Author: Brittney

The Gephardt Institute and the Washington University Alumni Association recently co-hosted a special event for over 150 alumni and friends at District Winery in Washington, DC.

Casey Knotts is a passionate and action-oriented civic leader dedicated to empowering women and reducing health inequities in communities. She demonstrates leadership through her involvement in organizations such as the Girl Scouts of America, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, and most recently as a program leader for the Metro St. Louis YWCA’s Future Leaders […]

Civic Scholar Marissa Lerner ’19 (pictured left) considers how her experiences with Leadership Through Service (LTS) and the Civic Scholars Program have influenced her conception of her role as a civic leader on campus and as a citizen more broadly. She also reflects on her work with Urban Harvest STL, grappling with understanding her place […]

The student volunteers who work with Heart for the Homeless know the importance of listening with intention and having their preconceptions constantly challenged. Heart for the Homeless is “an undergraduate student group from Washington University in St. Louis that aims to improve the health of the St. Louis homeless community through medical education and connection to […]

The Community Art Wall is strategically positioned along the construction wall between the Kemper Art Museum and Steinberg Hall so that passersby in this heavily trafficked area are confronted with the prompts and encouraged to respond. The interactive wall was inspired by a lecture given by artist Candy Chang. Lyle Hansen and Eve Wallack (pictured left) […]

The Enright Community Butterfly Garden envisions a new kind of socially and ecologically engaged public space for the Enright neighborhood. The project’s collaborators are the neighbors of the Enright Block Unit, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, and Micah Stanek, Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at WashU. The three groups are working side-by-side to create a beautiful, natural, […]

Michael Gendernalik combines their* professional passions and personal interests in their work to help create a defined standard for the Gephardt Institute’s educational practices. Michael is a second-year graduate student at the Brown School and Gephardt Fellow for Civic Education. Their work with Theresa Kouo (Assistant Director for Civic Engagement Education) centers around the pedagogical […]

Jennifer Greenberg ’18 (left) knows that donating blood doesn’t always feel like an urgent responsibility. “When people think about giving blood, they don’t necessarily think, ‘I’m going to save a particular person’s life,’” she said. However, as a member of the Blood Drive Leadership Team and a recipient of a blood transfusion herself, Jennifer realizes […]

Maya Coyle ’19 considers the various communities that have influenced her life and the ways in which her perspective on civic engagement has been shaped by her experiences at the intersection of those communities. Maya has served as a counselor and coordinator for the Gephardt Institute’s Leadership Through Service program. Her involvement with the institute […]

Heather O’Leary, PhD, describes herself as an “environmental anthropologist with deep commitment to teaching students about power disparities, natural resource distribution, and intersectionality.” Her research explores the cultural dimensions of the technologies of legitimacy in India’s water allocation through engaged ethnography. She considers the impact of infrastructural, economic, and gender disparities within a rapidly changing urban […]

We are pleased to introduce the class of 2020 Civic Scholars cohort, who will begin this fall! The Civic Scholars Program provides a rigorous, in-depth curriculum for undergraduate students who exemplify future potential for civic leadership. Sophomores are selected in a competitive merit-based process and learn together through their junior and senior years. The program […]

Effective community engagement requires mutual trust, reflective dialogue, and enduring roots in community. The Gephardt Institute values and advances this process through the development of Community-Engaged Teaching and community partnerships. In her role as Assistant Director for Campus and Community Partnerships, Stefani Weeden-Smith leads the institute’s strategy and vision for community engagement models that are […]

On a Saturday afternoon, local elementary school students and their families filed into a classroom for the “Getting Started with Science Fair” workshop, ready to spend the next few hours preparing to apply the scientific method to a question that interested the students. The group listened intently to the opening presentation on science fair registration, project […]

When asked for his definition of civic engagement, Dr. Michael Jones’ answer was both deeply personal to his position and broadly applicable to the goals of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement: “To me, civic engagement means viewing yourself in relation to everyone in the world around you. It means feeling a sense […]

WashU’s Office of Sustainability coordinates the Green Office Program, which provides a framework and set of resources that empower office teams across all campuses to reduce their environmental impact and costs. The program features a self-assessment checklist with seven categories that offices use to evaluate their current practices, set goals, and track their progress. As offices […]

On October 23, alumnus Greg Perlstein ’08 reflected on his background, professional path, and civic engagement commitments during a special “Meet the Leader” session at the Gephardt Institute. Greg serves as Senior Director, Growth & Marketing, at DoSomething.org. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and MBA from the University of […]

Isha Khanna, a junior double majoring in marketing and psychology, serves as a Marketing and Communications Coordinator at the Gephardt Institute. A veteran of the institute since her sophomore year, Isha is on the communications team, working to build awareness of institute initiatives through a variety of social media platforms, e-newsletters, and print materials. “The […]

Join the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement team as our Student Engagement and Service Manager, cultivating student leadership and learning through community service opportunities that foster thriving communities and a life-long ethic of civic engagement. This full-time staff position will oversee volunteer and leadership programs that partner with K-12 schools, youth-serving organizations, and other […]

Since its launch in 2000, the Each One Teach One (EOTO) tutoring program has become an integral part of the WashU community. Each One Teach One provides WashU students with a high-quality tutoring experience while offering St. Louis students mentors throughout their K-12 years. The program partners with KIPP: Victory Academy, the Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls, […]

The Goldman Fellows Program, funded by the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation, supports undergraduates who secure unpaid summer internships at nonprofit, community, or governmental organizations in the St. Louis region. Fellows receive a $5,000 stipend and meet regularly as a cohort, learning about St. Louis while contextualizing and reflecting on their summer experience. Jada McDonald, […]

For over 20 years, Leadership Through Service (LTS) has introduced new Washington University students to St. Louis, pressing social issues, and opportunities for civic engagement during college. This annual three-day program takes place before new student orientation and includes a variety of speakers, community service projects, and St. Louis excursions. This year, 66 first-year students […]

In August, Washington University in St. Louis received exciting news about our 2016 student registration rates, voter turnout, and how we compare to similar institutions across the country. The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), part of the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University, compiles data on both undergraduate and […]

Crystal Ellis is a Newman Civic Fellow and graduate student in the Brown School’s Master of Public Health program. She is currently working on a practicum project that she believes “encompasses what the public health field is about – advocacy for health equity by providing needed resources, in this case fresh produce, directly to a […]

Stephanie N. Kurtzman was installed as the Peter G. Sortino Director of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement on September 11, 2017. Her installation address is reprinted below. View a video of the event here. Chancellor Wrighton, Senator Danforth, Congressman Gephardt, and Mrs. Sortino: I am honored and humbled that you have entrusted me to lead […]

Bob Hansman is a Gephardt Institute Community Engagement Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of Architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. As Faculty Fellow, he serves as a resident expert on the St. Louis region, providing guest lectures and tours of St. Louis as a “divided city.” In addition to teaching […]

We are delighted to introduce three new staff members and a new role at the Gephardt Institute. These highly talented and civic-minded leaders increase the institute’s capacity for engagement of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners to foster a robust university-wide civic culture and community impact.  Theresa Kouo started in July and serves as the Assistant […]