The Ģ����Ƶ today announced a multimillion-dollar gift to establish the Winbond Endowed Fund for Excellence in the College of Engineering, supporting research, education and innovation for students, faculty and staff.

The $12 million gift from Winbond Electronics Corporation America, a U.S. subsidiary of Taiwan-based Winbond Electronics Corporation, a global semiconductor company and leading provider of memory and integrated circuit solutions, provides the College with the flexibility to make strategic investments in exceptional people, promising ideas and emerging opportunities.

“Winbond’s investment in the College of Engineering reflects tremendous confidence in our faculty and students and strengthens our ability to advance discovery in emerging technologies. Deepening the Ģ����Ƶ’s partnership with Winbond also creates new opportunities to connect with leading companies and scholars across the Pacific Rim,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Robert J. Jones. “The fact that this partnership is championed by Ģ����Ƶ alumnus Arthur Chiao makes it all the more special to the University.”

Winbond’s chairman, Arthur Y.C. Chiao, (MS ‘80 Electrical Engineering) has spent more than three decades helping shape Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, advancing innovation in memory and logic integrated circuits, strengthening independent research and development capabilities and fostering collaboration across industry, academia and government. Chiao envisions the new fund as a catalyst for breakthrough discoveries, early-stage research and interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling the College to pursue bold initiatives and respond to evolving opportunities in engineering, technology and fields of future strategic importance. Examples include semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and advanced manufacturing, areas where the Ģ����Ƶ Engineering already leads, and could expand to include other emerging fields.

“Seattle is a gateway to the Pacific Northwest of North America, and the Ģ����Ƶ will play an important role in connecting future technology innovation between North America and East Asia,” Chiao said.

The fund will support research, faculty recruitment and retention, student scholarships and fellowships, research infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaborations and emerging opportunities across the College.

The work will build upon existing Pacific Rim collaborations and further interconnect the Ģ����Ƶ with industry and research across the globe.

“Arthur Chiao’s vision, leadership and lifelong commitment to the Ģ����Ƶ make this gift especially meaningful. This investment strengthens our ability to attract talent, foster innovation and deepen collaborations across the Pacific Rim, creating new opportunities for students and researchers while advancing the technologies that will shape the future,” said Nancy Albritton, the Frank and Julie Jungers Endowed Dean at the College of Engineering.

For more information, contact Jackson Holtz at jjholtz@uw.edu. 

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The Ģ����Ƶ today broke ground on a $231.1-million Chemical Sciences Building. Once completed, the state-of-the-art facility will be a nexus for collaborative research and teaching that will help the Ģ����Ƶ define the next 100 years of science education and breakthroughs.

Recognized worldwide, the Ģ����Ƶ’s Department of Chemistry is one of the largest in the country, and faculty are leaders in the field. The new Chemical Science Building will provide research synergies and dynamic, active learning spaces.

“The Chemical Sciences Building will be more than a new facility. It is an investment in the students, faculty and researchers whose curiosity and collaboration drive discovery. We are deeply grateful to the donors, state leaders and supporters who are making this investment possible,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Robert J. Jones. “The work that happens here will help advance science, strengthen our state and improve lives for generations to come.”

The Chemical Sciences Building opens additional pathways for workforce development, industry collaboration and academic excellence in Washington. Updating facilities also helps the Ģ����Ƶ attract and retain top-notch students and scientists, further fueling the state’s economy and renown.

“Washington’s economy is built on innovation,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said. “Maintaining our leadership requires a reliable pipeline of skilled, highly educated workers. We’re proud to be an investor in this state-of-the-art new building. It’s an investment in our students, and Washington’s economic vitality.”

Funding for the project is led by the State of Washington, the College of Arts & Sciences and private support. The 104,500-square foot, five-story building will be constructed on the former site of the Chemistry Library Building behind the Molecular Engineering and Nanoengineering buildings on West Stevens Way NE. New classrooms and laboratories in the Chemistry Sciences Building will allow the Ģ����Ƶ to complete a renovation and update of Bagley Hall, the 1937 structure that’s long housed the Department of Chemistry.

“This new building will be a catalyst for both the Department of Chemistry’s and the College’s collaborative work that addresses some of the most pressing and complex challenges of our time,” said Daryl Maeda, the Katherine and John Simpson Endowed Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “Researchers will push the boundaries of chemistry further than ever before, partnering with students in spaces designed for creativity and connection. Our students will benefit from a world-class education and research opportunities that set them up for success and impact after graduation.”

