During my commencement, I shared an aspiration of WashU as a conduit that unites disciplines, individuals, socioeconomic and cultural distinctions, and communities. Our endeavors in education, research, and patient care can be envisioned as vessels, advancing with intent. Our strategic vision, “Here and Next,” serves like a GPS, steering our course and assisting us in traversing intricate landscapes.

What fortifies this conduit? Our philanthropic alliances. They are both the energy and the foundational support — the fuel that propels our expedition and the enhancements that guarantee we can continue bridging gaps, making strides, and achieving new vistas.

To energize the journey ahead, next month we will publicly unveil a comprehensive fundraising initiative titled With You: The WashU Campaign. As the title implies, collaborations with our community will drive us forward as we endeavor to build a more optimistic, compassionate, and healthier world alongside you, our alumni, parents, and supporters. The campaign will invigorate the execution of our strategic initiatives, which you can discover more about starting on pg. 20. Moreover, it will expedite our advancement in two significant facets of our vision for WashU.

Firstly, we aim to promote global solutions to society’s most profound challenges. We’ve identified four principal areas of influence to steer our campaign: enhancing access for students, cultivating future-ready leaders, constructing thriving communities, and promoting healthier lives. We will meet each donor where their passions lie, providing funding prospects aligned with these areas of influence as well as chances to support specific school objectives and academic departments. Our core mission remains evident: to pursue academic excellence through educational and research brilliance. By engaging with our stakeholders and the issues that resonate with them, we will activate our strengths in research and education to implement the constructive changes they yearn to witness in the world.

Secondly, we are committing to an unparalleled level of interdisciplinary cooperation throughout our entire university community, from our first-year students to the most senior faculty. Through programs like WashU Leads and Dialogue Across Difference (DxD), we instruct students to frame issues and generate solutions by integrating varied perspectives and welcoming distinct leadership styles. Essential to this strategy is our dedication to free expression, fostering an environment where students can candidly share and respectfully examine contrasting opinions.

Now more than ever, our researchers are collaborating across disciplines to confront the intricate challenges of our interconnected world. The Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building and our new Center for the Environment showcase this methodology, assembling substantial interdisciplinary teams to address urgent issues facing humanity.

Together with WashU’s generous community, we can achieve remarkable, transformative outcomes. Driven by a collective sense of purpose and supported by a robust tradition of private philanthropy, we will persist in our pursuit of equitable access to a WashU education, dismantling financial barriers for the world’s most brilliant students to join us. Additionally, we will invest in the endeavors of innovative scholars whose research pushes the boundaries of our intellectual discourse and potential solutions.

From my perspective today, I perceive a realm of possibilities. It is immensely exhilarating to envision where this journey may lead us and to anticipate all that we might achieve together. Collectively, our talent and dedication are unmatched.

Now, it’s time to take action. Please join me for an extraordinary adventure.

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