Author: Leslie Gibson McCarthy

Washington University in St. Louis is one of 32 colleges and universities joining in a national initiative to reduce high-risk drinking on campuses. The participating schools are working together to bring a new, evidence-based approach to an old problem. Through comprehensive evaluation and measurement techniques, The Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking will identify and implement the most effective ways to tackle an issue affecting nearly four out of 10 college students nationally.

A reception was held Sept. 28 in Holmes Lounge to launch the interdisciplinary Institute for School Partnership, Washington University’s signature effort to strategically improve teaching and learning within the K-12 education community. The institute, under the direction of Victoria L. May, builds on the partnerships and programs developed over the past 20 years through WUSTL’s Science Outreach and its founder, Sarah C.R. Elgin, the Viktor Hamburger Professor in Arts & Sciences. 

Following the Sept. 6 death of James E. McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton has announced a transitional leadership plan for the College of Arts & Sciences. Sharon Stahl, PhD, associate vice chancellor for students and dean of the First Year Center, and Wayne Fields, PhD, the Lynne Cooper Harvey Distinguished Professor of English in Arts & Sciences, have agreed to take on the additional responsibilities of leading the College of Arts & Sciences on an interim basis.

It was an historic afternoon for the No. 2 volleyball team as the Bears picked up a 3-0 victory over New York University at the first University Athletic Association (UAA) round robin of the season at the Washington University Field House Oct. 2. Updates also available on men’s and women’s socer, women’s tennis, cross country and swimming and diving.

Washington University in St. Louis will host a university-wide Public Service Fair at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, in College Hall on the South 40. The event features more than 30 nonprofit organizations offering a variety of community service and internship opportunities.

In this centennial year of Williams’ birth, and the 75th anniversary of his matriculation at WUSTL, Tennessee Williams’ literary legacy will be the subject of an Assembly Series lecture by Henry I. Schvey, PhD, professor of drama and comparative literature in Arts & Sciences. Schvey’s presentation, “Tennessee Williams at 100: From Washington University to the Wider World” will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6 in Steinberg Hall Auditorium.

Maxine Lipeles, JD, co-director of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic, participates in “speed mentoring” sessions with law students at Washington University School of Law during Women’s Law Day Sept. 21 in Crowder Courtyard of Anheuser-Busch Hall.

Washington University in St. Louis, along with two other organizations, is getting behind BioSTL (evolved from the Coalition for Plant and Life Sciences), a new regional organization to champion St. Louis bioscience. The university, BJC HealthCare, and the St. Louis Life Sciences Project have each committed $2 million per year for five years to the venture, for a combined total of $30 million. The announcement of the funding, which will forward bioscience company creation and drive economic growth in St. Louis, was made Sept. 27.

The Washington University Students for International Collaboration on the Environment (WUSICE) recently was granted the opportunity send the first WUSTL delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17). The group is in the process of building an effective interdisciplinary delegation of undergraduate and graduate students. WUSICE is seeking students from a variety of backgrounds who have an interest in international environmental negotiations. Deadline is Thursday, Sept. 29. 

The No. 4 men’s soccer team saw its seven-game winning streak to start the season come to an end with a 3-1 loss at No. 15 Dominican University Sept. 25 in River Forest, Ill. Updates also on football, men’s tennis, women’s golf, women’s soccer and cross country.