Author: Julie Hail Flory

​​Edward F. Lawlor, PhD, dean and the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor at the Brown School at Washington University, has announced his decision to conclude his deanship on June 30, 2016. Lawlor, who has served as dean since 2004, will remain at the university as the Gordon Professor, and a national search for his successor as dean will be conducted, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

​Building on a significant legacy of generosity and support to Washington University, business and civic leaders Maxine Clark and Bob Fox have committed $7.5 million for programs and facilities at the Brown School that will promote community engagement and bring sustained attention to significant policy issues.

​​Washington University Libraries is partnering with a host of St. Louis institutions to work collaboratively in the gathering and preservation of materials that capture the story of events that took place in the St. Louis region following the August 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer.​​

On Aug. 5, Mahendra R. Gupta, PhD, dean and the Geraldine J. and Robert L. Virgil Professor of Accounting and Management at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, attended a convening at the White House hosted by the White House Council on Women and Girls and the Council of Economic Advisers. Mark Brostoff, associate dean and director of Olin’s Weston Career Center, also attended.

​​Brittany Packnett, a 2007 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, has received the 2015 Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership​ from Teach For America.​

​Next week marks the one-year anniversary of events in Ferguson that have since reverberated across the entire St. Louis community and the nation. The tragedy in Ferguson and subsequent events across the country have affected all and raised consciousness to major challenges that must be met. This special issue of the Record includes perspectives and updates intended to give us the opportunity not only to look back, but also to learn, engage and think about the road ahead.​

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion, which launched last fall, has given students and the broader university community a place to connect around the issues of diversity and inclusion both on and off campus. Director LaTanya N. Buck, PhD, outlines the center’s five strategic priorities and provides an update on some significant progress on these initiatives.

​​The Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis announces the finalists for the second Global Impact Award. The award, given with the support of Suren G. Dutia (BS ’63, AB, MS ’67) and his wife, Jas K. Grewal, honors the vision and passion of WashU students, postdoctoral researchers and young alumni who create scalable and sustainable ventures with global impact.

​During a recent trip to China, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton had a productive visit to Xi’an Jiaotong University. In addition to delivering an address at the university’s commencement, the chancellor signed a letter of partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong, outlining future collaborations and support between the two universities.

​​Chenyang Lu, PhD, has been named the inaugural Fullgraf Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He was installed at a ceremony held on campus March 16.