SEATTLE — The University of Washington will have a new president next year, as Ana Mari Cauce announced Wednesday she will step down from her post at the end of her five-year term in 2025.
The UW release says the transition "has been planned for several years with the UW Board of Regents" and that Cauce will return to her faculty position once her term expires in June 2025.
Cauce has been at UW since 1986, beginning her career there as an assistant professor of psychology. She became the first woman, Latina and openly gay person to be named UW's president when she began her tenure in 2015, the university said.
“Ana Mari Cauce is an outstanding president, who has led the UW through some of the most tumultuous times in its history. She has advanced the University’s public mission through partnerships with legislators, civic leaders, and the philanthropic community,” David Zeeck, chair of the UW Board of Regents, said in a statement on behalf of the board. “Few university presidents now serve 10 years. The University has been fortunate to have Ana Mari in this position since 2015.”
Cauce played a significant role in UW's seismic move to the Big Ten Conference and has had to hire two different athletic directors in just the past year.
The UW release indicates that the UW Board of Regents will offer details about the search for a replacement in the "weeks to come."
It was not specified what faculty position Cauce would be returning to once her tenure is up.
