Provost’s blog

Earlier this month, we presented a livestreamed town hall to discuss the University’s budget and our approach to addressing the crisis we are facing. If you weren’t able to watch in person, a recording has been posted uw.edu/president/uw-budget-town-hall/. Your engagement in these discussions is crucial to our future.

The University of Washington is facing a budget crisis due to the convergence of reductions to our state funding and federal changes, including proposed cuts to research funding. Together, these pressures create an urgent need to reduce our operating budgets and ensure that our expenses do not continue to exceed our revenues.

Impact of state budget cuts

Due to Washington’s budget crisis, all state universities, including the UW, will receive less state funding and be expected to increase their share of expenses. First, the state will implement a 1.5% reduction in core funding for higher education. Second, the legislature is also reducing the state’s share of the UW’s “fund split” for employee compensation, requiring us to cover 81 cents of every new dollar spent on compensation. Third, the state is increasing the costs the UW must pay for employee benefits. In total, these actions result in an effective 6.5% cut to our state operating budget.

Although Gov. Bob Ferguson has not signed the budget yet, we do not expect significant changes and are planning to implement the legislature’s final budget.

 

Unstable and chaotic federal policy and funding landscape

Frequent changes to grant management, such as allowable costs, award terminations, reimbursement protocol modifications, and attestation requirements, have unilaterally impacted approved research grants and contracts to the UW and the infrastructure that supports them. Our University, like all universities across the country, faces ever-evolving regulations and the risk of significant losses in indirect cost reimbursements for federally funded work. These challenges and delays in payment for work already completed have impacted our faculty, staff, and students, even before the U.S. Congress determines overall federal agency spending later this fall.

 

UW budget reductions and layoffs

As the state and federal landscape evolved over this academic year, UW schools, colleges, and campuses were progressively tasked with reducing current spending and planning for potential future cuts, all with the goal of mitigating impacts. This work was important preparation to meet the cuts the University now faces. Friday, May 9, UW schools, colleges, administrative support units, and campuses were directed to reduce their core budgets by an average of 4.7% starting in FY26, which begins July 1. This still allows for a modest compensation plan necessary to address the cost-of-living pressures in our region.

It is almost impossible to imagine a scenario in which layoffs will not be necessary. These difficult decisions will be made with the least harm to the fewest employees. Budget planning is being done at the unit level, and in the case of colleges and schools, in collaboration with elected faculty councils. As a result, budget impacts, including layoffs, will vary by the unit. Each unit, as well as executive leadership, will continue to update with details as plans are finalized.

Limits on endowment and reserves

Because our endowment is more than 99% restricted, those funds cannot be allocated to purposes not specified by the donors. Nonetheless, these resources will continue to provide important support for activities that are essential for our mission, including scholarships, fellowships, professorships, programs, and other beneficiaries of those endowments.

The University does maintain reserves to protect our mission. Our approach has been more measured relative to our peers, however, because our funds are more limited in comparison. If these reserves are depleted much beyond current levels, the University will incur higher borrowing costs which could result in deeper cuts in the future. As stewards of public resources, it is unsustainable to continue using one-time funds to address ongoing imbalances in our expenses and revenues.

Looking forward

In order to meet the urgent needs of this very difficult moment, we will need to reimagine our approach to teaching, research, scholarship, patient care and community engagement to protect the foundation of our mission. To competitively position ourselves for the future, we must intentionally decide where to invest our resources, expertise and talent so we can make the greatest difference.

We thank you for the excellent and important work that you are contributing to this university-wide effort. We will continue to provide updates, as will unit leaders, as the situation changes. And while the landscape continues to shift – and the plans and decisions we are making in response are extraordinarily difficult – our future will be stronger by working together to find the best path forward.

Sincerely,

President Ana Mari Cauce

Provost Tricia R. Serio

Chief Financial Officer Sarah Norris Hall

I still remember the key event that sparked what would become a passion for understanding prions. It involved a bet for a slice of pie, which I lost to a postdoc in the lab where I was conducting undergraduate research on lipid metabolism. 

To say he was eccentric would be an understatement, and when he asked me one day if I had heard about infectious proteins, I was skeptical (and am now dating myself). He was adamant that he could prove it to me, hence the bet, and after a trip to the library to photocopy a few research articles (another anecdote that dates me), he convinced me. And I have been hooked ever since. 

I was reminded of this story when I read interviews with 12 UW researchers who described how they fell in love with their research. For Katya Cherukumilli, outdoor experiences as child inspired her to research access to drinking water. Frequent power outages and surges prompted June Lukuyu to develop sustainable energy solutions for underserved communities. And Bára Šafářová became an expert on Chagas disease, thanks to a bug who bit her in the middle of the night. You can read their stories, and others, published by UW News. 

