A hallmark of the WashU culture is the way we value our connections with one another.
Wherever we come from and whatever reason we had for choosing WashU, so many of us quickly come to realize that our culture of respect, support, and camaraderie is second to none. As we work toward the fulfillment of our collective mission and our individual potential, we seek to listen, encourage, critique with compassion, and collaborate to achieve greater impact than we could alone.
Leaders and experts from across the university have come together to compile our rich set of resources for Cultivating Connections. This platform, which will grow over time, is designed to help students, faculty, staff, and our local neighbors engage in meaningful learning and empathetic, intellectually-rigorous discourse across a wide spectrum of cultural, ideological, and societal viewpoints.
The opportunity to learn from and with each other across our differences is a rare and valuable asset – one that will serve us well beyond our time on campus.
Chancellor Andrew D. Martin
Featured programs and initiatives
Dialogue Across Difference (DxD)
Teaches the next generation to thoughtfully express their perspectives, without sacrificing who they are and what they believe. This fall, all first-year students living in our residence halls will participate.
Engage Democracy 2024
Connects students, faculty, and staff with compelling election-related events, increases voter education, and contributes to building a culture of civic and community engagement throughout WashU.
Office of Institutional Equity
Offers innovative education, engagement, and connection opportunities designed to support faculty and staff in creating and maintaining an environment where all can thrive, anchored in organizational mission, goals, and priorities.
Realistic Hope: American Democracy and the 2024 Election
A pair of conversations with prominent thinkers on the issues informing the election and contemporary American democracy. John Dickerson, CBS News, will moderate. Hosted by the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics.
Learning to Disagree by John Inazu
Stories and vignettes meant to complicate your assumptions, introduce arguments from “the other side,” and illustrate how people can recognize good faith disagreements without surrendering their most strongly held beliefs.
Free Speech Fireside Chat with Professor Epstein and Chancellor Martin
Professor Lee Epstein and Chancellor Andrew D. Martin answer students’ questions about free speech on campus. Moderated by Hussein Amuri, Student Union President.
WashU Ideas, Discourse and Exploration (WIDE) Speaker Series
Call for proposals from faculty for a speaker series aimed at cultivating inclusive and productive dialogue around complex topics.
Upcoming events
The Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) regularly hosts events for WashU students.
Check out their calendar to see what’s happening next.