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The story of St. Louis often is told through the language of division. North versus south. City versus county. The legacy of segregation and the stubborn persistence of the Delmar Divide. Over the last decade, The Divided City, an urban humanities initiative at Washington University in St. Louis, has sponsored dozens of classes, seminars and research projects grappling with those difficult histories and their contemporary effects. This fall, building on that work, WashU will launch a new initiative: The Engaged City. Funded by a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the Office of the Provost, the Engaged City aims to highlight St. Louis’ cultural resources — and to reframe how the city sees, understands and talks about itself.

WashU Olin’s CELect St. Louis, a program of the Center for Experiential Learning, pairs teams of undergraduate and graduate students with local startups, allowing them to gain real-life consulting experience. CELect St. Louis students Reagan Edwards, JD 2025, and Nico Stuart, BUCS 2025, described the kickoff event for their semester projects, including their initial meetings with clients.

The WashU Infectious Diseases Division’s Bridge to Health Program partnered with other state and community organizations including Street Med STL, the Missouri Department of Social Services, the Missouri Department of health and Senior Services, and Vivent Health to provide HIV and Hepatitis C testing as well as linkage to care services at three events throughout St. Louis. 

How to retain Washington University graduates and other higher education students in the St. Louis metro area is a complex question, but WashU researchers have compiled data that offers a potential path forward.

The Penelope Shackelford Professorship in Pediatric Infectious Disease, established through the estate of Kevyn Schroeder, will enhance the Department of Pediatrics’ ability to recruit and retain exceptional faculty members. In addition, payout from the endowment will provide ongoing funding to support recipients’ clinical and research programs — and their efforts to improve infant and child health.

A small but mighty team of WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) staff were in New Orleans recently sharing how the CAPS English Language Programs (ELP) Empower program is changing lives for new Americans – immigrants and refugees – in St. Louis. The Empower program was recognized earlier in September by the World Trade Center St. Louis as part of the annual Growing Global celebration where it was revealed that St. Louis leads the nation in foreign-born population growth with a 23.2% year-over-year increase from 2022-2023.

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.

Washington University in St. Louis is releasing a report on retaining college graduates in the city. Salary is the main determinant of whether graduates stay or leave, according to a study by WashU’s Center for Analytics and Business Insights. Social connections and career advancement opportunities are the next two most important factors.

For the second straight year, WashU has won the Citizens for Modern Transit College Transit Challenge. The annual competition encourages students, staff and faculty from local colleges to log their rides on MetroLink and Metro buses for bragging rights and the College Transit Trophy. 

College-educated workers drive innovation and economic development and contribute significantly to a city’s overall prosperity. With more than a dozen colleges and universities, St. Louis has no shortage of talented students. But keeping that talent in St. Louis after graduation remains a challenge. Attracting and retaining talent in the St. Louis community is a key priority of Washington University’s “In St. Louis, for St. Louis” initiative. The university recently commissioned a report from Olin Business School’s Center for Analytics and Business Insights that details which type of students are most likely to stay in St. Louis after graduation, as well as the factors that drive students’ decisions in choosing their first jobs.