November 7, 4:30 – 6:00pm | Communications Building

This presentation by Sharon Stein asks how universities can navigate the complexity of confronting the colonial foundations of higher education and enabling different futures. This discussion approaches reparations as a potentially regenerative process of enacting material redistribution and restitution, (re)building relationships grounded in respect and reciprocity, and repurposing our institutions to be more relevant and responsible.

Free |

November 7, 6:00 – 8:00pm | 听Kane Hall

The Pandemics – COVID 19 and the worldwide racial reckoning – forever changed how people work, live, go to school, and interact as a community. Come listen to a recorded dialogues about the pandemics, and engage in dialogue with the UW community. Together the session will remember and honor each individual’s lived pandemics experiences.

Free |听

November 8, 7:00 – 8:30pm | 听Burke Museum

Join the Burke Museum to celebrate Spirit Whales & Sloth Tales: Fossils of Washington State, by Elizabeth A. Nesbitt, Burke curator emerita of invertebrate and micropaleontology, and David B. Williams, Seattle-based author, naturalist, and historian.

From primitive horses on the Columbia Plateau to giant bird tracks near Bellingham, fossils across Washington state are filled with clues of past life on Earth. With abundant and well-exposed rock layers, the state has both old and 鈥測oung鈥� fossils, from Ice Age mammals dating only 12,000 years old back to marine invertebrates more than 500 million years old.

Free |

November 8, 7:30pm | Meany Hall

Seattle favorite Garrick Ohlsson has established himself as a pianist of masterful interpretive and technical skill. He commands an enormous repertoire ranging over the entire piano literature. He brings a full program of Chopin, Schubert, and Beethoven, along with an evocative work by Ursula Mamlok. Ohlsson鈥檚 brilliant stage presence and easy connection to audiences amplifies his well-earned reputation for bringing piano masterpieces to life with virtuosic firepower and resonant interpretations.

Buy Tickets |

November 8 | National First-Generation College Celebration

The UW proudly supports the experiences of first-generation students. For the sixth-straight year, the UW Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses are joining colleges and universities throughout the nation to participate in the on November 8.

Led by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the NASPA Center for First-Generation Student Success, the day is intended to celebrate the success and presence of first-generation college students, faculty, and staff on campuses across the country.

Free | More info

November 9, 6:00 – 8:00pm |

Different disciplines, cultures, and individuals have distinct approaches to gathering information, interpreting it, and forming beliefs. This begs the question: 鈥淗ow do we know things and where else should we be looking for answers?鈥�

UW Honors鈥� annual Global Challenges/Interdisciplinary Answers conversation, led by Polly Olsen (Yakama), director of DEI & Decolonization and tribal liaison at the Burke Museum; Tony Lucero, Professor and Chair in the Department of Comparative History of Ideas; and Katie Davis, Associate Professor in the iSchool, consider questions cultivated by students in the University Honors Program. This conversation will be moderated by Samantha-Lynn Martinez, a rising junior marine biology major.

Free |

November 12, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Burke Museum

Burke Museum education partner Hindi Time Kids has planned an exciting all-ages event to teach visitors about the meaning and traditions of Diwali, a South Asian annual festival of lights celebrated in many parts of the world. The word 鈥楧iwali鈥� derives from Sanskrit language and means 鈥渁 row of lights.” Diwali is a time for gathering with loved ones, celebrating life, and enjoying the illumination of lights.

Free |听

November 12, 1:30 – 2:30pm | 听Henry Art Gallery

Meet curator Nina Bozicnik for a tour of Sophia Al-Maria: Not My Bag. Born in Tacoma, Washington and now based in London, Al-Maria is a Qatari-American artist, writer, and filmmaker. Not My Bag brings together, her recent trilogy of films. In this exhibition, Al-Maria interrogates histories of colonial authority in contemporary culture. During the tour, Bozicnik will share insights into the concepts, ideas, and artworks within the exhibition as well as take time for questions and conversation.

Free |

October – November | 鈥淲ays of Knowing鈥� Podcast: Episode 4

鈥淲ays of Knowing鈥� is an eight-episode podcast connecting humanities research with current events and issues. This week’s episode is with Louisa Mackenzie, associate professor of Comparative History of Ideas at the UW, will describe how human’s view of nature has evolved over decades, from fear to appreciation.

This season features faculty from the UW College of Arts & Sciences as they explore race, immigration, history, the natural world鈥攅ven comic books. Each episode analyzes a work, or an idea, and provides additional resources for learning more.

