Newsroom Stories

The Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences has announced its first grant recipients for two newly established programs: the Faculty Seminar Grants and the Reading Group Grants for Faculty and Graduate Students.

Should movies and television shows be free on the Internet? Which business models will benefit artists, producers and distributors? Questions such as these are being pondered in a popular course at Olin Business School, “The Economics of Entertainment.” Industry executives visit the class to provide corporate insights about the challenges facing film and music makers in the Internet age.

“The myth is a public dream.” So argues playwright Mary Zimmerman in Metamorphoses, her hypnotic, Tony Award-winning adaptation of myths by the Roman poet Ovid. Beginning Friday, April 23 and for two consecutive weekends, the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences will present Metamorphoses, perhaps the most acclaimed theatrical work of the last decade, as its spring Mainstage production. 

Washington University in St. Louis has released its Strategic Plan for Environmentally Sustainable Operations. The plan details the university’s sustainability achievements, aspirations and challenges in terms of energy and water use, food sources, recycling and transportation, among others.

The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) honored seven faculty members with Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards for their dedication to graduate students and commitment to excellence in graduate training. Special recognition for excellence in mentoring went to 14 other faculty members during GSS’ 11th annual awards ceremony and reception, held April 14 in the Danforth University Center.

More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the annual Thurtene Carnival Friday through Sunday, April 23-25. The event, which features carnival rides, games, food, theater, dance and music, is the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the United States.

More than 200 people participated in the Take Steps for Kids 5k run/walk April 17 to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. Hosted by the Wash U Undergraduate Running Club, the race began and ended in Brookings Quadrangle. All proceeds from the race were donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri.

Sports updates for the week of April 19

Washington University in St. Louis School of Law celebrated the outstanding achievements of six individuals at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner April 9 in the Crowder Courtyard of Anheuser-Busch Hall.

“The retirement announcement of Justice John Paul Stevens does not come as a big surprise, but it is still a sad day,” says Gregory P. Magarian, JD, former Stevens clerk and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “The Supreme Court is losing a great jurist and a great man.” Magarian calls Stevens a “pragmatic populist” because of the way he approached his decisions with the court. “Stevens always has been very focused on what a Supreme Court decision is going to do to an ordinary person,” he says. “He’s never written an opinion just to make a point or put on a show.”