Welcome to the 2021-22 Alumni and Parents Admission Program (APAP) season! My name is Jason Lewis, BSBA ’07, JD ’13, and I am honored to return as your APAP executive chair. I have also served as chair for the St. Louis central committee for the past several years. I am excited to share my enthusiasm for WashU with prospective students and serve on a leadership team with remarkable alumni volunteers and university staff.

This year, we will build on last year’s remarkable successes, made even more significant given the unique challenges that the global pandemic presented to the university and APAP. About a month ago, the university welcomed its largest and its most diverse first-year class ever. Your incredible work as university ambassadors greatly contributed to that achievement. Thank you!

There are a few important things I want to convey as we move forward this year. First, due in no small part to our great successes last year, the university would like to grow APAP. Please help us recruit your alumni and parent friends from around the world so that we can help recruit the next best class of WashU students. As you know, APAP members can participate from anywhere and participate as much or as little as they would like. They can sign up through the APAP website. 

Second, this APAP season will be operate similarly to last year. This means that interviews will continue to be virtual, and you still have the ability to interview applicants outside of your immediate geographic area. There are a few updates to highlight. You can now let us know how many interviews you would like to conduct over the course of the APAP season. 

Once you have interviewed an applicant and are ready to complete the interview report form, you will notice that the form has been revised slightly to provide the most helpful information to the admissions committee. College Fairs are back this year, so you may be hearing from the APAP staff about representing WashU (in-person and virtually) at a fair in your community. Please visit the APAP Volunteer Portal, then click on “Edit Activities” to make sure you are signed up to participate in the ways you would like. 

Finally, I encourage you to attend APAP’s upcoming annual Kick-Off event. It will be held virtually on Tuesday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m CST. Joining us will be: vice provost of admissions & financial aid Ronné Patrick Turner; Cyrus Nichols, deputy director of undergraduate admissions; and Michelle Gravel, APAP senior director. I look forward to hearing them discuss the latest recruitment efforts, provide a brief training on APAP activities, and answer your questions. As it is every year, it will be a great event!  You can RSVP here.   

Please reach out at any time to APAP staff or me directly at jklewis@gmail.com. You can also speak to Pam Bookbinder Clarke, AB ’06, our vice chair and chair of the Morris and Essex Counties, New Jersey committee, who will be an especially valuable resource for new APAP members. A special thanks also to our wonderful parent member chairs, Gwen and John Litchmann from California, and our amazing chair emeritus, Sally Silvers, AB ’69, chair of the mid-Missouri committee, who remain available to help you and to assist with anything APAP-related.

Thank you for all that you do for APAP!  Here’s to a great season!