SEATTLE – University of Washington (UW) President Ana Mari Cauce will step down after the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year.
Cauce, who has led UW since 2015, announced her plans Wednesday. Her tenure as the president of UW included expanding the university’s academic offerings while facing the enrollment pressures of COVID-19.
Governor Jay Inslee offered a quote of appreciation for Cauce’s tenure which UW included in marketing materials announcing the upcoming completion of her second 5-year presidential term.
“Ana Mari will depart with a long list of accomplishments…I especially appreciate her work to grow our Clean Energy Institute which has provided such an economic boost to our state and is helping new businesses take root all over the state…She brought a refreshing change from the days when I was cut from the UW basketball team,” Inslee said.
More recently, Cauce’s relationship with student organizers grew frigid when she said that graffiti she attributed to student protesters was “vile and antisemitic.” The UW Daily later reported that the images used to justify that claim came from unrelated protests that weren’t in 2024 or in Washington state.
Cauce will continue to teach Psychology and American Ethnic Studies after she steps down from the presidency. UW says details about the presidential search will continue to be released in the coming months.
