With You wins: Our first year of impact
Our First Year of Impact

Since the May 2025 public launch of With You: The WashU Campaign, our university community has helped advance countless moments of discovery, innovation, opportunity, and care — all designed to create a more promising future for all.

View philanthropic highlights from year one of the With You campaign on the timeline below.

Campaign Launch

May 2025

With You: Powered by community

“If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?” This was our With You campaign rallying cry. At recent events, interactive holoboxes featured WashU students answering the question.

By inviting alumni, parents, donors, and friends to think expansively about their potential for world impact, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and other university leaders introduced With You as an opportunity to tackle some of society’s most complex challenges through WashU’s field-leading research, teaching, and patient care — all fueled by our community’s philanthropic passions.

Scholarships

June 2025

WashU welcomes talented students through scholarship support

The university continues to draw exceptional students like Jordan Hughes from across the nation and around the globe. Through your generosity, we are expanding access to education while ensuring that an increased portion of our operating budgets are allocated to first-rate academic programs that augment the quality of the student experience.

We seek to raise $500 million for undergraduate scholarships by December 2030 to maintain our no-loan financial aid policy in perpetuity.

WashU Medicine

July 2025

Founder reinvests in WashU Medicine’s physician-scientist training program

WashU’s Medical Scientist Training Program — founded by globally influential physician-scientist and pharmaceutical executive P. Roy Vagelos, MD, in 1969 — supports excellence and innovation at the intersection of scientific discovery and clinical care. Vagelos and his wife, Diana, recently pledged $15 million to further advance the prestigious MD/PhD program.

Academic Distinction

August 2025

WashU Olin pledge catalyzes Business of Health initiative

Through its Business of Health initiative, Olin is poised to become a global leader in tackling healthcare challenges through a business lens. A generous pledge from Trustee Jerry Kent, BSBA ’78, MBA ’79, and his wife, Judy Kent — longtime Olin supporters — created a $5 million spendable fund to bolster the effort.

An additional $5 million endowment established the Judy and Jerry Kent Deanship at Olin, honoring Dean Mike Mazzeo’s leadership and equipping Olin deans in perpetuity with resources to seize opportunities and respond to challenges.

Academic Distinction

August 2025

Largest-ever McKelvey grant establishes center to drive circular economy

With a $26 million grant from the National Science Foundation, McKelvey Engineering established the Carbon Utilization Redesign for Biomanufacturing-Empowered Decarbonization (CURB) Engineering Research Center (ERC). It will transform U.S. manufacturing by mitigating carbon emissions while fulfilling the needs of industry and society.

Trustee Lal Karksanbhai, MBA ’95, president and CEO of Emerson Electric Co., helped make possible the donation of Emerson equipment to the CURB ERC in addition to personally endowing an undergraduate scholarship with his wife, Vija Turina.

Academic Distinction

September 2025

Digging into dialogue at The Longest Table

WashU’s third annual Longest Table event, sponsored by the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and Dialogue Across Difference, united a record number of community members who gathered to share a meal and envision ideas for social change.

The event amplifies WashU’s commitment to civil discourse and constructive dialogue through Dialogue Across Difference (DxD).

Academic Distinction

October 2025

Hirsch Center set to welcome alumni, unite career services in winter 2027

Construction began on the Neil S. Hirsch Center, named for the late entrepreneur in recognition of a pledge from his widow, Laura DeLuca Hirsch, through the Neil S. Hirsch Foundation. Located on the southwest corner of Skinker and Forsyth boulevards, the building will welcome returning alumni while housing the Center for Career Engagement.

Bursky Public Health

November 2025

Kemper professorship elevates Arts & Sciences within plant-science ecosystem

World-renowned botanist Toby Pennington was installed as the inaugural David and Dorothy Kemper Professor in the Department of Biology in Arts & Sciences with a joint appointment at the Missouri Botanical Garden — strengthening St. Louis as a major hub for plant science.

The professorship was made possible by a generous pledge from Distinguished Trustee David Kemper and his wife, Dorothy Kemper, along with the William T. Kemper Foundation.

WashU Medicine

November 2025

CBS News features WashU Medicine Alzheimer’s disease research

Randall J. Bateman, MD, the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology, shared his critical progress in Alzheimer’s disease prevention on CBS News Sunday Morning.

With decades of support from Charles “Chuck” Knight and his wife, Joanne Knight, among many others, Bateman’s team is conducting some of the world’s first preventative clinical trials, involving hundreds of people across the globe. This includes families with rare genetic mutations that virtually guarantee a future Alzheimer’s diagnosis — but whose participation brings us closer to a world without the illness for all patients.

