The College of William & Mary in Virginia (also known as
The College,
William & Mary, or
W&M) is a
publicA public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
research university located in
WilliamsburgWilliamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
,
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States. Founded in 1693 by a royal charter issued by
King William III and Queen Mary IIThe phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
, it is the
second-oldestThe Colonial Colleges are nine institutions of higher education chartered in the American Colonies before the United States of America became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution. These nine have long been considered together, notably in the survey of their origins in the 1907 The...
institution of
higher educationHigher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
in the United States after
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
William & Mary educated U.S. Presidents
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
,
James MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
, and
John TylerJohn Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
as well as other key figures important to the development of the nation, including U.S.
Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
Chief Justice
John MarshallJohn Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
,
Speaker of the HouseThe Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Henry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, and 16 signers of the
Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
. W&M founded the
Phi Beta KappaThe Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
academic
honor societyIn the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
in 1776 and was the first school of higher education in the United States to install an
honor codeAn honour code or honour system is a set of rules or principles governing a community based on a set of rules or ideals that define what constitutes honorable behavior within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the idea that people can be trusted to act honorably...
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 StatesFirst university in the United States is a status asserted by more than one U.S. university. In the U.S. there is no official definition of what entitles an institution to be considered a university versus a college, and the common understanding of "university" has evolved over time.The 1911...
.
In addition to its undergraduate program, the College is home to several graduate and professional schools, including law, business, public policy, education, marine science and colonial history. In 2008, W&M enrolled 5,850 undergraduate and 2,042 graduate and professional students.
Colonial era: 1693–1776
A school of higher education for both
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
young men and the sons of the colonists was one of the earliest goals of the leaders of the Virginia Colony. The College was founded on February 8, 1693, under a royal charter (legally, letters patent) 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 IIIWilliam III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and
Queen Mary IIMary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
, the College is one of the country's nine
Colonial CollegesThe Colonial Colleges are nine institutions of higher education chartered in the American Colonies before the United States of America became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution. These nine have long been considered together, notably in the survey of their origins in the 1907 The...
founded before the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. The Charter named James Blair as the College's first president (a lifetime appointment which he held until his death in 1743). William & Mary was founded as an Anglican institution; governors were required to be members of the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, and professors were required to declare adherence to the
Thirty-Nine ArticlesThe Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are the historically defining statements of doctrines of the Anglican church with respect to the controversies of the English Reformation. First established in 1563, the articles served to define the doctrine of the nascent Church of England as it related to...
.
The school's charter called for a center of higher education consisting of three schools. 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
ordinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
in the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. This curriculum made William & Mary the first American college with a full faculty.
In 1693, the College was
given a seatA university constituency is a constituency, used in elections to a legislature, that represents a university rather than a geographical area. University constituencies may involve plural voting, in which eligible voters are permitted to vote in both a university constituency and a geographical...
in the
House of BurgessesThe House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
and it was determined that the College would be supported by
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
taxes and export duties on
furFur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
s and animal skins. The College acquired a 330 acres (1.3 km²) parcel for the new school, 8 miles (12.9 km) from Jamestown. In 1694, the new school opened in temporary buildings.
WilliamsburgWilliamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
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 JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
,
James MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
, and
John TylerJohn Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
.
Revolution and transition
During the period of the American Revolution,
freedom of religionFreedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
was established in Virginia and the
separation of church and stateThe concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
achieved, notably with the 1786 passage of the
Virginia Statute for Religious FreedomThe Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was drafted in 1777 by Thomas Jefferson in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 1786, the Assembly enacted the statute into the state's law...
. Future U.S. President
James MadisonJames Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
was a key figure in the transition to religious freedom in Virginia, and
Right Reverend James MadisonJames Madison was the first bishop of the Diocese of Virginia of The Episcopal Church in the United States, one of the first bishops to be consecrated to the new church after the American Revolution...
, his cousin and
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, who was on the Board of Visitors, helped The College of William & Mary to make the transition as well. The college became the first American 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 collegiate secret society, the
F.H.C. SocietyThe Flat Hat Club is the popular name of a society founded after 1916 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and revived there in 1972. The organization was named after the F.H.C. Society, which had been founded at the College on November 11, 1750, and was itself known...
, founded November 11, 1750. On December 5, 1776, students John Heath and
William ShortWilliam Short was Thomas Jefferson's private secretary when he was ambassador in Paris, from 1786 to 1789. Jefferson, later the third President of the United States, referred to Short as his "adoptive son". Short, along with Jefferson, was a co-founder of Phi Beta Kappa at the College of William &...
(Class of 1779) founded Phi Beta Kappa as a secret literary and philosophical society. Other
secret societiesSecret societies at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia date back to the 18th-century founding of the nation's first known collegiate secret society, The F. H. C. Society...
known to currently exist at the College include: The 7 Society, 13 Club, Alpha Club,
Bishop James Madison SocietyThe Bishop James Madison Society is a secret society of the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Students founded the society in the year 1812 as a tribute to the life of the late Bishop James Madison, eighth president of William and Mary and cousin to the U.S. president James Madison...
,
Flat Hat ClubThe Flat Hat Club is the popular name of a society founded after 1916 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and revived there in 1972. The organization was named after the F.H.C. Society, which had been founded at the College on November 11, 1750, and was itself known...
