September 11, 2025
On September 11, 2025, Dean Nancy Allbritton shared the following announcement with the College of Engineering community:
Dear College of Engineering Community,
Serving as your Dean over the past five years has been an extraordinary privilege, and I’m deeply honored by the opportunity to continue in this role for another term. I’d like to thank all of you for your participation in the review process. The feedback you’ve provided is invaluable to me and will help to shape our priorities and operations as we move forward. It’s been a remarkable journey, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together.
Nancy Allbritton
Through a community-led process, we developed and implemented our strategic plan, Engineering Excellence for the Public Good, which has guided our shared efforts and aspirations. Together, we’ve educated and trained outstanding engineers, growing our undergraduate population by 28% and our graduate student population by 14%.
We’ve worked hard to enhance the student experience, notably by opening the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building. The IEB has quickly become a hub of student activity with its classrooms, teaching labs, project team rooms, meeting spaces for student organizations and social and study nooks.
We established the Office of Inclusive Excellence to build and support an inclusive community where all members thrive, are valued and feel a sense of belonging. We created the New Programs & Innovation Office, which has already approved fifteen graduate certificate and stackable degree programs.
Our faculty community has grown and thrived. We welcomed 123 new faculty members and launched cluster hiring initiatives in quantum information, AI, bioimaging, and space systems. We introduced a formal reappointment review process and developed tools to support faculty in teaching, research, and service.
On the research front, our enterprise has expanded significantly. Research support significantly increased to $197.3M. We expanded partnerships with the School of Medicine, College of Arts & Sciences and Foster School of Business. We launched major industry collaborations, including UPWARDS—a $60M semiconductor initiative, Cross Pacific AI—a $50M partnership in AI research, and a $27M Boeing Advanced Research Collaboration. And established the $83M Kren Engineering and Medicine Initiative to accelerate transformative research at the intersection of engineering and medicine.
Working closely with the Elected Faculty Council and Executive Committee, we maintained a positive financial position and secured $61M in State Legislative support, including $19.6M in FY25. We expanded Collaboration Core support from eight to 22 institutes and centers, advanced shared services in HR and computing, and promoted a culture of accountability. We also raised $55M to complete the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, and since 2020, private fundraising has exceeded $228M.
Remarkably, we accomplished all these things together while facing significant challenges including a global pandemic and financial uncertainty with the state budget crisis and reduced federal funding. These achievements reflect the strength, dedication, and creativity of our entire engineering community. I’m truly grateful for your partnership and proud of what we’ve built together.
Looking ahead, I’m energized by the opportunity to serve for another five years. We’ll continue to move forward with ambition and purpose, positioning the College for continued excellence and impact. Our next steps include enhancing undergraduate and graduate programs, deepening partnerships across UW and with industry, and strengthening transparency and shared governance. We’ll expand two-way communication and engagement, provide regular updates on infrastructure, and review resource distribution to ensure equity across departments. And of course, we’ll continue to celebrate the incredible achievements of our students, faculty, and staff.
Thank you for your passion, your commitment, and your continued support. I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the years ahead.
With gratitude and excitement,
Nancy