Washington University in St. Louis
Founded: 1853
Chancellor: Mark S. Wrighton, Ph.D.

Commencement, which takes place in Brookings Quadrangle, is one of the highlights of the academic year.

Washington University, a medium-sized, independent university, is dedicated to challenging its faculty and students alike to seek new knowledge and greater understanding of an ever-changing, multicultural world. The University is counted among the world’s leaders in teaching and research, and draws students and faculty to St. Louis from all 50 states and more than 125 nations. The University is highly regarded for its commitment to excellence in learning. Its programs, administration, facilities, resources, and activities combine to further its mission of teaching, research, and service to society.

The University has played an integral role in the history and continuing growth of St. Louis and benefits in turn from the wide array of social, cultural, and recreational opportunities offered by the metropolitan area to its more than 2.7 million residents.

Bordered on the east by St. Louis’ famed Forest Park and on the north, west, and south by well-established suburbs, the 169-acre Danforth Campus features predominantly Collegiate Gothic architecture, including a number of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Adjacent is the South 40 residence hall area. Students also live in the Village housing complex, which opened in 2001. University-owned apartment buildings in neighborhoods adjacent to campus offer affordable student housing.

At the other end of Forest Park—the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and one of the nation’s largest metropolitan parks—is the 59-acre Medical Campus; this complex in St. Louis’ Central West End district includes the School of Medicine and the associated hospitals and institutes of the Washington University Medical Center. The University encompasses 2,335 acres and more than 150 major buildings on the Danforth and Medical campuses, the West Campus and the South Campus in Clayton, North Campus in the city of St. Louis, 560 Music Center and Lewis Center in University City, and Tyson Research Center 20 miles southwest of the city.

The University offers more than 90 programs and almost 1,500 courses leading to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a broad spectrum of traditional and interdisciplinary fields, with additional opportunities for minor concentrations and individualized programs. Web: www.wustl.edu.