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November 16, 2010  |  Learn, Meet

Passport to Picasso sells out Seattle Art Museum

By Derek Belt

On Sunday, Nov. 14, the UW College of Arts & Sciences hosted Passport to Picasso, an exclusive showing of the Seattle Art Museum’s amazing new Picasso exhibit. I attended this event with my family and was moved by the paintings, sculptures, photography and imagination of the 20th century’s most iconic and influential artist.

I’d never been to the SAM before, so I was looking forward to it for several reasons. How often do you get to experience an exhibit like this in a community setting? The entire allottment of 1,200 tickets sold out and the museum was bustling with UW alumni and friends, but it never felt crowded. Drinks and cookies were served, and we had an hour to explore the rest of the museum before punching our passport to Picasso.

The exhibit featured hundreds of pieces from Picasso’s personal collection. It spanned eight decades of Picasso’s extraordinary life, highlighting a variety of mediums and the Cubist movement he helped create. It was a remarkable collection and worth every second of my time. Events like this make our community proud. Kudos to Arts & Sciences, the UW Alumni Association and Seattle Art Museum for a stellar partnership.

On to this week’s Dawg Treats:

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November 10, 2010  |  Learn, Meet

Black Panther movie “Night Catches Us” produced by UW alum Ron Simons

By Derek Belt

Night Catches Us, a new film about the Black Panthers produced by UW alumni Ron Simons, will be released by Magnolia Pictures on Dec. 3. Written and directed by Tanya Hamilton, it premiered at Sundance 2010 and was an Official Selection.

This is the first feature film produced by SimonSays Entertainment, Inc., which Simons founded in 2009 to tell the stories, fables and narratives of under-represented communities. Simons left Microsoft Mail’s marketing division to earn his Master of Fine Arts in Drama from the UW in 2001. He now lives in New York City.

It’s 1976 and Marcus (Anthony Mackie) returns to the Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age in the midst of the Black Power movement. He quickly finds himself at odds with the organization he once embraced and must protect a deep secret that could shatter everyone’s beliefs. For more, see the official movie site.

Night Catches Us will be screened Wednesday, Nov. 17, at Cinebarre in Mountlake Terrace. The screening will raise money for the UW School of Drama Career Entry Endowment Fund and is co-sponsored by the UW School of Drama and the Graduate School. More info in this University Week story written by Elizabeth Lowry.

Now, on to this week’s Dawg Treats:

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October 29, 2010  |  Learn

UW credit cards: Student data is not shared with banks

By Paul Rucker, Executive Director

Alumni and friends,

A recent news report confused the national story about credit card companies and student data with the UW’s program that is focused entirely on alumni.

The UW’s affinity credit card program has never been promoted directly to students and at no time has student information been shared, sold or distributed by the UW or UW Alumni Association.

The UW and Bank of America are partners in promoting the UW’s official credit card to alumni. Select alumni information is used for this specific purpose and the UW retains ownership of all alumni information. At no point does Bank of America retain use of this information for purposes other than promoting the UW’s official credit, checking and debit programs through mailings and promotional efforts that are individually approved by the UW Alumni Association.

I welcome your thoughts. I will answer your questions as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

Paul Rucker, ’95, ’02
Executive Director, UW Alumni Association

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October 25, 2010  |  Learn

UWAA Past-President Eddie Pasatiempo a hall of famer

By Derek Belt


The Department of Communication inducted six alumni into its Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 21. Among them was our very own E.M. “Eddie” Pasatiempo, the current Past-President of the UW Alumni Association.

Eddie is a business leader and executive who has enjoyed much success in the technology and professional services. He is an optimist in every sense of the word and one of the most inspirational people I and many others have met at the University of Washington. During his induction speech, Eddie told the crowd, “Thank you to all of you who have touched me, because I am a mosaic of all of you.” Now that’s classy.

Congratulations to Eddie. Read the full story and enjoy this week’s Dawg Treats:

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October 21, 2010  |  Meet, On Campus

A morning in Hec Ed with President Obama

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President Obama and Senator Murray. (Photo by Ron Wurzer)

It’s been nearly 50 years since a current U.S president has been to the University of Washington. Not since JFK visited in November of 1961 and delivered a centennial address for the University has a sitting president come to campus. No wonder, then, that President Barack Obama’s visit on a golden October morning drew such a crowd of, and a roar from, Seattleites and UW students. A whopping 10,000 people packed Hec Ed this morning, with another 3,000 spilling over into Husky Stadium next door.

And that was after he stopped at Top Pot Doughnuts, was handed a cup of coffee (according to Gov. Christine Gregoire), attended a small backyard discussion in northeast Seattle, met with the UW women’s volleyball and cross country teams, and ran out of the tunnel and into Husky Stadium cheering “Go Huskies!”

