On October 3, 2022, while the globe continued to recover from the clutches of a worldwide health crisis, Washington University introduced an audacious and visionary strategic initiative named “Here and Next.”

Conceived through an 18-month initiative involving extensive feedback, outreach, and sessions — predominantly conducted via Zoom — incorporating insights from countless students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community allies, this plan outlined a clear direction for WashU over the forthcoming decade. Taking the lead as the primary facilitator, architect, and advocate was Provost Beverly Wendland, who passionately advocated for the plan at every step, radiating enthusiasm at each launch event while donning her distinctive green embroidered De La Cruz boots, a fashionable pair crafted by designer John Fluevog that she occasionally still wears.

Wendland, who transitioned to the Danforth Campus from Johns Hopkins University in July 2020, was fully committed to WashU and recognized immediately that steering the strategic planning process would be one of her top priorities. However, the emergence of the pandemic was unforeseen. Ultimately, the insights gained while assisting the university in navigating COVID-19, alongside Wendland’s proactive, hands-on approach, greatly contributed to the plan’s successful foundation.

Now, over two years later, WashU has undergone significant transformations due to Here and Next, marked by at times remarkable advancements. Below is an update on the changes that have occurred to date — and the transformations that lie ahead.

In October 2022, you described the months prior as “the most exhilarating of your career.” Do you still hold that sentiment?

It has been thrilling to witness several initiatives flourish and come to fruition. The launch of Here and Next in 2022 was exhilarating, and the subsequent “mini-launches” occurring now, the tangible outcomes of the plan, are providing me with a similarly high level of fulfillment.

From the outset, beginning with the Board of Trustees meeting where the draft plan was thoroughly examined, to the subsequent meeting when the revised proposal received approval, it was evident that the trustees were entirely supportive of the vision that our community collaboratively developed. At that moment, it truly felt like anything could be achieved. The surge of interest and excitement during all the launch events that October was remarkable.

What insights did you gain from WashU’s response to the pandemic that influenced the planning for Here and Next?

We acquired substantial knowledge, starting with the framework we established to address the pandemic. We initiated the process with an executive committee and working groups, followed by a coordinating committee for the strategic plan bridging between them. This committee included the co-chairs from the working groups and several steering committee members to create some ‘horizontal’ connectivity within the vertical committee structure. The coordinating committee facilitated visibility into each committee’s activities, enabling the identification of overlaps, synergies, and collaborative efforts which fostered cohesion throughout the evolving plan. This approach prevented redundant or even conflicting efforts.

The three core pillars guiding Chancellor Andrew D. Martin’s tenure since his inauguration in 2018 are academic excellence, educational accessibility, and “In St. Louis, For St. Louis.” How does Here and Next enhance these areas?

I was brought on board to bolster and facilitate these focuses. Much of the strategic plan aligns with these priorities. There are three core pillars — research, people, community — and nested within these pillars are 17 initiatives, all progressing at different rates. We constantly monitor metrics and track developments. I report regularly to the trustees to ensure we keep the community informed about our progress.

The creation of the plan involved 18 months of listening, outreach, and collaborative sessions. Can you highlight an idea that emerged from a listening session currently under development?

I can mention numerous examples: the School of Public Health, the Center for the Environment, the achievements associated with digital transformation, and the Confluence Collaborative. All of these initiatives are benefiting the WashU community — and subsequently, the broader community as well. With these structures now established, we’re shifting our focus towards the “people pillar” of the plan, seeking to enhance our research endeavors on the Danforth Campus in alignment with WashU Medicine. Each one of these represents a small victory, and combined they make each day feel rewarding.

Could you elaborate on the team you assembled to assist in various aspects of the plan? How crucial have they been to its successful implementation?

The initial group tasked with intensive planning and early execution featured myself; Joe MacDonald, who at the time was part of the provost’s team; and then-Dean Mary McKay of the Brown School. The three of us collaborated closely, continuously asking ourselves: “Who should we engage with? How do we proceed with this? How do we ensure accountability?”

Having that tightly knit group was essential at the outset, and I can’t envision better collaborators. Joe showcased skills I knew would be beneficial in shaping the strategic planning process from the very beginning. Now, in his role as senior associate dean for strategy and innovation, he has also assisted Olin Business School with its new agenda. Mary was an ideal choice, bringing her relational style and the connections she had forged while leading the Brown School’s strategic plan. She has been incredibly effective throughout this process. Since that initial phase, the team has expanded to incorporate many talented individuals who have all contributed to the overall success of the plan in countless ways.

