November 2012 Luncheon -- Univ. of Washington President Michael Young

Univ. of Washington President Michael Young

 Bob Sternoff '78 demonstrated the leadership he is known for, and he invited our speaker.  "Thanks Bob", because we were fortunate to have UW President Michael Young speaking to our well-attended luncheon.  Entering his second year as head of the Univ. of Washington, we were treated to an engaging presentation by the president.  And following his presentation, he opened the floor to questions of all nature.  ’ll have the opportunity to hear about his plans and ambitions for the UW.   

We also seized the opportunity to introduce our fraternity to the good president.  Keep in mind that he not only impacts the all-important relationship between our fraternity and the university, but he is also the CEO of the University which means that Young heads the third largest employer in Washington State, with more than 70,000 employees. 

Michael K. Young became President of the University of Washington on July 1, 2011. Also a tenured Professor of Law, President Young has a distinguished record as an academic leader with broad experience in public service and diplomacy. As UW President, he leads the nation’s top public university (2nd among all universities) in attracting federal research funding. (Note that among all universities public and private, the UW is outmatched by only John Hopkins.)  The 

Prior to his appointment at the UW, he served as President and Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Utah. Under President Young’s leadership, Utah raised its stature nationally and internationally. It led the nation in the number of new companies generated from university research, significantly raised the academic profile of the student body, expanded international education, and built more than 2 million square feet of new research and teaching facilities. Private giving to the university also rose significantly during President Young’s tenure, and the number of donors more than doubled.

Pres. Michael Young and Bob Sternoff '78

Highlights in President Young's comments:

• Printed books are no longer assumed to be a part of the collegiate education.  Without books, a different approach is required for 1) factual verification and 2) conceptual frameworks. 

• UW is a partiicpant in online education group Coursera.  The UW offers 4-5 courses, and the lowest enrollment in a class is 40,000 (70-80% are from abroad). 

• The UW has nearly 100,000 students -- this was news to our luncheon group -- the explanation is 45,000 students on the three UW camuses and another 45,000 students in extended programs (on-line, off-campus, etc.)

• UW is rated the 16th best university in the world

• UW is actively engaged with 100 public schools in the state.  They are engaged in studies of what works, how to improve, and how to scale up.