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WashU has initiated an ambitious fundraising and engagement endeavor to deliver transformative answers to society’s most pressing issues and to generate new opportunities for students.

With You: The WashU Campaign encourages alumni, parents, and supporters to collaborate with Washington University in St. Louis to forge a brighter future for all. Charitable contributions will enhance the university’s capacity to improve public health, broaden educational access, nurture vibrant communities, and cultivate principled leaders and citizens.

“WashU exemplifies what a 21^st-century research university can achieve to enhance the world around us. We carry the duty to build upon this esteemed legacy and invite the community to accompany us on our journey,” Chancellor Andrew D. Martin remarked. “With You: The WashU Campaign embodies the spirit of dreaming vividly, thinking broadly, and envisioning our collective achievements as a talented, focused, and driven community. The dynamic WashU community will shape the next chapter of our narrative.”

Martin introduced With You on May 1 at WashU’s Athletic Complex to a gathering of alumni, parents, benefactors, faculty, and students. He disclosed that the university aims to secure at least $5 billion by the conclusion of the campaign on December 31, 2030. Over $2.9 billion has already been amassed during the campaign’s silent phase, which commenced in 2019.

By supplying resources for the university’s emerging School of Public Health, WashU Medicine, research, and scholarships, With You will drive positive transformation in four key areas:

Healthier lives: WashU stands as a global leader in biomedical research and patient care. With You will bolster WashU scientists and medical practitioners in their pursuit of groundbreaking treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health conditions, and other diseases.

Greater access: In the last ten years, WashU has made substantial progress in becoming more accessible to students from all financial backgrounds. With You will build upon that success, further expanding scholarships and financial aid for exceptional undergraduate, graduate, and professional students as well as continuing education students.

Flourishing communities: Leveraging WashU’s expertise in public health, environmental science, and other fields, With You will assist in transforming how we cultivate food and nourish families; enhance air and water quality; eliminate healthcare inequalities; and safeguard vulnerable ecosystems.

Future-ready leaders: Through innovative initiatives such as “Dialogue Across Difference,” the George and Carol Bauer Leaders Academy, the newly unified Center for Career Engagement, and the Taylor Family Center for Student Success, With You will further WashU’s mission to nurture purpose-driven leaders of principle, character, and conviction.

The campaign will also support strategic priorities across schools and various university programs.

Chair of the Board of Trustees Andrew Bursky, AB ’78, BS ’78, MS ’78, noted that the expected decrease in federal research funding heightens the campaign’s importance. Numerous WashU labs involved in pioneering research on Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, agriculture, climate change, and other domains are mainly funded by the federal government. Overall, WashU obtained $856 million in federal grants in 2024 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, and other organizations.

“This is a time of significant unpredictability, which threatens to disrupt the vital work of our university,” remarked Bursky, co-chairing the With You campaign. “Now, more than ever, we require our community to unite behind our researchers.”

With You is rooted in Martin’s vision for WashU as first articulated in his inaugural speech in 2019, aptly titled “Momentum.” WashU, he pledged, would evolve as a distinguished hub in education, research, and patient care, engaging in more groundbreaking research, forging new pathways for gifted students from diverse backgrounds, and strengthening connections to the region it serves. Through “Here and Next,” the university’s ten-year strategic plan, and the backing of numerous contributors in the With You silent phase, WashU has made significant strides in many of these goals. Initiatives include:

• The School of Public Health: WashU’s first new school in a century, the School of Public Health will spearhead equitable, evidence-driven public health initiatives — both in St. Louis and globally — and provide an outstanding training ground for future generations of researchers and practitioners. The school is directed by Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, one of the world’s foremost public health figures.
• Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building: Among the largest neuroscience research centers globally, the cutting-edge facility on WashU Medicine’s campus accommodates 120 research teams investigating brain tumor biology, psychiatric disorders, pain, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases.
• Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM): An ambitious initiative to reform food systems, FARM aims to tackle hunger, malnutrition, and environmental harm by devising practical, scalable solutions in agricultural production and food distribution.

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No-loan financial support: Another significant advancement in WashU’s pursuit to enhance accessibility for students from diverse backgrounds, the no-loan financial aid policy substitutes federal loans with grants and scholarships. This policy follows two previous major initiatives in financial aid — the transition to need-blind admissions and the WashU Pledge, which grants free undergraduate education to students in Missouri and southern Illinois earning $75,000 or below annually.

“When our faculty, staff, students, and alumni united nearly five years back to develop ‘Here & Next,’ we decided to focus on efforts that are mission-critical and make a substantial, lasting impact,” stated Provost Beverly Wendland. “The With You campaign will allow us to achieve those objectives. Our actions here carry weight, and they must continue.”

WashU’s last extensive campaign, Leading Together, wrapped up in 2018, accumulating $3.378 billion in donations and commitments to assist WashU students and faculty while enhancing scholarship and research. In 2022, WashU introduced Make Way: Our Student Initiative, aiming to generate resources for scholarships, fellowships, and programs that improve the student experience. This initiative has now combined with With You: The WashU Campaign.

In addition to Bursky, Trustees Alicia McDonnell, JD ’95, and Cash Nickerson, JD ’85, MBA ’93, will act as co-chairs for With You. In this capacity, they will advocate for the campaign publicly and advise university leadership.

The two honorary co-chairs include John McDonnell, MBA ’14, ScD ’06, and Robert Virgil, MBA ’60, DBA ’67, both emeritus trustees. McDonnell co-chaired the leadership segment of Leading Together. Virgil, dean emeritus of Olin Business School, played a pivotal role in leading the scholarship fundraising effort for Leading Together.

Pamella Henson, executive vice chancellor for university advancement, noted that every member of the WashU community plays a vital role in the campaign.

“The title of this campaign — With You — signifies the crucial role of our alumni, students, parents, and supporters in our mission,” Henson remarked. “Whether it’s a substantial contribution for a specific project or an unrestricted donation to the Annual Fund, every dollar aids WashU — our faculty, students, and staff — in making an impact.”

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