Washington University in St. Louis students, faculty and staff are invited to learn more about the work of the Ferguson Commission and to share their perspectives about St. Louis’ challenges at “The Future of Our Region,” a town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, at Emerson Auditorium in Knight Hall.
The event will feature four Ferguson Commission members:
- Rose Windmiller, associate vice chancellor for government and community relations at Washington University;
- Rich McClure, former president of UniGroup, chair of the St. Louis Regional Board of Teach for America and co-chair of the commission;
- Felicia Pulliam, JD, development director of Focus St. Louis; and
- Bethany Johnson-Javois, managing director of the commission and an alum who earned a master’s of social work from the Brown School in 2002.
Windmiller said the panel will offer an overview of the commission’s goals and progress and listen to the experiences and opinions of Washington University faculty, staff and students.
Appointed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, the Ferguson Commission is charged with studying a spectrum of issues raised by the August 2014 shooting of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson and the ensuing protests that gripped the region.
“It’s really designed to be an interactive dialogue,” Windmiller said. “The commission members are very dedicated to making recommendations that are geared toward sustainable, permanent change in the St. Louis region.
“Young people have been an important part of this process from the start,” she said. “I think our students, who come from across the globe, can bring a very unique perspective. They may not be here permanently, but many are committed to seeing this region thrive. And we can’t do that as a region until we come to grips with the difficult issues of race, police-community relations, and very real disparities in education and economic opportunities.”
Mahendra Gupta, PhD, dean of the Olin Business School and the Geraldine J. and Robert L. Virgil Professor of Accounting and Management, will open the event. Amanda Moore McBride, PhD, director of the Gephardt Institute for Public Service, associate dean for social work and the Bettie Bofinger Brown Career Development Associate Professor at the Brown School, will serve as moderator.
“Effective civic and community engagement is predicated on education and dialogue, which leads to understanding,” McBride said. “We have faculty, staff and students who have examined disparities and inequality in the region, and who have ideas about effective ways to address these issues.
“This town hall meeting provides a forum for bringing those possibilities forward,” she said. “We are Washington University in St. Louis. We all have a stake in the outcome.”
The event is hosted by Olin Business School; the Gephardt Institute for Public Service; Student Union; the Graduate Professional Council; and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.
For more information, contact the Gephardt Institute at gephardtinstitute@wustl.edu or call 314-935-9104.