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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.

James “Russ” Hornsby and Sherry Hornsby’s business is play. Gregory Lanza, MD, PhD, is a cardiologist who conducts groundbreaking research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Together, this unusual trio is forging new pathways to healthier lives for people in our region and around the globe. 

External research funding at Washington University has nearly doubled in 10 years, from $532 million in fiscal 2014 to more than $1 billion now, the first time annual funding from federal agencies, foundations, donors and other external sources has reached into 10 digits.

Christine Keller, director of career communities and career development at the Center for Career Engagement at WashU, was selected for Focus St. Louis’ fall 2024 Women in Leadership cohort among 34 local leaders. Members of the Women in Leadership cohort will have the opportunity to refine leadership competencies and network with women from diverse backgrounds. The program is offered each fall and spring and provides professionals with a deeper understanding of the St. Louis region. 

Asquith S. “Sean” Armstong, dean of the School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) at Washington University St. Louis, will be honored with an Excellence in Education Award during the 2024 Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala.

In just over a year as dean of Washington University’s Olin Business School officially, Mike Mazzeo has presided over the creation of a new flexible master’s in business administration program that has seen 25% growth over the part-time programs it replaced and 20% growth in the school’s executive MBA program. The results, he said, fit into Olin’s strategic strengths: education contoured to the local business community’s needs, including the two part-time, non-traditional MBA programs.

Will Ross, MD, the associate dean for diversity and the Alumni Endowed Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2024 Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The honor recognizes medical leaders committed to diversifying the health-care workforce. For nearly three decades, Ross, a nephrologist and public health epidemiologist, has devoted much of his career to eliminating health-care disparities in the U.S. and abroad as well as increasing diversity among medical students, residents and faculty. Additionally, Ross has developed innovative medical school pipeline programs designed to support promising students from underserved neighborhoods in St. Louis to pursue careers in the health-care industry.