About the
campaign
At WashU, we shape leaders, discover knowledge, and treat patients — all for the betterment of our world. We never stop pursuing excellence. We are always seeking new opportunities to contribute to the greater good.
To fulfill the bold promise of impact we imagine, we formally launched With You: The WashU Campaign in May 2025. At a time when higher education faces deep uncertainty, we know the world needs WashU and its unique strengths more than ever.
Our community of alumni, parents, and friends is showing up in a big way, demonstrating enthusiasm and vision. They know the world can always count on WashU to deliver life-saving innovations, life-changing learning, and transformational leaders who bridge traditional divides to improve societies across the globe.
With you remains our rallying cry and the cornerstone of our approach to impact. Our success in building a better world depends on the active engagement and partnership of our university community. Join us as we embark on year two of this exciting, hopeful, and powerful endeavor.
We are forging unprecedented collaborations and generating promising new solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing problems. Cures for devastating diseases. Novel approaches to combatting climate change. Breaking down barriers and empowering whole new swaths of young people to earn a WashU education and then enter the world, equipped to make it better.
We start by inviting our community to consider this fundamental question: If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
Learn more below about how your responses are catalyzing WashU’s mission of excellence in teaching, research, and patient care. Together, we will translate learning and knowledge at our university into a more promising future for all.
Join us. Every gift advances the campaign. With you, this is what WashU can do.
Healthier Lives
The virtuous cycle of academic medicine unites medical research and clinical practice. Learn more about how WashU pioneers scientific discoveries while improving the health of patients and our world.
Greater Access
Investing in students means investing in the future. Learn more about how WashU is breaking down financial barriers to expand access to a world-class education so individuals and communities can thrive.
Flourishing Communities
The health of people and the planet is closely interconnected. Learn more about how WashU is uniting experts across disparate fields to create a more sustainable future that protects both humanity and the environment.
Future-Ready Leaders
All individuals are capable of becoming leaders. Learn more about how WashU develops the unique leadership potential in each student and challenges them to take responsibility in a rapidly changing world.
Annual Fund
Year after year, WashU’s Annual Fund comes in clutch to cover the full cost of a WashU education. Learn more about how this spendable resource meets pressing needs and opens up exciting opportunities.
Endowment
Long-term investment in WashU’s endowment ensures excellence and impact in perpetuity. Learn more about what the endowment is, how it works, and why it’s vital to the university’s future.
Campaign co-chairs
Through their dedicated leadership, our campaign co-chairs are amplifying the vision of a brighter world, with you. Whether traveling the country or meeting with university leaders, they serve as strong advocates for the value of WashU education and the power of community partnership to catalyze social impact. They embody the ethos of with you.
Andrew M. Bursky
AB ’78, BS ’78, MS ’78
Alicia McDonnell
JD ’95
Cash Nickerson
JD ’85, MBA ’93, JSD ’25
Larry Thomas
BSBA ’77
Honorary co-chairs
John F. McDonnell
MBA ’14, ScD ’06
Robert L. Virgil
MBA ’60, DBA ’67
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Let’s create a more promising future for all.
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