, The Society, The Spades, W Society, and
Wren SocietyThe Wren Society, is one of the many secret societies on the campus of the College of William and Mary.Founded in 1832, to honor the two hundredth birthday of Sir Christopher Wren, the society quickly grew in prominence . The society, like many other traditions of the Royal College, fell victim to...
.
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 HouseThe Alumni House, formerly known as the Bright House, is a 19th-century building located on The College of William & Mary’s campus in the middle of historic Williamsburg, Virginia....
is one of the few original antebellum structures remaining on campus; notable others include the Wren Building, the President's House, and the Brafferton.
Civil War, Reconstruction, and the early 20th century
At the outset of the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(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 BuildingThe Wren Building is the signature building of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Along with the Brafferton and President's House, these buildings form the College's Historic Campus....
was used as a Confederate barracks and later as a hospital, first by Confederate, and later Union forces. The
Battle of WilliamsburgThe Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War...
was fought nearby during the
Peninsula CampaignThe Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
on May 5, 1862, and the city fell to the Union the next day. The
Brafferton building of the CollegeThe Brafferton, built in 1723, is located southeast of the Sir Christopher Wren Building, facing the President's House on the campus of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.-History of the building:...
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 TylerLyon Gardiner Tyler, Sr. was a U.S. educator and historian.-Biography:He was the son of President John Tyler and First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler, born at Sherwood Forest Plantation. He graduated in 1875 at the University of Virginia...
(son of US President and alumnus
John TylerJohn Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
) 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 1918, William & Mary preceded the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
to be one of the first universities in Virginia to admit women and become coeducational.
http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/women/grad_prof1.html 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.John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son among the five children of businessman and Standard Oil industrialist John D. Rockefeller and the father of the five famous Rockefeller brothers...
and his wife,
Abby Aldrich RockefellerAbby Aldrich Rockefeller, , was a prominent socialite and philanthropist and the second-generation matriarch of the renowned Rockefeller family...
. Together, they led the establishment and beginnings of
Colonial WilliamsburgColonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
.
1930–present
In 1930, William & Mary expanded its territorial range by establishing a branch in
Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. This extension would eventually become the independent state-supported institution known as
Old Dominion UniversityOld Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
.
Significant campus construction continued under the College's nineteenth president, John Stewart Bryan. President
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
received an honorary degree from the College on October 20, 1934.
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10917FF3B5D167A93C3AB178BD95F408385F9&scp=3&sq=william%20and%20mary&st=cse In 1935, the
Sunken GardenThe Sunken Garden is the central element of the Old Campus at the College of William and Mary. The garden consists of a long stretch of grass, lower than the surrounding area, that runs west from the rear of the Wren Building to Crim Dell pond. The area is very popular for students wanting to...
was 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.
The College has a history of supporting freedom of the press dating back at least to the 1940s. In 1945, for example, the College administration sanctioned the student Marilyn Kaemmerle for an article she had written in
The Flat HatThe Flat Hat is the official student newspaper at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. It prints Tuesdays and Fridays during the College's academic year. It began printing twice-weekly in 2007; since its inception in 1911, The Flat Hat had printed weekly.The newspaper is printed as...
supporting the end of racist policies of segregation, anti-miscegenation and
white supremacyWhite supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
. According to Time Magazine, in response, over one-thousand William & Mary students held "a spirited mass meeting protesting infringement of the sacred principles of freedom of the press bequeathed by Alumnus Thomas Jefferson." She was pardoned by the college Board of Visitors decades later.
In 1960, the Colleges of William & Mary, a short-lived five campus university system, was founded. It included the College of William & Mary, the
Richmond Professional InstituteThe Richmond Professional Institute was an educational institution established in 1917 which merged with the Medical College of Virginia to form Virginia Commonwealth University. RPI was located on what is now known as the Monroe Park Campus of VCU. The entire history of RPI can be found in "A...
, the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, Christopher Newport College, and
Richard Bland CollegeRichard Bland College of The College of William and Mary is a public junior college with about 1,400 students located near Petersburg, Virginia...
. It was dissolved in 1962.
In 1974, Jay Winston Johns willed
Ash Lawn-HighlandAsh Lawn–Highland, located near Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, and adjacent to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, was the estate of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States. Purchased in 1793, Monroe and his family permanently settled on the property in 1799 and lived at Ash Lawn–Highland...
, the 535 acres (2.2 km²) historic
Albemarle County, VirginiaAs of the census of 2000, there were 79,236 people, 31,876 households, and 21,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 33,720 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile...
estate of alumnus and U.S. President
James MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
, to the College. The College restored this historic presidential home near Charlottesville and opened it to the public.
Campus
The College is located on a 1200 acres (485.6 ha) campus in
Williamsburg, VirginiaWilliamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
.
The
Sir Christopher Wren BuildingThe Wren Building is the signature building of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Along with the Brafferton and President's House, these buildings form the College's Historic Campus....
is both the oldest college building in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. The building, colloquially referred to as the "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
BraffertonThe Brafferton, built in 1723, is located southeast of the Sir Christopher Wren Building, facing the President's House on the campus of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.-History of the building:...
(built in 1723 and originally housing the Indian School, now the President and Provost's offices) and the President's House (built in 1732). In addition to the "Ancient Campus," which dates to the eighteenth century, the College also consists of "Old Campus" and New Campus."
