There were a lot of strong leaders before me. You build up this momentum. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy after a while. In Seattle, the cluster effect has generated more collaboration than competition, says Lazowska. This is going to sound like B.S., but it's the truth.
Companies here help each other out much more than elsewhere.
We're competing with other places around the country much more than with each other. Lazowska became department chair in 1993. Strengthen partnerships with the region's computing industry. Foster collaboration with other departments inside the university. One of the things that pleases him most is the UW's recognition of computer science as a valuable component of other disciplines, from art to biology to business.