Washington University in St. Louis alumna and Emerita Trustee Joyce Buchheit and her husband, Chauncy Buchheit, have made an $845,000 gift to help the university attract more talented students from rural communities in Missouri and southern Illinois, announced Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.
The gift will establish a free summer college preparatory program and fund two admissions officers dedicated to rural communities served by the WashU Pledge, the scholarship initiative that provides a free undergraduate education to admitted students from Missouri and southern Illinois who are Pell Grant-eligible or from families with annual incomes of $75,000 or less. The admissions officers will visit rural high schools and college fairs, where they will introduce students to campus and academic life at WashU and demystify the admissions and financial aid processes.