"Old Campus" consists of academic buildings and dormitories built in close proximity to the Wren Building and match the
GeorgianGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
and Anglo-Dutch architecture of the colonial buildings of "Ancient Campus" and
Colonial WilliamsburgColonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
. Located directly to the west of the Wren Building, the majority of "Old Campus" was constructed during the 1920s and 1930s and is dominated by the
Sunken GardensThe Sunken Garden is the central element of the Old Campus at the College of William and Mary. The garden consists of a long stretch of grass, lower than the surrounding area, that runs west from the rear of the Wren Building to Crim Dell pond. The area is very popular for students wanting to...
and the College's football stadium,
Zable StadiumWalter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field, named for Walter J. Zable, former member of the College of William & Mary Board of Visitors, is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and is the home of the William and Mary Tribe football team. It is located centrally in the William & Mary campus, adjoining the...
. Also located within "Old Campus" are Sorority Court, the majority of upperclassmen dormitories, and the offices and classrooms of the History, Philosophy, Religion, Music, Modern Language, and English Departments.
Adjoining "Old Campus" to the north and west is "New Campus." It was constructed primarily between 1950 and 1980, and it consists of academic buildings and dormitories that, while of the same brick construction as "Old Campus," fit into the vernacular of modern architecture. Beginning with the College's tercentenary in 1993, the College has embarked on a building and renovation program that favors the traditional architectural style of "Old Campus," while incorporating energy-efficient technologies. Several buildings constructed since the 1990s have been
LEED certifiedLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
. Additionally, as the buildings of "New Campus" are renovated after decades of use, several have been remodeled to incorporate more traditional architectural elements in an effort to unify the appearance of the entire College campus. "New Campus" is dominated by William and Mary Hall,
Earl Gregg Swem LibraryThe Earl Gregg Swem Library is located on Landrum Drive at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The library is named for Earl Gregg Swem, College Librarian from 1920-1944. In 2008, the Princeton Review rated William & Mary's library system as the eighth best in...
, and
Phi Beta Kappa Memorial HallPhi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall is a multi-use building at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. It contains the largest auditorium on the campus, containing two floors of seating...
. It also includes the offices and classrooms of the Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, Biology, and Chemistry Departments, the majority of freshman dormitories, the fraternity complex, and the majority of the College's athletic fields. The newest addition to "New Campus" is
Alan B. Miller HallThe Alan B. Miller Hall is the new home of the Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The building was designed by prominent modern architect Robert A.M. Stern. The building is currently seeking LEED Certification after adhering to...
, the headquarters of the College's
Mason School of BusinessThe Mason School of Business is the business school at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. The school, named after alumni and founder of Legg Mason, Raymond A. "Chip" Mason, in 2005, was ranked in the top 20 MBA programs in 2007 and the top 10 undergraduate programs among public universities...
.
The recent wave of construction at William and Mary has resulted in a new building for the School of Education, located not far from William and Mary Hall. Additionally, new facilities have freed up space in existing structures. The offices and classrooms of the Government, Economics, and Classical Language Departments, which currently share a building on "New Campus," could potentially be separated and some relocated to vacant buildings awaiting renovation within the "Old Campus."
The vast majority of William and Mary's 1200 acres (4.9 km²) consists of woodlands and Lake Matoaka, an artificial lake. The College has shown a dedication to the stewardship and preservation of these natural elements, which are accessible via the trails running throughout the campus.
The College also has property and buildings not contiguous to campus, including the William and Mary School of Law and the
McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis CenterThe McCormack–Nagelsen Tennis Center is a $3,000,000, facility that is home to the College of William & Mary’s women’s tennis team as well as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Women’s Tennis Hall of Fame. It is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The facility includes six indoor courts and...
, both located on a piece of property approximately four blocks southeast of the Wren Building. Additionally, approximately a mile northwest of "New Campus" is the Dillard Complex (located across from the modern campus of Virginia's Eastern State Hospital), which is home to several offices, two former dormitories, and
Plumeri ParkPlumeri Park is The College of William & Mary Tribe baseball team's home stadium located in Williamsburg, Virginia. It has been in use since 1999. Joseph J...
, the College's baseball stadium.
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 & Mary and of
Richard Bland CollegeRichard Bland College of The College of William and Mary is a public junior college with about 1,400 students located near Petersburg, Virginia...
. The corporation is composed of 17 members appointed by the
Governor of VirginiaThe governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
, based upon on the recommendations made by the Society of the Alumni, to a maximum of two-successive 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.
The
Chancellor of the College of William and MaryThe chancellor of the College of William & Mary is the ceremonial head of the college, chosen by the university's Board of Visitors. The office was created by the college's Royal Charter and Henry Compton, Bishop of London, was named in the Charter as the college's first chancellor...
is a ceremonial role. Until 1776, the position was held by an English subject, usually the
Archbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
or the
Bishop of LondonThe Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
, 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 WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
was appointed as the first American chancellor; later United States President
John TylerJohn Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
held the post. The College has recently had a number of distinguished chancellors: former
Chief Justice of the United StatesThe Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
Warren E. BurgerWarren Earl Burger was the 15th Chief Justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Although Burger had conservative leanings, the U.S...
(1986–1993), former
British Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
(1993–2000), and former
U.S. Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Henry KissingerHeinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
(2000–2005). Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Sandra Day O'ConnorSandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
was installed as the College's 23rd Chancellor on April 7, 2006. When her term expires in February 2012, Robert M. Gates '65 will succeed her.