The Chemical Sciences Building will:

• Expand student opportunity by providing hands-on research labs and connecting classroom learning with scientific discovery. Students will work alongside faculty, gain experience with modern tools and prepare for high-demand careers across Washington and beyond.
• Enhance collaboration by bringing research groups together and giving them the newest and best tools to do their jobs, spark new ideas and accelerate solutions.
• Create paths to discovery. Flexible, state-of-the-art laboratories will remove barriers posed by aging facilities and support work in sustainable chemistry, human health, advanced materials, quantum science and more.

The design-build team is Skanska and Payette+EHDD. Completion is scheduled for 2029.

For more information, contact Lance Kissler at lkissler@uw.edu.

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The Ģ����Ƶ Class of 2030 was welcomed officially at the University’s 43rd annual New Student Convocation held Sunday morning in Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

New Student Convocation is one of two landmark occasions where the University president, the Board of Regents, the deans of the schools and colleges, and the faculty gather in academic regalia for a ceremony focused on students. The other is the graduation ceremony, Commencement. These two events are the seminal bookend events of a college career.

Students heard from President Robert J. Jones, Vice President for Student Life Denzil Suite, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor and others.

Alexes Harris, the Gordon Hirabayashi Professor for the Advancement of Citizenship and a professor of sociology in the College of Arts & Sciences, was the featured faculty speaker. Harris’ research fundamentally centers on issues of inequality, poverty and race in United States’ legal systems. In 2022, Harris was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to serve as the inaugural faculty representative to the Board of Regents. She is also the chair of the Department of American Ethnic Studies and the Ģ����Ƶ faculty athletics representative.

Following the Convocation ceremony, incoming students formed a giant block “W” on the field inside Husky stadium.

Preliminary fast facts on the incoming class:

• Preliminary figures project the incoming first-year class at Ģ����Ƶ Seattle at about 7,455 students.
• Around 4,720 first-year students, or about 63%, are projected to be from Washington state.
• An additional 1,719 transfer students are projected to enroll at the Ģ����Ƶ’s Seattle campus this fall, including about 1,457 from Washington community colleges.
• Ģ����Ƶ Bothell is projecting about 1,153 first-year students and 660 transfer students.
• Ģ����Ƶ Tacoma is projecting 730 first-year students and 730 transfer students.

Official enrollment data will be announced later in the quarter.

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Some arrive looking for information about attending or applying. Others need to log into MyĢ����Ƶ, the University’s online portal for students, faculty and staff. Visitors may be looking for the latest research discovery, searching for a resource, seeking care at Ģ����Ƶ Medicine or simply landing on the page through a search engine. Serving such a broad mix of audiences meant the redesign had to go well beyond a visual update.

The new Ģ����Ƶ homepage, launching on Sept. 30, is the result of nearly two years of work that began with a review of user behavior, analytics and the existing homepage experience. That work grew into a broader effort spanning research, strategy, design and development to rethink how the site can better serve its audiences, tell the Ģ����Ƶ story and evolve alongside the institution.

“The Ģ����Ƶ’s homepage is more than a website. It is an expression of our public mission, our academic offerings and the impact our students, faculty and staff are making every day,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Robert J. Jones. “This redesign gives us a stronger way to reflect the excellence, energy and impact of the Ģ����Ƶ.”

It has been more than a decade since the University’s homepage has undergone a major transformation of this scale, and the project began with research rather than design.

The University Marketing & Communications team examined a full year of homepage analytics, surveyed users, studied peer university websites and evaluated the existing experience to understand what was working and where there were opportunities to improve. The volume and breadth of usage alone makes those decisions consequential. Over the year studied, the homepage recorded more than 2.7 million users across 4 million sessions.

Input extended well beyond the analytics. In the early stages of the project, hundreds of current and prospective students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and others were invited to share what they expected from a new Ģ����Ƶ homepage and what information and experiences mattered most to them. Opportunities to participate were shared through channels including the Husky Pawket Guide — a student-focused email newsletter — and Ģ����Ƶ Insider — an internal newsletter for faculty and staff — as well as public Ģ����Ƶ social media platforms, including LinkedIn and Instagram. Using both internal and public-facing channels helped gather perspectives from people currently closely connected to the Ģ����Ƶ as well as prospective students, parents, alumni and others outside the University.

