UW President Cauce’s Call to Action

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce delivered her annual address on October 16 with a powerful and resonant call to action. This address provides a forecast for the UW campus community, sharing highlights and anticipated challenges over the next year. Pres. Cauce had a clear and unequivocal message for the year ahead: public reinvestment in higher education is critical this legislative session, and UW supporters can use their voices to help.

Pres. Cauce shared the UW’s operating budget during her address to demonstrate the hardships created by the Legislature’s pattern of disinvestment. Since 2003, state funding has decreased almost 30%. Costs of educating students, which were previously well-subsidized by the state, have shifted to students and families through higher tuition – and today, tuition is capped by the Legislature, hindering UW’s ability to recover lost revenue. Among its national peers, the UW is at the bottom in terms of the amount of state funding it receives.

How do we, the UW community, help put public higher education back on the legislative radar? Pres. Cauce reminded the audience of the UW’s incredible statewide impact and called on the UW community to be “not only be the story makers, but also the storytellers. It’s not enough for us to know it. As a public university, it’s essential that everyone in our state knows it too — and understands that it is at risk.”

According to Pres. Cauce, “This coming legislative session is extremely important. The next biennial budget will play in key role in our ability to honor our great public mission.”

Heed the president’s call. It’s time to be an advocate! Sign up today. Help ensure a strong future for the University of Washington.

Watch a recording of President Cauce’s full address here or read the text of the address here. You may access slides showing the budget figures mentioned in the address here.