A fundamental aspect of Here and Next is its cooperative essence. Numerous new initiatives engage several schools and entities within the community. Was this intentional?

In 2024, we underwent our HLC (Higher Learning Commission) accreditation assessment. I take great pride in one of the insights shared by the committee during our wrap-up meeting: The feeling of collaboration on our campus was unmistakable. That was truly rewarding.

Collaboration has been a deliberate focus since the outset. For instance, with the “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” working group, we ensured that community partners were included. Parents participated on committees addressing matters directly affecting our students. This allowed us to broaden our vision as necessary. Initially, campus wellness aimed solely at student mental health. However, during the pandemic, we acknowledged that the entire community’s mental health was jeopardized. Consequently, we expanded our focus from just student mental health to encompass overall wellness for our students, faculty, and staff.

Another instance lies in career services. We redefined it to emphasize professional development for all — students, faculty, and staff. We are committed to ensuring our managers receive comprehensive training, enabling our staff, the backbone of our daily operations, to have an exceptional experience as well. It was crucial for me that our staff felt reflected in our vision.

Let’s delve into specifics. WashU is inaugurating its first new school in a century with the School of Public Health. Did the insights gained from the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the necessity of prioritizing this project?

Upon my arrival from Johns Hopkins, it became evident that a school of public health was the essential missing link, and the pandemic illuminated that fact. In the numerous meetings we held during those early stages, Mary McKay famously noted that COVID exacerbated all existing issues. She implied that it rendered the pre-existing public health challenges impossible to ignore. Our efforts during that period contributed to diminishing some of the barriers that could have arisen when attempting to implement university-wide changes, such as consolidating the various existing elements into a strategically aligned framework.

Our School of Public Health primarily aims at strategically realigning our capabilities as an institution to fulfill our responsibility in maintaining community health while leveraging the strengths already present in WashU Medicine and the Brown School. Each of our schools possesses resources that can contribute to this genuinely interdisciplinary and impactful realm of public health.

Our intention was not to establish another conventional school of public health. Post-pandemic, we aimed to scrutinize where current public health practices had let us down as a nation. Thus, we are creating a school that employs a modern, 21st-century approach to public health. Ultimately, our objective is to tackle the obstacles currently hindering our population from achieving optimal health — issues like providing nutritious food, especially in underserved neighborhoods. Advancing forward, exemplifying and training leaders in public health communications will be paramount to restore public trust in this vital endeavor.

It’s remarkable how swiftly this has come together, as you already have one of the leading public health academics in Dean Galea.

We couldn’t have appointed a more suitable dean. The ability to recruit Sandro to join us here in St. Louis is still almost unbelievable to me. Additionally, we are fortunate to welcome his wife, Margaret Kruk, to WashU as well.

And we’re rapidly constructing a new school within the realm of academia, aren’t we?

Indeed, we are! Traditionally, launching a new school may take seven to ten years, but we are executing it swiftly, supported by the tremendous resources already present at WashU. We currently boast the highest-ranked Master of Public Health program that operates independently of a dedicated school of public health. This will form the backbone of our new institution. We are initiating this with a collaborative strategy involving contributions from across the university, including scholars such as Bill Powderly, MD [the J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine and co-director of infectious diseases at WashU Medicine], and Deborah Haire-Joshu [the Joyce and Chauncy Buchheit Professorship in Public Health at the Brown School], who have been integral to the team from the beginning. Not to mention, Brad Evanoff, MD [the Richard A. and Elizabeth Henby Sutter Professor of Occupational, Industrial, and Environmental Medicine], has joined us, along with numerous others.

The rise of artificial intelligence has surged dramatically in the past two years, rendering the Digital Transformation initiative even more crucial and foresighted. This one feels urgent. Is that accurate?

AI and digital innovations are currently reshaping nearly every aspect of our societal functions: how and what we instruct, how we operate as a university, and how we conduct our research. All these dimensions are set to be influenced by digital transformation facilitated by AI. Several developments are occurring with the establishment of the Digital Intelligence & Innovation (DI2) Accelerator, spearheaded by Philip R.O. Payne [director of the Institute for Informatics at WashU Medicine], who dedicated two years to launching this initiative. A key focus is a new database designed to assist faculty in discovering new collaborators across various fields, transforming the collaboration process.

