As the 2025 legislative session kicks off, the Office of Government & Community Relations at Washington University in St. Louis has launched an advocacy program as well as an online map demonstrating WashU’s impact across the state.
Flint Fowler, a strong champion for St. Louis’ young people and a WashU alumnus, will receive the annual Rosa L. Parks Award at the 38th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in Graham Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis. Fowler retired in December from Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Louis, where he served as executive director for 28 years. During his tenure, he helped the organization grow from a single location to 11 sites in the region offering about 14,000 young people programs in leadership, academic success, career readiness, the arts and sports.
Public health education in St. Louis is on the brink of transformative growth. The Washington University School of Public Health, slated to open in 2026, will mark the university’s first new school in a century and signal a major shift in how public health research and community engagement will be organized on campus.
Two summers ago, Angela Chen joined the first class of the Washington University Rural Scholars Academy, a free program that introduces talented high school students to all that WashU and St. Louis have to offer. Next fall, she is set to return — this time as a first-year student on a full-ride scholarship.
WashU will once again partner with Greater St. Louis Marathon, a St. Louis tradition that features a marathon, half-marathon, marathon relay, 10K, 5K and 1-mile family fun run. The 2025 race will take place April 26 in downtown St. Louis.
Illustrator Carson Ellis, sculptor Beatriz Cortez and architect Rahul Mehrotra are among the internationally renowned creative professionals who will discuss their work for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis this spring. These events are free and open to the public.
St. Louis has been home to a branch of the NAACP for more than a century. While the organization has had a presence on many university campuses, it’s launching it’s first chapter at Washington University in St. Louis this year.
Washington University in St. Louis is preparing to launch its first new school in a century: the school of public health. Dr. Sandro Galea, the dean of the school of public health, says public health is many things from pandemics, infectious disease, to chronic disease and mental health. “What distinguishes public health is that we think about how we can structure the world to keep us healthy for as long as possible to prevent disease,” said Galea on ‘Total Information A.M.’
Brickline Greenway is kicking off 2025 with three huge wins! Great Rivers Greenway (GRG), the public agency connecting the region with greenways who turns 25 this year, has received a major boost to support the project’s vision to connect 14 neighborhoods with 12+ miles of greenways. Significant investments from both BJC Health System (BJC) and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) push the $245 million public-private partnership past the halfway-funded mark, as well as provide critical match for future federal funding applications. Greater St. Louis, Inc. (GSL) stepped up its commitment by forming a working group of CEOs to support capital campaign efforts, further ensuring success for the project in 2025.
At Washington University’s Olin School, Izzy Gorton and Chiara Munzi are disrupting the quick breakfast market – and have raised $234,000 to take their startup national. Gorton and Munzi leveraged the school’s Skandalaris Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to guide the launch of their venture, ChiChi. Even more, adds Gorton, they took advantage of their startup-friendly local ecosystem in St. Louis.