Author: Diane Toroian Keaggy

The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at Washington University in St. Louis has announced the inaugural recipients of its Achievement in Community Engagement Awards. They are Brian D. Carpenter, PhD (right), associate professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis; Leroy D. Nunery II, EdD, educational leader and founder of PlūsUltré LLC; and the United Way of Greater St. Louis.

​It has been a busy week for the newest members of the Washington University in St. Louis community. ​These videos capture the sights and sounds of first-year students moving in to their new homes, celebrating Convocation and sharing what they learned on their first day of class. 

​​The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at Washington University in St. Louis is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a new name, new initiatives and new funding for its acclaimed Civic Scholars program. The mission, however, remains the same.

​Washington University in St. Louis welcomed one of its largest and most diverse classes in its history on Thursday, Aug. 20. Some 1,730 students from all 50 states and 23 countries moved into their residential colleges with the help of approximately 350 faculty, staff and student volunteers.​

​Was​hington University welcomes the Class of 2019 on Thursday, Aug. 20. Students move into the South 40, meet their residential advisors and fellow dorm residents, and later in the day celebrate Convocation, one of the university’s most colorful traditions. ​

​New school. New professors. New friends. Incoming freshmen already have much to consider without worrying about global climate change and public health challenges. Still, there are easy and important ways to reduce our collective impact at college, said Phil Valko, assistant vice chancellor for sustainability at Washington University in St. Louis.​​

Launching this month, Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls will offer sixth and seventh-grade girls a rigorous education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Washington University in St. Louis is both Hawthorn’s sponsor and its partner. Educators with the university’s Institute for School Partnership have been working closely with Hawthorn leaders for more than a year to develop the school’s project-based curriculum and real-world philosophy.

​For freshmen with food allergies, the college dining hall can be a dangerous place. Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis and a leading national expert, encourages new students to enlist campus dietitian and food service providers to help them stay safe.​

Two Washington University seniors and one 2015 alum (David Dwight, pictured) are assisting the Ferguson Commission to create and write its recommendations to improve education, municipal courts and governments, economic opportunities and the relationship between residents and law enforcement. 

As a member of the Ferguson Commission, Rose Windmiller traveled across the region to learn more about the issues that divide St. Louis. Next, the commission will find ways to put its ideas into action. “This is where the rubber hits the road,” Windmiller says.