Author: Deb Parker

Wight is one of 117 student-athletes from all levels of college football up for one of the 22 final spots on the team, which will be unveiled in September.

A hilarious selection of free films celebrating baseball are being shown weekly on the Washington University in St. Louis campus. The “Summer Film Series 2012: Play Ball!” is open to the public.

Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Mark W. Smith, JD, assistant vice chancellor and director of the Career Center at Washington University of St. Louis, to serve on the Midwestern Higher Education Commission (MHEC). The commission advances higher education through interstate cooperation and resource sharing.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to ban the sale of any sugary beverage more than 16 ounces in the city’s restaurants, delis, movie theaters and street carts may be well-intentioned, but Connie Diekman, RD, past president of the American Dietetic Association (now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) believes it will do little to reverse the U.S. obesity epidemic.

Six WUSTL staff members are headed to Shanghai and Paris June 9-15, as part of the Global Diversity Overseas Seminar Program. The new weeklong study abroad program strives to encourage a fuller appreciation of diversity on the Danforth Campus by introducing select faculty and staff members to dramatically different cultural contexts

Though some people have luck with online job boards and company websites, it’s best to use a nontraditional approach in employment searches, says Mark W. Smith, JD, director of the Career Center at Washington University in St. Louis. Networking is the way most people learn about opportunities and it often gives them an upper hand.

This year, for the first time, a free Student Services Professional Development Conference is being offered to the entire WUSTL staff. The response to past conferences has been overwhelmingly positive, and topics have broad appeal. Breakout sessions will focus on local, national and international university initiatives. The conference is Thursday, May 24.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates is the 2012-13 selection for the First Year Reading Program. The book focuses on two men with the same name who grew up in similar Baltimore neighborhoods, but ended up on much different paths. One is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence; the other is a decorated veteran and Rhodes Scholar. The book provides a shared intellectual experience for incoming students.

The university’s  ‘Alma Mater’ is now played at noon weekdays from Graham Chapel, thanks to the efforts of rising sophomore Michael Byrne. This is just the first step in a plan to create a stronger sense of tradition on campus. Come graduation time, Byrne wants the song to resonate with the Class of 2015.

Senior Hannah Rabinowitz and junior Colleen Rhoades have been named co-recipients of this year’s Rabbi Ferdinand M. Isserman Prize. The Isserman Prize recognizes a WUSTL student or students who have made significant contributions in leadership and service to ecumenical or interfaith activities, both on campus and in the wider community.