Bursky Public Health

December 2025

Ryan Institute will tackle global health challenges

With a significant philanthropic commitment from Trustee Tony Ryan and his wife, Ann Ryan, Bursky Public Health established the Ryan Institute for Interdisciplinary Health Solutions to accelerate new strategies that address urgent health challenges.

The institute’s signature initiatives include annual global summits; seed grants to help interdisciplinary teams pilot new ideas; and a postdoctoral fellowship program to strengthen the pipeline of public health scholars and practitioners.

Scholarships

January 2026

Brown School to fund practicums for all MSW students

Through philanthropy, the Brown School will fully fund practicum internship experiences and provide supplemental living stipends for students in its Master of Social Work program starting in fall 2026.

The Brown School is the first social-work school to provide such comprehensive support, which advances its commitment to affordability, access, and excellence.

Bursky Public Health

January 2026

Hamilton gift bolsters food and nutrition science at Bursky Public Health

Thanks to a $4 million pledge from former WashU parents John and Carol Hamilton, the Hamilton Family Distinguished Professorship in the WashU Bursky School of Public Health will support a visionary scholar in shaping nutrition science as a key driver of health and sustainability within the school’s Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM) initiative.

Academic Distinction

February 2026

Stanton Foundation invests $3 million in WashU Law’s First Amendment Clinic

A generous $3 million endowed gift from the Stanton Foundation, founded by and named for renowned television executive and free-speech advocate Frank Stanton, will bolster the law school’s First Amendment Clinic.

Building on the university’s long-standing commitment to free speech and viewpoint diversity, the clinic was established in 2019. It prepares law students to become leaders in First Amendment issues while providing pro bono legal services to a variety of St. Louis-area clients engaged in free speech disputes or potential First Amendment violations.

Academic Distinction

March 2026

CAPS Empower program strengthens St. Louis talent pipeline

WashU’s Empower program, offered through the School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS), teaches language skills to immigrants, refugees, and other students with limited English proficiency while providing them professional development that matches their talent and training, including the opportunity to earn a CAPS certificate. The program is made possible by a state grant in conjunction with a $10 million anonymous gift.

Having already served nearly 200 students from 19 countries, Empower represents a strategic investment in the St. Louis region through support for its newest neighbors.

WashU Medicine

April 2026

CONNECT network facilitates cutting-edge adolescent psychiatric care

WashU Medicine is addressing a national mental health crisis among adolescents through the Collaborative Network for Overcoming Emotional Challenges, Crisis, and Trauma (CONNECT). It unites three specialized programs into one comprehensive network of care, made possible by an anonymous $10 million endowed gift.

Additional funding for CONNECT was provided by Jackie and Randy Baker, who created a spendable fund to address the program’s immediate needs. The couple also recently invested in cardiac amyloidosis research.

Annual Fund

April 2026

Fourth annual Giving Day unites WashU community, inspires over 3,650 donors

The university community rallied April 8, 2026, to celebrate WashU Giving Day, a 24-hour fundraising blitz celebrating the countless reasons WashU is so special. Owing to the generosity of donors, we raised $391,981 in total, and over 23% of donors were students. On campus, more than 1,350 students participated in Giving Day activities such as writing notes to donors while enjoying outdoor food and games.

Bursky Public Health

May 2026

Alumni couple makes landmark gift to advance WashU Bursky School of Public Health

Andy Bursky, AB ’78, BS ’78, MS ’78, and his wife, Jane Bursky, AB ’78, have committed $200 million to accelerate innovation and real-world impact at the new WashU Bursky School of Public Health.

Through support for novel research infrastructure, scholarships, and field-leading faculty, their historic gift builds on lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic and seizes a critical inflection point for public health worldwide.

Academic Distinction

May 2026

Curatorship position propels world-class museum leadership at Sam Fox School

Nancy Kranzberg, AB ’66, and her husband, Kenneth Kranzberg, pledged $1.5 million to establish the Nancy and Kenneth Kranzberg Curatorship at WashU’s Kemper Art Museum, an integral part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and one of the oldest teaching museums in the country.

The curatorial position will recognize Meredith Malone and retain outstanding museum leadership and help steward the museum’s growth and evolution as it seeks to nurture creative artistic vision, promote public scholarship, and provide meaningful cultural experiences for the WashU and St. Louis communities.

WashU Medicine

June 2025

Distinguished professorship honors WashU pioneer in immunology research

A group of WashU Medicine supporters established the Joseph M. Davie Distinguished Professorship, which honors the late Joseph M. Davie, MD ’68, PhD. He advanced immunological research at WashU, serving for over a decade as chair of what was then the Department of Microbiology. The professorship was awarded to Eric J. Huang, MD, PhD, an internationally renowned expert in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.