Across our campuses, more than 62,000 students are falling in love with science, the humanities, the arts, medicine. They are discovering passions and interests that may last a month, or a lifetime. In addition to sunny weather, cherry blossoms and the excitement of commencement ceremonies, spring quarter brings us many opportunities that are open to the public to see what our students are doing and the impact they are having on advancing knowledge and understanding for the benefit of all.

Undergraduate engagement and research are the focus of two celebrations on the Seattle campus. The Spring CELEbration, 4:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 7 in the HUB, will feature student presentations on their community-based service, leadership and advocacy as part of the Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center and Mary Gates Scholars program – housed within Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA). 

On May 16, more than 1,200 undergraduates from 100 disciplines across our three campuses and other institutions will set up their posters, give 10-minute oral presentations, hang their visual art and designs, and take the stage at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, also sponsored by UAA. I am looking forward to attending the opening of this daylong symposium, which has taken place for nearly 30 years.  

Another is the Graduate School’s Three-Minute Thesis , which challenges graduate students to explain their research – in everyday language – in just three minutes with one slide. This competition, May 22 in Alder Hall, celebrates the exciting capstone and research experiences of master’s and doctoral students at the University of Washington from all three campuses. I am excited to serve as a judge at this year’s competition. 

iSchool students will give in person and virtual presentations on their milestone projects, such as capstones, volunteer work, portfolios, research and study abroad, at the iSchool Showcase, 5:30-9 p.m., Wednesday, June 4, in the HUB. 

 Art and design students graduating this year will showcase their best works in the 2025 Graduation Exhibitions. This series of shows takes place through June 15 at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery and the Henry Art Gallery to celebrate students in the School of Art + Art History + Design’s bachelors, master’s of fine arts and master of design programs. 

Each quarter at UW Tacoma, undergraduates majoring in environmental sciences, biomedical sciences, environmental sustainability, and mathematics present their research, internships, community service and innovations. Spring quarter’s Sciences and Mathematics Undergraduate Research Symposium (SAMURS), will be at 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Thursday, June 12, in Milgard Hall.

Through film screenings, student-led talks, exhibitions, presentations and poster sessions, UW Bothell students from across disciplines will present their research and learning at the campus-wide Student Academic Showcase May 13-15. 

And if you did not have an opportunity to join President Cauce and me, along with other UW leaders, faculty and staff, to celebrate the 10th cohort of the Husky 100, please read the amazing stories of how these undergraduate and graduate students are making the most of their time at the UW. 

These showcases are tangible examples of why we are here — to teach, mentor and guide our students so they can keep innovation, research and creativity moving forward for not only their generation but also for those to come. Almost nothing is more rewarding than seeing this passion come alive in our students, watching them ask questions, and pursue answers, solutions, and new expressions. 

At a time when the value of this work is questioned and the weight of that lost trust is felt every day, we must not be distracted from these opportunities to engage with our students and to celebrate their accomplishments. As was the case for each one of us, these experiences mark the beginning of a lifetime of contributions built from an initial interest, nurtured by opportunities to explore it in depth, and serving as the foundation for endless paths to realize its impact in the world. This continuum forms the core of our mission, and together we have always and will continue to ensure its resilience. 

I look forward to sharing in the joy of these events with you.  

 

Across the University, we work collectively to provide a welcoming, supportive environment that encourages curiosity, creativity, discovery, and innovation. It is within this environment that students find their passions and chart their futures, faculty advance knowledge and make discoveries, and staff support and strengthen all aspects of the University. The different perspectives and experience each of us contributes enrich and inform the environment — and the impact that comes from it. 

As I noted in my town hall presentation last month, we must encourage, maintain and protect our connections to each other in this moment and for the future. And in unpredictable times, we must use our differences as our guide to expand the relevance of our mission to all. 

Because we are committed to fostering a culture where each person feels confident in expressing their opinions and concerns — and because faculty play a vital role in that outcome — the Office of the Provost is piloting two programs that we plan to continue in years to come. One is training to assist faculty in navigating and resolving conflicts in academic settings, and the second is the Provost’s Academy to cultivate the next generation of UW academic leaders and bring additional perspectives to University-wide work. 

Conflict Engagement and Resolution Training 

Deans, associate deans, chairs, and faculty from all three campuses are learning how to navigate conflict effectively in academic settings through the Conflict Engagement and Resolution Training Program. This program is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Academic Personnel and Faculty, in partnership with Professor Christine Cimini and Emeritus Associate Professor Alan Kirtley from the School of Law’s Mediation Clinic. 

