WashU’s St. Louis Fellows Program has received a 2026 Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award from Campus Compact, the largest and oldest higher education association dedicated to higher education civic and community engagement.
An initiative of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, the St. Louis Fellows Program funds full-time summer internships at local nonprofit and civic organizations. In addition, fellows engage in an experiential curriculum that explores St. Louis’ history, culture and politics. Since the program’s launch in 2008, 302 undergraduates have collectively contributed more than 105,000 hours to 129 unique civic and nonprofit organizations in the region. In recent years, the program has scaled up its size and impact, from serving 22 students at 18 organizations in 2022 to serving 45 students at 37 organizations in 2025.
“It has been a major effort to craft a program capable of growth and deep community impact, and this national recognition belongs to all of us — our fellows, community partners, campus partners, instructors and many alumni and friends who have supported the program philanthropically,” said Stephanie Kurtzman, the Peter G. Sortino executive director of the Gephardt Institute.
Read more about the fellows program and the award on the Gephardt Institute website.
