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College of William and Mary
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The College of William & Mary in Virginia (colloquially known as The College of William & Mary, The College, William & Mary, or W&M) is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 by a Royal Charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
William & Mary educated U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler as well as other key figures important to the development of the nation, including U.S.
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Encyclopedia
The College of William & Mary in Virginia (colloquially known as The College of William & Mary, The College, William & Mary, or W&M) is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 by a Royal Charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
William & Mary educated U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler as well as other key figures important to the development of the nation, including U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House Henry Clay and 16 signers of the Declaration of Independence. W&M founded the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society in 1776 and was the first school of higher education in the United States to install an honor code of conduct for students. The establishment of graduate programs in law and medicine in 1779 make it one of the first universities in the United States.
In 2008, the college enrolled 5,850 undergraduate students and 2,042 graduate and professional students in and granted 1,454 bachelors, 440 masters, and 209 professional degrees.
History
Colonial era: 1693-1776
A school of higher education for both Native American young men and the sons of the colonists was one of the earliest goals of the leaders of the Virginia Colony. However, an early effort at Henricus was destroyed by the Indian Massacre of 1622. In 1691, the House of Burgesses sent Reverend Dr. James Blair, the colony's top religious leader and rector of Henrico Parish at Varina, to England to secure a charter to again establish a school of higher education. The College was founded on February 8, 1693, under a Royal Charter secured by Blair to "make, found and establish a certain Place of Universal Study, a perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and the good arts and sciences...to be supported and maintained, in all time coming." Named in honor of the reigning monarchs King William III and Queen Mary II, the College was one of the original Colonial colleges. The Charter named Blair as the College's first president (a lifetime appointment which he held until his death in 1743). The new school was also granted a coat of arms from the College of Arms. William & Mary was founded as an Anglican institution; governors were required to be members of the Church of England, and professors were required to declare adherence to the Thirty-Nine Articles.
The Royal Charter called for a center of higher education consisting of three schools: the Grammar School, the Philosophy School and the Divinity School. The Philosophy School instructed students in the advanced study of moral philosophy (logic, rhetoric, ethics) as well as natural philosophy (physics, metaphysics, and mathematics); upon completion of this coursework, the Divinity School prepared these young men for ordination into the Church of England. This early curriculum, a precursor to the present-day liberal arts program, made William & Mary the first American college with a full faculty. The College has achieved many other notable academic firsts. Although most other planned goals were met or exceeded, the efforts to educate and convert the natives to Christianity were to prove less than successful once the College was established.
In 1693, the College was given a seat in the House of Burgesses and it was determined that the College would be supported by tobacco taxes and export duties on furs and animal skins. Blair and the trustees of the College of William and Mary bought a parcel from Thomas Ballard, the proprietor of Rich Neck Plantation, for the new school, from Jamestown, but on high ground midway between the James and York Rivers on the western outskirts of the tiny community of Middle Plantation in James City County. The site was just a short distance from the almost new brick Bruton Parish Church, a focal point of the extant community, and not far from the headwaters of Archer's Hope Creek, later renamed College Creek. In 1694, the new school opened in temporary buildings.
Middle Plantation, renamed Williamsburg in 1699, was granted a royal charter as a city in 1722 and served as the capital of Colonial Virginia from 1699 to 1780. During this time, the College served as a law center and lawmakers frequently used its buildings. It educated future U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler. The College issued George Washington his surveyor's certificate, which led to his first public office. Washington was later appointed the first American Chancellor in 1788 following the American Revolution. Serving as Chancellor of the College was to be his last public office, one he held until his death in 1799.
George Wythe, widely regarded as a pioneer in American legal education, attended the College as a young man, but dropped out unable to afford the fees. Wythe went on to become one of the more distinguished jurists of his time. Jefferson, who later referred to Wythe as "my second father," studied under Wythe from 1762 to 1767. By 1779, Wythe held the nation's first Law Professorship at the College. Wythe's other students included Henry Clay, James Monroe and John Marshall. The College also educated three U.S. Supreme Court Justices (John Marshall, Philip Pendleton Barbour and Bushrod Washington) as well as several important members of government including Peyton Randolph and Henry Clay.
Revolutionary period, making a transition
During the period of the American Revolution, Freedom of Religion and the Separation of Church and State were each established in Virginia beginning in 1776. Future U.S. President James Madison was a key figure in the transition to religious freedom in Virginia, and Right Reverend James Madison, his cousin and Thomas Jefferson, who was on the Board of Visitors, helped The College of William & Mary to make the transition as well. The college became a university with the establishment of the graduate schools in law and medicine. As its President, Reverend Madison worked with the new leaders of Virginia, most notably Jefferson, on a reorganization and changes for the College which included the abolition of the Divinity School and the Indian School and the establishment of the first elective system of study and honor system.
