Hello, and welcome to the second installment of Uniquely Washington.Here 
today, I find myself in the lobby of the Harborview Medical Center. And we're 
here to talk about what it really means "Being Public".

Certainly at the University of Washington, being public means so many different 
things to different people. Clearly it means providing higher education access, 
but it also means so much more! It means access to world-class libraries, art, 
music, drama, and sports, and the highest quality medical care to all the citizens 
of Washington. 

That's especially true here at Harborview Medical Center. This medical center is 
owned by King County, and managed by the University of Washington. 
Harborview is the only Level 1 Trauma and Burn Center in a four state region.  It 
takes the most difficult and complicated medical cases, and welcomes people 
from all walks of life. Here at Harborview, interpreter services are available for 
more than 80 languages, and all the physicians are UW faculty members.  It is 
one of two main training sites for the UW School of Medicine.

And so our students get exposure to the widest spectrum of medical challenges 
that they will face in their careers.

The University of Washington has many public faces, as reflected in our very 
broad, multifaceted vision. For our stakeholders, our faculty and staff are that 
public face.

Being Public is working with K through 12 teachers in their classrooms. 

Being Public is providing dental clinics for migrant workers in Eastern 
Washington. 

Being Public is helping the people around the State wrestle with difficult 
problems of land use, solving pollution in the Hood Canal, balancing the 
competing demands of salmon, electricity and irrigation, and working on a 
myriad of other problems facing the people of our state.

Being Public is fueling our regional economy with an educated workforce, and 
new inventions for existing and start-up companies.

Being Public is serving the research needs of visitors in our libraries, welcoming 
the community to our museums and art galleries, and even giving directions at 
our parking gates and visitor center.

Being Public is adding 12,000 graduates each year to our workforce.  They are 
truly a renewable resource, with up-to-date knowledge for companies and 
organizations in Washington State.

Being Public means being accessible and that's why we created Husky Promise. 
We want students to be able to dream and come to the University of Washington 
regardless of their economic status. 

Financial aid through grants and scholarships and gifts will allow all qualified 
students to come to the University of Washington, to have the great learning 
experience regardless of their economic background. 
We received so many postings on "Discoveries" on the website during the month 
of January. And so, I hope you will take a few minutes and post your message on 
"Being Public", and how your role contributes to one of our many public faces.

You'll find the message board at www.washington.edu/discovery.