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,
W. Taylor Reveley IIIWalter Taylor Reveley, III is the twenty-seventh president of The College of William & Mary. Formerly Dean of the William and Mary Law School, Reveley was appointed interim president of the College on February 12, 2008 following Gene Nichol's resignation earlier that day and was officially...
became the 27th President of the College, succeeding Gene 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
BusinessThe Mason School of Business is the business school at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. The school, named after alumni and founder of Legg Mason, Raymond A. "Chip" Mason, in 2005, was ranked in the top 20 MBA programs in 2007 and the top 10 undergraduate programs among public universities...
,
EducationThe College of William & Mary School of Education is a program offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels of study at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. It accounts for one-third of all master’s degrees and over one-half of all doctoral degrees at The College...
,
LawWilliam & Mary Law School, located in Williamsburg, Virginia, is the oldest law school in the United States. William & Mary Law School is a part of the College of William & Mary, the second oldest college in the United States. The Law School maintains an enrollment of about six hundred students...
, and
Virginia Institute of Marine ScienceThe Virginia Institute of Marine Science is one of the oldest and largest schools of oceanographyfocused on coastal ocean and estuarine science in the United States....
. 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 SchoolThe Royal Hospital School, , is a British co-educational independent boarding school with naval traditions. It admits pupils from age 11 to 18 through Common Entrance or the school's own exam...
, an independent boarding school in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, is a sister institution.
Academics
The College of William & Mary is a medium-sized, highly residential, public research university. The focal point of the university is its four-year, full-time undergraduate program which comprises most of the institution's enrollment. The College has a strong undergraduate arts & sciences focus, with a select number of graduate programs in diverse fields ranging from American colonial history to marine science. The College offers an undergraduate joint degree program in engineering with
Columbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
as well as a liberal arts joint degree program with the venerable University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
http://www.wm.edu/sites/standrews/index.php
The graduate programs are dominant in
STEM fieldsSTEM fields is a US Government acronym for the fields of study in the categories of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The acronym is in use regarding access to work visas for immigrants who are skilled in these fields. Maintaining a citizenry that is well versed in the STEM fields...
and the university has a high level of research activity. For the 2007–08 school year, 1,454 undergraduate, 440 masters, 60 doctoral, and 209 professional degrees were conferred. William & Mary is accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsThe Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
.
William & Mary offers exchange programs with 15 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.
Learning environment
William & Mary is committed to ensuring the quality of its undergraduate teaching experience. To advance this mission, W&M provides a "small college environment" and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio of 12-to-1 (the second lowest among U.S. public universities), thereby fostering student-professor interaction. A notable 99% of all undergraduate classes, excluding labs, are taught by professors (not teaching assistants) and 86% of all classes contain 40 or fewer students. The 2011 U.S. News college rankings placed W&M 5th in the nation for "Best Undergraduate Teaching" thereby supporting the efficacy of the College's mission.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-ut-rank
Student body and admissions
Demographics of student body
| | Undergraduate | Virginia | U.S. Census |
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
|
7.2% |
20.5% |
12.1% |
Asian AmericanAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
|
8.1% |
5.4% |
4.3% |
White AmericanWhite Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
|
59.5% |
72.4% |
65.8% |
| Hispanic American |
5.7% |
6.2% |
14.5% |
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
|
0.84% |
0.74% |
0.9% |
| International student According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national...
|
2.3% |
N/A |
N/A |
| Unknown/unspecified |
16.34% |
N/A |
N/A |
William & 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.
Admission to W&M is considered "most selective" according to U.S. News and World Report. There were 11,636 applications for admission to the class of 2012: 3,966 were admitted (33.7%) and 1,387 enrolled for an admissions yield of 35%. Over three-quarters of enrolling students (79%) 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
SATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
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 UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
,
Duke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
,
Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and
Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
. 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. One-third (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.
Law and medical school acceptance rates
Sixty percent of W&M students go on to graduate school within five years of graduation. From 1999 to 2003 (the latest available figures), W&M's law and medical school acceptance rates hovered between 72% and 84%, respectively. These figures are notably above the national acceptance rate averages of 50% and 64% for medical and law school, respectively.
Rankings
The College of William & Mary's undergraduate program is ranked as the 6th best public university program in America, according to the 2011
U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
rankings.
In overall rankings of American institutions (public and private), W&M ranked
#8 by
The Washington MonthlyThe Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C.The magazine's founder is Charles Peters, who started the magazine in 1969 and continues to write the "Tilting at Windmills" column in each issue. Paul Glastris, former...
in 2009 and moved up two places to
#31 in the "National University" category of the 2011 U.S. News rankings.
Undergraduate teaching
William & Mary's undergraduate teaching ranks among the
Top 5 in the nation according to the 2011 U.S. News college rankings. The College ranked
#5 in "Best Undergraduate Teaching. "This supports the College's stated commitment to the high quality of its undergraduate learning environment.
Best value
William & Mary ranked as the
#3 "best value" among America's public universities in the 2007 issue of
Kiplinger's Personal FinanceKiplinger's Personal Finance is a magazine that has been continuously published, on a monthly basis, from 1947 to the present day. It was the nation's first personal finance magazine, and claims to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language"...