This research revealed clear patterns in how people use the homepage. Search overwhelmingly dominated user activity, while resources such as MyĢ����Ƶ, admissions and academic information were among the most frequent destinations. Survey feedback also showed that people wanted the homepage to highlight University news and achievements, student stories, research and innovation, and important information about financial aid and affordability.

Accessibility was a core consideration from the beginning of the project. Ģ����Ƶ accessibility standards and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), an international standard for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities, informed decisions about video controls, navigation, headings, image descriptions, links and other interactive elements.

As the design developed, early previews were shared with, and input invited from, a broad cross section of the University community, including the president’s council and provost’s council; the Board of Regents; the Faculty Senate Executive Committee; student government leaders from our Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses; and partners representing admissions, alumni engagement, philanthropy, research, Ģ����Ƶ Medicine, Ģ����Ƶ Athletics, Ģ����Ƶ Bothell, Ģ����Ƶ Tacoma and other areas. Those conversations helped surface different needs, test assumptions and refine the direction before launch.

From a static page to a flexible system

New, adaptable spaces also allow the University to respond to the rhythm of the year — from admissions and commencement to cherry blossom season — and to highlight major research discoveries, significant University announcements or even an unexpected moment of Husky pride.

The result is a homepage that provides more flexibility to update content without redesigning the page itself.

One of the most visible changes is the new hero section at the top of the homepage. The hero section uses short-form video to create a stronger sense of Ģ����Ƶ identity and place, giving visitors an immediate visual sense of the University and the people, settings and experiences that make the Ģ����Ƶ distinctive.

As the design developed and moved into production, early partners were brought back into the process to review the evolving direction, respond to previews and help refine how the homepage could support different needs across the University. That input further informed both the design and the approach to keeping individual homepage components updated after launch.

“This was an opportunity to rethink one of the University’s most visible spaces,” said Jack Martin, vice president for marketing and communications. “The goal is to create something that feels unmistakably Ģ����Ƶ, while giving us more flexibility to respond to major moments, elevate important priorities and better reflect the breadth of the University.”

Building for what comes next

Launching the page isn’t intended to be the end of the redesign.

The new homepage was built to support ongoing testing and refinement, giving the team more ways to understand what people use, what they engage with and where the experience can improve.

Future possibilities include A/B testing and more personalized experiences tailored to audience needs.

The redesign, then, is not only about what the homepage looks like in September 2026. It creates a framework the Ģ����Ƶ can continue to shape over time, based on how people actually use it. The redesign is an expression of our commitment to making the Ģ����Ƶ’s web presence a truly useful resource for our many audiences and the state of Washington.

Share your feedback

The new homepage will continue to be evaluated and refined after launch. Visitors are invited to share feedback about their experience with the redesigned site through .

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The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent research organization at the Ģ����Ƶ, has received a landmark 10-year grant from the Gates Foundation to strengthen freely available, scientifically rigorous health evidence used by governments, researchers, and leaders to improve the health and well-being of people in Washington, the United States, and around the world.

IHME is part of the Ģ����Ƶ School of Medicine, and the $540.2 million investment will provide long-term support for expanding the Global Burden of Disease study to provide health data for thousands of new areas. GBD is the most comprehensive assessment of health trends and conditions across countries. Under the grant, GBD will expand from roughly 925 locations today to nearly 5,000 — a major expansion in the geographic detail available to the people making decisions. The grant will also support IHME’s health forecasting and future-scenarios work, and its tracking of health spending worldwide.

Together, these resources help decision-makers, researchers, and health professionals understand the health challenges people face today, anticipate what is coming next, and determine how limited resources can be used most effectively to improve health.

“Reliable and independent evidence can mean the difference between reacting to a health crisis after it has taken hold and acting early enough to change its course,” said Dr. Christopher J.L. Murray, IHME director and professor of health metrics sciences. “This investment will allow us to provide high-quality evidence at a much more local level and help leaders understand not only where health is improving or worsening, but which decisions can make the greatest difference for people.”

Murray, the grant’s principal investigator, started the Global Burden of Disease study in the early 1990s and has led its development since, in collaboration with a global research network now spanning more than 150 countries and territories.