These in-person, hands-on training sessions cover the basics of conflict theory, as participants learn to: 

• engage in difficult conversations in a respectful and productive manner, 
• de-escalate situations that may become hostile or inflamed, 
• and approach conflict constructively to reach resolutions that benefit all parties. 

Seventy-two participants will engage in the training in three cohorts, meeting in March, May, or June.   

Provost’s Academy 

Because our University’s greatest strength is the people who create our unique take on the academic mission, elevating diverse perspectives from different vantage points is key to our continued excellence. 

To provide a pathway for integrating those perspectives into institution-wide projects, the Provost’s Academy is designed to recognize and engage emerging faculty leaders throughout the University. The Provost’s Academy provides a dynamic experience that blends experiential learning, collaborative projects, networking and mentorship to foster both personal and professional growth for participants and to advance our academic mission. 

The participants are engaging in strategic thinking and planning alongside senior UW leaders as they develop a deeper understanding of the issues that affect the administration of UW programs and initiatives and their interconnectivity. 

The six faculty, listed below, in this inaugural cohort are gaining insights, through direct participation in a project, into one of the major functional areas of the Office of the Provost, each led by a vice provost.

Cecilia Aragon, professor, Human Centered Design & Engineering
François Baneyx, vice provost for innovation and director of CoMotion
UW faculty consistently develop ideas, algorithms, designs, and methods with significant potential, yet many faculty remain hesitant to pursue commercialization due to unfamiliarity with entrepreneurial processes and terminology. Cecilia Aragon is identifying barriers, friction points and challenges from the perspectives of CoMotion staff and faculty participants. Then, she will develop either a low-stakes, time-efficient entrepreneurial environment or enhancements to CoMotion’s existing programs to reduce barriers to faculty engagement and accelerate the translation of academic innovation into market-ready solutions. 

Ted Poor, associate professor, Music
Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean or undergraduate academic affairs
At the core of great music lies many principles, skills and perspectives that transcend the field of music to other areas of study – intensive listening, improvisation, and sustained focus, to name a few. Ted Poor is gathering ideas from faculty and undergraduates on creativity, improvisation, and how individuals can leverage their perspectives to work towards excellence and discovery. This work has the potential to spark new collaborations in faculty research and interdisciplinary, project based, research-forward courses.  

Emma Spiro, associate professor in the iSchool and a co-founder and faculty director of the UW Center for an Informed Public
Fred Nafukho, vice provost for academic personnel and faculty
Mari Ostendorf, vice provost for research
Building on her center’s collaborations with units across campus, Emma Spiro is designing UW policy for developing proactive measures and responses to incidents of researcher intimidation and harassment. In addition, she is gaining a deeper understanding of the Office of the Provost’s responsibilities, especially those related to academic personnel and faculty. 

Casey Self, teaching professor, Biology 
Becca Price, professor, Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell 
Phil Reid, vice provost of academic strategy and affairs 
Course and program learning outcomes are essential in defining our general education curriculum. They are a critical component of instructional quality and are requisite to meet certain accreditation standards. In light of this, a task force, co-chaired by Becca Price, is identifying a process to define and curate undergraduate learning outcomes. At the same time, Casey Self, who is a member of the task force, is focusing on ensuring that learning outcomes are aligned with the core elements of effective teaching, as defined by Faculty Senate’s recently approved Class A legislation. Subsequent work will involve implementation of the task force recommendations. 

Heather Hill, professor, Evans School 
Mari Ostendorf, vice provost for research 
Heather Hill is helping the Office of Research expand and rethink efforts to communicate the breadth of UW research impact to the public, including telling stories of the people who benefit from UW research and fostering conversations that help researchers see new opportunities for their work to benefit the people of our state. 

Already, Mari Ostendorf has found value in working with the Provost’s Academy participants. “They bring perspectives of different research disciplines that contribute to my decision making and problem solving. It’s also an opportunity for the fellows to learn about the variety and complexity of challenges facing leadership, particularly right now.” 

Open to full-time faculty members on all tracks and all three campuses who have been appointed at the UW for at least three years and are beyond the first promotion review, the program received more than three dozen applications for the six spots in inaugural cohort. 

UW faculty are renowned for their innovative thinking and collaborative approach. These programs highlight faculty enthusiasm for expanding the reach of these assets to advance all aspects of our University. Especially during these times, I know that it will be the engagement of our faculty that will pave the way to our continued success.