WashU community answers call to help in north St. Louis
The May 16 tornado that devastated parts of the St. Louis region was on the ground for just 24 minutes. The cleanup will take months, maybe years. Several Washington University in St. Louis teams, as well as numerous individual employees and students, have answered the call to help through service and donations — showcasing WashU’s commitment to St. Louis.
Global biodiversity begins at home with the Living Earth Collaborative
The Living Earth Collaborative (LEC) combines the resources of WashU, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Saint Louis Zoo to understand, protect, and promote biodiversity in St. Louis and around the world. Through extensive conversation and collaboration, the LEC’s researchers are addressing pressing environmental problems that would be too big for one institution to tackle on its own.
New guidelines set for Live Near Your Work program
Offered since 1997, the Live Near Your Work program remains popular with employees of both WashU and BJC. Over the years, it has supported more than 500 faculty and staff members in providing a total of $4.4 million in forgivable home loans for down payments and closing costs. Live Near Your Work’s primary goal is neighborhood stabilization via affordable and attainable home ownership. To better support that aim, and areas close to campus and the hospital, the program will adopt several modifications starting July 1.
Brown School volunteers support tornado recovery efforts in North St. Louis
In the wake of the devastating tornado that struck the St. Louis area on Friday, May 16, thousands of volunteers have mobilized to aid in the recovery efforts. Among them was a group from the WashU Brown School – students, alumni, and faculty – who joined the effort on Tuesday, May 20, providing support in one of the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods.
‘Miracles can happen’: Commencement with the WashU Prison Education Project
The visitors’ room at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center (MECC) is a place of hard surfaces. There are tile floors, cinderblock walls, glass dividers and heavy steel doors. But on May 14, the room echoed loudly with the sounds of celebration. Roughly 100 guests made the drive to Pacific, Mo., to honor new graduates of the School of Continuing & Professional Studies’ (CAPS) Prison Education Project (PEP). Eleven students earned associate in arts degrees. A twelfth earned a bachelor’s degree in integrated studies.
WashU community joins neighbors in tornado recovery
In the hours and days following the deadly tornado, the WashU community quickly mobilized to help its neighbors. WashU’s “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” Initiative team is engaged with community partners to keep up with rapidly shifting community needs. They are keeping their website updated with opportunities for the WashU community to help. For groups of three or more who wish to volunteer together, the United Way Volunteer Center has specific opportunities listed to sign up as a group.
These are the St. Louis region’s 2025 Best Places to Work
The St. Louis Business Journal’s annual Best Places to Work Awards recognize the top workplaces in the St. Louis region and is one of the most anticipated awards programs of the year. This year, WashU was recognized again as one of the top workplaces in the region.
The Muny wins Tony Award for best regional theater
The Muny, the century-old theater in Forest Park, is the winner of the 2025 Regional Theatre Tony Award for excellence in regional theater and “contributing to the growth of theater nationally.”
Ten College Prep Program grads secure spots at WashU with $820,000 in aid
Ten of the 36 graduating high school seniors in WashU’s College Prep Program will attend WashU this fall, receiving a total of $820,000 in financial aid from Washington University in St. Louis. Other students have received offers from the University of Pennsylvania, Louisiana State University, Saint Louis University and some 60 state and private universities, community colleges and historically Black colleges and universities. The College Prep Program (CPP) is an immersive four-year experience that prepares talented first-generation, limited-income high school students from the St. Louis region to succeed in college.
Made with care: McKelvey Engineering students lead toddler wheelchair building event
Biomedical engineering students at Washington University in St. Louis don’t wait until graduation to get to work. Especially when it comes to assisting vulnerable people who need access to assistive technology. Instead, inspired by what they saw at a Georgia Tech University maker event, seniors Kaitlyn Sallee and Brianna Duhart, started their own chapter of Tikkun Olam Makers and hosted an event recently to build wheelchairs for young children whose families otherwise could not afford them.