The College of William and Mary is home to the nation's first academic secret society, the Flat Hat Club. Although the pressures of the American Civil War forced many Societies to disappear, most of them were revived during the 20th Century. Some of the secret societies known to currently exist at the College are the Seven Society (Order of the Crown and Dagger), Wren Society, Bishop James Madison Society, Flat Hat Club, Alpha Club, The Society, 13 Club, the Spades, and W Society. John Heath and William Short (Class of 1779) founded the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society at William & Mary on December 5, 1776 as a secret literary and philosophical society. Additional chapters were soon established at Yale and at Harvard, and there are now 276 chapters nationwide. Alumni John Marshall and Bushrod Washington were two of the earliest members of Phi Beta Kappa, elected in 1778 and 1780, respectively.
In 1842, alumni of the College formed the Society of the Alumni which is now the sixth oldest alumni organization in the United States. In 1859, a great fire caused destruction to the College. The Alumni House is one of only several original antebellum structures remaining on campus; notable others include the Wren Building, the President's House, and the Brafferton.
Civil War, Reconstruction, early 20th century
At the outset of the American Civil War (1861-1865), enlistments in the Confederate Army depleted the student body and on May 10, 1861, the faculty voted to close the College for the duration of the conflict. The College Building was used as a Confederate barracks and later as a hospital, first by Confederate, and later Union forces. The Battle of Williamsburg was fought nearby during the Peninsula Campaign on May 5, 1862, and the city fell to the Union the next day. The Brafferton building of the College was used for a time as quarters for the commanding officer of the Union garrison occupying the town. On September 9, 1862, drunken soldiers of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry set fire to the College Building, purportedly in an attempt to prevent Confederate snipers from using it for cover. Much damage was done to the community during the Union occupation, which lasted until September 1865.
Following restoration of the Union, Virginia was destitute from the War. The College's 16th president, Benjamin Stoddert Ewell finally reopened the school in 1869 using his personal funds but the College closed in 1882 due to lack of funds. In 1888, William & Mary resumed operations under a substitute charter when the Commonwealth of Virginia passed an act appropriating $10,000 to support the College as a state teacher-training institution. Lyon Gardiner Tyler (son of US President and alumnus John Tyler) became the 17th president of the College following President Ewell's retirement. Tyler, along with 18th president J.A.C. Chandler, expanded the College into a modern institution. In March 1906, the General Assembly passed an act taking over the grounds of the colonial institution, and it has remained publicly-supported ever since. In 1915, William & Mary was one of the first universities in Virginia to become coeducational. During this time, enrollment increased from 104 students in 1889 to 1269 students by 1932.
Largely thanks to the vision of a William and Mary instructor, Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, the Sir Christopher Wren Building, the President's House and the Brafferton (the President's office) were restored to their eighteenth century appearance between 1928 and 1932 with substantial financial support from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. Together, they led the establishment and beginnings of Colonial Williamsburg.
1930s through modern times
In 1930, William & Mary expanded its territorial range by establishing a branch in Norfolk, Virginia. This extension would eventually become the independent state-supported institution known as Old Dominion University.
Significant campus construction continued under the College's nineteenth president, John Stewart Bryan. In 1935, the Sunken Gardens were constructed, just west of the Wren Building. The sunken design is taken from a similar landscape feature at Chelsea Hospital in London, designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited the College on October 16 1957, where the Queen spoke to the College community from the balcony of the Wren Building. The Queen again visited the College on May 4 2007.
In 1974, Jay Winston Johns willed Ash Lawn-Highland, the historic Albemarle County, Virginia estate of alumnus and U.S. President James Monroe, to the College. The College restored this historic Presidential home near Charlottesville and opened it to the public.
Grounds
The College is located on a campus in Williamsburg, Virginia.
The Sir Christopher Wren Building is the oldest college building in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. The building officially referred to as the "Sir Christopher Wren Building" was so named upon its renovation in 1931 to honor the English architect Sir Christopher Wren. The basis for the 1930s name is a 1724 history in which Hugh Jones stated that the 1699 design was "first modelled by Sir Christopher Wren" and then was adapted "by the Gentlemen there" in Virginia; little is known about how it looked, since it burned within a few years of its completion. Today's Wren Building is based on the design of its 1716 replacement. The College's Alumni Association recently published an article suggesting that Wren's connection to the 1931 building is a viable subject of investigation. A follow-up letter clarified the apocryphal nature of the Wren connection.
