Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement

In 2014, only 15.7 percent of students voted in the midterms. The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, through its WashU Votes initiative, wants to increase that number to 20 percent through a number of programs and initiatives starting Monday, Sept. 24, with National Voter Registration Week.

Mickey and Debbie Stern, longtime supporters of Washington University in St. Louis, have made a $1 million commitment to the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement. The gift will support the Civic Scholars Program, a key Gephardt initiative that prepares undergraduate students to be civic leaders.

The Ethic of Service Award celebrated 15 years of civic engagement and service April 17. Founded during Washington University in St. Louis’ sesquicentennial year by Bob Virgil, dean emeritus of Olin Business School, and his wife, Gerry, the awards have honored some 100 members of the Washington University community.

Washington University in St. Louis has been named a “Voter Friendly Campus” for its success in preparing students to participate in the democratic process.

Can good intentions sometimes lead to bad feelings? That’s one of the questions to be addressed at the annual Impact Conference being held at Washington University Feb. 16-19. About 600 students from across the nation are expected to attend the conference, which focuses on community service, service learning and community-based research at America’s universities.

Thousands of Washington University in St. Louis students are expected to vote Tuesday. To make the experience easy, and memorable, the university has established one central polling location for all students who live on campus and it will host events and an evening watch party at the Danforth University Center.

Some 2,065 Washington University in St. Louis students have registered using TurboVote. And thousands more have registered online or in their home state. The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement is working to boost the campus registration rate to 80 percent and the registered voter participation rate to 65 percent.

Cassie Klosterman, a voter engagement fellow at Washington University’s Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and a 2016 graduate in Arts & Sciences, talks about her recent experiences as a delegate at College Debate 16. The national gathering of college students was sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Students explore the parallels between Challenger disaster and Ferguson crisis during a unique class.

Provost Holden Thorp has appointed Stephanie Kurtzman, director of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, as interim executive director. The university will launch this fall a nationwide search for a permanent faculty director.