Can't view email? View as a webpage here

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Diversity | December 24

Free Books!

We have limited quantities of books related to academia, research, and leadership on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can claim up to 3 books while supplies last. You can see the available titles and claim your free books here.

Assembly Series: Why health? Reimagining what we think about when we think about health 

We are at a pivot point for health. We are exiting the acute COVID-19 period with a dramatic loss in public trust. We also are heading into a new federal administration that promises to change many long-familiar structures that affect health. How then do we, in this moment, reimagine our approach to health? Dean Sandro Galea argues that we must start by celebrating our achievements in health, and move to rethink our foundational values, the costs we are willing to pay for health, the actions that generate our health, the potential and limits of science, and to surface — and face — uncomfortable ideas for health. January 29, 2025 (4 p.m.) at Graham Chapel.



Register here

Faculty Success Program Tuition Support (NCFDD) – Apply Now!

The Office of the Provost will sponsor Danforth Campus assistant and associate professors to participate in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) Faculty Success Program. We are accepting applications for Summer 2025 until April 15, 2025. Please send your name, department/school, rank, and a brief justification (up to 200 words) to vpfad@wustl.edu. 

Application is Open for the 2025 William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award

The Confluence Award is designed to elevate WashU’s investment in the St. Louis Region by encouraging and rewarding community-engaged research through academic-community member teams that enhances impact in St. Louis.

The Award will honor and recognize faculty for research that employs interdisciplinary and community-engaged methods. A $50,000 cash prize will be given in recognition of faculty research initiatives. The awardee, along with the community partner, will have the opportunity to present their research and celebrate with their colleagues and the community during a special award ceremony in April 2025. The deadline to apply has been extended to December 8, 2024. 

More information

Faculty Senate and Provost Office Launch WIDE Speaker Series 

Provost Beverly Wendland, Faculty Senate Chair Dennis Barbour, and Vice Provost Vijay Ramani, along with a review committee of faculty from both campuses have launched a faculty-driven speaker series, WashU Ideas, Discourse and Exploration (WIDE), which offers the WashU community the chance to celebrate the value of open dialogue while engaging with a range of insightful scholars to promote personal growth and learning in the context of complex topics. The WIDE committee will continue to review proposals on a rolling basis until program funds are expended, so we encourage faculty with ideas for projects that align with the goals of WIDE to submit a proposal.

Public Scholarship Symposium - Celebrating Public-Facing Work Happening in Arts & Sciences

Monday, December 9 (3-5 p.m.) in Umrath Lounge: The symposium will feature a keynote by environmental philosopher and public scholar Margret Grebowicz (Maxwell C. Weiner Distinguished Professor of Humanities, Missouri University of Science and Technology), presentations by A&S Public Scholarship Prize recipients Abram Van Engen and Rebecca Lester, and lightning talks by first-year PhD students in the CREATES cohort experience. Feng Sheng Hu, the Richard G. Engelsmann Dean of Arts & Sciences, will provide opening remarks. The event will be capped by a reception featuring CREATES student projects and an opportunity for convivial conversation about public scholarship (and other topics) around food and drink.

Tuesday, December 10 (12-1:30 p.m.) Professor Grebowicz will lead a lunchtime workshop for faculty and post-doctoral fellows on op-ed writing. Please register to reserve your spot.

Additional Events and Opportunities

• Dialogue Across Difference (DxD): DxD provides courses, workshops, and facilitated dialogue to prepare students to engage across difference. This past August, all first-year WashU students experienced a DxD led workshop as part of Bear Beginnings. DxD also offers an eight-week, one credit course where students learn to discuss difficult topics and understand other perspectives. Please let your students know about this opportunity. All courses are taught by trained DxD Facilitators. If you are interested in a paid opportunity to co-facilitate a section of the course, you can participate in a facilitation training for faculty and staff with a Master’s Degree or higher. The next training is January 8-10. For more information, please contact dxd@wustl.edu. 

• Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center (DDNRC): DxD is hosting the biennial conference at WashU’s Danforth Campus June 30-July 2, 2025. The conference is themed, "The Weight of Words: Navigating the Evolving Role of Dialogue in Polarized Times." The application for conference proposals is open and closes on February 10. Registration will open in the new year with a discounted rate for WashU faculty, staff, and students. 

• Application Open for the Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program: The Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program brings to WashU individuals from underrepresented backgrounds who have distinguished themselves as leaders and innovators in the academy, business, or in other fields of endeavor. Learn more and apply to the program here.

• Free NCFDD Membership and Programming: Claim your free membership to the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD). Learn more about this free membership, available to all WashU faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and trainees. Plus, the NCFDD programming calendar is live and visible upon joining NCFDD.

• Survey Participation: The National Association of Colleges and Employer (NACE), the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the Society for Experiential Education (SEE) are conducting a broader study to better understand how faculty and staff are connecting experiential learning and high-impact learning practices with career preparation for students. The findings will inform a deeper understanding of current practices involving experiential learning/high-impact practices as well as to create resources and programs to promote innovation for faculty, staff, and institutions of higher education. Survey link. To ensure data for our institution is consolidated, faculty and staff should please select “Washington University in St. Louis” from the drop-down menu at the end of the survey.

SPOTLIGHT: WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS)

Since 1931, WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) has been a cornerstone of career advancement and professional development in the St. Louis region. The mission is to empower modern learners—those balancing education with work and personal responsibilities—with flexible, high-quality educational pathways to career success.