Andrew D. Martin

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

On April 13, 2024, a peaceful sit‑in took place on the Danforth campus, resulting in the arrest of 12 students by WashU police during the protest.^[14]

On April 20, 2024, a larger group of students, faculty, and community members set up an encampment outside Brookings Hall.^[15] On April 27, 2024, Martin called local police to address the pro-Palestinian protest. The police crackdown arrested around 100 protestors, including 23 students and at least four employees. Some students and faculty faced disciplinary action. A professor was arrested for interfering with police and later hospitalized with broken ribs and a hand after being tackled by officers.^[16]

WashU students, faculty, and community members denounced the Martin administration with open letters and petitions regarding its response to the protests,^[17] including Martin's decision to evict arrested students from campus housing and ban faculty who attended the protest from campus. Martin's actions were condemned by United States Representative Cori Bush (D–MO)^[18] and the St. Louis city leadership, while being praised by some pundits^[19] and some elected officials.^[20]

Workday implementation controversy

During Martin's tenure as chancellor, WashU faced scrutiny over the cost and transparency of its implementation of Workday and Student Sunrise, a project to replace WebSTAC and other legacy student, finance, and human-resources systems. The cost of the transition was not publicly known until 2025, when Student Life, the university's independent student newspaper, reported that it had obtained an internal financial document showing that WashU had spent almost $235 million on Workday.^[21]

The disclosure came amid broader criticism of the university's finances following Martin's September 2025 announcement that WashU had eliminated 316 staff positions and closed 198 open positions.^[22][23] In October 2025, undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty protested outside a closed Faculty Senate Council meeting with executive vice chancellor for finance and chief financial officer David Gray, calling for greater financial transparency. The protest followed an August faculty petition seeking more information about WashU's financial condition, including spending on Workday and the university's purchase of Fontbonne University. Some protesters held signs reading "Support Workers not Workday."^[24]

In December 2025, Student Life published a more detailed breakdown based on information provided by Gray, reporting that the total cost of the Workday and Student Sunrise projects had exceeded $265 million over at least seven years. ^[25] The technology publication The Register later reported that the disclosure followed student protests over the project and university finances.^[26]

The reported cost drew further scrutiny because WashU schools had experienced four consecutive years of increased prorations, payments made by the university's schools to the Central Fiscal Unit, which includes the chancellor's office and other central administrative functions. According to slides shown by Gray at the Faculty Senate Council meeting, proration increases accounted for an additional $200 million paid by WashU schools between fiscal years 2022 and 2026. ^[27]