A conversation with Paul G. Allen

www.dailyuw.com - RSS Results in news,news/* of type article After an event establishing the new Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Daily got the opportunity to sit down with the school’s new namesake to discuss his philanthropic contributions and the future of coding.The Daily: You have given a lot to the university over the years. We’re in a building that bears your name and now the school will too. How do your goals and values align with the UW and why is having this relationship with the university important to you?Paul Allen: Well I have such a strong historical and family connection to the university, so probably some of my first memories as a kid were coming here with my mother and waiting for my father to end his workday at the library. And after awhile my dad said, ‘Hey I’m gonna be working, why don’t you come and just hang out in the stacks and read books while I’m working?’ I used to do that for hours on end, so even as a kid I was spending hours every month on campus. And it’s a great university and I’ve always felt that kind of deep connection, although I’m sure not — I may have taken a summer school course here, but I don’t think I took any — I went to Washington State. But even my parents picked our house so they could be in the Ravenna neighborhood so we could be close to campus, so there’s a lot of continuity there and it’s a great university, and I’ve always wanted to try to help out where I could.
The Daily: You have made a lot of contributions to many different areas — music, brain science, conservation efforts — and clearly have a diverse array of interests. When in college, it can sometimes be ...


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