Truth is, as we all know, the President was in town to stump for Senator Patty Murray. And, he did it well. There were funny anecdotes—including one that had an imaginary Murray and the President pushing a car out of a mud-filled ditch (“It was a really deep ditch,” he said, “and it was really reckless driving”)—and the expected calls to vote. Of course, there also was the President’s signature ability to lead the crowd into chanting “Yes We Can” at every turn. Yes, he was stumping, playing the politician, attempting to drive votes for his team.

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October 19, 2010  |  Learn, On Campus

UW’s new PACCAR Hall is open for business, literally

By Derek Belt

At the UW’s Foster School of Business, bigger isn’t always better. Unless you’re talking about PACCAR Hall, the incredible new home for one of the country’s premier business schools.

On Friday, Oct. 15, Foster School faculty, staff, alumni and supporters gathered for a private reception to dedicate the five-story, 135,000-square-foot building. Dean Jim Jiambalvo, PACCAR chairman and CEO Mark Pigott, and UW Interim President Phyllis Wise all spoke at the event.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the gorgeous new building.

PACCAR Hall includes 124 offices, 19 classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium and 28 breakout rooms that can be used for small group discussions. There’s also an outdoor terrace and a large cafe that serves Starbucks coffee. It’s called Orin’s Place in honor of UW alum and Regent Orin Smith, the former president and CEO of Starbucks.

Read the University Week story and check out this week’s Dawg Treats:

  • Scientists at the UW have discovered that women who are depressed during pregnancy have a higher chance of premature births.
  • A report by the National Research Council examines how universities have managed the intellectual property of their federally-funded research.
  • When in Rome: Students studying abroad drink more alcohol, according to a UW study. This report has been all over the web—here’s a story from TIME.com.

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October 13, 2010  |  Learn

Phyllis Wise looks ahead in her first address as UW President

By Derek Belt

University of Washington Interim President Phyllis Wise delivered the President’s Annual Address on Tuesday, October 12 at Kane Hall.

Wise outlined her goals for her tenure and for the future of the University. Andrew Doughman of The Daily wrote, “She described a university reeling from consecutive years of budget cuts with no promise for relief for the next two years. But even in this climate, Wise rolled out a policy agenda that she said could position the university to emerge from the recession stronger than when it hit.”

Read the entire story from The Daily, and enjoy this week’s Dawg Treats:

  • A vigil was held for Carly Henley, the UW student who committed suicide last week, from KING 5-TV.
  • Slavic Languages and Literature Professor Jose Alaniz donated his treasured comic book collection to UW Libraries, from KOMO 4-TV.
  • Are Americans taking too many drugs? UW Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology Bruce Psaty weighs in on this story from U.S. News & World Report.
  • Get ready for the flu season with tips from UW Medicine’s Dr. Yunyu Cao.
  • UW sociologist and sex expert Pepper Schwartz spoke to the Orange County Register for this story on a recent study suggesting men over 50 are not using condoms. And here’s another Schwartz sighting on the subject from the New York Times.
  • Steve Sarkisian released a new iPhone app. All proceeds will be donated to the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
  • Local basketball star Tony Wroten Jr. chose the UW. His father played football for the Huskies in the 1980s.

Read more…

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October 6, 2010  |  Act, Cheer, Husky Sports

Governor Gregoire issues “Purple and Gold Day” proclamation for Oct. 15

By Derek Belt

Today, I arrived at the office to find a package in my mailbox. In that package was a proclamation from Governor Christine Gregoire that Friday, Oct. 15 is ”Purple and Gold Day” in the state of Washington. That’s the Friday before the Homecoming football game against Oregon State.

And once again, it’s an excuse to tell your boss, “I just have to wear purple!”

Click this image to enlarge the scan of the official proclamation, which states the University of Washington has a “rich history of academic excellence, groundbreaking research, winning athletics, and life-changing innovation.” Governor Gregoire, a 1969 and 1971 UW alum, has issued a “Purple and Gold Day” proclamation each of the last four years. She urges “all citizens to don purple and gold in honor of the University’s positive impact on our local, state, national and world communities.”

We’re gearing up for Homecoming at the UW with a complete list of events on the Homecoming 2010 site. The game is Saturday, Oct. 16 and the 25th anniversary Dawg Dash is the following Sunday, Oct. 24. Be sure to check out the UW Alumni Association’s new Interactive Timeline to learn more about the history of the UW. Coming soon: alumni can plot themselves in the timeline and be a part of the history.

So remember, Friday, Oct. 15 is “Purple and Gold Day” in our state. Go Huskies!

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