I’m also enthusiastic about the Digital Solutions Studio. Their accomplishments have enabled them to…

Our primary function is to assist research faculty collectives. I prefer to envision it as follows: if you’re undertaking a research initiative in which you aim to analyze various databases and the information they hold, searching for connections and overlapping data among them, we’re here to accelerate that process.

The Center for the Environment is addressing challenges such as climate change, air quality issues, access to potable water, food scarcity, loss of biodiversity, and infectious diseases. This must be exhilarating for you as a scientist.

Dan Giammar [the Walter E. Browne Professor of Environmental Engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering] has fulfilled the mission, vision, and objectives we set for this year: conducting research and uniting scholars in innovative configurations to facilitate collaborative efforts that would not have materialized without the center. A remarkable example of this is the collaboration between the aerosols group at McKelvey and faculty from WashU Medicine to examine how air pollution is influencing colorectal cancer. Environmental health is poised to be a crucial focus of what the center will champion.

WashU has pledged to be a responsible neighbor “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” through various initiatives, including the revitalization of the School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS). Can you provide an instance of how CAPS is benefiting the region?

Firstly, Dean Sean Armstrong was an outstanding appointment. The team he’s gathered has been instrumental in establishing a new mission and objective. We couldn’t have asked for a better leader.

With CAPS, we are committed to making our WashU level programming accessible to contemporary learners, adults in the community beyond the 18–22 age demographic who have complex lives and diverse needs. It was essential to create a program that caters to those who might have previously thought WashU was not meant for them. We are collaborating with the local workforce to understand the skills St. Louis requires to fulfill market demands.

Additionally, CAPS has expanded existing programs, such as the Prison Education Project. With this initiative, we’re aiming to go beyond education alone; we intend to support reentry by developing programs that assist with both education and employment. Moreover, we’ve recently secured a grant from the Mellon Foundation to enable us to extend our efforts into the women’s prison in Vandalia, Missouri.

Another facet of being a good St. Louis partner is the St. Louis Confluence Collaborative for Community Engaged Research. What examples can our neighbors expect to see from this initiative?

This initiative, led by Bettina Drake, MD [professor of surgery in public health sciences at WashU Medicine], is designed to ensure we become the best partners we can with our community. There is a science to effectively engaging with communities that begins with community-based research. We will assist our researchers in improving their approach to this kind of research. Additionally, we aspire to be a welcoming entry point for communities seeking to partner with WashU but unsure of where to begin. In the same manner that the Digital Solutions Studio aims to accelerate various research endeavors, I envision the Confluence Collaborative as a similar catalyst for the St. Louis community.

Let’s discuss our students. How will Here and Next impact them directly?

First, academic excellence and increased research activity will create additional opportunities for our undergraduates to learn from and collaborate in laboratories with some of the globe’s foremost researchers. Another way our students will gain from this initiative is through leadership development.

We aspire to cultivate leaders who are dedicated to ensuring that individuals understand how to collaborate effectively in teams toward a collective goal, anchored in purpose, character, and capability. The driving force behind this is the recent launch of the George and Carol Bauer Leaders Academy, which is already providing students — along with faculty and staff — opportunities to enhance their critical thinking and collaborative skills to achieve results. (For further details, see pg. 18.)

The plan is underway, and it appears there’s a renewed vigor on campus. Do you sense that as well?

As WashU’s chief academic officer, academic excellence remains my guiding principle. Therefore, initiatives such as enhancing our research administration to facilitate the grant application process for faculty and revising our tenure and promotion measures are vital. However, I am fundamentally a scientist. I appreciate and will always advocate for the significance of research at a university. Yet, in today’s culture, segments of society are starting to question the importance and advantages of higher education. We must engage in work that produces tangible societal impacts — and swiftly.

Nevertheless, there is enthusiasm and momentum surrounding Here and Next. I do feel there is considerable awareness and engagement within the community regarding our initiatives. The brand refresh will undoubtedly aid in disseminating information about all the remarkable aspects of WashU. It has been a wonderful convergence of events occurring here.

So let’s revisit the question we posed in 2021. Considering your insights into the world’s current state and all the efforts invested in Here and Next, where do you envision WashU in ten years?

I believe we will be acknowledged for our excellence.

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