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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.

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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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October 4, 2010  |  Learn

Charter schools are just one of the options, dean says

By Derek Belt

Tom Stritikus, dean of the UW College of Education, addressed in a recent Seattle Times op-ed the growing interest in charter schools. He references the new documentary “Waiting for Superman,” in which director Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvient Truth”) tells the tale of an American education system that caters to adults and not children. Stritikus sees the movie’s buzz as an opportunity to talk teacher training and quality.

A former Teach for America corps member, Stritikus says, “I know firsthand that many of today’s youth aren’t getting a quality education. But can charter schools alone fix this problem?” Washington voters rejected a charter school initiative in 2004, but Stritikus believes it is time to re-approach that decision. He says teachers must represent and respect the diverse landscape in which they’ll work. Charter schools are just one of the options needed to face the challenge, he concludes.

Read the op-ed by Stritikus, and make room for this week’s Dawg Treats:

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October 1, 2010  |  Careers, Columns

Columns: In Praise of Interns

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I had an internship when I was in college. Actually, I had many. There was the time I helped produce video for a golf tournament in Arizona (and interviewed Jack Nicklaus along the way.) There was the radio station internship I held when the O.J. Simpson chase went down. Then, there was the semester I spent working for a literary magazine, perusing submissions from everyone from fledgling writers to well-published ones. I also spent time reading the sometimes violent, sometimes erratic, sometimes eloquent poems and stories that came postmarked “state penitentiary.” I learned a lot about generosity in that internship and, though it was more than 20 years ago, it still has an impact on my career. That internship taught me to read more carefully; to respond to writers with kindness.

Interns are the lifeblood for many an organization, large or small, and especially magazines. Gone are the days of fetching coffee: Kids these days are fact checking copy and making sure everything we print is true and accurate. They’re teaching the staff how to better use social media, hitting the streets and interviewing restaurant patrons and voters in line, and blogging stories that may not make the print version of a magazine. And, they write. Lindsey, our most recent intern, received a nod of the head for the work she did this summer, but the truth is she touched every page of the magazine and wrote most of the Hub section.

Then, there’s the amazing Journalism Foreign Intrigue Scholarship which Communication Chair David Domke told me about the other day. Every summer, a handful of UW Communication undergrads are cast off to the far corners of the globe—this past year to Phnom Penh Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Chile and Kenya—where each works as an intern reporter at a foreign newspaper. (Perhaps a Columns story from next summer’s students in the future?) Oh, to be 20 again…

Intern season has begun again and magazines across this city—including Columns—are scrambling to attract the best and brightest. We can’t wait to see what we, and they learn.

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September 28, 2010  |  Act, Columns

What should be the next UW president’s No. 1 priority?

By Derek Belt

From the September issue of Columns comes the popular Alumni Vote:

With Mark Emmert stepping down as UW president to head the NCAA, the university has formed a search committee to conduct a national search with the goal of having a new president in place for the 2011-2012 academic year.

What should be the next UW president’s No. 1 priority?

Visit the Alumni Vote to share your opinion, and check out these replies from your fellow Huskies:

  • Preserving tuition affordability is the top priority. The higher that public university tuition increases, the tighter the door to the middle class closes on a generation of young people. Husky Promise is a good start, but is not nearly enough.
  • We need the new president to make academics the priority. Obviously, the budget is constrained, but attracting the best professors and instructors means offering higher salaries. I agree with the above observer that a new stadium and an emphasis on sports is not in the best interest of this university. An academic university does not make the media as often as sports, but it does make a reputation in the right circles.
  • All professional salaries and staff salaries need to be revisited and most reduced, and examined from the standpoint of supply and demand. Then future raises should be based on fixed dollar amounts, not percentage raises which favor those with salaries at the upper half.

Photo by Ken Lambert, The Seattle Times

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September 27, 2010  |  Learn

The changing face of a communications department

By Derek Belt

David Domke, chair of the UW Department of Communication, outlined his goals for the department’s next few years at a recent staff meeting. The author and former journalist reflected on these goals in a forward-looking blog post that speaks to what a communications department of the 21st-century should look like.

Domke says the department will look to be entrepreneurial, seeking funds, developing ideas and creating new products and approaches. It will engage with the public via lectures, workshops, organizational boards and partnered events. It will act as a source for news media and will seek opportunities to provide knowledge to students and foster a navigational mindset for how to succeed in a 24/7 communication world.

In short, it’ll get busy, get involved and get noticed. Read Domke’s post here, and enjoy these tasty Dawg Treats:

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