The Gates Foundation, along with the state of Washington, provided the founding investment that established IHME at the Ģ����Ƶ in 2007, creating an independent institute dedicated to measuring the world’s most pressing health challenges and evaluating whether policies and programs are improving people’s lives. Its sustained support has helped build the field of health metrics itself. IHME has developed many of the methods and standards the field now relies on and has helped collaborators contribute to the field as well. The new grant builds on that longstanding partnership and provides a base for IHME’s next phase of growth.

“Every government and funder faces difficult decisions about where to invest limited resources for greatest impact, and those decisions depend on trusted evidence,” said Mark Suzman, Chief Executive Officer of the Gates Foundation. “For nearly two decades, IHME has been one of the foundation’s most important global partners, helping us, governments, researchers, and global health partners around the world understand where health is improving, where progress is stalling, and where action is needed most. Our long-term commitment recognizes the value of this work to strengthen a shared evidence base that will continue to inform decisions to improve—and save—millions of lives.”

The Global Burden of Disease network has grown to more than 20,000 collaborators in over 150 countries and territories: researchers, clinicians, government analysts, and policymakers who contribute to the study’s data and methods and carry health measurement into their own institutions and ministries. This next phase of IHME’s work is an opportunity to consolidate that foundation and extend it considerably further.

The grant comes as countries confront overlapping health threats and growing pressure on public and global health budgets. By producing more detailed, timely, and forward-looking evidence, IHME aims to help leaders identify urgent needs, prepare health systems, and invest in policies and programs most likely to prevent illness, disability, and premature death.

The award is the largest charitable grant ever given to the Ģ����Ƶ.

“The Gates Foundation has been a steadfast partner of the Ģ����Ƶ for decades, and we are grateful for its generous support. The Ģ����Ƶ is committed to improving the health of people in Washington and around the world, and this investment will expand IHME’s already significant impact, which will mean longer, healthier lives for countless people,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Robert J. Jones.

IHME’s research and findings are freely available to countries, researchers, and communities regardless of their income or access to commercial data systems.

“We are deeply grateful to the Gates Foundation for this extraordinary investment in IHME and the Ģ����Ƶ School of Medicine,” said Dr. Timothy Dellit, CEO of Ģ����Ƶ Medicine and dean of the Ģ����Ƶ School of Medicine. “Their longstanding partnership has helped make it possible for IHME to deliver trusted health evidence around the world. This new grant will extend that impact by giving leaders data that are comprehensive and comparable to guide decisions that help improve the health of communities and save lives.”

Read . For interview requests, data inquiries or general questions, please contact IHME at ihmemedia@uw.edu.

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President Robert J. Jones, Provost Tricia Serio and more than two dozen new Ģ����Ƶ faculty toured Washington state last week on the annual Faculty Field Tour.

The five-day bus tour departed from the Burke Museum in Seattle on June 15 and made stops at historic sites, the state capitol, health clinics, vineyards, farms, cities and towns throughout the state.

Jones met the group in Richland to participate in a fireside chat. The following day, the Ģ����Ƶ president joined them at Schoesler Farms, the Ritzville wheat farm owned by Sen. Mark Schoesler, a Republican, and his family. Jones, an agronomist, was delighted to spend time with new faculty, meet Schoesler and get a hands-on tour of the wheat farm.

“We are a state university. We have an obligation on both sides of the mountains,” Jones said. “We have breadth that runs the entire state. And on this tour, these relatively new faculty members have a chance to experience that.”

Ģ����Ƶ’s Faculty Field Tour began more than 30 years ago to foster connection between new faculty and communities statewide. While making a counterclockwise loop around Washington, the participants learn about Washington’s varied economies, diverse geography and the places where their students grew up. The tour typically stops in Tacoma, Olympia, Mt. St. Helens, Vancouver, Toppenish, Tri-Cities, Ritzville, Spokane, Grand Coulee and Leavenworth before returning to Seattle.

Held the week following Commencement, the tour is open to faculty from all three Ģ����Ƶ campuses. This year’s cohort included an oceanographer from the College of the Environment, a writing studies professor from Ģ����Ƶ Tacoma, an economist from the College of Arts & Sciences, and Ģ����Ƶ Bothell’s executive vice provost for academic affairs, among others.

“Our students come from all over the state, right? Certainly not just Seattle,” said , a Ģ����Ƶ assistant professor in the Information School who was on the tour. “If you want to be an effective educator, you need to understand where your students come from and what their communities are like.”

