WashU Chancellor Andrew D. Martin defended the decision to meet with the Trump administration in the fall, discussed the impact of AI on higher education, and talked about emergency preparedness in a Q&A with Student Life on Wednesday, April 1. Martin also shared updates on WashU’s financial situation, including the reasons behind the transition to Workday, the University’s construction planning, and the decision to purchase the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy (UHSP). 

WashU Chancellor Andrew D. Martin spoke with Student Life on Wednesday, April 1 about WashU’s engagement with the Trump administration and Congress, University finances, the addition of a new pharmacy school, artificial intelligence, emergency preparedness, and more.

In an email sent to faculty midday Wednesday, Martin wrote that WashU will not sign the compact “or any document that undermines our mission or our core values, perhaps highest among these our commitment to academic freedom, access, free expression, and research integrity.”

Dean of WashU’s College of Arts & Sciences, Feng Sheng Hu, told faculty at a meeting on Tuesday that Chancellor Andrew D. Martin does not plan to sign the Trump administration’s compact for higher education in its current form, according to five faculty in attendance.