Seattle has been named the country's most broadband-connected city. Consistent with Seattle's progressive and hi-tech nature, broadband access and free wi-fi hotspots can be found all over the city.
Hosted by former UW quarterback Johnny DuRocher, The Dawg Dish goes behind the scenes into the lives and activities of Husky sports personalities. It is available for free viewing via Dawg Channel All-Access.
Welcome to the University of Washington! Located on an entirely self-contained 643 acres between Lake Union and Lake Washington, the University provides more than 30,000 students with an elite education in one of the nation's most scenic collegiate settings. Whether it's the cherry blossoms blooming in the quad in the spring (center), the dramatic vistas of 14,000-foot Mt. Rainier (right) from Red Square, or the views across Lake Washington from the stands at Husky Stadium, UW students can always find inspiration in the surrounding landscape.
Should a Husky student want to escape to the big city, downtown Seattle, - with a population of just over 500,000 - is just a five-minute drive away. Students can ride up to the top of the Space Needle (left) for a panoramic view of Puget Sound and downtown Seattle, can duck under flying salmon at the historic Pike Place Market (center), or can take a ferry across Elliott Bay for a stunning view of the Seattle skyline (right).
Students should have no trouble finding what they need at Suzzallo Library (left), located at the heart of the UW campus. Recently named the nation's No. 1 academic research library, and ranked 14th among all research libraries on the North American continent, Suzzallo has helped to produce some of America's most innovative minds. The University of Washington led all U.S. public institutions in funding from federal research in 2002, and ranks No. 1 in funding from federal grants since 1975. As one passes up the grand staircase (center) to the 240-foot Suzzallo Reading Room (right), it is easy to understand how the UW could have produced eight Nobel Prize winners, and nine Pulitzer Prize honorees.
The University's architecture boasts a mix of the Gothic, classic, and modern styles. It is nearly impossible for students to walk past the Gothic-style Music Building (left) without catching the strains of opera or symphony - no surprise given that the UW has produced diverse musical talents ranging from saxophonist Kenny G to guitarist Kim Thayil, a member of '90s ground-breaking band Soundgarden. Denny Hall (middle), the original campus administration building, provides an example of the classic style featured on many of Washington's earliest buildings. The clock tower atop Denny Hall which chimes the hour can be heard at the modern William H. Gates Hall of Law (right), the newest addition to the UW campus.
UW students love to head outside when the sun is shining, an occurrence far more common than is rumored. In fact, according to the National Weather Service, Seattle ranks just 113th in the nation in total annual precipitation at about 38 inches - barely half as much as Tallahassee, Fla. Among major U.S. cities, Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Memphis and Washington, D.C. each get more annual precipitation than Seattle. Favorite campus gathering places include the Quad (left) and the HUB lawn (center), as well as Sylvan Theater (right), where the columns from the original downtown campus building are preserved.
A 12-foot high bronze statue of University namesake George Washington (left) has welcomed students to campus since 1909, and now marks the East entrance to Red Square (center, right), the central plaza of the UW campus. The site of frequent rallies and demonstrations, Red Square - so named for its red brick paving - is bordered by Suzzallo Library, Kane Hall, Odegaard Library, Gerberding Hall and the Meany Center for the Performing Arts. On any given afternoon, those who choose to read, chat with friends, or simply soak up the sun in Red Square could be entertained by jugglers, step performances, or impromptu concerts.
A closer look at some of the campus' unique details includes the columns at Sylvan Theater (left) and the bronze statue of George Washington (center). Meanwhile, a track-themed gargoyle atop Savery Hall (right) is just one of many unique elements incorporated into the UW's Gothic architecture.
For a hungry Husky, there's no better place to go than the Husky Union Building, which boasts one of nearly a dozen on-campus eateries. The food selections in the HUB Dining Hall (left) - including burgers, Mexican, pasta, and Thai - reflect the diversity of the campus itself, which boasted a minority enrollment of nearly 40 percent in 2002. After choosing their fare, students can dine in style in any of several trendy student lounges (center, right).
