lawmakers to reauthorize the HEA
Right now, Congress is considering a number of different bills that would reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). The HEA was first enacted in 1965, and periodically reauthorized, to strengthen our nation’s colleges and universities and expand access to higher education for more Americans. The University of Washington strongly supports the reauthorization of the HEA, which is more vital than ever as more and more of our economy’s best jobs are requiring a four-year credential.
In support of reauthorization, including specific provisions that we believe will best serve the people of Washington and the nation, I have written to the Senate HELP Committee leadership as well as to all of the members of Washington’s Congressional delegation. In my letter, which you can read here, I encouraged our Senators and Representatives to help protect our students, our economy and our future in partnership with higher education.
Through civil debate, we can tackle difficult issues (Updated)
This week, UWPD obtained credible information that groups from outside the UW community are planning to join the event with the intent to instigate violence. For the safety of campus visitors and others not associated with the events, several organizations have cancelled or postponed their campus events that day and access to Red Square will be limited. Your safety is important to us and we are taking precautions to ensure the Patriot Prayer event unfolds as peacefully as possible. However, I encourage you to avoid Red Square, and the surrounding area from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday to ensure your own personal safety.
A healthy future depends on healthy global partnerships
Today, I had the pleasure and privilege of addressing the Times Higher Education Asia Universities Summit, held this year in Shenzhen, China and hosted by Southern University of Science and Technology, or SUSTech. The theme of this year’s gathering was “Connecting cities, changing the world,” which underscores how important global connections are and will be to the better future we all have a stake in. This was my second year addressing the summit and it was a powerful reminder that making connections and forming partnerships across cities, continents and cultures is what the world urgently needs. Addressing challenges — like climate change, disease, and terrorism — that transcend borders, disciplines and sectors can only be accomplished collaboratively. In my talk, I focused on the power of partnerships and the special role that universities can and must play in tackling these issues. Full text of my remarks here.
A President’s Circle for the future
Today, The President’s Club becomes The President’s Circle, a name change that reflects an inclusive and broad community of people who act as a catalyst for progress and who amplify the UW’s impact by acting together. With this change, we open a new chapter in the UW’s philanthropic history as we engage the next generation of donors who will help lead our institution in the decades to come.
Welcoming Mark Richards as next UW Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
It is my great pleasure to announce that Dr. Mark Richards has accepted the position of provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, effective July 1. I am thrilled he will join our community and look forward to working closely with him to advance our teaching, research and service mission across all of our campuses.
The UW honors dear friend and supporter, Floyd Jones
I was deeply saddened today to learn of the passing of Floyd Jones, a dear friend, alumnus and tireless supporter of the University of Washington. Floyd embodied the notion that philanthropy can change lives and make the world a better place. Throughout his years of giving to the UW and across our region, Floyd was always motivated by a deep and joyful commitment to lifting others up.
UW student-athletes make us proud on and off the field
This Saturday, the Huskies will face the Penn State Nittany Lions at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ, capping an exciting, 10-2 season for our football team. I’m proud of the team, and proud of all the UW’s student-athletes, who demonstrate again and again how sportsmanship, athleticism, teamwork and drive contribute to their inspiring and outstanding Husky experiences.
Visionary gift will create Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine
Today, we were honored to announce a $50 million gift from Jeff and Susan Brotman and Dan and Pam Baty to create the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, which will harness the research of UW Medicine, Fred Hutch and Seattle Children’s to focus on delivering on the promise, power and reach of precision medicine to save and change millions of lives.
Understanding your resources to prevent and address sexual misconduct
It is our obligation to make sure that UW students understand the standards we hold them to as responsible members of the University community. These standards reflect our values, our policies, and state and federal law, including Title IX, which prohibits sexual harassment, sexual assault and other forms of discrimination on the basis of sex. For our faculty and staff, it’s also important to be aware of these policies and the role we all play in upholding these responsibilities.