Magazine. William & Mary's Swem Library was ranked in 2008 the Princeton Review as the
#8 "Best College Library".
Business program
The undergraduate business program is steadily climbing national rankings due in part to improved faculty quality and a new building.
http://bwnt.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate/10rankings/?chan=magazine+channel_special+report It was ranked
#8 among public undergraduate programs (
#25 overall) by the 2010 Business Week survey and
#43 by the 2009
U.S. News survey.
http://bwnt.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate/10rankings/?chan=magazine+channel_special+report
U.S. Colonial History
William & Mary's graduate program in U.S. colonial history has consistently ranked among the
Top 5 programs in the nation by U.S. News -- it ranked
#4 in the 2009 U.S. News (the most recent report for this category), behind only the programs at Harvard,
YaleRapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and
Penn-Places:England*Penn, Buckinghamshire*Penn, West MidlandsUnited States*Penn, North Dakota*Pennsylvania**Penn, Pennsylvania*Penn Lake Park, Pennsylvania*Penn Township , several municipalities-Education:...
.
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-history-schools/us-colonial-history
Law
William & Mary Law School currently ranks
#27 (tied with
Boston CollegeBoston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and the
University of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
) in the latest 2012 edition of the U.S. News law school rankings (
#10 among public universities). According to U.S. News, W&M Law is the second-highest ranked law school in its home state of Virginia and ranks above peer competitor law schools
Washington and Lee UniversityWashington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
and
Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
.
Business
William & Mary's graduate business program (
Mason School of BusinessThe Mason School of Business is the business school at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. The school, named after alumni and founder of Legg Mason, Raymond A. "Chip" Mason, in 2005, was ranked in the top 20 MBA programs in 2007 and the top 10 undergraduate programs among public universities...
) ranked
#47 by
Business Week in 2010,
#49 by
Forbes in 2008,
#40 nationally by the
Financial TimesThe Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
in 2008 and
#17 nationally by the
Wall Street Journal.
It is also ranked
#83 by US News and World Report.
Education
William and Mary's School of Education ranked
#39 in the 2011 U.S. News and World Report rankings.
Endowment
As of 2008, W&M's fiscal year endowment totaled
US $The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
580 million. With a total enrollment of 7,892 students (5,850 undergraduates and 2,042 postgraduates), this equates to a $73,492 per student endowment, a common metric of an institution's financial strength. This places W&M ahead of flagship public universities in several neighboring states including the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ($55,000) and the
University of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
($8,600).
Faculty
Since the seventeenth century, many prominent academics have chosen to teach at William & Mary or in its graduate and professional schools. Distinguished faculty include the first professor of law in the United States,
George WytheGeorge Wythe was an American lawyer, a judge, a prominent law professor and "Virginia's foremost classical scholar." He was a teacher and mentor of Thomas Jefferson. Wythe's signature is positioned at the head of the list of seven Virginia signatories on the United States Declaration of Independence...
(who taught
Henry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
,
John MarshallJohn Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
, and
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, among others);
William SmallWilliam Small was born in Carmyllie, Angus, Scotland, the son of a Presbyterian minister, James Small and his wife Lillias Scott, and younger brother to Dr Robert Small. He attended Dundee Grammar School, and Marischal College, Aberdeen where he received an MA in 1755...
(Thomas Jefferson's cherished mentor);
WilliamReverend William Dawson was the second president of The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. A graduate of the Queen's College at Oxford University, Dawson ran the College from 1743–1752...
and
Thomas DawsonReverend Thomas Dawson was the fourth president of The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia . He is also the brother of William Dawson, who was the second president of William & Mary...
, who were also presidents of William & Mary; and the founder and first president of the
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
,
William Barton RogersWilliam Barton Rogers was a geologist, physicist and educator. He is best known for setting down the founding principles for, advocating for, and finally obtaining the incorporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1861...
, earlier taught at William & Mary, at which he had himself been educated. Several members of the socially elite and politically influential Tucker family, including Nathaniel Beverly,
St. GeorgeSt. George Tucker was a lawyer, professor of law at the College of William and Mary, and judge of Virginia's highest court. In 1813, upon the nomination of President James Madison, he became the United States district judge for Virginia.-Early life:Born in St. George, Bermuda, near Port Royal...
, and
Henry St. George Tucker, Sr.Henry St. George Tucker, Sr. was a Virginia jurist, law professor, and U.S. Congressman .-Biography:Tucker was born in Williamsburg, Virginia on December 29, 1780. As a young man, Tucker pursued classical studies at the College of William & Mary; he graduated in 1798...
(who penned the original
honor codeAn honour code or honour system is a set of rules or principles governing a community based on a set of rules or ideals that define what constitutes honorable behavior within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the idea that people can be trusted to act honorably...
pledge for the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
that remains in use there today), taught at William & Mary.
The noted constitutional scholar
William Van AlstyneWilliam Warner Van Alstyne is an American lawyer, law professor, and constitutional law scholar. He currently holds the named position of Lee Professor of Law at William and Mary Law School....
, who came from teaching at Duke Law School. Professor
Benjamin BolgerBenjamin Bradley Bolger is a perpetual student who claims to be the second most credentialed person in modern history after Michael W. Nicholson, who has 27 degrees. Like Nicholson, Bolger hails from Michigan...
is the second-most credentialed person in modern history behind Michael Nicholson.
