Campus & Community

“Foundations of Diversity at Washington University and Throughout Academia” will be the focus of a campus conference Sept. 12 in honor of Robert L. Williams II, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology and of African and African-American studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

Newly available figures show Washington University in St. Louis is beginning to show signs of growth in one important indicator of economic diversity among its student body — an increasing number of first-time, full-time students enrolling at the university are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant Program.

The Olin Business School community celebrated the new school year’s start Aug. 25 with a ribbon cutting of the renovated Simon Hall and its traditional back-to-school barbecue to cap the day — with a twist this time, as Dean Mahendra Gupta, PhD, endured the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Ralph S. Quatrano, PhD, dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Science, has announced that he will step down as dean at the end of the academic year, June 30, 2015. After a yearlong sabbatical beginning in July 2015, Quatrano will resume his position as the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences.

Jean Sutherland Boggs, the first woman appointed to full professorship in the Department of Art History and Archaeology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, died Friday, Aug. 22, 2014. She was 92.

​​Steven Rosenblum, who works in Arts & Sciences, recommends checking out LouFest this weekend, adding that the music festival is family-friendly. Founded by WUSTL’s Brian Cohen, the two-day event features four stages of music in Forest Park. Highlights include Outkast, Arctic Monkeys, Cake and Grouplove. 

David B. Carr, MD, has been named the inaugural Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the School of Medicine. He is pictured at his installation with Larry J. Shapiro, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, and Victoria J. Fraser, MD, head of the Department of Medicine.

If you haven’t eaten on campus lately, you may not know about some tasty new fare. Bon Appétit Executive Chef Pat McElroy says his staff spent the summer creating new, original recipes. Check out the green chile pork tacos or the red pepper-and-spinach frittata.

School of Medicine faculty, staff and students came together for three town hall meetings last week in response to the tragic events in Ferguson. Attendees talked about how to help Ferguson and how to improve diversity and inclusion at the university. Two more meetings will be held on the Medical Campus this week.

In the wake of civil rights and social justice issues that have emerged following the death of African-American teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, the fall 2014 Washington University in St. Louis Assembly Series will feature presentations by several eminent civil rights scholars and authors, including NAACP executive Sherrilyn Ifill.