Levy oversaw design and construction of the Allen Center — one of two building projects he led that cemented the University of Washington’s lofty reputation in computing education and research.
After more than four decades on the faculty, Henry M. Levy (Hank) officially retired from the University of Washington last summer. Now Professor and Wissner-Slivka Chair Emeritus in Computer Science & Engineering, Levy has the distinction of having been the longest-serving leader in the Allen School’s history, with 14 years at the helm.
It’s just one of many he has accrued during his time at the UW. Levy’s list of credits as department chair and, later, the Allen School’s founding director includes several more memorable milestones: the 50th anniversary of Computer Science & Engineering at the UW, when it was elevated from a department to a school; the grand opening of a second building, the Bill & Melinda Gates Center, to complement the program’s first permanent home, the Paul G. Allen Center; and a doubling of both faculty size and annual degree production.
Along the way, Levy was a driving force behind the UW’s emergence as a powerhouse of computing research.
“I always felt that UW could be one of the very top schools in computer science, and that was my goal. The way to achieve that is by attracting the best people,” Levy said. “And the way you do that is by creating a warm, welcoming and collaborative environment that people enjoy being a part of.”
