New this year, the St. Louis Fellows Program will offer a specific opportunity to help address gun violence in the region. The forthcoming Arnold Family Fellow — created through a vision and gift from Jane Arnold JD ’93 and her children — is part of the new class of St. Louis Fellows and will be granted to a student who applied for the program with an expressed interest in addressing gun violence.
After a record number of applications, a packed week of back-to-back interviews, and a rigorous selection process, the Gephardt Institute announces its largest class of St. Louis Fellows in the program’s nearly 20-year history. “WashU is in St. Louis and for St. Louis,” said Executive Director Stephanie Kurtzman. “The St. Louis Fellows Program offers a transformative pathway for students to contribute to the progress and vitality of the St. Louis region, and prepare for a lifetime of civic leadership wherever they live and work in the future. Student interest in this opportunity is at a record high, and thanks to generous contributions from our supporters, we’re pleased to expand the program once again to meet the burgeoning interest of both students and our St. Louis community partners.”
WashU Pledge scholarships, first announced in 2019, provide free undergraduate education to all incoming, full-time students from Missouri and southern Illinois whose families make $75,000 or less. Gateway to Success, announced two years later, is a $1 billion investment in student financial aid and support that has allowed WashU to adopt need-blind admissions, meaning that an applicant’s financial situation no longer factors into admission decisions.
At a critical juncture for agriculture and public health, Washington University in St. Louis is launching the Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM), an ambitious initiative that aims to address challenges in agricultural production, food distribution and access to nutritious foods by developing practical, scalable solutions for global impact. “The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated,” said WashU Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, who has long advocated for this initiative. “Hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation are not distant threats — they are present crises demanding immediate, coordinated action. “We have the opportunity to interrupt these consequences by applying innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems,” he added. “Together, with our partners in St. Louis and beyond, we will transform how we grow food, nourish communities and sustain the environment — because the health of regional, national and global populations depends on it.”
A new Washington University program seeks to use business principles to improve health care systems and operations, and spur new innovations. Launched late last year, the Business of Health initiative leans on research originating at WashU’s Olin Business School to solve industry challenges, help students launch careers on the business side of the health care field, and turn fresh ideas into real-world solutions.
WashU Advocates are raising awareness about WashU’s mission with government officials, communicating how the university works to solve societal challenges and improve lives in the region and beyond.
Researchers from the Brown School’s Evaluation Center and Center for Social Development (CSD) will assess the impact of a new financial initiative aimed at closing the racial wealth gap in St. Louis.
Yixin Chen, professor of computer science & engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering, was given the St. Louis Innovator Award by the Bar Association of Metropolitan Saint Louis at its inaugural Spirit of Innovation Awards Jan. 23, 2025. Chen was selected his contributions and dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in our region, specifically, in AI and large-language models and their applications in health care and legal practices.
Washington University’s Olin School of Business is trying to streamline communication between people who specialize in health business and medical professionals. The university last week announced a new “Business of Health” initiative, which the head of the program says will “improve individual and societal well-being” through communication.
WashU has evolved dramatically on Andrew Martin’s watch, and its School of Continuing & Professional Studies is a prime example. By reimagining the school to allow for an easier entry point, WashU hopes to provide direct paths to higher-paying careers, while also helping companies across the region develop and retain talent in some of the most high-demand sectors. All told, Martin believes it’s an exciting time to work in higher education. “There’s so much potential to build upon and expand on long-standing partnerships, establish new ones, and activate the talents of our students and faculty in service to and alongside our region,” he says.