Two other buildings around the Wren Building complete a triangle known as "Ancient Campus": the Brafferton (built in 1723 and originally housing the Indian School, now the President and Provost's offices) and the President's House (built in 1732).
Organization and administration
The Board of Visitors is a corporation established by the General Assembly of Virginia to govern and supervise the operation of the College of William and Mary and of Richard Bland College. The corporation is composed of 17 members appointed by the Governor of Virginia, based upon on the recommendations made by the Society of the Alumni, to a maximum of two-succesive four-year terms. The Board elects a Rector, Vice Rector, and Secretary and the Board meets four times annually. The Board is responsible for appointing a President, related administrative officers, and an honorary Chancellor, approving degrees, admission policies, departments, and schools, and executing the fiduciary duties of supervising the College's property and finances. Michael K. Powell is the current Rector.
Until 1776, the Chancellor was an English subject, usually the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Bishop of London, who served as the College’s advocate to the crown, while a colonial President oversaw the day-to-day activities of the Williamsburg campus. Following the Revolutionary War, General George Washington was appointed as the first American chancellor; later President John Tyler held the post. The College has recently had a number of distinguished Chancellors: former Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger (1986-1993), former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1993-2000), and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (2000–2005). Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was installed as the College's 23rd Chancellor on April 7, 2006.
The Board of Visitors delegates to a President the operating responsibility and accountability for the administrative, fiscal, and academic performance of the College as well as representing the College on public occasions such as conferral of degrees. In September 2008, Taylor Reveley became the 27th President of the College, succeeding Gene R. Nichol. The President is assisted by a Provost, the senior academic officer of the university, and several Vice Presidents.
Faculty members are organized into separate faculties of the Faculty of Arts and Science as well as those for the respective schools of Business, Education, Law, and Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Each faculty is presided over by a Dean, who reports to the Provost, and governs itself through separate by-laws approved by the Board of Visitors. The faculty are also represented by a Faculty Assembly that serves to advise the President and Provost.
The Royal Hospital School, an independent boarding school in the United Kingdom, is a sister institution.
Academics
The College of William and Mary is a medium-sized, highly residential, public research university. The four-year, full-time undergraduate program comprises most of the university's enrollments and has an arts & sciences focus with some graduate coexistence. The graduate programs are dominant in STEM fields and the university has a high level of research activity. 1,454 undergraduate, 440 masters, 60 doctoral, and 209 professional degrees were awarded in the 2007-2008 school year. William and Mary is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
In terms of scholarship, W&M has produced five Rhodes Scholars since 1988 and 60 students have won Fulbright Scholarships, Truman, and Goldwater fellowships since 2000.
William & Mary offers exchange programs with 15 foreign foreign schools, drawing more than 12% of its undergraduates into these programs, and receives U.S. state department grants to further expand its foreign exchange programs. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has called W&M International Studies Department "perhaps the finest in the nation."
Student body
William and Mary enrolled 5,850 undergraduate, 1,414 graduate, and 628 professional students in 2008. Women make up 54.7% of the undergraduate, 53.5% of the graduate, and 49% of the professional student bodies respectively.
There were 11,636 applications for admission to the Class of 2012: 3,966 were admitted (34%) and 1,387 enrolled (35%). 79% of enrolling students graduated in the top tenth of their high school class, 77.6% had a high school GPA above 3.75, and the interquartile range on SAT scores was 630-730 for reading, 620-710 for math, and 610-720 for writing. The top five overlap schools for William & Mary applicants are Cornell University, Duke University, Georgetown University, the University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University. 95% of freshmen enrolled the subsequent year, the four year graduation rate was 84%, and the six year rate was 91%.
Undergraduate tuition for 2007-2008 was $6,090 for Virginia residents and $24,960 for out-of-state students. 32% of the student body received loans, W&M granted over $8 million in need-based scholarships in 2007-2008 to 1,280 students (22.6% of the student body), and average student indebtedness was $15,602.
Sixty percent of W&M students go on to graduate school within five years of graduation. W&M students had medical school acceptance rates hovering between 72% and 80% between 1999 and 2002 . In comparison, graduates of fellow Public Ivys University of Michigan and University of Virginia experienced lower acceptance rates for the same period. Recent medical school acceptance rates for both the University of Michigan (52%, 2007) and the University of Virginia (67%, 2006) are substantially unchanged.
