UW president to step down
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
UW President Ana Mari Cauce listens to speakers at a UW Board of Regents public meeting in May. Cauce, who has served as president since 2015, announced that she will step down next year.
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Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | July 15, 2024 1:00 AM
SEATTLE — Ana Mari Cauce, who has served as president of the University of Washington for a decade, announced Wednesday that she’ll be stepping down at the end of her second five-year term in June 2025. She plans to return to her faculty position.
“While I never imagined that my path would lead me here when I arrived as an assistant professor almost 40 years ago, the chance to lead this great public university has been an immense honor and a wonderful experience. I’m deeply grateful to be part of this incredible community that creates so much positive impact in the world,” Cauce said.
Cauce, the 33rd president in the university’s history, is the first woman, first Latina and first openly-gay person to serve as president.
A Cuban-born immigrant, Cauce has been with the university since 1986, when she was hired as an assistant professor of psychology. She served as chair in the American Ethnic Studies and Psychology departments, then as dean of the college of Arts & Sciences and as provost. She was named president in 2015.
“Ana Mari Cauce is an outstanding president, who has led the UW through some of the most tumultuous times in its history. She has advanced the University’s public mission through partnerships with legislators, civic leaders, and the philanthropic community,” David Zeeck, chair of the UW Board of Regents wrote in a statement on behalf of the Board. “Few university presidents now serve 10 years. The University has been fortunate to have Ana Mari in this position since 2015.”
“From day one of her presidency of the University of Washington, Ana Mari Cauce asked a vitally important question – ‘What can the UW do to help the people and places you represent?’” said Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. “Over the years, on project after project, in community after community, Ana Mari and her team stepped up to make a difference – not only for UW students but for the entire state. She consistently showed the profound impact of higher education and innovation. I’m grateful for her leadership and partnership, and I look forward to what she will continue to do for the UW during her final year as President.”
Cauce said she plans to use the next year to shore up support for higher education in the Legislature, work to encourage civil discourse and learning across differences, advance interdisciplinary research and teaching, break down traditional academic silos, and ensure a smooth transition to the Big Ten.
“The UW is a world leader in providing access to excellence for students and discovery and innovation that serves communities around the world,” Cauce said. “My focus now and in the year ahead is to ensure that we continue to serve that public mission and create positive change for future generations.”
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.