A regular digest for UW faculty with updates on federal, national and local issues of relevance to their teaching, research and service; actions the University is taking; and ways for faculty to be involved.
From the Provost
Welcome to spring quarter
Dear colleagues,
As the spring quarter begins, I have found myself reflecting on where inspiration comes from – and how often it appears in both expected and unexpected places.
Last week, I found such inspiration on Chicago’s South Side, where President Jones and I toured the soon-to-open Obama Presidential Center. Designed by the same architects as our Ana Mari Cauce Welcome Center, the visit – hosted by Paul Rucker, UW vice president for alumni and stakeholder engagement – offered a powerful example of what it means to create a space grounded in public purpose.
Sited on nearly 20 acres in Jackson Park, the campus will open in June and includes a museum, gardens and wetlands, playgrounds, gathering spaces, and areas for recreation – much of it accessible free of charge. What stood out most to me, however, was the inclusion of a new branch of the Chicago Public Library. Having spent my postdoctoral years in Hyde Park, I remember how difficult it was to access a public library from the neighborhood. This addition makes clear that the Obama Presidential Center is not simply a presidential library – it is a true public space, designed to welcome community, conversation, and curiosity.
That vision resonates deeply with our own. Across our campuses, we create spaces where the public is invited to learn, discover, and connect – through concerts, athletic events, summer camps, library visits, and, each spring, the shared experience of the cherry blossoms. In much the same way, the Welcome Center will serve as a front door to the University of Washington, inviting prospective and current students, alumni, and community members to engage with all that we offer.
This weekend, we will extend that welcome in a particularly meaningful way as we host more than 9,000 admitted students and their guests for Admitted Student Day. With more than 77,000 applications this year and an incoming class of approximately 7,300 first-year students, this moment reflects both the extraordinary demand for a UW education and the responsibility we carry in shaping that experience.
From the opening celebration in Alaska Airlines Arena to academic open houses, residence hall tours, and the Husky Experience Fair, the day is designed to help students see themselves here—to know that they belong. It is an opportunity to create, from their very first step on campus, a sense of connection and possibility that will carry forward throughout their time at the UW.
Moments like these—whether in Chicago or here at home—are reminders that inspiration is not abstract. It is something we build, together, through the environments we shape, the opportunities we create, and the care we bring to our work.
It is your work—faculty and staff across our campuses—that makes the University of Washington a place that inspires excellence, draws people in, and invites them to be part of something larger than themselves. Through your teaching, research, service, and daily commitment to our mission, you create the conditions for discovery, belonging, and impact that make UW the special place that it is. Thank you for all that you do.
I wish you an inspiring and productive spring quarter.
Tricia R. Serio
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
State Landscape
Legislative session ends, UW avoids significant funding reductions
The state legislature’s 60-day 2026 legislative session concluded earlier this month, and UW State Relations has posted a briefing on the final compromise 2026 supplemental operating and capital budgets and their impact on the UW. Gov. Bob Ferguson is expected to sign the budgets into law in the coming days. The University is grateful that in this difficult budget year the legislature used a creative approach to avoid significant funding reductions to the UW and public higher education. We are pleased that we were able to receive Climate Commitment Act funding to advance our decarbonization efforts on Seattle campus.
Leadership
Give your feedback on the strategic plan by April 17
The UW’s 2026-30 strategic plan will serve as a comprehensive guide to help us meet new challenges, serve our communities and take advantage of emerging opportunities. Everyone throughout the UW community is welcome to review the draft plan, discuss it with your colleagues, and share your collective input by April 17. Learn more about the plan and how you can help refine and strengthen it.
New UW task force assessing computing, data science, AI
President Jones and I have convened a task force on computing and data science to develop an assessment and recommendations for advancing computing, data science and AI at the University, both as core disciplines and as enablers across the academic enterprise. The goal is to lead through the unique strengths of the University rather than to replicate what has been created elsewhere. The task force will submit a written report outlining findings, recommendations, and rationale to President Jones and me by June 5, 2026.
Key links
- Office of the Provost’s Federal Policy Updates
- UW Medicine’s Federal Policy Updates (UW NetID required)
- Office of Research’s Federal Policy Guidance
- UW Research Makes America
Tell us what you think
Resources for Researchers & Instructors
Seminar offered on doing public impact research in Washington state
Interested in learning more about designing and implementing research projects that increase public impact? The Evans School of Public Policy and Governance will present a skill building seminar for faculty and graduate students from 1:30-2:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 8 in 360 Parrington Hall to discuss how researchers can navigate Washington’s state and local contexts. Panelists include faculty members Julia Carboni, Scott Allard and Amanda Bankston. Registration is not required. Questions regarding accessibility needs may be sent to evanshelp@uw.edu.
REMINDER: Open private funding opportunities for faculty, researchers
Faculty and researchers may search current open funding opportunities from private sources for their research and programs through a dashboard developed by the UW Corporate & Foundation Relations team.