This column will appear every other Monday. Its purpose is for students, faculty and staff to gain a better understanding of who UW President Mark Emmert is and what his job as president entails week-to-week. Each issue of the column will review what Emmert accomplished the previous two weeks and what he plans to do in the upcoming weeks. Today we introduce President Emmert and review his long-term goals for the quarter.

A UW undergraduate in the 1970s, UW President Mark Emmert's return to his alma mater in 2004 as newly appointed president signified not only a new direction for the university but the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

"I had the single aspiration of being president of UW," Emmert said.

"It's surreal, it's an extraordinary honor."

The president has several long-term projects that will be on his list for the course of the quarter.

He is currently focused on promoting Gov. Christine Gregoire's 2007 budget proposal, which calls for allotting $200 million for higher education, along with many other short-term goals.

"We are figuring out what to do with the Safeco property we recently acquired," he said.

"We are also in the process of a major faculty recruitment and close out of a successful fund raising campaign."

Emmert is also working on additional long-term projects meant to improve student life and further increase university funding. Key on his long-term agenda is reaching a funding base equivalent to other universities in four to six years. Also on this agenda is to renovate campus buildings, increase research facilities and ensure accommodations for the growing Bothell and Tacoma campuses.

Most important to Emmert though, is not his position at the UW. Rather, it is being able to interact with other faculty and students.

"There are a lot of wonderful people in higher education," he said. "I enjoy getting to watch faculty and students perform at the highest level they can."

Emmert's schedule begins at 6 a.m. and doesn't typically end until 11 p.m. With meetings requiring the majority of his attention during the day, Emmert and his wife DeLaine attend nearly five social events per week to promote university interests.

"I am incredibly lucky that I have a wife who likes the social responsibility that comes with my position," Emmert said.

Emmert also said that in the two years he has been president, he is most pleased that his long-term goals have helped the university community regain confidence about its future.

When he is not engaged in his official capacity as president of UW, Emmert said he enjoys spending his time with his family, reading biographies and participating in outdoor activities.

"I love doing things outdoors," he said. "Fly fishing, skiing, anything around water."

Working on both short-term and long-term goals simultaneously, Emmert revealed the single most frustrating aspect of being president.

"I am driven by my personality," he said. "Things never happen as fast as I want them to."

Reach reporter Nathan Lee at nathanlee@thedaily.washington.edu