Author: Julie Hail Flory

Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor and chief administrative officer, will transition to the newly created role of executive vice chancellor for civic affairs and strategic planning, with a sharp focus on regional equitable economic development, community engagement and partnership with the university’s neighborhoods and civic and community leaders.

What type of face mask is most effective? Will classrooms and other campus environments be safe for faculty and students this fall? What is the latest guidance for staying healthy? Get answers to these questions and more at a special “Ask the Doctors” town hall for the Danforth Campus community. 

Since spring, Washington University has been planning for the upcoming fall semester to determine how to bring students, faculty and staff back to the Danforth Campus as safely as possible as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve in the St. Louis region, across the country and around the world. Today the university announced its plans for the start of the next academic year, which begins in August and September.

Rebecca L. Brown has been promoted to vice chancellor and chief of staff for Washington University Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, effective June 1, according to Martin. Brown, who previously served as associate vice chancellor and chief of staff, also will assume the role of secretary to the Board of Trustees.

The Washington University community is invited to participate in a series of engagement sessions this summer focused on racial equity and the steps we will take as a university to address systemic racism and the toll it has on our Black community in particular.

We are disappointed with President Trump’s proclamation expanding restrictions on visas for individuals wishing to enter the United States for work. The proclamation will have a negative impact on international scholars, as well as the colleges and universities where they make important contributions to the research and scholarship enterprise.

We are heartened by today’s decision from the United States Supreme Court that rescinds the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. We have long asserted that the need to protect young people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children is not only a moral imperative, but also a responsibility that benefits our nation as a whole.

We are deeply concerned by any action of the United States government to prevent entire segments of the academic community from traveling into the country as students, teachers, researchers and scholars. The recent presidential proclamation directed at some Chinese scholars is only the most recent example of steps this administration has taken to make it more difficult for people to come here for purposes of education and research.

Washington University in St. Louis plans to welcome the graduating Class of 2020 back to campus for an in-person Commencement ceremony on May 30, 2021. This event will take the place of the ceremony originally scheduled for May 15, 2020, that was canceled due to public health concerns in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington University is firmly committed to addressing and preventing sexual misconduct on our campuses. We will review the U.S. Department of Education’s newly released Final Rule under Title IX and engage with members of our community in the coming weeks and months regarding implementation of any measures that may be required by changes to the law.