Washington University in St. Louis’ work with and for the St. Louis region will now have new places to call home, with new off-campus office space located alongside other community-focused organizations and a new website to help community members navigate the university’s St. Louis initiatives.
Since his 2019 inauguration, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin has prioritized Washington University’s role and impact in St. Louis. The university has acted on that commitment by making a WashU education more accessible to St. Louisans; initiating new programs to diversify its suppliers and contractors; and creating a new university role focused on leveraging its strengths to serve the broader region. That commitment is also emphasized in the university’s strategic plan, “Here and Next.”
“I’ve said many times that WashU must not only be in St. Louis — it must be for St. Louis as well,” Martin said. “And we can do that only if we meet people where they are and work alongside them as we together make our region as vibrant and equitable as we all know it can be. That’s what the new WashU Community Engagement Office is all about.”
Located in Delmar Divine, the WashU Community Engagement Office is led by Lisa Weingarth, senior advisor for St. Louis initiatives, and also will house the Center for Community Health Partnerships and Research and the Office of the Provost’s new St. Louis Confluence Collaborative for Community-Engaged Research, Teaching and Practice. The office also will make classrooms, drop-in spaces and conference rooms available to WashU’s staff and faculty for their everyday work in the community.
I want to eradicate any kind of perception that St. Louis is merely WashU’s side gig. Rather, St. Louis should become one of our primary foci as we think through the lens “In St. Louis, For St. Louis.”
Chancellor Andrew D. Martin
Together with the new physical home, WashU’s St. Louis initiatives will now have a new online home as well. The new “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” website is a virtual nexus for the community to access information on programs, events, resources and opportunities to engage and partner with the university. The university also is launching a regional engagement campaign to highlight these efforts.
“Many people at WashU have been doing great work in and with our community for a long time. We are grateful for the opportunity to highlight their efforts and let our community know that we are committed to working alongside our local partners for the good of our region,” Weingarth said.
To find out more about WashU’s “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” initiative, visit stlouis.wustl.edu.
