Author: Diane Toroian Keaggy

Washington University’s College Prep Program is accepting nominations for the next cohort of its innovative college readiness initiative. The nomination deadline is Oct. 30.

Washington University made a big impact on the St. Louis economy in fiscal year 2019, spending $2.7 billion in the region. A new report shows the university spent $1.6 billion in salaries, $301 million in goods and services and $232 million in construction. The university also continued to draw top talent and research dollars to the region, provide exceptional patient care and support local schools and community organizations. 

The Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity at Washington University in St. Louis has debuted this fall with programs to support and amplify field-defining research, nurture the next generation of scholars and build partnerships in the St. Louis region. The work could not be more urgent, said its founding director, Adrienne Davis, who is also vice provost and the William M. Van Cleve Professor of Law. 

The Washington University Student Health Ambassador program is a new peer-to-peer initiative designed to protect students from the spread of COVID-19. Students are dispatched daily to locations across campus to remind their peers to wear masks and to confirm students have completed their daily health screenings.

More than 1,200 students enrolled in “The Pandemic: Science and Society,” an online two-credit course featuring experts from across disciplines and across the country. The entire university may benefit from the lessons learned.

In honor of the 19th anniversary of  9/11, members of the Washington University in St. Louis College Republicans will plant 2,977 flags — one for each victim of the deadly attacks — on Mudd Field on the Danforth Campus. The university also will lower the American flag over Brookings Hall and ring the bells of Graham Chapel.

With high hopes and bulk supplies of hand sanitizer, the Class of 2024 arrived at Washington University in St. Louis Sept. 4-6. “This is what we’ve all been waiting for,” said Nick Cloney, an Arts & Sciences student from Boston. “It may not be what we expected. But even in this altered world, we can still have those integral first-year experiences.” 

This summer, hundreds of faculty imagined their courses anew in “Designing an Adaptable Course,” an intensive two-week seminar offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning. Instructors studied best online pedagogy practices, created better assessments and learned technology tools.

Across campus, students, faculty and staff are finding creative ways to welcome the Class of 2024 despite ever-evolving public health directives and university policies, said Katharine Pei, director of First Year Programs. There have been calls from WUSAs, peer mentorship programs, Spotify playlists and gooey butter cake. 

Natalie Sorenson, a first-year student at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, died May 5, 2020. She died as a result of emotional challenges during lockdown for COVID-19. Natalie Sorenson was 18.