Lawrence WilkersonLawrence B. "Larry" Wilkerson is a retired United States Army Colonel and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell...
, current Harriman Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy, was chief of staff for
Colin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
.
Susan Wise BauerSusan Wise Bauer is an American author, English instructor of writing and American literature at The College of William and Mary, and founder of Peace Hill Press....
is an author and founder of
Peace Hill PressPeace Hill Press is an American publishing company based in Charles City County, Virginia. Peace Hill Press publishes books that fit within the framework of the classical model of education...
who teaches writing and American literature at the College. James Axtell, who teaches history, was inducted into the
American Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
as a Fellow in 2004.
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 (96.6 km) away, and Washington D.C. is a 150 miles (241.4 km) drive to the north.
The College's Alma Mater Productions (AMP) hosts concerts, comedians, and speakers on campus and in the 8,600-person capacity
Kaplan ArenaWilliam & Mary Hall is a building used for athletic events for The College of William & Mary Tribe sports teams in Williamsburg, Virginia. Kaplan Arena is the 8,600-seat multi-purpose arena within the Hall. When the extra bleachers are pulled out, however, it seats up to 11,300. The arena's floor...
. Students produce
numerous publications on campus, including the official student newspaper
The Flat HatThe Flat Hat is the official student newspaper at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. It prints Tuesdays and Fridays during the College's academic year. It began printing twice-weekly in 2007; since its inception in 1911, The Flat Hat had printed weekly.The newspaper is printed as...
, the conservative-leaning newspaper
The Virginia InformerThe Virginia Informer is a weekly student-run publication at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The newspaper contains five sections: News, Features, Sports, Arts & Culture, and Opinion. The organization also maintains The Virginia Informer Online, a website that is...
, and the monthly magazine
The DoG Street JournalThe DoG Street Journal was a student online newspaper and monthly news magazine of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA...
. The school's television station,
WMTVWMTV is the television station at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It plays syndicated television shows, movies and original student-created productions. Everyday Gourmet, the flagship production of the station, was featured in USA Today in 2009....
, produces informational content in the categories of cuisine, comedy, travel, and sports.
Everyday Gourmet, the flagship production of the station, was recently featured in
USA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
.
The College has a large number of student run dance organizations including Swing and Ballroom Dance. The Ballroom Dance club competes at various universities along the East Coast. In 2010, the College sent senior members to the US National Dancesport Competition.
The College also hosts a number of prominent student-run cultural organizations, such as the Chinese Student Organization, African Cultural Society, Japanese Cultural Association, Vietnamese Student Association, and Tribe Bhangra Team. These organizations hold events to promote the spread and awareness of different cultures from around the world.
Honor system
William & Mary's
honor systemAn honour code or honour system is a set of rules or principles governing a community based on a set of rules or ideals that define what constitutes honorable behavior within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the idea that people can be trusted to act honorably...
was first established by alumnus
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
in 1779 and is widely believed to be the nation's first. During the orientation week, every entering student recites the Honor Pledge in the Great Hall of the
Wren BuildingThe Wren Building is the signature building of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Along with the Brafferton and President's House, these buildings form the College's Historic Campus....
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.Henry St. George Tucker, Sr. was a Virginia jurist, law professor, and U.S. Congressman .-Biography:Tucker was born in Williamsburg, Virginia on December 29, 1780. As a young man, Tucker pursued classical studies at the College of William & Mary; he graduated in 1798...
While teaching law at the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, 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 the University of Virginia. 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 a verbal warning up to expulsion.
Traditions
William & Mary has a number of traditions, including the Yule Log Ceremony, at which the president dresses as
Santa ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to 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". Christmas is a grand celebration at the College; decorated Christmas trees abound on campus. This popular tradition in fact started when German immigrant Charles Minnegerode, a humanities professor at the College in 1842 who taught Latin and Greek, brought one of the first Christmas trees to America. Entering into the social life of post-colonial Virginia, Minnigerode introduced the German custom of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas at the home of law professor
St. George TuckerSt. George Tucker was a lawyer, professor of law at the College of William and Mary, and judge of Virginia's highest court. In 1813, upon the nomination of President James Madison, he became the United States district judge for Virginia.-Early life:Born in St. George, Bermuda, near Port Royal...
, thereby becoming another of many influences that prompted Americans to adopt the practice at about that time.
http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Minnigerode_Charles_1814-1894
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"Our Alma Mater" is the alma mater of the The College of William & Mary. It was written by James Southall Wilson, a William & Mary alumnus from the class of 1904. Usually, only the first and fourth verses are sung.-Lyrics:...
. 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.
One unofficial tradition is 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 PalaceThe Governor's Palace, home of the Colony of Virginia's Royal Governors as well as Virginia's post colonial governors, is located on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is one of the two largest buildings at Colonial Williamsburg, the other being the Capitol...
in
Colonial WilliamsburgColonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
after hours (and if so inclined, running through the Boxwood Maze to the Palace itself), streaking through the
Sunken GardenThe Sunken Garden is the central element of the Old Campus at the College of William and Mary. The garden consists of a long stretch of grass, lower than the surrounding area, that runs west from the rear of the Wren Building to Crim Dell pond. The area is very popular for students wanting to...