More info

The 天美影视传媒 today announced that PepsiCo will become its official beverage partner beginning July 1.

PepsiCo鈥檚 relationship with the UW is built on a commitment to enhancing the student experience, innovating around sustainability, supporting the UW鈥檚 diversity, equity and inclusion goals, and creating more positive impacts for all.

UW will offer the full suite of PepsiCo products in its three main campuses, hospitals and athletics venues for the next 10 years. The relationship is valued at more than $24.92 million, with an additional $2.4 million in PepsiCo products.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very pleased to welcome PepsiCo as a partner and sponsor. Their commitment to supporting core UW values 鈥� the Husky Experience; diversity, equity and inclusion; and sustainability 鈥斕齱ill expand our capacity to provide a world-class education for students and increase access to the UW,鈥� UW President Ana Mari Cauce said.

A committee of representatives from across the University 鈥� including all three campuses, UW Medicine and Intercollegiate Athletics 鈥� unanimously selected PepsiCo in a competitive bidding process.

鈥淲e at PepsiCo are excited and honored for the opportunity to partner with the 天美影视传媒 as their exclusive beverage provider,鈥� said Shay Hobby, senior vice president of Commercial, PepsiCo Beverages North America 鈥� West Division.听鈥淭hrough this partnership, we are committed to making a positive impact on the Husky student experience and community.听 We are grateful for UW鈥檚 collaboration and excited to share this news with our passionate Pepsi teammates who live in that community.鈥�

By becoming a 天美影视传媒 signature partner, PepsiCo will:

• Support the student experience by funding scholarships that uplift diversity, equity, and inclusion and for students serving in the military at UW Bothell, UW Tacoma and on the Seattle campus
• Boost student exposure to career opportunities, with specialized programming at UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, and on the Seattle campus through Student Life and the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity. PepsiCo also will provide real-world job experience by hiring student ambassadors to represent its brand at the UW.
• Help fight food insecurity among the UW student population with direct support to the Any Hungry Husky food assistance program
• Limit and reduce beverage packaging and single-use containers, seeking solutions to minimize waste and shift toward clean energy by endowing an on-campus innovation fund
• Provide UW Athletics with Gatorade sports beverages and offer UW coaches access to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, a team of researchers working to optimize sports nutrition. PepsiCo also will support the Athletics Impact Fund in Intercollegiate Athletics.
• Promote more positive impacts, pledging that two-thirds of PepsiCo鈥檚 product line will contain 100 calories or fewer per 12-ounce serving by 2025 all as a part of its pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) transformation initiative, which centers on sustainability and inspires positive change for the planet and people

PepsiCo equipment is scheduled to be installed across the UW campuses this summer. For more information click here or contact uwnews@uw.edu.

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Here鈥檚 what other UW leaders said about the new partnership:

鈥淧epsi鈥檚 commitment to invest in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at the UW will help the university advance important efforts across the three campuses,鈥� said Rickey Hall, the university鈥檚 diversity officer and vice president of the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity. 鈥淚nvesting in these programs places a college education in reach for more students, from more parts of Washington, and will help with efforts to create more accessible and welcoming campuses.鈥�

“PepsiCo鈥檚 commitment to supporting the Husky student experience is terrific! From scholarships to career opportunities, this partnership will benefit UW students for years to come,” said Denzil Suite, UW Vice President for Student Life.

鈥淲e are excited to welcome Pepsi to UW,鈥� said Pamela Schreiber, assistant vice president for Student Life and executive director of UW Housing & Food Services. 鈥淲e look forward to a partnership with shared values and priorities, and ensuring a variety of product options across our campus dining operations.鈥�

鈥淲e are excited about bringing PepsiCo and their full range of product offerings to the UW,鈥� said Jen Cohen, director of Athletics. 鈥淲e know our partnership will be extremely beneficial for our student-athletes, staff and Husky Nation, and the opportunities that are created from our collective collaboration will make an incredible impact both on campus and in the community.鈥�

鈥淲e commend PepsiCo鈥檚 movement towards healthier drinks and wellness and its commitment to sustainability, equity and diversity for a better future,鈥� said Cynthia Dold, interim president of Hospitals & Clinics, UW Medicine.