The 2027 Faculty Field Tour is scheduled for the week of June 14.

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Lance brings more than 18 years of university leadership and legal experience to the role, serving for the past five years as chief of staff to the provost at Seattle University. Prior to that role, Lance served as SU’s associate university counsel from 2017 to 2021 and assistant to the executive vice president and assistant university counsel from 2010 to 2017.

“David stood out not only for the depth and breadth of his experience as a university chief of staff, but for the incredible esteem in which he is held by all who have worked with him. In addition, his deep knowledge and understanding of the local higher education landscape makes him the ideal person to fill this important role,” said President Jones.

Before joining Seattle University, Lance was an associate attorney for Miller Nash, LLP where his practice focused on higher education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Marquette University, a juris doctorate from Seattle University School of Law and was an adjunct law professor from 2012 to 2016.

“Having been born and raised in Washington, I am honored to join the Husky family,” Lance said. “The Ģ����Ƶ stands as a leading public research university and prominent member of the AAU and Big Ten Conference. I look forward to serving alongside President Jones, Provost Serio and the Ģ����Ƶ community as we navigate the headwinds facing higher education, lead in this moment of change, and continue our work to educate students, care for patients, innovate and produce knowledge, and serve our communities, all for the common good.”

As chief of staff, Lance will serve as a senior advisor to the president, helping to drive strategic priorities and oversee the operations of the Executive Office of the President and Provost. He will work closely with campus and external partners to ensure alignment across the University, advance the institution’s strategic plan and strengthen collaboration among divisions. Lance will also support the administration’s engagement with the Ģ����Ƶ Board of Regents and help ensure the University’s mission and values are reflected in its leadership and decision making.

Lance is the youngest son of two Huskies — Stan Lance, who graduated with a master’s degree in 1972 and an MBA in 1975, and Nora Lance, who earned a bachelor’s degree in 1973.

Outside of work, Lance enjoys running and longs for more October baseball in Seattle. He also explores the Pacific Northwest’s trails, beaches and mountains with his wife, Christi, and three young kids.

Lance succeeds Hasoni Pratts, who served as chief of staff following the departure of Margaret Shepherd, who left the Ģ����Ƶ in September after serving at the University for 16 years.

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It all started with a slide rule.

In the fall of 1965, during Cheryl Wright’s first week at the Ģ����Ƶ, she went to Suzzallo Library to complete a chemistry assignment. She needed help with a math problem and saw a boy across the reading room who had a slide rule — an analog calculator. The young pharmacy student who helped her that day was Raymond Wilson. Together the couple, who go by Cherie and Ray, did far more than solve a mathematical equation — they married and formed a bond that’s lasted more than six decades.

Cherie and Ray, both members of the Class of 1969,  went on to have successful academic and professional careers.  Over the years, their connections to the Ģ����Ƶ have deepened. They have supported scholarships, created alumni communities, built friendships and professional relationships, and cheered for Husky athletics, including the volleyball, basketball and football teams.

Now, the Wilsons have made a bequest of more than $8 million to be shared among the College of Education, the School of Pharmacy and Ģ����Ƶ Medicine’s BRaIN Laboratory. Bequests allow donors to direct their assets to causes after their death. The bequest brings the Wilsons’ total giving to more than $10 million and they now will be recognized by the Ģ����Ƶ as Presidential Laureates.

“This remarkable bequest reflects not only Cherie and Ray Wilson’s generosity, but a lifetime of connection to the Ģ����Ƶ. It represents an enduring relationship grounded in gratitude, trust and a shared belief in the power of education and discovery,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Robert J. Jones. “From their earliest days as students to this extraordinary commitment, they have invested in people, ideas and communities across our university. Cherie and Ray’s impact will be felt for generations, expanding opportunity for students and advancing research that improves lives.”

After graduating from the Ģ����Ƶ, both Cherie and Ray attended the University of Kansas, where Cherie earned a master’s degree in early childhood development and Ray earned his doctorate in medicinal chemistry. They both earned medical degrees from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Cherie and Ray wanted to return to Washington state and eventually settled near Seattle, where Cherie worked as a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s and in private practice in Bellevue. Ray set up a gastroenterology practice at the Everett Clinic. Their career success enabled them to give back to the community in several ways, including philanthropically, with several gifts supporting the Ģ����Ƶ. For Ray, who was able to attend the Ģ����Ƶ thanks to scholarships, supporting students today is a way to pay it forward.

