View From the Top: A&S Alum Mark Emmert Returns to Campus as President

Mark Emmert remembers the first time he visited the University of Washington. He was about 13 years old, living in Fife, traveling to the UW campus with his family to visit a cousin.

“I was stunned with the place,” he recalls. “It was so beautiful, big, and exciting—every expansive adjective you can think of. I knew that’s where I wanted to go to school.”

	UW President--and College of Arts and Sciences alumnus--Mark Emmert. Photo by Mary Levin.

Emmert got his wish, graduating from the UW with a B.A. in Political Science in 1975. Now he’s back in a new role: president. It’s the first time in 48 years that an alumnus has returned to lead the University of Washington.

Emmert comes to the UW with considerable administrative experience. After earning a Masters in Public Affairs and Ph.D. from Syracuse University, he joined the faculty of Northern Illinois University and then University of Colorado, where he eventually served as the Denver campus’s associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. He went on to serve as provost at Montana State University, chancellor at University of Connecticut, and chancellor at Louisiana State University before accepting the position of University of Washington president.

In August, one month after arriving as president, Mark Emmert discussed his return to the UW with A&S Perspectives editor Nancy Joseph.

What do you remember most from your years as a UW undergraduate in the early 1970s?
It was the opening of a floodgate of experiences. I had this sheltered, working class American childhood. While I was always a good student, and thought I was worldly—laughable of course—the UW offered this explosion of experiences in the classroom, in the library, and socially. It was this gigantic awakening.

As a student, did you have any contact with then UW President Charles Odegaard?
I know that President Odegaard did a splendid job, leading the University through some challenging times and helping it blossom. But when I was an undergraduate, I never saw him and never had any connection with him. That fact has shaped some of my behavior as a university leader. I’ve tried to make the role of chancellor a very visible one. I want to do that here with the presidency as well. It’s hard because here there are 40,000 students. I can’t have a personal relationship with them, but I can put a face on “the administration.” When “the administration” does something, it needs to be clear that there is a person, Mark Emmert, behind it.

You majored in political science at the UW. Did you envision an academic career?
Not at all. I thought I was going to be a lawyer. Like most young people, I wasn’t sure what political science was. As I took a few classes in it, I found that I loved it. That and history. Both captured and fired my imagination.

In my senior year, I realized that I didn’t want to do law. I started casting about. I really liked public policy but didn’t want to run for office. So I went off to graduate school in public affairs thinking I might become a city manager. At that point, the idea of being a professor hadn’t crossed my mind. But when a number of [graduate school] faculty members asked me if I ever thought of becoming a professor, it was like a light bulb going on.

You did quite a bit of teaching early in your career but had to relinquish that role as your administrative duties increased. Do you miss teaching?
I do. When I began teaching, I was surprised I liked it so much. I was surprised that I got so much pleasure from watching other people learn. It’s just great fun to watch, over the course of a semester, someone’s knowledge really emerge. When I became provost [at Montana State University], it was the first time I couldn’t teach my own class. I’ve tried to tell myself that I’ve chosen to do something else for now. For the moment, all I get a chance to do is guest lecture. But I do get to interact with students in different ways—through student government, recreational sports, the Greek system, and residence halls. Now I get a broader interaction with students, but not as deep an interaction.

You had just renegotiated your contract at Louisiana State University when the University of Washington contacted you about the presidency. Was the decision to leave LSU difficult?
I loved LSU and planned to stay a long time—at least another five to eight years. I had just told the LSU Board, “There’s only one institution I would leave for, and that’s the University of Washington.” Twelve months later, I was contacted by a search firm regarding the UW position. It was a dream come true for me and my wife, but a horrible time for LSU. We had just hired a provost and I had just recommitted 12 months earlier. It was a fragile moment. So I said “no” to the UW job.

But you’re here now, so something must have changed.
The UW came back to me again, and by this time I felt LSU was in better shape. I’d said “no” to the UW once and couldn’t say “no” twice. I swallowed hard and told the LSU Board chair, and offered to do all I could to help them find someone to replace me.

How has it felt to be back at the UW in this new role? Does the campus seem dramatically different than when you were a student?
My wife and I have been back to Washington quite a bit through the years because our families are still here. Nearly every time we’d visit them, I’d make a trip across campus. And because it’s my alma mater and I’m in higher education, I’ve followed UW news from afar. So there haven’t been any big surprises.

Do memories of your own experience as a UW student provide useful insights?
Well, although I loved my experience as an undergraduate, there were some things I didn’t like that are still concerns today. It’s such a big place that it took me a while to find my way around and develop relationships with my professors and other students. We ought to be able to make that easier. We have made significant strides to improve the nature of the undergraduate experience, but it is still a challenge. For those students who reach out and grab the University, they just have an unbelievable experience. For those who are more passive, we have to make that easier for them.

What will be your focus in the coming months?
I’ve got to continue to get to know the University, so right now I’m listening more than talking, getting a clear sense of this remarkable institution, learning what works and what doesn’t work. Beyond that, I’d like to convey to the people of Washington the centrality of higher education—and this university—
in this state. There is not a problem in this state for which the University is not a central part of the solution. The state gets a great return on its investment in higher education.

You’ve said that the UW is your last stop. True?
Yes. My aspiration is to retire from the presidency of the University of Washington. I can’t even imagine why I’d want to go to another university. I don’t say that casually. This is one of the greatest universities on earth, and it’s my home. Why would I want to go anyplace else?he says. “I have long wanted to delve into Renaissance science but never really had the opportunity. This course turned out to be the most rewarding teaching experience of my career.”

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