鈥淕atorade is a trusted brand in the sports beverage industry that is backed by the work they do at the Gatorade Sport Science Institute,鈥� said Mike Dillon, associate athletic director for Health & Wellness. 鈥淲e are thrilled to have access to their extensive product line that spans hydration, fueling and recovery as well as direct access to the research and support from GSSI. Gatorade has a long-standing history in the world of sports and constantly prioritizes the overall student-athlete experience.鈥�

鈥淭he announcement of this partnership is perfectly timed with the opening of our Terrace Dining Pavilion later this summer,鈥� said Scott James, vice chancellor for the Division of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs, UW Bothell. 鈥淲e welcome PepsiCo to the UW Bothell campus and look forward to collaborating on ways to enrich opportunities for our students.鈥�

鈥淲e are excited to partner with PepsiCo to punch up the flavor of the student experience on the UW Tacoma campus. Their support for scholarships, internships, sustainability initiatives and events like Convocation will immeasurably strengthen the Husky community,鈥� said Mentha Hynes-Wilson, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, UW Tacoma.

(Editor鈥檚 note: Due to an internal miscommunication, the original content of this news release was edited after publication. The full, original text has been restored.)

The large sliding doors no longer open. The roof has degraded. The paint is peeling.

But its history runs deep. Its bones are strong. And its legacy is worth preserving.

Perched on the southeast corner of the 天美影视传媒 campus, where the Montlake Cut meets Union Bay, the ASUW Shell House looks as vulnerable as it does majestic. Over the course of a century, the structure built as a critical wartime post later was the home to a group of rowers who captured the nation鈥檚 imagination before becoming an all-but-forgotten artifact of the past.

Now, propelled by a wave of renewed interest, the 12,000-square-foot wooden structure is the focus of an $18.5 million campaign that will restore and renovate the space, with the goal of once again opening its doors as a learning and gathering space for UW students and the broader community.

The fundraising effort received a significant early boost from Microsoft President Brad Smith and Kathy Surace-Smith, Vice President at NanoString, who personally committed $5 million. Microsoft Philanthropies dedicated an additional $2 million, while contributions from other lead donors, including Challenge Seattle, Theresa Gillespie & John Stanton, Bruce & Jeannie Nordstrom, Charles & Lisa Simonyi and Mark Torrance 鈥� as well as a $500,000 鈥淪ave America鈥檚 Treasures鈥� grant from the National Park Service 鈥斕齢ave helped bring the fundraising total to $12 million to date.

鈥淲hen you walk into the Shell House, you are immediately struck by the historic nature of it, by the stories that have happened here,鈥� Surace-Smith said.听鈥淲e hope others see what we see, which is the tremendous potential and value of opening and restoring this iconic space for the community.鈥�

Built by the U.S. Navy as a seaplane hangar in 1918 during World War I, the Shell House is one of only two wood hangars from the war remaining in the country 鈥� and the only one to house seaplanes. The building was adapted following the war to serve as the home for UW鈥檚 rowing program for several decades. In a loft upstairs, George Pocock built UW and the world鈥檚 winning shells, including the “Husky Clipper,” which struck gold in at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The UW rowing team鈥檚 journey, representing the U.S., is described in the book 鈥淭he Boys in the Boat,鈥� which has sold more than 3.3 million copies and is being adapted into a film directed by George Clooney.

鈥淭his could be a special place where visitors from other states and countries can visit, learn, and be moved by what happened here,鈥� Brad Smith said. 鈥淏ut perhaps most importantly, it鈥檚 a place for the people who live here to meet and accomplish great things the way the 鈥楤oys in the Boat鈥� did, and that is what inspired us to step forward.鈥�

Plans for the space include interactive exhibits about its history, an expanded waterfront event space for students and the community, and a re-activated Pocock workshop where the sounds and smells of the building will be brought to life. Wooden Pocock shells will be on display in various stages of construction and a boat builder will make repairs and share knowledge about the process. The landscape design will also reflect the area鈥檚 waterlines before the Montlake Cut connected Lake Washington and Lake Union. The Duwamish people would come together at the Shell House鈥檚 location to portage across the narrow isthmus that spanned the water. The spot鈥檚 Lushootseed name 鈥� st蓹x虒史ug史i艂 (stukh-ug-weelth) 鈥� means 鈥渃arry a canoe.鈥� Canoe culture will be taught and celebrated at the Shell House.

