As the number 11 has become the rallying number for the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans this season, could 11 also factor in poet Carl Phillips winning one of the most coveted literary prizes in 2011? Phillips, professor of English in Arts & Sciences, has been selected — for the fourth time — as a finalist for the National Book Award in poetry. 

More than 2,000 family members from across the U.S. – and some from across the world – are expected to visit WUSTL students beginning tomorrow for Parent & Family Weekend. The weekend features 80-plus activities to help family members learn more about the WUSTL experience and extended St. Louis community.

A draft recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force calling for an end to routine PSA testing for healthy men age 50 and older goes too far, says Gerald Andriole, MD, a prostate cancer expert at Siteman Cancer Center at the School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Ward Stare is a rising star in the world of classical music, serving as both resident conductor of the St. Louis Symphony and as music director for the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. This Sunday, Stare will make his regular-season debut with the WUSTL symphony in a performance featuring music of Ralph Vaughn Williams, Franz Liszt and Jean Sibelius.

Susan Stepleton, PhD, former president and CEO of Parents as Teachers, recently joined the Brown School as director of its Policy Forum. A new initiative, the forum will host a series of programs and collaborations designed to enhance the quality of policy discussion and decision making in St. Louis, across the country and around the world.

8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20

Jazz at Holmes Fall Concert Series

Enjoy live performances by noted local and regional jazz artists. Tonight’s performance is by saxophonists Mike Karpowicz and Paul Demarinis. Free and open to the public. Ridgley Hall, Holmes Lounge. 

Evaluate WUSTL Dining Services

Help Bon Appetit evaluate the level of service and food in the WUSTL Dining Services cafes. A short online survey is available here. From among those who complete the survey, two winners will be selected to win a $200 Visa gift card. For more information, call Jill Duncan at (314) 935-5028.

Amy Kweskin

University treasurer manages the funds that keep WUSTL running. FULL STORY

Putterman falls in national championship tennis match

Junior Adam Putterman dropped a 6-0, 6-1 decision to Emory University’s Dillon Pottish in the championship match of the 2011 USTA/ITA Division III Men’s Tennis Singles Championship Oct. 15 in Mobile, Ala. Putterman was the second student athlete in school history to play for the ITA title, joining John Watts, who won in 2007 and ’09.