Dear WashU students, faculty and staff,

The past few months have been a challenging time for American higher education. Our colleges and universities are in the national spotlight and under scrutiny on a number of fronts, including how we conduct research, how we support our communities, and even how we educate our students. This increased attention – and, in some areas, related demands – have put a strain on all of us. This includes students, faculty, staff and administrators, as well as everyone who cares about and believes in our mission in support of research excellence, access to education, and, importantly, academic freedom and the pursuit of truth.

I have heard from many of you in recent weeks, asking what we are doing to stand up for WashU and what we believe in. As I have shared on several occasions recently, our leadership team – myself included – has been fully activated and engaged in advocacy work at the federal level on behalf of the university. This has been the case for at least the past two years, with a significant ramp-up in our activities in the last few months in response to actions taken by the new administration, which have been damaging to our community. 

Personally, I have been taking our message directly to policy-makers in Washington, where I’ve been many times since the beginning of the year. Our full-time staff members in DC also engage with leaders behind the scenes on a daily basis. I have been encouraged by the response we have gotten from these meetings, and I believe we are making positive progress toward achieving our goals. We also continue to partner with our peer institutions and professional organizations to make the case for higher education through strategic, collective advocacy. These efforts typically do not take place in the public eye, but I can assure you that they are happening and they are making a difference. This approach has been, and will continue to be, far more effective than any joint letter or petition I could sign, or any institutional statement we could make. 

At the same time, I appreciate that there is a desire to have more visibility into our advocacy work. I have met with our Faculty Senate Council, our deans, student leaders and other campus groups to share details about our strategy. All have been supportive. I will keep these lines of communication open as the situation continues to develop.

So there is no room for doubt, let me be clear: We are opposed to governmental overreach in higher education. We are firmly committed to academic freedom and free expression. We will vigorously defend our right to educate our students according to our academic principles. We will fight to preserve federal research funding. We are all-hands-on-deck, advocating for our community, and emphasizing to our elected officials the tremendous value institutions of higher education like WashU bring to our nation and the world. At the same time, it is also important for us to acknowledge that there may be areas where we can improve and take necessary steps to course-correct where needed. As we continue to recommit ourselves to our mission and core principles, we must continually strive for excellence in all we do, and be willing to consider change where needed. 

You may be wondering what you can do to help. As one step, I would encourage you to engage with your elected leaders directly. There is no more powerful voice than the one you provide as a constituent. You may want to consider joining our WashU Advocates program, which makes it easy to connect with government officials to share your thoughts on WashU’s impact. I know you will have other ideas as well. I hope you will consider joining the effort, however you may be inclined to engage.

Our current situation is complicated and nuanced. I ask for your trust that we are laser-focused on taking every possible step to protect WashU, advocate for higher education and our values, and make our voices heard in Washington and beyond. 

Sincerely,

Andrew D. Martin
Chancellor