From the Campaign Chair
Chair, Leading Together
Executive Chairman, Enterprise Holdings
(Photo: Mark Katzman)
As of June 30, 2015, Leading Together: The Campaign for Washington University had secured $1.95 billion in gifts and commitments toward a minimum goal of $2.2 billion by June 30, 2018. Leading Together earlier surpassed the total of $1.55 billion raised during the entire previous campaign.
We are very grateful to all the alumni, friends, faculty and staff who have made this milestone possible. Your involvement and dedication already have helped to increase access and affordability for qualified students; advance life-changing research; enhance our world-class faculty; and make impressive strides toward a healthier, more just and more sustainable world.
Much has been accomplished, but we still have much work to do. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the campaign so far. Washington University has unparalleled potential to have a lasting impact on America and our global society. Together, we will realize our vision for the future.
Increasing Support for Scholarships and Fellowships
In June, the campaign surpassed the $300 million mark toward its minimum goal of $400 million in new endowed and annual scholarships for graduate and undergraduate students. The ultimate goal is to ensure that no qualified student ever has to turn down a Washington University education for financial reasons.
Washington University has always sought to attract a talented and diverse student body. However, recruiting students from all socioeconomic backgrounds requires a significant investment of resources — and the university’s endowment for scholarships lags behind that of other highly selective universities.
The university is committed to increasing opportunities for students from families with limited financial means. Eager to fulfill their potential and make a difference in the world, these young women and men will lead us into the future. They will shape their careers and serve their communities with the knowledge that a scholarship not only changes lives, it can change the world.
Knight and Bauer Halls Dedicated
Washington University dedicated Knight and Bauer halls, new buildings for the Olin Business School, May 2-3, 2014. In the years ahead, these new facilities will help propel Olin’s trajectory among the world’s leading business schools.
Knight and Bauer halls, which serve all Olin faculty and students, represent the latest in tech-savvy, versatile spaces for meetings, discussions and learning. The 177,000 square feet of space, designed for environmental sustainability, recently was certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The new facilities were made possible through leadership gifts by Charles and Joanne Knight and by George and Carol Bauer, along with the support of more than 200 alumni, friends, faculty and staff. Together, their generosity represents an investment in the future of business and the students who will lead it.
Charles F. “Chuck” Knight and his wife, Joanne, have benefited people throughout the St. Louis region with their support for education, health care and cancer research. Knight led Emerson for three decades and is a former trustee of Washington University. He chaired the task force that helped chart the future of the Olin Business School, and he is the founding chair of Olin’s National Council.
George Bauer, BS ’53, MS ’59, is an emeritus trustee of Washington University and a member of the Olin National Council. Following a 31-year career with IBM, he founded an investment banking firm, GPB Group Ltd. He and his wife, Carol, are dedicated philanthropists who are personally involved in many humanitarian causes.