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On Thursday, April 24, a closing ceremony event for Philanthropy Lab — a WashU Sociology course co-sponsored by the Gephardt Institute — granted $70,900 among 22 local nonprofit organizations. That’s in addition to $62,500 already granted to St. Louis nonprofits in 2025 via the course, which was championed by former students of the course who were “ambassadors” with the national The Philanthropy Lab organization.

Last year, with funding from the Gephardt Institute’s St. Louis Impact Fund, three students at the WashU School of Medicine hosted a series of workshops aimed at helping St. Louis seniors take a more active role in their own health and well-being. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

What is the role of a university? They not only educate students and provide research hubs for scholars but can be a vital part of a local community. WashU professors, students and deans discuss the evolving role of a college during a campus tour. Speakers discuss initiatives to expand access to local students, bolster the regional economy, connect with adult learners and address health care needs.

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. 

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.

St. Francis — a ministry of Catholic Charities of St. Louis — was an early stop on a path that led Joy Garcia-Pintor to admission at Washington University in St. Louis. She plans to major in both architecture and marketing. Garcia-Pintor is staying close to home — and still volunteering where she grew up, at St. Francis, helping generations to come.

As chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, I have the privilege of witnessing firsthand how our institution’s research enterprise transforms lives, not just through scientific breakthroughs, but through tangible economic and social benefits that strengthen our entire region and state. For the first time in our history, WashU surpassed $1 billion in annual research funding in fiscal year 2024. This milestone is a testament to the extraordinary talent and dedication of our researchers, and a powerful economic catalyst for St. Louis and Missouri.

When Washington University Olin Business School Dean Mike Mazzeo led the creation of a new strategic plan for the school, one new North Star emerged as a strategic imperative: developing true distinction in the business of health. It wasn’t merely a takeaway from the strategy sessions. It became a guiding mandate for moving forward.

A $160 million grant proposal submitted last week could establish St. Louis as a nationally-prominent location for neuroscience research, and officials involved in the bid believe there’s reason for optimism that the region could win the award. The region’s bid proposal was unveiled Tuesday during a summit hosted by Neuro360, a regional neuroscience coalition, at Washington University. The region’s bid for the grant is being led by regional innovation hub BioSTL and Neuro360, along with WashU.

Martin Mwita, a 20-year-old from the Omaha area, is the first commercial sickle cell patient at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and in the region to receive a new gene therapy treatment approved by the FDA at the end of 2023. Mwita is under the care of Dr. Shelani Shenoy, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist with the Washington University School of Medicine.

Plenty of WashU alumni launch companies—though they commonly leave St. Louis to do it. Starting this week, there will be a potential perk to staying here. On Thursday, WashU’s Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship will announce the inaugural winner(s) of “Venture Network Follow-on Investments.” Up to $150,000 will go each year to companies of WashU alumni who’ve already received money from Arch Grants and plan to stay in St. Louis. 

For nearly two decades, cinematic art that counters negative stereotypes, combats false narratives and offers first-hand insight about the continent of Africa have been showcased at Washington University in St. Louis. On Friday (March 28) the 19th Annual African Film Festival returns to campus. 

Some great classical music is coming to St. Louis next year. After several years of planning, Washington University in St. Louis has announced its schedule for the 2026 Great Artist Series.

The St. Louis nonprofit BioSTL is taking a leading role to turbocharge neuroscience in St. Louis. BioSTL is partnering with Washington University in St. Louis to lead a new program for the St. Louis region, called the NEURO360 initiative.

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.”

As Forest Park Forever raises $85 million in donations to make the Steinberg Skating Rink a year-round attraction – along with the 22 acres around it referred to as “the Glade” – the park’s leadership also has a list of “next-up big ticket items” over five years.

St. Louis is a forgotten place in a way. In fact, it has long been on lists of the most underrated cities in America. Back in 2016, Thrillist called St. Louis the “most overlooked city in America.” Perhaps the low-profile is due to the humility of its mid-west residents, who are easily approachable and nice, even when you’re wearing the wrong jersey at Busch Stadium. Or maybe it’s because of the city’s location, far from the coasts. No matter, the secrets of St. Louis, like they always have, await those who pass through.

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation’s Cara Starke shares must-see art experiences in St. Louis, from museums to monuments and beyond.

Across the metro area, transplants can quickly make an impact, both in the community and in their own careers.

The Washington Post recently named the Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) as one of the top art museums in the nation. The Post’s art critics ranked SLAM as #12, citing its geography in the “huge, gorgeous” Forest Park and calling its art collection “broad and deep.”

Joi Riley is one of three female business owners selling products in Park Central Development’s Eric Outlaw Business Center at 4256 Manchester Ave. The Grove neighborhood’s business incubator, which opened Oct. 10, helps women in the St. Louis region develop their businesses online and in store.

The employment gain by the St. Louis metro area that ranked as the fourth highest percentage increase in the nation is an indicator of progress, but it must be sustained for the rest of this decade to charge the region’s narrative, some officials say. Federal data released Oct. 4 showed that the number of non-farm employees in the St. Louis region grew 2.6% from August 2023 to August 2024. That’s an addition of 36,600 employees, from 1,422,200 a year ago to 1,458,800 in August, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Only the metro areas of Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Indianapolis showed larger percentage increases.

The number of employees in the St. Louis region grew 2.57% from August 2023 to August 2024, the fourth-highest percentage increase in the nation, according to federal data released Friday. The St. Louis metro area in the time added 36,600 employees, growing from 1,422,2000 a year ago to 1,458,800 in August, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Only three U.S. metro areas posted larger percentage employment increases: Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Indianapolis.

It’s the result of concerted efforts to attract immigrants here by organizations including Greater St. Louis Inc., the International Institute of St. Louis and the St. Louis Mosaic Project. By raising private donations for targeted recruitment, the campaign has attracted Latin American and Cuban immigrants and provided job training and placement with the help of the Missouri AFL-CIO. More than 1,300 Afghan refugees have come for programs including entrepreneurial grants. Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has created a city Office of New Americans to help facilitate immigrant settlement.