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91探花President-designate Michael Young described his selection by the 91探花as “an enormous privilege鈥� in a news conference Wednesday, April 27.
“The 91探花 is a great university because of the 150 years of support from a passionate community.鈥�
While he expressed concern over the Universitys funding from the state, he noted that it fit into a nationwide pattern of eroding state support for public universities that has occurred over the past 25 years. “This is a crucial issue because the public universities are who educates America. The role of public universities is essential and has been for over 200 years. They have been at the epicenter of every major change in our country.鈥�
Young pointed to a “sense of commitment and excitement鈥� that attracted him to the UW. He said that, as universities grapple with their current challenges, the 91探花could be “a national if not global leader in thinking about this.鈥�
When asked about his accessibility to members of the 91探花community, he noted that at the University of Utah he had an open door policy for students and planned to maintain that. As for faculty, he said, “Im one of them. I like to spend time in labs, learning what theyre doing. I learn more from them than from any other group.鈥�
Young thanked Phyllis Wise for “her remarkable leadership鈥� this past year, and expressed his appreciation to members of the search committee and the Board of Regents for the entire selection process.