鈥淢icrosoft can only be as strong as the community around it.听And our job is always to build community 鈥� artists, teachers, historians, engineers, public servants 鈥� people from all walks of life coming together and rowing in the right direction,鈥� said Jane Broom, Senior Director for Microsoft Philanthropies in Washington state.听鈥淎nd as a metaphor, this building represents all of that.听We have an opportunity here to preserve that legacy and ensure that these stories exist for generations to come, at this place where we can all gather and remember that community is the most important thing that we build.鈥�

After a century of wear, the goal of raising enough funds to preserve and bring to life this iconic building, preparing it for the next 100 years, is within reach. But more help is needed.

鈥淲e are so grateful to Brad and Kathy, to Microsoft Philanthropies and to the many others who have already supported this effort, for their generous contributions that will help restore this iconic piece of the UW鈥檚 history and prepare it for the next century as a gathering space for our students and broader community,鈥� said Denzil Suite, the UW鈥檚 Vice President for Student Life. 鈥淭hese incredible gifts are propelling our fundraising effort, but there is plenty of space left in this boat and our hope is that they inspire other leaders within our region鈥檚 business community to grab an oar and help us reach our goal.鈥�

You can learn more about the ASUW听Shell House听and its history at听asuwshellhouse.uw.edu.

After years of hard work and perseverance with an unexpected ending, thousands of 天美影视传媒 students celebrated the 145^th commencement on the second weekend of June.

Many schools, departments and student groups hold their own graduation ceremony, but thousands of graduates also participate in a big, schoolwide commencement celebration at each of the UW鈥檚 three campuses. This year all three campuses were combined for the first time 鈥� just one way the 2020 graduation was different from any other.

Normally, thousands of families would visit Seattle, traffic advisories would be issued and crowds would gather early in the day. This year the UW Office of Ceremonies planned something completely new. Of the roughly 18,000 students graduating this year, about half participated in the online ceremony. UW leaders spoke at separate, physically distanced podiums, wearing facemasks that matched their regalia. Graduates in caps and gowns tuned in from their homes.

Local TV hosts Erin Mayovsky, a UW graduate and former Huskies soccer player, and husband Gaard Swanson provided commentary for the UW Video live webcast. Watch parties tuned in from across Washington and the U.S., as well as more than 40 other countries 鈥� representing every continent except for Antarctica. The ceremony was translated into 10 languages.

The Daily hosted a cap-decoration contest on Instagram. Both the Husky Marching Band and the UW School of Music choir performed over Zoom, and the ceremony combined live action with . The Seattle campus broadcast ended with Dubs 2 playing on a lawn so that graduates could take a selfie with the mascot onscreen, just like they normally would in front of the stadium.

UW News spoke with Sara Griggs, who has led the UW Office of Ceremonies event , to talk about this year鈥檚 unprecedented event.

Q: When did you first start thinking about moving graduation online?

I started thinking about it the minute I heard there was a COVID-19 case in Washington, in the last week of January. That was when I actually started thinking and talking with my staff. When the Office of Student Life wrote to me and said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where any of this is leading, but we might want to start thinking about it,鈥� and I said, 鈥淚鈥檓 already thinking about it.鈥�

We started moving down two paths: One was going ahead live, if that could go on, and the other was planning and looking at what would an online ceremony look like. There was never, ever a thought that somehow graduation would not occur. Because no matter what else is happening, they are graduating on that day.

Q: The location in Sylvan Grove where UW officials were filmed live was a secret until the morning of the ceremony. How did you choose that setting?

I always knew that part of the experience had to be live, it had to be real for our students. And it had to occur with all the significance and tradition that goes with the in-person ceremony. My mind immediately went to Sylvan Grove and the original columns. The columns have graced the convocation stage and the commencement stage since the founding of the UW.

We wanted the setting to be small, we wanted it to be intimate, and we wanted the students to feel like they were together even though they were apart. Husky Stadium is way too big for a virtual event, but the grove itself is intimate.

At Husky Stadium we have replicas of the columns on stage. But these students have the honor, for the first time in 100 years, of graduating in front of the columns where the first UW graduations took place. They will be part of history, but they鈥檙e also stepping back into the UW鈥檚 history. The students got the significance of that moment.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the virtual procession of graduates鈥� photos?

Everyone鈥檚 favorite moments from the commencement ceremony are the procession in and the walk to the stage 鈥� the two times when the students are moving.

I thought, how do we do this? I wanted them to process in, just like they do at Husky Stadium. They come in four on each side, eight across, with the class leaders carrying the gonfalons. I want them to come in and come down the aisles and fill up the rows, just like in Husky Stadium.