“Our giving is out of gratitude for what the University did for us,” Ray said. “It certainly helped me when I didn’t have a lot of money. It’s a privilege to try and help other students who might be struggling to get through school.”

College of Education

Ray was inspired to create an endowed scholarship fund at the College of Education more than a decade ago to support master’s level teacher training for Native Americans. It was a way to honor his high school baseball and basketball coach, Dan Iyall. Iyall, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, reached legendary status as a pioneer in Washington high school athletics.

Iyall worked for nearly 50 years in education and is a member of the Washington Baseball Hall of Fame. He created the Washington high school baseball championships and is credited with developing a new style of bunting. He coached championship-level teams from four different high schools across Eastern Washington: Coulee City, Deer Park, Oroville and University. He also took a team from Oroville to the Washington State A boys basketball championship.

Wilson said Iyall’s presence reinforced the importance of inclusivity.

“Eventually, I decided we need more people like Dan Iyall,” Wilson said. “We need more teachers like that.”

The bequest will grow the Dan Iyall Native American Support Fund by more than 300%.  Thanks to the fund, more than a dozen Native American fellows have earned their master’s in teaching. Now, the College will be able to award more fellowships each year.

The Wilsons are also creating the Dean Mia Tuan Endowed Professorship, to recognize Tuan’s leadership and long-standing emphasis on authentic, reciprocal community partnerships and culturally informed problem solving. The new endowment will allow the College to recruit and retain faculty specializing in community- and equity-based education.

“Ray and Cherie are extraordinary people whose generosity reflects a deep commitment to strengthening our communities,” Tuan said. “Their gift will support Native students in becoming teachers while helping diversify Washington’s educator workforce. I am also deeply moved that their gift will establish an endowed professorship dedicated to authentic community partnerships and culturally grounded problem solving.”

School of Pharmacy

Several decades after Ray received financial assistance to attend the Ģ����Ƶ School of Pharmacy, he teamed up with classmates and launched the Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund. Set up in the 2000s, it was the first School of Pharmacy alumni class to create a fund to help students.

“I came from a small town in Eastern Washington with almost no money, and yet, the University provided me with scholarships and completely covered my tuition,” Ray said.

Wendel L. Nelson, a professor and pioneer in medicinal chemistry, recognized Ray’s talents early on and hired him to work in a lab. The research helped Ray advance his career, and the extra money helped pay for food and housing. More than that, the combination of scholarships and laboratory work enabled Ray to graduate debt-free.

With this bequest, the Wilsons’ generosity supports two additional funds in the School of Pharmacy: The Wendel L. Nelson Endowment in Medicinal Chemistry, named for Ray’s mentor, will support graduate students involved in basic laboratory research in medicinal chemistry. The gift also adds to the Nelson-Mendenhall Summer Scholars Program Fund, which brings undergraduates to the Ģ����Ƶ School of Pharmacy for a 10-week intensive in pharmaceutical sciences.

“From their longstanding financial support to their ongoing participation in School events, to Ray’s past volunteer leadership, Ray and Cherie have already contributed so much to our School of Pharmacy community, and they have done so with a genuine desire to help students and the School thrive,” said School of Pharmacy Dean Jay Panyam. “The Wilsons’ estate commitment is yet another example of their incredible generosity, and I know it will have a significant and lasting impact for our students.”

Ģ����Ƶ Biorepository and Integrated Neuropathology (BRaIN) Laboratory in the Ģ����Ƶ School of Medicine

The Wilsons’ bequest contributes additional funds to the BRaIN Laboratory, part of Ģ����Ƶ Medicine’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.

Researchers at the BRaIN Lab are studying normal brain anatomy and function and how these change in injury and disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy .

Cherie and Ray  were introduced to the BRaIN Lab’s groundbreaking research by their former neighbors, Linda and Bob Dahl, whose son, Matthew Dahl, was one of their favorite neighborhood kids. When he died at 24, they were moved to learn about the BRaIN Lab, where Bob and Linda had donated his brain for research and to understand the impact of a childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). The examination determined that Matt’s childhood TBI had evolved, rather than resolved. The outcome — Matt’s brain showed significant damage — highlighted the importance of such donations and moved the Wilsons to make meaningful philanthropic contributions to the lab.

