Dear fellow volunteers,
It’s hard to believe, but a little over a year has passed since the formal launch of Make Way: Our Student Initiative. During this time, the four of us have connected with members of the WashU community across the country, sharing our Make Way stories and hearing inspiring stories in return.
With your support, we have made great progress over the past year toward the core goals of Make Way: expanding access to a WashU education and offering a best-in-class student experience that enables each learner to thrive. As of Sept. 30, 2023, a total of 31,700 alumni, parent, and friend households have contributed $388.6 million to the initiative. These are just two of many metrics showing the initiative’s progress and impact.
Accompanying this data are many student stories of personal transformation while on WashU’s campus. Check out Trent Clark’s story, for example. Clark is a member of the Class of 2026 and an Ervin and McLeod Scholar who is studying architecture with an eye toward community impact. His goal is to design communal spaces that promote a sense of belonging, connection, and safety, and WashU is helping him to discover exactly what that means.
With exceptional students like Trent in mind, the university continues to boldly drive forward the values underlying Make Way. As you may have heard, Chancellor Martin recently announced a no-loan financial aid policy that will remove the burden of federal student loans for all undergraduates, beginning in fall 2024. This is an incredibly exciting milestone, and it makes our work on behalf of this fundraising effort that much more pressing. As we move into our second year advocating for this initiative, we are even more committed to the success of Make Way to support the hopes and dreams of our students and the changemakers they will become.
Thank you for all you do as volunteers to ensure this success. It is a privilege to partner with you as we “make way” for the most talented and qualified students to gain a life-changing education, regardless of their ability to pay. We look forward to another year of collaboration!
Carrie Johnson, AR ’89, Washington University trustee
Merry Mosbacher, MBA ’82
Larry Thomas, BSBA ’77, Washington University trustee
Eric Upin, AB ’83, Washington University trustee, current WashU parent
