The Gephardt Institute was established 13 years ago with a bold vision galvanized by Congressman Richard Gephardt and continually embraced by Chancellor Wrighton and Provost Thorp: That Washington University students are inspired and equipped to contribute to the life and health of communities around the world. Since that time, the world has seen unprecedented challenges that reaffirm […]
Author: teresalane
WashU Votes to Register Voters this Week
Four out of five eligible student voters at Washington University in St. Louis will not vote in the midterm elections Nov. 6. And that’s if all goes well. In 2014, only 15.7 percent of students voted in the midterms compared to the national university average of 19.1 percent. The Gephardt Institute, through our WashU Votes initiative, […]
Civic and Community Engagement Fair Broadens Focus, Connects Student Interests with Action
The Civic and Community Engagement Fair is an annual event that inspires students to discover new ways to get involved, serve, and engage on campus and in the St. Louis region. Now in its 20th year, it provides a platform for student organizations to promote their work and to connect with peers who share the […]
Meet St. Louis Organizers Connect First-Year Students with Local Communities
For the past four years, Meet St. Louis has provided first-year students with the opportunity to discover, engage, and reflect on community development efforts and service opportunities in St. Louis through a variety of small group excursions throughout the city. Led by faculty, staff, and student group leaders who have a specific and deep connection […]
Kinloch Forever: Alana Flowers Uses Grant to Build Community and Educate Others
Kinloch, Missouri, a city that today carries the weight of poverty, stigma, and years of systematic injustice, was once a thriving community, producing great talent and a rich history. The city has a lot to celebrate as the state’s first African-American community and one of the largest all-Black cities in the country during its prime. […]
Common Ground Grants Catalyze Dialogue and Foster Culture of Engagement
In an increasingly divisive political climate, intentional and productive dialogue is more important and necessary than ever. With this in mind, the Common Ground Grant program seeks to catalyze the campus community in developing strategies to repair, address, and prevent polarization at Washington University and in the St. Louis community. Common Ground Grants are one […]
1,000 Lives Saved: The Impact of a University-Wide Blood Drive
Blood drives are a life-saving tradition at Washington University. Sponsored by the Gephardt Institute in partnership with American Red Cross and Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, drives take place four times per academic year. On September 11, the Gephardt Institute hosted the first university-wide blood drive of the semester and helped our partner blood banks exceed their goals. […]
Gephardt Student Internship Program Welcomes New Student Staff
In late August, the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement welcomed ten new student staff members to the team. Mariel Ehrlich, Ebee Grellier, Carly Klinenberg, Sam Martorana, and Thwisha Sabloak are undergraduates; and Emily Anderson, Shelby Banach, Ivy Blackmore, Rachel White, and David Zhai are graduate students at Washington University. This group of highly […]
Engage Democracy: A New University-Wide Initiative
The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement has launched Engage Democracy, a university-wide initiative that aims to educate the campus community about the processes and civic skills needed to contribute to a thriving democracy. The initiative is generously funded by Karen and Bruce Levenson, AB ’71. The initiative includes five key components, with opportunities for […]
Meet the Leader Series: Advancing Equity through Criminal Justice Reform and Social Policy
About the National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ) NCAJ works to expand access to justice, the meaningful opportunity to be heard. Access to justice is unavailable to millions of people even though its presence is often the essential difference between losing the right to raise a child or keeping the family together, between living […]
Dan Sicorsky Challenges New Students to “Bravely Imagine a Life”
Dan Sicorsky, a Dr. Margaret A. Olsen and Dr. Joseph N. Marcus Civic Scholar, addressed incoming students at Convocation in August 2018 as the senior speaker, urging them to pursue their dreams, discover their passions, embrace uncertainty, and respond to their civic and community responsibilities. Dan is a senior studying political science and writing. On […]