Cherie said she’s hopeful the BRaIN Lab’s work may lead to treatments that could result in better long-term outcomes for patients.

“Some of these problems are going to be solved,” Cherie said. “Just becoming aware of chronic head injury and the effect on kids is really, really important.”

The BRaIN lab is a global leader in neurological research on many topics, including TBI. With this bequest, the Wilsons support the intersection of pharmaceutical research and brain injury and disease.

“Ray and Cherie’s engagement and generosity will continue to help the BRaIN Lab become a national model for neuropathology research. This generous gift will accelerate our work to better understand the mechanisms of brain injury and disease and to support the development of new strategies for diagnosis, treatment and prevention,” said Dr. Caitlin S. Latimer, director of both the Division of Neuropathology and the BRaIN Lab.

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Tohoku University and the Ģ����Ƶ, two leading academic research institutions of the Pacific Rim, announced “Q-DREAM,” a significant expansion of their decades-long collaboration.

The agreement, signed by university leaders in Tokyo on Friday, provides a broader, future-oriented framework that represents areas of the highest potential synergy. The two universities will engage in joint research, education and innovation in quantum information science & engineering, disaster resilience, engineering and advanced manufacturing, and medicine — summarized with the acronym Q-DREAM.

The Q-DREAM agreement will accelerate joint research and global impact, increase student and faculty exchange programs, enhance international visibility and funding opportunities, and foster innovation ecosystems connecting academia, industry and government. The first part of this new initiative will focus on quantum materials and is set to begin immediately. The remaining focus areas are expected to roll out over the next few years.

The Ģ����Ƶ-Tohoku collaboration has grown and deepened since it began in 1996. Rooted in aerospace research, the relationship has broadened to include clean energy technology related to transportation, materials for industrial applications and seismic engineering. Since 2017, Academic Open Space (AOS), has provided a strong foundation facilitating research matching across diverse fields and fostering vibrant faculty and student exchanges. And Q-DREAM allows for even more trans-Pacific interaction.

Q-DREAM’s work will include the following focus areas:

• Quantum: Builds on both institutions’ internationally recognized leadership in quantum materials, information science and technologies to accelerate the translation of discoveries into real-world applications with impact across science, industry and national security.
• Disaster resilience: Addresses natural hazards and climate-driven risks, including earthquakes, tsunamis and extreme weather events, with the goal of strengthening community preparedness and infrastructure resilience.
• Engineering & advanced manufacturing: Advances AI-driven engineering, sustainable and resilient manufacturing, and next-generation robotics.
• Medicine: Collaborates at the intersection of engineering and medicine to drive translational research and health innovation, with the goal of accelerating the path from discovery to clinical and societal impact.

“Addressing today’s complex challenges requires bold, collaborative solutions,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Robert J. Jones. “When leading research universities align around a shared vision, we amplify our ability to advance discovery, drive innovation and serve the public good. We look forward to deepening this partnership with Tohoku University and advancing our shared work in the years ahead.”

Tohoku University President Teiji Tominaga echoed those sentiments.

“Our shared strengths in engineering, science and medicine position us to deliver even greater global impact,” said Tominaga. “Through this collaboration, we are committed to building resilience, advancing scientific discovery and improving lives.”

The Q-DREAM agreement was signed by the leaders of both institutions on the eve of Ģ����Ƶ Converge Tokyo, the Ģ����Ƶ’s annual gathering for its global community of alumni and friends.

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The Ģ����Ƶ and Microsoft have announced the expansion of their long‑standing partnership uniting world-class academic research with world-leading technology. Ģ����Ƶ and Microsoft aim to accelerate AI discovery, prepare students and workers for an AI-driven economy, and help communities understand and use AI responsibly.

The announcement, made today by Ģ����Ƶ President Robert J. Jones and Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith during an event at the Ģ����Ƶ’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, will increase the University’s access to the most advanced AI computing power, expand internship and applied research opportunities for its students, and develop community AI literacy programs, including a foundational AI course for working Washingtonians.

“Our long-standing partnership with Microsoft demonstrates what’s possible when universities and industry come together to support students and our society, and we are grateful for their continued support,” Jones said. “Together, we’re expanding students’ access to hands-on learning, advancing AI research and strengthening our workforce.”

This announcement builds on Microsoft’s decades-long support of the University, including $165 million of investments in student scholarships and enhancements to the Ģ����Ƶ’s world-leading computer science and engineering programs. In tandem with ongoing state and federal support, these investments have helped increase access to education and contributed to the state’s highly skilled workforce.

