We are excited to annouce the creation of a Network of Mentored Professional Experience (MPE) Locations that the Office of Graduate Studies is building. This network consists of several on-campus and STL regional partners where the OGS has established a relationship for students to develop MPEs. Our aim is to expand the network each semester with additional partners on campus, in the STL region, and beyond. For each participating partner, we have a contact person in the office / organization who will serve as the student’s mentor for the duration of the experience. Students choosing to pursue an MPE within the network can discuss the possibility with the listed contact person.
In addition to this network, students interested in pursuing an MPE as part of their doctoral training may develop these with a wide variety of offices / organizations / research entities or industry partners that may provide the student with the opportunity to enhance their skillsets and gain valuable professional experiences. The Office of Graduate Studies encourages students to reach out with questions about MPE networks and to learn more.
MPE Network Partners
On-Campus Locations
Arts & Sciences College Office
Mentor: Sara Ryu
Focus area: Literacies for life & career; major / minor / program analysis and trends; first-year program opportunities; student affairs; higher education administration
Arts & Sciences Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures
Mentors: William Acree or Betsy Sinclair
Focus area: Strategic initiative building; research & analysis; conference & event support and outreach; communications & strengthening cross-university networks; academic entrepreneurship
Students can pursue mentored professional experiences at the Center for the Humanities. Center staff mentor the student as they dedicate efforts to a particular project or role within the Center. Recent examples include helping to promote, execute, and conduct impact reporting on Center events. Students gain useful experience in learning how a humanities center functions, including managing complex collaborative relationships and long-term projects, developing and maintaining community partnerships, grant-writing, marketing and communications, and event planning. Click here for more information.
Mentors: Meredith Kelling, Laura Perry
Moving Stories (an Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures team)
Mentor: Ila Sheren
Focus area: Art exhibition Coordinator for the Moving Stories: Narratives Across Media exhibition, to be held at St. Louis’s independent art space The Luminary in February 2024; the exhibit brings national and local artists who work to craft and represent narratives of migration.
Mentor: Christopher Schaberg
Focus area: Development and coordination of resources, workshops, and support for public-facing scholarship or community-engaged projects led by faculty and/or graduate students
The Center for Diversity & Inclusion
Mentor: Travis Tucker
Focus area: Partnering to strengthen WashU’s commitment to diversity and inclusion; education, research & scholarship, advocacy; leadership
The Office of Graduate Studies
Mentor: William Acree
Focus area: Graduate education analysis, trends & innovation; program opportunities; admissions & recruitment; student affairs; higher education administration
Mentor: Meredith Lehman
Focus area: Exhibitions; education & programming; curation; outreach & engagement; publications; arts management
Off-Campus/St. Louis Region Locations
The Missouri Appleseed Project
Mentor: Liza Weiss
Focus Area: research, lobbying, and public education on issues related to the intersection of public health, child welfare, and the criminal justice system.
The Washington University Prison Education Project (PEP)
Mentor: Kevin Windhauser
Focus Area: Grant identification and writing; marketing and public relations; curriculum design; advising and student support; qualitative and/or quantitative research and evaluation of PEP’s academic, extracurricular, and reentry programming
Mentor: Stefanie Kirkland
Focus area: Development; PR & marketing; programming; gallery support; non-profit management; community engagement & education
Mentor: Shawna Flanigan
Focus area: Operations; administration and non-profit organization; program management; education outreach