Campus & Community

Does the recent decision by President Barack Obama to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba truly represent fresh opportunity? Or is it merely the latest chapter in a long, tortuous narrative of manipulation and misunderstanding? At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, Cuban novelist Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo will discuss “U.S.-Cuba: A New Era or a New Ire?” in the Danforth University Center.

Jeigh Singleton, associate professor emeritus of fashion design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, died Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015, following a long battle with cancer. He was 70.

All Washington University in St. Louis employees and their families are invited to the Bears basketball annual Faculty and Staff Family Day beginning at noon Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Athletic Complex.

Washington University Medical Center faculty, staff and students will perform their annual winter concert at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, in the lobby of the Center for Advanced Medicine, 4921 Parkview Place. The event is free and open to the public.

Linda Hack has been named director of benefits and compensation in Human Resources at Washington University in St. Louis, effective Nov. 1, 2014.

​Meredith Evans, PhD, has been named associate university librarian for University Libraries at Washington University in St. Louis. She oversees the Department of Special Collections, which includes the Film and Media Archive, Manuscripts, the Modern Graphic History Library, Preservation, Rare Books, and University Archives.

Jason Silberman, a senior in Arts & Sciences, spent his summer working to develop guidelines to better prepare doctors for treating patients with disabilities. The project was part of Silberman’s training as a Civic Scholar, an initiative of the Gephardt Institute for Public Service. Applications for the Class of 2017 cohort are due Feb. 2.

In the unlikely event that Washington University alters the normal work and/or class schedule due to severe weather, an announcement will be posted on the university’s home page, and a number of media outlets also will air an announcement.

James P. Keating, a meticulous physician who helped mold hundreds of medical residents, organized the first pediatric intensive care unit west of the Mississippi and was sought for his ability to solve mystery illnesses, died Dec. 25, 2014, in Cary, North Carolina.

In 2014, Washington University continued to play a major role in the St. Louis community while students and alumni made their mark on campus. Among the stories were the debut of the $80 million Lofts of Washington University, a continued investment in Cortex, the innovation district, and two unforgettable alumni.