UW recognizes a job well done

About 300 guests gathered in the atrium of the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering to thank President Emeritus Lee Huntsman for his leadership as president and 36 years of service to the University.

"What he has done is impress all of us [during], as he calls it, a season of change with calm and candor, [and] so we raise our glasses to him," said Doug Wadden, faculty senate chair.

Huntsman then stepped up to the microphone.

"The calm you refer to is because my adrenal glands are shot," Huntsman quipped.

He said it was an enormous privilege to be the president of the UW.

Huntsman said he never asked for a promotion, noting that his colleagues drafted him to fill the positions of provost and president.

Finally, Huntsman expressed his profound sense of optimism for the future of the UW, noting that the University managed to creatively push forward as a world-renowned institution during times of financial difficulty.

Huntsman concluded his remarks by expressing appreciation of his colleagues.

"Thank you for what you do and thank you for the honor to work among you," Huntsman said.

Huntsman stepped down from the microphone and mingled with guests after putting on his new motorcycle jacket -- a gift presented to Huntsman by Gerry Grinstein, president of the Board of Regents.

Huntsman and his wife, Ginnie, have plans to go on a motorcyle trip in late August, she said.

During the celebration, Grinstein also presented Huntsman with a framed copy of the resolution passed at the previous Board of Regents meeting that gave Huntsman the title of President Emeritus. Grinstein also presented Huntsman's wife with a large plush Husky.