James E. McLeod

Among the many principles the late mentor/teacher/administrative leader Jim McLeod espoused were the power of the personal story and the power of a liberal arts education for all. So it is fitting that scholar and academic leader Ruth J. Simmons, who also embraces these values, will deliver the second annual James E. McLeod Memorial Lecture on Higher Education, “The State of Conscience in University Life Today,” at 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, in Graham Chapel.

The first-ever Dean James E. McLeod Freshman Writing Prize has been awarded, and the inaugural winners are Senit Kidane and Claudia Vaughan. McLeod was a longtime WUSTL leader who died in 2011. The Center for the Humanities provided funding for the contest, and any freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences could submit work for consideration. Original research papers exploring an aspect of race, gender or identity and created for a freshman course were eligible.

Clara McLeod (right) greets Jane Ervin, the widow of John B. Ervin, after Ervin spoke at the Ervin Scholars Program 25th Anniversary Celebration Banquet, held Sept. 15 at St. Louis Union Station Marriott. McLeod’s husband, the late James E. McLeod, founded the Ervin Scholars Program in 1987 to pay tribute to WUSTL’s first African-American dean, John B. Ervin, PhD.

McLeod’s Way, a new landscaped gathering place on the South 40 that honors the late James E. “Jim” McLeod, WUSTL’s beloved vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, was dedicated Sept. 15 at Graham Chapel. Shaun C. Koiner, a 2004 WUSTL alumnus and one of McLeod’s former students, speaks during the ceremony.

Washington University’s John B. Ervin Scholars Program, considered a nationally pre-eminent program that fosters and enhances the overall quality and diversity of WUSTL’s student body, is recognizing its 25th anniversary this weekend. More than 1,000 alumni, family and friends of the Ervin program are expected to be on campus Sept. 14-16 to participate in “Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence: Our Names and Our Stories.”

​Six-year-old Ruby Bridges entered the history books when she entered first grade. As the youngest foot soldier in the battle to integrate public schools, she will have a powerful story to tell at the Ervin Scholars’ 25th anniversary keynote event at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, in Graham Chapel.  

McLeod’s Way, a landscaped gathering place along the path from the Forsyth Underpass to the Clock Tower on the South 40, will be dedicated Saturday, Sept. 15, in memory of Jim McLeod, WUSTL’s beloved vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, who died in 2011 after a two-year battle with cancer. The gathering place, to be completed in early September, will feature wooden benches and granite and limestone walls inscribed with many of McLeod’s favorite, inspirational sayings.

WUSTL will host Relay For Life, a signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, from 6 p.m. Saturday, April 14, to 6 a.m. Sunday, April 15, on Francis Field. This year’s event is dedicated to the memory of James E. McLeod, former vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, who died in September 2011 after a two-year battle with cancer.

Marsha Cann, left, and Ron Himes of The Black Rep perform Jan. 16 during the 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration in Graham Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis. Himes, a WUSTL alumnus and the founder and producing director of The Black Rep, received the Rosa L. Parks Award for Meritorius Service to the Community. The event also paid tribute to the late James E. McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.

James E. McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, was presented with the Search Award at the university’s 43rd annual William Greenleaf Eliot gala May 11. McLeod was honored for 35 years of invaluable contributions, inspiration, devotion and guidance to the Washington University community.