Author: Diane Toroian Keaggy

Shot on WashU’s campus, the 110-year old film “The Maid of McMillan” is one of 25 films the Library of Congress added to the National Film Registry. 

Washington University in St. Louis has maintained its status as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. students. This recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

“Unalienable Rights: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence,” a new exhibit at Olin Library, explores all aspects of the declaration. Artifacts include a copy of the declaration that traveled to the moon, a copy of the first commercially produced declaration and WashU’s rare Southwick broadside, one of only seven in existence.

More than 6,400 historic images of WashU’s buildings, events and people are now available to view. The newly digitized photos run from the university’s founding in 1853 to 2007 and include valuable metadata, some of it pulled from handwritten notes scribbled on the back of the original photographs.

As part of its ongoing mission to strengthen the undergraduate experience, WashU plans to build a new South 40 residence hall along Forsyth Boulevard. The new building will accommodate 600 first-year students and sophomores and feature a large courtyard and multipurpose room for events and gathering. Construction is anticipated to start this summer and is expected to be complete in time for the 2028-29 academic year. 

As part of WashU’s ongoing work to transform undergraduate STEM education and support low-income and first-generation STEM students, the Office of the Provost is launching the WashU STEM Exchange, a new community where STEM educators, advisers and researchers can share strategies and interventions and track outcomes. 

Senior Ella Elizabeth Johnson of Belmont, Mass., died Jan. 14 after a difficult struggle with mental health challenges. Johnson, 21, was studying psychological and brain sciences and Spanish in Arts & Sciences.

WashU Recreation is launching a special five-week complimentary trial membership program starting Feb. 1 for WashU employees. It aims to encourage health and wellness among faculty and staff.

Everyone has reckoned with uncertainty. Should I switch majors? Can I be a better leader? Or, in the case of WashU alumnus Sam Goodwin, will I be slaughtered by my Syrian captors? Goodwin speaks about winning through uncertainty at Graham Chapel at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21.

Grassroots organization Action St. Louis, led by WashU alumna Kayla Reed, will receive the Rosa L. Parks Award at the 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, at WashU‘s Graham Chapel.