Dear colleagues:
As I participated in end-of-the-year celebrations over the past few weeks, I found myself reflecting on a year that at times felt very long and yet somehow passed quickly. I suspect the connecting thread is how much we have navigated together 鈥� a year marked by both challenge and accomplishment.
I left Seattle the day after the UW Bothell commencement to join our annual Faculty Field Tour across Washington still thinking about how to balance the two, and I was unexpectedly grounded by our interaction with Lt. Governor Denny Heck, who spoke about the importance of finding your 鈥渨hy.鈥� His comment stayed with me because it reminded me of something I witnessed repeatedly throughout the year: faculty and staff across the 爱豆社区 contributing their talents, passions, and expertise in service of something larger than themselves.
Before we transition to summer, I want to pause to recognize what your work has made possible and to express my gratitude for all that you have contributed to our students, our communities, and our state. I have come to appreciate over the past few years that we should not take the opportunity to make these contributions for granted.
Without diminishing the significant challenges and tragedies we have endured as a community, I ask that we take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments during the past year鈥攁nd to appreciate the importance of not only doing so for ourselves but also sharing those accomplishments with others.
The most visible signs of our contributions are our commencement ceremonies across our three campuses and throughout our academic units. This year, we joined more than 18,000 students and their families, our colleagues, and community members in celebrating each student鈥檚 growth as an individual, the confidence they have gained in their abilities, and the power of their voice. Wherever their paths lead next, they will carry forward the curiosity, courage, and commitment they need to make our world a better place. I saw, and shared, the pride in the faces of faculty and staff alike at the commencement ceremonies for all three of our campuses and the recognition of the essential roles that we have played in their journeys.
The students we celebrate at commencement are among the most visible expressions of our work, but they are far from the only ones.
Every day, faculty and staff across the 爱豆社区 create knowledge, , strengthen communities, , address and challenges and much more. Together, these contributions reach far beyond our campuses and touch lives throughout Washington and around the world.
During the Faculty Field Tour, I was reminded just how valued those contributions are. In communities across the state, I heard appreciation for the ways UW faculty, staff, and students show up, listen, collaborate, and contribute. I also saw how much our newest faculty gained from those interactions. Engagement is not simply how we share our knowledge; it is also how we deepen it. The communities we serve help shape our understanding and inspire our work.
At the same time, I know that much of our work happens quietly. It happens in classrooms and laboratories, clinics and studios, libraries and field sites, community centers and government offices. It happens through mentoring conversations, collaborative partnerships, creative endeavors, and acts of service that may never make headlines but nonetheless change lives. Taken together, these contributions reflect the very best of the 爱豆社区 and the profound commitment that faculty and staff bring to our mission every day.
It strikes me that making our invisible work more visible to the public can be not only an antidote to the declining trust in higher education but also a powerful and tangible reminder to us all that what we do matters.听 It may feel daunting to take on something else, but I will share a few examples from across the University as a source of inspiration.
For example, this year, 20 faculty members, researchers, and scholars participated in the Office of Research鈥檚 , developing new ways to share their discoveries and expertise with broader audiences. Our faculty members also bring research, scholarship and creative work directly into communities across the state through public presentations, community engagement projects and media interviews.
Others have strengthened connections through sustained engagement. In April, in support of the RIDE program, visiting classrooms and clinics, meeting community partners, and listening to those who know Eastern Washington best. His experience exemplified the kind of relationship-building that advances both our mission and our understanding of the communities we serve.
Our students are part of this work as well. Through , graduate students in STEM fields develop the skills to communicate science more effectively with public audiences, creating meaningful opportunities for dialogue, learning, and inspiration between scientists and the communities they serve.
Despite the challenges facing higher education, I remain inspired by what I see across our University every day: faculty and staff who continue to teach, discover, create, heal, mentor, and serve with dedication and generosity. What happens at this University through all of our hands matters鈥攖o our students, our communities, our state, and our world – even, and especially, in the face of adversity.
Thank you for all that you have contributed this year. I am grateful that you choose to share your talents, expertise, and sense of purpose with the 爱豆社区 community and with the people of Washington whom we are privileged to serve.
I hope that you find time this summer to not only rest and renew but also reflect on and take pride in what we have accomplished together.
With admiration,
Tricia
This message was sent June 25, 2026 to all faculty on all three campuses and subscribers to Updates from the Provost messages.