Dear Friends and Colleagues,

“Where were you when the earthquake hit?” For months after the February 28 quake, that was the most-asked question around town.

I was at a Board of Deans meeting with other UW deans at the time, discussing campus facilities. My esteemed colleagues and I dove under the Regent’s Room table until the shaking subsided (glad no one had a camera!), then headed back to our respective colleges to check on damages. Similar scenes played out all over campus.

After the excitement of the earthquake subsided, life returned to normal for most of us fairly quickly. But scientists in the UW’s Seismology Laboratory—the Northwest’s foremost resource on seismic activity—are still recovering. The quake catapulted their work into the limelight and provided unparalleled research opportunities. Their activities during and following the earthquake are described in this newsletter.

More than 2,600 A&S undergraduate students faced a tremor of a different sort in June: college graduation. As dean, I take great satisfaction in watching students embark on the next stage of their lives. The students’ own emotions during graduation are often more mixed. They feel excitement and anticipation, trepidation and relief.

Recognizing this, several departments in the College offer undergraduate seminars or workshops that encourage students to think about possible careers and to identify the many transferable skills gained through their liberal arts studies. Students have commented that these offerings provide satisfying closure as they near graduation, reminding them of all that they have accomplished at the University.

This is also the time of year that awards are presented to exceptional faculty, staff, and students at the University. As in past years, many of the recipients come from the College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty and staff accomplishments are highlighted in our expanded awards section.

The Dean’s Medalists—the top student in each of the College’s four divisions of arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences—are also profiled in this issue. One of my greatest pleasures as dean is having the opportunity to meet and talk with these talented students each spring. I am impressed not only by their intelligence and appetite for learning but also by their determination to take full advantage of all that the University has to offer, from research opportunities to internships to study abroad programs.

I only wish we could recognize more of our exceptional students each year. They are the heart of this College. Their enthusiasm motivates the rest of us—and keeps us on our toes. I look forward to great things from them in the future.

Sincerely,

David Hodge
Dean
(206) 543-5340
hodge@u.washington.edu

[Summer 2001 - Table of Contents]