Last night Jamie, Anthony, and I went to Come Together Washington (link). This was the kick off for a $2 billion campaign to raise money for the UW community and to also show off some of the great work that is being done at UW. I mean, we have a faculty member who just won the Nobel Prize, so you gotta be proud of that.
The entire night was an interesting concept, the idea of something like this, and I am glad that I attended. The three speeches were good, but the one given by Bill Gates Sr. was by far the best. He seemed the most energetic about what he was talking about and he just flowed really well. The other two speeches, those by UW President Emmert and Bill Gates III, were good as well and I am glad that I was there to hear them.
The overarching goal of the night was to show that by supporting the UW you will reap the benefits. The “you” I am talking about could be about anything. This is something that I never really thought about. I mean, to think that I am apart of something bigger than just classes and getting a degree just blew me away. Watching the streaming video from Rome, China, and Yakima Valley was something that made me realize that this university has huge outreach. I just wish the tax payers saw it that way as well.
I am glad that I got a seat, since the place was packed. It just so happened that we were by the iSchool faculty and staff that came to watch. I felt bad for those who couldn’t get a seat. But, overall I am glad that I went. It was a good time to hear the speakers talk about our school in a different light from how I usually see it. I never thought about it like how they spoke or what it would mean to have a degree from UW, but I guess it just added a layer of pride to the degree that I will be getting shortly from this university.