Rankings
William and Mary's undergraduate program was ranked 32nd among National Universities by U.S. News and World Report in 2009 (6th among public universities), 49th by Forbes in 2008, and 19th by The Washington Monthly in 2006. William and Mary ranked as the 3rd "best value" among America's public universities in the latest 2007 issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine. W&M was ranked 8th for "Best College Library" by The Princeton Review.
The undergraduate business program was ranked 43rd by U.S. News and 29th by Business Week. U.S. News also ranked the Mason School of Business 58th among graduate business schools and the Marshall-Wythe School of Law 30th among law schools. Mason's MBA program was ranked 49th by Forbes in 2008, 71st internationally and 40th nationally by the Financial Times in 2008, 17th nationally by the Wall Street Journal, and 99th international by The Economist.
Faculty and research
- James L. Axtell - William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Humanities; inducted to American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2004)
- Carl P. Daw Jr. - Executive Director of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.
- George Grayson - government professor, noted expert in Latin American politics, Senior Associate with the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Deborah Allen Hewitt - Clinical Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at the Mason School of Business; an international economics and finance expert.
- Charles Hobson - author of several prominent books on Chief Justice John Marshall, and the editor of the Marshall papers (housed at W&M's law school)
- Jack B. Martin - Associate Professor and Chair of English; author of a Creek language dictionary along with Margaret Mauldin
- John McGlennon - Professor of Government and member of the James City County Board of Supervisors; author of several books on political parties and other political science topics. Unsuccessful candidate for the United States Congress in 1982 and 1984.
- Mitchell Reiss - Professor of Government and Law; Director of Policy Planning (U.S. Department of State)
- William H. Starnes, Jr. - Professor Emeritus; inventor of ester thiol organic PVC stabilizers
- William Stith (1707-1755) author of The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia
- Lyon Gardiner Tyler, former College president and history professor
- William Van Alstyne - Professor of Law, nationally known constitutional scholar, noted to be among the most frequently cited scholars (top forty) in the preceding half century and elected into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 1994
- Dirk Walecka - Emeritus Professor of Physics; recipient of Tom Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics from American Physical Society; former director of CEBAF/JLAB
- Lawrence Wilkerson - Harriman Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and critic of Iraq War intelligence
Student life
Campus activities
The College enjoys a temperate climate. In addition to renovations on the student recreation center, (including a new gym, rock climbing wall, and larger exercise rooms) the largely wooded campus has its own lake and outdoor amphitheatre. The Virginia Beach oceanfront is 60 miles away, and Washington DC is a 150 mile drive to the north.
The College's Alma Mater Productions (AMP) hosts concerts, comedians, and speakers on campus and in the 8,600-capacity Kaplan Arena. The campus boasts an award-winning student newspaper called The Flat Hat, as well as a student-produced online newspaper and monthly print magazine called The DoG Street Journal.
Honor System
William & Mary's Honor System was first established by alumnus Thomas Jefferson in 1779 and is widely believed to be the nation's first. During the orientation week, nearly every entering student recites the Honor Pledge in the Great Hall of the Wren Building pledging:
- As a Member of the William & Mary community I pledge, on my Honor, not to lie, cheat, or steal in either my academic or personal life. I understand that such acts violate the Honor Code and undermine the community of trust of which we are all stewards.
The basis of W&M's Honor Pledge was written over 150 years ago by alumnus and law professor Henry St. George Tucker, Sr. While teaching law at the University of Virginia, Tucker proposed that students attach a pledge to all exams confirming that on their honor they did not receive any assistance. Tucker's honor pledge was the early basis of the Honor System at UVA. At W&M, the Honor System stands as one of the College's most important traditions; it remains student-administered through the Honor Council with the advice of the faculty and administration of the College. The College's Honor System is codified such that students found guilty of cheating, stealing or lying are subject to sanctions ranging anywhere from an oral warning up to expulsion.
Traditions
William & Mary has a number of traditions, including the Yule Log Ceremony, at which the president dresses as Santa Claus and reads a rendition of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the Vice-President of Student Affairs reads "Twas the Night Before Finals," and The Gentlemen of the College sing the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas".
Incoming freshmen participate in Opening Convocation, at which they pass through the entrance of the Wren Building and are officially welcomed as the newest members of the College. Freshmen also have the opportunity, during orientation week, to serenade the President of the College at his home with the Alma Mater song. The Senior Walk is similar, in that graduating seniors walk through the Wren Building in their "departure" from the College. On the last day of classes, Seniors are invited to ring the bell in the cupola of the Wren Building.