We had graduates submit photos of themselves in cap and gown. That was a huge challenge. [laughs] If I have one thing that we鈥檇 do better next time, it鈥檚 photos. The cap and gowns had to be shipped all over the world, and we learned very quickly about all sort of COVID delays. In the end we also worked with a photo company to develop a cap-and-gown filter that students could use instead, if they didn鈥檛 get their regalia.

What was so cool about this year鈥檚 procession is that at Husky Stadium you can鈥檛 get people lined up alphabetically — that would take us years. But this year we were able to kind of do that. And one of our staff members worked really hard with the animator on making sure that all the distancing was right, and that we had the backdrop right so that we looked like we were in Sylvan Grove.

Q: Previous UW Commencement speakers have included Madeleine Albright and former Governor Chris Gregoire. How did you choose UW President Ana Mari Cauce as this year鈥檚 speaker?

We decided early on that one person had led us through a lot this year, and we felt like this was our moment, as an institution, to have a moment together. We wanted her to be the speaker and to be able to connect with the class directly, because she had lived this experience with them. In times of trouble, what do you do? You turn to family. This is not like any other graduation, this is much more about us, about family.

President Cauce鈥檚 speech covered the historic times during the pandemic, the systemic inequities it revealed and her own background as a clinical and community psychologist. The speech can be read in full here.

Q: For the thousands of students who tuned in, you where the faculty leaders recommend the students for graduation, and the faculty respond, 鈥淵es, we concur.鈥� How did you arrange that?

We did this because degrees are only official when they鈥檙e conferred in front of the faculty, and it鈥檚 the deans and the faculty that recommend students for graduation. Many faculty also wanted to share the day with their students.

Each school prerecorded a segment, so their faculty could respond. They each did something different, and they were all in windows onscreen, and the animators were able to make it all sound like they were together.

The faculty went and recorded themselves, and more than half of them were in regalia, and many filmed at a location on campus. When they came up onscreen and they were in regalia, it let the students see that they were there, too. It was really nice to see that the faculty and the administration, nobody took it lightly — everybody was on board with making it an amazing event.

Q: Doing something the first time is always unpredictable. Were there any surprises?

After the degrees were conferred, the siren started and went off, just like in Husky Stadium. I forgot to tell the stage party that that was going to happen, so they went 鈥淲hoo!鈥� when that started.

And then the Go Huskies chant started and we could see that people were clapping and cheering everywhere. And the speakers could see that, too, because we had an LED wall in front of the stage so they could interact virtually.

Q: Why did you decide to organize two ceremonies, one virtual and another one later in person?

We know that virtual is not a perfect experience, it鈥檚 not what everybody wants. You want to be together, you want to be with your friends. We wanted students to have that live experience, and the earliest we could see that happening was sometime in 2021. But we also wanted to mark the day when it happens, so it doesn鈥檛 go unacknowledged.

So we decided: Let鈥檚 do both. They can have the best of both worlds.

Q: How many students plan to attend the in-person ceremony for the Class of 2020?

A lot of students said they were interested. How many there will be is, like many things, unknown right now. If there is enough interest, we could hold a separate ceremony. Or we could hold it with the 2021 ceremony. As with everything these days, that is subject to change, but either way, we want to fully recognize the students in the Class of 2020 and their remarkable accomplishments.

Q: How do you think this year鈥檚 ceremony will be remembered?

The virtual ceremony will be historic. If you view anything at the university, you know that people are going to look back on that and say: What were they doing? Whatever happens on commencement day is going to be looked back on historically, forever. It will stand out. These graduates will have a place in history that most likely no other class is going to have.

Watch the full webcast:

For more information, contact Griggs at sgriggs@uw.edu.

The 天美影视传媒 welcomed nearly 10,000 students during Husky move-in days Sept. 18-20. During these days before classes start, students are invited to settle in to their new residence hall homes. About 70% of first-year students plan to live on campus in residence halls and apartments this year.

Denzil Suite, UW vice president for student life, visited with new Huskies and their parents, reassuring parents and talking about the value of residence halls where friendships are formed, new experiences are shared and students build supportive communities.

Fall quarter classes begin on Sept. 25.

For more information, contact UW News video producer Kiyomi Taguchi at听ktaguchi@uw.edu.

The video features (in order):

Julia Owens, freshman from Kenmore, Washington

Italibi Perales, freshman from Yakima, Washington

Owen Watts, sophomore from Omaha, Nebraska

Marcus King, freshman from Burien, Washington

Denzil Suite, UW vice president for student life

Christy Jones, parent from Gig Harbor, Washington