On Saturdays in the spring, many UW students make the short trek down the hill from Upper Campus to the UW athletic facilites to cheer on Washington's track and field teams at Dempsey Indoor. The 80,000-square foot home of Husky Indoor Track, pictured in all three photos here, has become one of the nation's premier destinations for indoor track and field, hosting elite collegiate and professional athletes on nearly every weekend during the indoor season. A glance at the 2005 IAAF World Rankings reveals dozens of marks set on the facility's 307-meter MONDO track, which has hosted numerous former Olympians and witnessed several world-leading performances, as well as hundreds of NCAA Championships qualifiers.
More shots of Dempsey Indoor include wide-angle shots of the pole vault (left), high jump (center) and horizontal jumps (right) areas, and close-ups of the throws area (below, left), sprints start line (below, center) and sand pit (below, right). Since 2004, Dempsey Indoor has hosted the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships, which featured among others Stanford, UCLA and Oregon, three schools who compete almost exclusively at Dempsey Indoor during the collegiate indoor season.
When the weather warms up, the Huskies head outdoors to 72,500-seat Husky Stadium. Athletes running on the hallowed Husky Stadium track do so in the footsteps of some of track and field's most notable names, including former U.S. gold medalists Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson, both of whom own facility records. The facility has hosted some of the world's most prestigious meets, including the 1990 Goodwill Games, the 1971 NCAA Championships, the 1972 AAU Championships and the 1997 Pac-10 Championships.
The University of Washington takes the "student" in "student-athlete" seriously, and provides its students with some of the finest on-campus academic facilities. The Conibear Shellhouse and Student Life Center (left), re-opened in May 2005, is the nation's premier facility for student-athlete life, providing dining, computing and tutoring facilities that are second-to-none. Student-athletes can study or surf the web either in the facility's state-of-the-art computer laboratory (center), which includes 36 flat-screen computers exclusively for student-athlete use, or via wireless internet connections in the new dining hall (right), which boasts seating for 250 and 18-foot floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains.
Across the hall is a tiered-floor auditorium with teaching space for 44 students (left), while upstairs are the offices of the Student-Athlete Academic Services staff, numerous tutorial study rooms and cubicles that allow student athletes to study in a serene setting. A broad deck spanning the new dining hall provides a scenic place to relax (center), while the Higgins Lounge (right), with its comfortable couches and large-screen television, is a social hub for students in each of Washington's 23 intercollegiate sports.
Washington's recently-redesigned athletics training room provides athletes with the best in sports medicine. A full-time staff of seven certified trainers and four team doctors are always available to assist student-athletes in rehabilitation and medical care, and the world-renowned University of Washington Medical Center is literally just across the street.
The Huskies also boast an outstanding strength training program that includes a state-of-the-art weight room and four full-time coaches, each of whom work only with specific teams so as to best tailor the different types of strength and conditioning programs needed by athletes in each of Washington's 23 intercollegiate sports.
Washington track and field has a special home in the Husky Hall of Fame, which honors legendary coaches, athletes and teams from throughout the 125-year history of Husky athletics. Included in the Hall, alongside the Huskies' 1991 Sears National Championship football trophy and its 1948 Olympic rowing gold medal, are several artifacts from Washington's illustrious track and field past, including a discus used by former world-record holder Herman Brix, a jersey worn by 1981 NCAA 3,000-meter champion Regina Joyce, and a special feature board for 1998 NCAA 55-meter champion and 10-time All-American Ja'Warren Hooker.
Without a doubt, the University of Washington boasts the resources to provide student-athletes with one of the finest collegiate experiences in the U.S. The gothic architecture of buildings in Red Square (above, left) meld perfectly with the natural beauty of locations such as Drumheller Fountain (above, center) and the HUB Grove (above, right), creating a serene on-campus atmosphere in the middle of metropolitan Seattle.
Whether for its nationally-recognized academic programs, its world-class research facilities, its stunning natural landscape, or its tradition of athletic excellence, the University of Washington is a must-stop for anyone seeking the best in all aspects of college life. For more information on the University of Washington, visit www.washington.edu.