“President Jones has outlined a bold vision for the Ģ����Ƶ, one that expands access and affordability in higher ed, forges radical partnerships and strengthens civic health,” Smith said. “It’s essential that this vision includes broad access to AI technology and the skills to use it, so students, workers and communities across Washington are prepared for this new era of computing and can share fully in its benefits.”

The timing of the announcement comes as forecasts predict a need to fill 1.5 million job vacancies in Washington by 2032 — about 640,000 new jobs and 910,000 openings due to retirements, according to Partnership for Learning. Up to 75% of those vacancies will require post-secondary credentials, with four-year and advanced degrees in highest demand. If current trends hold, experts predict a shortfall of nearly 600,000 credentialed workers in Washington over the decade.

“It’s critical that industry, colleges and universities, and policy makers continue to work together to maintain the region’s economy and climate of innovation and discovery,” Smith said. “That includes avoiding going backward by making cuts to core state funding that would make a college degree less accessible to our state’s students.”

The budgets proposed by the Washington State Legislature’s majorities would keep funding for the Ģ����Ƶ largely stable. Historically, the Legislature has created a fertile environment for workforce growth and training through the Washington Workforce Education Investment Act (WEIA) and the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS).

Since passage in 2019, with support from Microsoft and other business leaders, the WEIA has generated more than $2 billion in dedicated funding to expand higher education access in Washington.  WSOS — a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership in which private employers contribute philanthropic dollars that are matched by the State of Washington to expand access to higher education in high-demand fields — has delivered nearly $150 million in total scholarships statewide, combining private donations and state matching funds. One-third of WSOS scholars attend the Ģ����Ƶ.

“These new elements of our partnership with Microsoft continue to position the Ģ����Ƶ and our state as leaders in access to higher education and at the forefront of the emerging technologies that can drive broad-based prosperity,” Jones said.

Microsoft and the Ģ����Ƶ’s expanded partnership will:

• Provide faculty, researchers and students with access to advanced computing capabilities that enable modern AI training, experimentation and research, and instruction. Microsoft is supplementing this effort by donating Microsoft Azure cloud computing credits to help accelerate the development of a research cloud computing platform.
• Launch a new initiative to connect Ģ����Ƶ faculty, visiting professors and students with real-world research opportunities at Microsoft. This is based on a new “research marketplace” that will be established and supported by Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab. It will be complemented by 10 additional graduate student-researcher slots per year — eight through the Microsoft Research organization and two in the AI for Good Lab.
• Support undergraduate students as they become civic leaders, helping them build ethical judgment, digital citizenship and agency to co-design how emerging technologies, including AI, will serve communities and democracy.
• Join forces with Ģ����Ƶ’s Continuum College, an institution serving more than 50,000 learners annually through 400 programs serving young people, working adults and senior citizens. The Ģ����Ƶ and Microsoft will develop programming that helps Washingtonians navigate AI-related workforce transitions with confidence and purpose. This collaboration will result in new courses and other learning pathways focused on career resilience, evolving job demands and navigating the challenges that accompany shifting career identities.
• Beginning this fall, the Ģ����Ƶ and Microsoft will launch a new collaboration on Microsoft’s Redmond campus that reimagines how universities and industry work together. This part of the work will deepen workforce‑connected education and applied learning. The collaboration will support the co‑development of select courses and learning experiences for Microsoft employees navigating rapid AI‑driven change, while enabling Ģ����Ƶ students to learn alongside industry professionals and gain real‑world insight as part of their academic experience. Additional details will be announced later this year.

Since becoming the Ģ����Ƶ’s 34th president in August 2025, President Jones has set out three key priorities for the University: increasing access to education, including through the goal of making a Ģ����Ƶ degree debt-free for Washington undergraduates; spurring radical collaborations with businesses and communities to advance positive change; and eliminating any artificial barriers between the University and the communities it serves.

Along with strategic planning underway at the Ģ����Ƶ, Jones is engaging with corporate and civic leaders, as well as organizations throughout the region, to expand existing partnerships with the Ģ����Ƶ. Through these relationships, he aims to support access and affordability for students and the economic vitality and social fabric of Washington state and beyond.

For more information, contact Victor Balta at balta@uw.edu.

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