News & Stories

When Hannah Quon began her capstone project for the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate program at WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS), she wanted to put her skills to work on something that would benefit her community. “I have a particular interest in population dynamics and conservation and wanted to do something that contributed to […]

After more than three decades in federal prison, West reflects on how education, mentorship and perseverance helped her find purpose behind bars and imagine a future beyond them. “Freedom begins with a book.” That was the message Michelle West brought to the annual WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) Prison Education Project (PEP) Maggie Garb […]

When Mark Franke talks with students in WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) Prison Education Project (PEP) about their plans for the future, he often hears big ideas. Some envision starting businesses. Others are thinking about opportunities they might create with family members or career paths outside a traditional 9-to-5 job. Franke wants to help […]

When Karen Novak began taking classes through University College, she could not have known that years later she would help lead the very school where she had once been a student. Novak, associate dean and chief of staff for WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS), retired Oct. 2 after 32 years of service to Washington […]

The CAPS Professional Development Series returns this fall with three virtual sessions focused on networking, career development and workplace communication. Offered by WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS), the fall series begins Oct. 22 and continues through Nov. 12. All three sessions will be held virtually from 6 to 7 p.m. For CAPS Dean Sean […]

For WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) students balancing classes with careers, families and other responsibilities, knowing where to turn when they need support can be especially important. New and returning students and their guests had an opportunity to build those connections face-to-face before classes started during the annual WashU CAPS New Student Orientation & […]

Two WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) instructors are exploring how artificial intelligence can make online learning more active, immersive and connected to the challenges students will face beyond the classroom.  Christopher Meierotto and Jennifer Siciliani have been selected as the 2026–27 recipients of the Marion Horstmann Online Teaching Innovation Grant, which supports instructors as they develop […]

While many educators spend the summer preparing for the next academic year, two members of the WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) instructional design team are helping shape the future of teaching itself.  This July, CAPS Instructional Specialists Cole Palmer and Kella Thornton published an article in Faculty Focus highlighting an innovative WashU program that empowers adjunct faculty to […]

For most writers, publishing a first book would be enough to make a summer memorable. For WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) instructor Deanna Benjamin, it is only part of a larger creative journey that will bring her work to audiences in Greece, New York and beyond. Benjamin’s debut poetry collection, Blue Ionia and other […]

WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) Instructional Specialist Kella Thornton is among the contributors being recognized after Lingering Inland: A Literary Tour of the Midwest won top honors in the Humanities category at the 2026 Midwest Book Awards. Published by the University of Illinois Press, the anthology features essays from more than 70 writers examining […]