Academic Distinction

July 2025

WashU and MilliporeSigma join forces for research impact

WashU and the leading science and technology company MilliporeSigma signed a new collaboration agreement that will integrate the university’s superior research capabilities with the company’s advanced technology and industry expertise.

The agreement deepens nearly century-long ties and will accelerate the translation of academic discoveries into lifesaving treatments for patients; strengthen the talent pipeline in science, technology, engineering, and math; and bolster the innovation ecosystem across the St. Louis region.

WashU Medicine

September 2025

Groundbreaking clinical trial aimed at preventing Alzheimer’s gains funding boost

WashU Medicine celebrated $6.5 million in gifts and pledges directed to the Knight Family Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU), which secured an additional $6.5 million in matching funds pledged by benefactor Joanne Knight. The innovative clinical trials unit platform is aimed at preventing Alzheimer’s disease by treating patients before the first signs of illness appear in the brain.

WashU Medicine

October 2025

St. Louis foundation boosts neuronal resiliency effort at WashU Medicine

The Alvin Goldfarb Foundation pledged $20 million to create the Alvin Goldfarb Center for Neuronal Resiliency, helping WashU scientists uncover why certain neurons are more resilient to age-related damage — laying the groundwork for novel, personalized treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, and other illnesses.

WashU Medicine

November 2025

$5 million gift strengthens Huntington’s disease research

An anonymous donor invested $5 million to establish a Huntington’s disease research fund, which will fuel research and clinical care for the hereditary degenerative brain disorder at WashU’s Huntington’s Disease Center of Excellence.

Scholarships

December 2025

Rural Scholars Academy grows through continued support

With ongoing support from Emerita Trustee Joyce Buchheit, BSBA ’76, MBA ’77, the Rural Scholars Academy facilitates educational access for rural students. The free, weeklong summer program includes admissions workshops, field trips to local attractions, and leadership development activities.

Bursky Public Health

February 2025

Living Earth Collaborative will scale impact with Newman gift

A new initiative called EPIC (Endangered Primate Information Collaboration) will catalyze conservation efforts for critically endangered primates. Led by the Living Earth Collaborative (LEC) with support from Distinguished Trustee Andy Newman through the Eric & Evelyn Newman Foundation, it will deploy scalable tools to transform how biodiversity is documented, modeled, and protected worldwide.

The LEC combines the resources of three premier St. Louis institutions — WashU, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Saint Louis Zoo — to understand and protect biodiversity locally and around the globe.

WashU Medicine

March 2026

Lees advance pulmonary and critical care medicine at WashU

A $6.5 million pledge from husband-and-wife physicians Won Ro Lee, MD, PhD, and Kyung Ja Shin Lee, MD, created a distinguished professorship and endowed research fund for the medical school’s renowned Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

The division tackles some of the most complex research challenges in the field; offers transformative training programs for future physicians; and is internationally recognized for its excellence in patient care. The couple’s daughter, Janet Lee, MD, is the Selma and Herman Seldin Distinguished Professor and chief of the division.

Annual Fund

April 2026

1,400 alumni attend Reunion at Thurtene Carnival, where engagement meets giving

A long-standing tradition, WashU Reunion at Thurtene Carnival was a weekend for alumni to remember. From April 17-19, classes celebrating their 1st through 45th reunions connected with old friends; explored the new and familiar on campus; experienced highlights of St. Louis; and remembered all that makes WashU special — while building new memories. The participants collectively gave more than $7 million to the university, with 40% of attendees making a gift.

Bursky Public Health

May 2026

WashU Bursky Public Health welcomes its first class a year early

Bolstered by $104.1 million in philanthropic investment as of fall 2025, the WashU Bursky School of Public Health welcomed its inaugural cohort of roughly 255 students in last August — a full year ahead of schedule. They included MPH, PhD, and dual-degree track students. The first class graduated in May 2026.

Academic Distinction

May 2026

Emerson Distinguished Professorship furthers AI leadership at Olin

With a $4 million commitment from Emerson Charitable Trust, Dennis Zhang was named the inaugural Emerson Distinguished Professor of AI at Olin — a new position for faculty members specializing in AI-enabled research and methodologies. Zhang specializes in marketing and supply chains, operations, and technology.

More moments from year one

Explore additional stories and highlights from the first year of With You: The WashU Campaign.

Alumni couple makes historic gift to accelerate innovation and real-world impact.