Higher Education

NBA great and social justice advocate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will deliver the 2021 Commencement address for Washington University in St. Louis, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced in a video message to members of the class.

Julie Hail Flory, interim vice chancellor for public affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, has been appointed vice chancellor for marketing and communications, effective April 1, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. Flory succeeds Jill D. Friedman, who left the position in December 2019.

Anna Gonzalez, vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Harvey Mudd College, has been appointed vice chancellor for student affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, effective July 1, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. Gonzalez will succeed Lori S. White, who left the position last July to become president of DePauw University.

With an aim to be bold, transformative and collaborative, Washington University in St. Louis has officially begun its strategic planning process to develop a roadmap that will guide the university’s future over the next decade. “WashU Strategic Planning: Defining Our Vision for Washington University’s Future” will be an 18-month endeavor, heavily informed by feedback from members of the university and St. Louis communities.

While this past year has been painful to say the least, let’s use it as a reminder of the value of our higher education institutions and the crucial purpose we play in developing life-changing interventions and treatments, cultivating globally-minded leaders, and bringing to light the injustices happening in our communities and around the world.

Shantay Bolton, vice president and deputy chief operating officer at Tulane University, has been appointed executive vice chancellor for administration and chief administrative officer at Washington University in St. Louis, effective July 1, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.

More importantly, it will bring together interdisciplinary neuroscience research and innovation at the School of Medicine.”. … One of these structures will resemble the glass three-story lobby on the north side of the neuroscience research building.

Earlier this summer, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced a comprehensive action plan to address racial equity at Washington University in St. Louis. Part of that plan included a Danforth Campus-wide cluster hire of 12 new faculty members who will focus on world-class research on race and ethnicity in our society.

I for one am proud of the immense progress we are making to invest in industries that align so closely with our mission, with a strong tendency to shy away from those that might serve to detract from it.  And moving forward, we will continue to make even greater strides to invest in businesses with positive ESG practices. Because of the nature of our partnership with WUIMC, their long-term horizon approach to investment, as well as their engagement model, we’re confident we will continue on this path. 

In summary, WUIMC is a separate entity accountable to its own board, but working in tandem with the university.  Therefore, it has its own oversight and a lot of autonomy, but also a lot of rigidity in terms of the way it functions and allocates assets.  Because its main purpose is to support the university’s mission in perpetuity, WUIMC’s investment decisions tend to align closely with our university’s most deeply held values.