Newsroom Stories

SmithPennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter’s decision to switch his allegiance to the Democratic Party will likely raise further questions about the Republican Party’s ability to appeal to moderate voters, but Democrats should realize that Specter will remain fairly independent in his voting on key issues, including ongoing opposition to pro-union “card check” provisions, suggests Steven S. Smith, a congressional expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

A drug widely used to shrink enlarged prostates has been shown to lower the risk of prostate cancer by 23 percent in men who have an increased risk of the disease, according to results of an international clinical trial presented April 27 at the American Urological Association annual meeting in Chicago.

The largest award pool for social entrepreneurship in the U.S. was split five ways on April 23, 2009 when winners of the Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition were announced at Washington University in St. Louis. The five finalists were chosen from an original field of 42 entrants and represent diverse ventures with missions to provide educational and cultural and vocational training.

School of Medicine clinical faculty and staff recently collected more than 1,500 medical textbooks to be donated to the Lui Hospital in Sudan, located in the war zone of southern Sudan. The staff who work there rely on outdated medical references, some dating back to the 1930s.

In keeping with Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton’s commitment to financial and environmental sustainability, the University has decided to shut down the main steam plant on the Danforth Campus on Monday, April 27, three weeks earlier than usual.

Benjamin F. Edwards III, Washington University trustee emeritus and former chairman, chief executive officer and president of A.G. Edwards Inc., died Monday, April 20, 2009, from prostate cancer. He was 77.

Twenty WUSTL schools, academic areas and departments at the graduate and professional levels currently hold top 10 rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of graduate and professional programs, which were released April 23.

A handsome prince, a distant land, a damsel in distress. Yet in the world of The Magic Flute, little is as it seems. Next week the Washington University Opera will present an abridged version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756-91) beloved classic in Karl Umrath Hall.

The School of Medicine remains No. 3 among research-oriented medical schools, according to the 2010 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The rankings appear in the April 28 issue of the magazine and in an annual guidebook.

The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts will honor six outstanding architecture and art alumni at its second annual Awards for Distinction dinner April 23. Recipients will include Ralph Cunningham (BA 1983), Ann Fertig Freedman (BFA 1971), Tom Friedman (BFA 1988) and Harry C. Kendall (BA 1978). In addition, Sara Velas (BFA 1999) will receive the 2009 Young Alumni Award. Judy Pfaff (FA71) will receive the Dean’s Medal for distinguished service to the school.