Statement of Support for the UW and Higher Education
As members of the University Retirement Association Board and its standing committees, we represent generations of administrators, faculty, and staff who have dedicated our professional lives to advancing knowledge, fostering critical inquiry, and serving the public good through higher education. Today, we are compelled to speak out in defense of our university and its fundamental values in the face of troubling attacks from government officials that threaten the integrity, autonomy, and mission of our institution.
We stand firmly with the current UW leadership, faculty, staff, and students who are committed to maintaining a university environment grounded in free expression, evidence-based inquiry, and inclusive excellence. We reject any attempts to turn institutions of higher learning into tools for political agendas.
The strength of the University of Washington lies in its commitment to truth, intellectual diversity, and service to society. These principles must not be compromised.
We call on public officials to respect the autonomy of our university and to support, rather than attack, its mission. We urge our fellow citizens to recognize that an attack on a university is an attack on the future of education, discovery, and democracy itself.