Bear Essentials for Families: Welcome to WashU

Dear parents & families,

My name is Dr. Anna Gonzalez, vice chancellor for student affairs at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU).

At WashU, we strive to provide a best-in-class student experience and we have long believed that every student should be known by name and by story. This is what makes WashU’s emphasis on the student experience — and the quality of our student’s journeys — so important. Much of the learning your student will partake in during their time on campus unfolds outside of the classroom and within programming, events, and opportunities provided by the Division of Student Affairs.

We are deeply committed to these anchors for your student’s development:

• Career Readiness
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
• Healthy Excellence
• Leadership Development
• Sense of Belonging

Furthermore, the following are examples of focus areas within our anchors:

• Our commitment to Healthy Excellence means that we are dedicated to helping students graduate with better well-being than when they arrive.
• The Center for Career Engagement enables students to chart a course for career discovery and create pathways to meaningful and competitive employment opportunities throughout life. Our four-year curriculum guides students through career exploration, provides coaching and access to practical workshops, and prepares students to compete for rewarding post-graduation opportunities.
• Dialogue Across Difference (DxD) fosters an understanding of diverse perspectives, interpersonal skills, and cultural competency to succeed in a multicultural world, starting with an introductory module for incoming first-year students. Your student will be introduced to this important competency during Fall Welcome in August.

One of the most important aspects of your student’s experience is making sure they feel a sense of belonging. We have a team of student affairs professionals ready to support your student from Move-In to Commencement and every step in between!

To remain informed throughout the year, please make sure Student Transitions & Family Programs has your contact information.

At this time, it is important to ensure WashU has your updated contact information. Your student can check their WebSTAC [tk: update reference here] contact information to confirm the mailing address and email we have on file for you. Via email, we distribute Family Ties, WashU’s parent e-newsletter. We also occasionally send university-wide communications. We encourage you to download the WashU Mobile and WashU Safe smartphone apps and enable push notifications. All emergency communications from the university are disseminated through this tool.

Throughout this guide, you will find a summary of resources and services we offer to support your student. Additionally, there is a brief overview of important tasks for your student to complete this summer. Please visit and bookmark families.wustl.edu, a website designed with you in mind.

Welcome to WashU!

Anna “Dr. G” Gonzalez
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs