University of Washington, Seattle

University of Washington

Former name	Territorial University of Washington (1861–1889)
Motto	Lux sit (Latin)
Motto in English	Let there be light
Type	Public flagship
Established	1861
Academic affiliations	AAU APLU URA APRU UArctic
Endowment	$2.968 billion (2016)
President	Ana Mari Cauce
Academic staff	5,803
Administrative staff	16,174
Students	46,081 (Fall 2016)
Undergraduates	31,418 (Fall 2016)
Postgraduates	14,663 (Fall 2016)
Location	Seattle, Washington, U.S. 47°39′18″N 122°18′29″W / 47.655°N 122.308°W / 47.655; -122.308Coordinates: 47°39′18″N 122°18′29″W / 47.655°N 122.308°W / 47.655; -122.308
Campus	Urban, 703 acres (2.8 km2)
Colors	Purple & Gold
Nickname	Huskies ("Dawgs")
Mascot	Harry the Husky, and Dubs (live Husky)
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – Pac-12
Website	www.washington.edu

The University of Washington, commonly referred to as simply Washington, UW, or informally U-Dub, is a public research university whose largest and original campus is in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast.

The university has three campuses: the oldest and largest in the University District of Seattle and two others in Tacoma and Bothell. UW occupies over 500 buildings, with over 20 million gross square footage of space, including the University of Washington Plaza, the 325-foot (99 m) UW Tower, over 26 university libraries, as well as numerous conference centers.

Washington is a member of the Association of American Universities and is consistently ranked among the top 15 universities in the world by a variety of international publications. In athletics, the university competes in the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). Its athletic teams are called the Huskies.

Seattle was one of several settlements in the mid to late 19th century vying for primacy in the new Washington Territory. In 1854, territorial governor Isaac Stevens recommended the establishment of a university in Washington. Several prominent Seattle-area residents, chief among them Methodist preacher Daniel Bagley, saw the siting of this University as a chance to add to the city's prestige. They convinced early founder of Seattle and member of the territorial legislature Arthur A. Denny of the importance of Seattle winning the school. The legislature initially chartered two universities, one in Seattle and one in Lewis County, but later repealed its decision in favor of a single university in Lewis County, provided locally donated land could be found. When no site emerged, the legislature, encouraged by Denny, relocated the university to Seattle in 1858.