, and swimming in the
Crim DellThe Crim Dell bridge is a wooden bridge on the College of William & Mary’s campus in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA and is considered one of the College's most scenic areas. Crim Dell itself is actually the pond that the bridge crosses over, but the bridge is commonly referred to as Crim Dell.The...
pond.
Commencement exercises each year begin with the senior class walking through the Wren Building and across the campus, crossing the Crim Dell bridge, and arriving at William & Mary Hall for the commencement ceremony. The graduating class processes into the arena as the Choir of the College of William & Mary sings the
William & Mary Hymn"The William & Mary Hymn" is sung at the commencement exercises of The College of William & Mary by the Choir of The College of William & Mary as the graduating class processes into William & Mary Hall.-Lyrics:-External links:*...
.
Fraternities and sororities
William & Mary has a long history of
fraternities and sororitiesFraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
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' GuardThe Queens' Guard is a ceremonial unit at the College of William & Mary. The unit is recognized by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and is composed of students of the College. It is the only unit called "Queens' Guard" recognized by the British monarchy in the United States of America...
.
Music
William and Mary has eleven
collegiate a cappellaCollegiate a cappella ensembles are student-run and -directed singing groups that perform entirely without instruments. Such groups can be found at many colleges and universities in the United States, and increasingly worldwide....
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). The Sinfonicron, founded in 1965, is William and Mary's light opera company. Music societies at the college include local chapters of the music honor societies
Delta OmicronDelta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
(co-ed) and Phi Mu Alpha (all-male) as well as Nu Kappa Epsilon (all-female). Nu Kappa Epsilon, founded in 1994 at William and Mary, is "dedicated to promoting the growth and development of musical activities at the College as well as in the Williamsburg community". Its members are professional performing musicians.
Comedy groups
William and Mary has two campus comedy groups. I.T. (short for Improvisational Theatre) has been around since 1986, and has become a feeder into the professional improv scene in Chicago and Los Angeles, boasting performers with
The Second CityThe Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
,
I.O.iO, or iO Chicago, is a theater located at 3541 N. Clark St., in Chicago, Illinois, one-half block south of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The theater both has performances of, and teaches improvisational comedy. It was founded in the 1980s by Del Close and Charna Halpern...
,
ComedySportzComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green and many others.-Format:...
, and Mission IMPROVable. In addition to performing shows across campus and Virginia, I.T. annually travels to Chicago as part of its Fall Tour, where new and returning members develop and practice their improvisational skills. Every year culminates with Improvathon, a 12-hour show at the Lake Matoaka Amphitheatre to benefit Avalon, a local battered women's shelter. The
sketch comedyA sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
ensemble 7th Grade has been in existence since 1997.
Athletics
Formerly known as the "Indians," William & Mary's athletic teams are now known as the "Tribe". The College fields
NCAAThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
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 AssociationThe Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
titles, and it leads the conference with over 80 titles. In that same year, several teams competed in the
NCAAThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Championships, with the football team appearing in the Division I-AA national semifinals. The men's cross country team finished 8th and 5th at the Division I NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship in 2006 and 2009, respectively. The William & Mary men's basketball team is one of five original Division I schools that has never been to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
There have been many recent notable athletes who competed for the Tribe. On the men's soccer team, goalkeeper
Adin BrownAdin Brown is an American soccer player who is currently without a club.-College:A highly-touted prospect and a starting goalkeeper for the United States in the run-up prior to the 2000 Summer Olympics, Brown played college soccer at the College of William and Mary...
was a back-to-back
NCAA First Team All-AmericanThe Division I First-Team All-Americans are the best eleven U.S. college soccer players as selected by the NCAA.-1970–1983:From 1970 to 1983 the NCAA only named defenders and forwards in addition to one goalkeeper.-1983–present:...
in 1998 and 1999. The track program has produced several
All-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
ns, including Brian Hyde, an
OlympianThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and collegiate record holder in the
1500-meter runThe 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
, and Ed Moran, a gold medalist in the
5000-meter runThe 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
at the
2007 Pan American GamesThe 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in...
. The baseball program boasts a handful of current
MLBMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players, including relief pitcher
Bill BrayWilliam Paul "Bill" Bray , is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary...
and
Minnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
utility infielder
Brendan HarrisBrendan Michael Harris Brendan Michael Harris Brendan Michael Harris (born August 26, 1980 in Albany, New York is a Major League Baseball utility infielder who is a free agent.Brendan grew up in Queensbury, New York and led the Spartans to the 1998 State Baseball Tournament. He graduated from the...
. The
football programThe William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. As of 2010, Jimmye Laycock is in his 31st...
has also produced numerous
NFLThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
players and coaches: All-Pro safety
Darren SharperDarren Mallory Sharper is an American football safety who currently is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary....
, current
Pittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
head coach
Mike TomlinMichael Tomlin is the current head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Tomlin is the third youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports. He is the tenth African-American head coach in NFL history, and first in Steelers history...
, cornerback
Derek CoxDerek Sinclair Cox is an American football cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary.-High school career:Cox attended Junius H. Rose High School in...
, kicker
Steve ChristieGeoffrey Stephen Christie is a former Canadian American football placekicker in the National Football League, who, as a member of the Buffalo Bills, became known for his ability to kick clutch field goals, even in poor weather.-Early career:Christie, who grew up in nearby Oakville, Ontario,...
, long snapper
Mike LeachJohn Michael Leach is an American football long snapper for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
,
Walter Payton AwardThe Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors...