Unofficial traditions include the Triathlon, a set of three tasks to be completed by each student prior to graduation. These include jumping the wall of the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg after hours, and if so inclined, running through the Boxwood Maze to the Palace itself, streaking through the Sunken Gardens, and swimming in the Crim Dell (pictured).
Legends include: kissing a date on the Crim Dell Bridge results in a future marriage, while walking across it alone results in eternal singlehood. The crypt under the chapel can be reached via steam ducts under the campus and were supposedly used to steal bones from the grave of Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt who is entombed in the Wren Chapel. Many ghosts supposedly haunt the older sections of this school.
Fraternities and sororities
William & Mary has a long history of fraternities and sororities dating back to Phi Beta Kappa, the first "Greek-letter" organization, which was founded there in 1776 . Today, Greek organizations play an important role in the College community, along with other social organizations (e.g. theatre and club sports organizations). Overall, about one-third of its undergraduates are active members of 18 national fraternities and 12 sororities. William & Mary is also home to several unique non-Greek social fraternities, notably the Nu Kappa Epsilon music sorority and the Queens' Guard.
A cappella
William and Mary has eleven collegiate a cappella groups.
The Christopher Wren Singers (1987, co-ed); The Gentlemen of the College (1990,all-male); The Stairwells (1990, all-male); Intonations (1991, all-female); The Accidentals (1992, all-female); Reveille (1992, all-female); DoubleTake (1993, co-ed); Common Ground (1995, all-female); One Accord (1998,all-male); The Cleftomaniacs (1999, co-ed); Passing Notes (2002, all-female)
Athletics
Formerly known as the "Indians", William & Mary's sports teams are now known as "The Tribe." The College fields NCAA Division I teams for men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field. In addition, there are women's field hockey, lacrosse and volleyball squads as well as men's baseball and football. In the 2004-05 season, the Tribe garnered five Colonial Athletic Association titles, and it leads the conference with over 80 titles. In that same year, several teams competed in the NCAA Championships, and the football team appeared in the I-AA semifinals. The men's soccer team has produced some notable players; the goalkeeper Adin Brown was a back-to-back NCAA First Team All-American in 1998 and 1999. The football program has produced many NFL players and coaches; all pro safety Darren Sharper, current Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, kicker Steve Christie, current Denver Bronco Mike Leach, 1-AA Walter Payton Offensive Player of the Year award winner QB Lang Campbell, WR Dominque Thompson, WR Rich Musinski, Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, Jacksonville Jaguars linebackers coach Mark Duffner, & Minnesota Vikings QB coach Kevin Rogers. The men's cross country team finished 8th at the 2006 Division I National Championships. In addition, the track team has produced many All-Americans, including Brian Hyde, an Olympian and Collegiate record holder in the 1500 meter run.
In May 2006, the NCAA ruled that the athletic logo, which includes two green and gold feathers, could create an environment that is offensive to the American Indian community. The College's appeal regarding the use of the institution’s athletic logo to the NCAA Executive Committee was rejected. The "Tribe" nickname, by itself, was found to be neither hostile nor abusive, but rather communicates ennobling sentiments of commitment, shared idealism, community and common cause. The College stated it would phase out the use of the two feathers by the fall of 2007, although they can still be seen prominently painted on streets throughout the campus. Some students have vowed to display the prior logo on their own at NCAA post-season games. A new design was unveiled in December of 2007.
For a short time, the College's unofficial mascot was an amorphous blob called "Colonel Ebirt" ("Tribe" backwards), which was discontinued. Prior to that, two students, one male, one female, dressed in buckskins. The female was referred to as squaw, while the male was usually referred to as "tribe guy." The practice ended around 1991.
Alumni
William & Mary has produced a large number of distinguished alumni including U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, John Tyler, and James Monroe; key figures in American history Peyton Randolph, Henry Clay and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Marshall; Massachusetts Institute of Technology founder William Barton Rogers; U.S. Military General Winfield Scott; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, football Hall-of-Famer Lou Creekmur, and Minnesota Vikings safety Darren Sharper; major league baseball players Chris Ray, Brendan Harris, Vic Raschi and Curtis Pride; the popular entertainers Glenn Close and The Daily Show host Jon Stewart; creator and writer of Scrubs and Spin City, Bill Lawrence; Hong Kong actor and recording artist Jaycee Chan, the son of Jackie Chan; fashion designer Perry Ellis; founder and chairman of Legg Mason Raymond A. "Chip" Mason; and Obama Cabinet members Robert Gates (22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense), Christina Romer (Chairwoman, Council of Economic Advisors) and General David McKiernan (Commander, U.S Forces Afghanistan).
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