President Mark Emmert will deliver his annual add-ress to the UW campus today at 3:30 p.m. in Kane 130.

“What he normally does is talk about the important things that happened in the past year, and what he hopes to accomplish in the coming year,” UW spokesperson Norm Arkans said.

Last year, Emmert spoke on the UW’s increasing obligation to the global community.

“The University of Washington is, in fact, in the business of global brainpower,” he said last year. “What we try to do is make sure that the state of Washington has a sufficient amount of global brainpower so that our young people, and our not-so-young people, can be competitive on the international stage.”

In the past year, Emmert has traveled to Korea, China and India, promoting the UW’s interests in these countries and establishing connections in the educational field abroad.

“I’d be surprised if at some point he doesn’t mention the role of the UW within the international arena,” Arkans said. “We have a lot going on right now on the issue of global health … and issues of the environment and change.”

Emmert also spoke on the commitment that the UW has to first-rate education.

“It’s incumbent upon us to make sure that we deliver a world-class performance in education and research and clinical care and all of the things we do because that’s why people come here,” Emmert said. “They come here looking for a world-class education, a UW education.”

A reception will be held afterward in the Walker-Ames Room.

[Reach reporter Arla Shephard at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]