-winning quarterback
Lang CampbellLang Campbell is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. He was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
, wide receiver
Dominique ThompsonDominique Damar Thompson is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Philadelphia Soul. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
,
Pro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
coaches
Marv LevyMarvin Daniel Levy is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes , and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills , coaching the Bills...
and
Lou HoltzLouis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
, and
Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
linebackers coach
Mark Duffner-References:...
.
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 2007.
For a short time, the College's unofficial mascot was a
green and gold frogThe Growling Grass Frog , also commonly known as the Southern Bell Frog, Warty Swamp Frog and erroneously as the Green Frog is a species of ground dwelling tree frog is native to South eastern Australia; ranging from southern South Australia along the Murray River though Victoria to New South...
(though it was commonly referred to on campus simply as an 'amorphous green blob') called "
Colonel EbirtColonel Ebirt was the unofficial school mascot for The College of William & Mary from 2001–2005. A green and gold frog that donned a tri-corner hat, Colonel Ebirt was originally used as a promotional tool for Colonial Williamsburg. It became involved with the College athletics program when someone...
" ("Tribe" backwards), which was discontinued in 2005. Prior to that, two students, one male, one female, dressed in buckskins. The female was referred to as Pocohontas, while the male was usually referred to as "tribe guy." The practice ended around 1991. Subsequently, a selection process was conducted to select the College's new mascot. In December 2009, five finalists – including a
GriffinThe griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
,
King and QueenThe phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
, the
PhoenixThe phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, a
PugThe pug is a "toy" breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo , referring to the pug's personality and...
and the
WrenThe wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
– were announced from more than 800 submissions. On April 6, 2010, President Taylor Reveley announced that the College has selected the
GriffinGriffin, a mythical creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion, is the mascot of The College of William & Mary. William & Mary President Taylor Reveley announced the adoption of the new mascot on April 6, 2010. The Griffin mascot beat out the other four finalists: a King and Queen ,...
as its new mascot.
Alumni
William & Mary has produced a large number of distinguished alumni including U.S. Presidents
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
,
John TylerJohn Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
, and
James MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
; key figures in American history
Peyton RandolphPeyton Randolph was a planter and public official from the Colony of Virginia. He served as speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, chairman of the Virginia Conventions, and the first President of the Continental Congress.-Early life:Randolph was born in Tazewell Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia...
,
Fulwar SkipwithFulwar Skipwith was an American diplomat and politician, who served as a U.S. Consul in Martinique, and later as the U.S. Consul-General in France...
,
Henry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
and Chief Justice of the United States
John MarshallJohn Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
;
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
founder
William Barton RogersWilliam Barton Rogers was a geologist, physicist and educator. He is best known for setting down the founding principles for, advocating for, and finally obtaining the incorporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1861...
; U.S. Military
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Winfield ScottWinfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
;
Pittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
head coach
Mike TomlinMichael Tomlin is the current head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Tomlin is the third youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports. He is the tenth African-American head coach in NFL history, and first in Steelers history...
,
Miami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
offensive coordinator
Dan Henning-External links:...
, football Hall-of-Famer
Lou CreekmurLouis Creekmur was an NFL left offensive tackle/guard for the Detroit Lions from 1950-59. He was also used as a defensive lineman in critical situations...
, and
New Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
safety
Darren SharperDarren Mallory Sharper is an American football safety who currently is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary....
; major league baseball players
Will RhymesWilliam Daniel Rhymes is an American professional baseball second baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball....
,
Chris RayChristopher Thomas Ray is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.-Early life and career:...
,
Brendan HarrisBrendan Michael Harris Brendan Michael Harris Brendan Michael Harris (born August 26, 1980 in Albany, New York is a Major League Baseball utility infielder who is a free agent.Brendan grew up in Queensbury, New York and led the Spartans to the 1998 State Baseball Tournament. He graduated from the...
,
Bill BrayWilliam Paul "Bill" Bray , is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary...
,
Vic RaschiVictor John Angelo "Vic" Raschi was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was responsible for allowing Hank Aaron's first career home run....
and
Curtis PrideCurtis John Pride is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and is currently the head baseball coach at Gallaudet University. Pride stands at 6'0" tall and weighs 210 pounds. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.-Youth:Deaf at birth from rubella, Pride developed oral skills early in his...
; entertainers
Glenn CloseGlenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
,
Scott GlennTheodore Scott Glenn is an American actor. His roles have included Wes Hightower in Urban Cowboy , astronaut Alan Shepard in The Right Stuff ,Emmett in Silverado , Commander Bart Mancuso in The Hunt for Red October , Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs and The Wise Man in Sucker Punch -Early...
,
Linda LavinLinda Lavin is an American singer and actress. She is best known for playing the title character in the sitcom Alice and for her Broadway performances.After acting as a child, Lavin joined the Compass Players in the late 1950s...
,
Patton OswaltPatton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
and
The Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
host
Jon StewartJon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
; creator and writer of
ScrubsScrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
and
Spin CitySpin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
,
Bill LawrenceWilliam Van Duzer Lawrence IV is an American screenwriter, producer, and director best known as the creator of Scrubs and co-creator of Cougar Town. Lawrence is married to the actress Christa Miller whom he cast in both television series; they have three children together...
; fashion designer
Perry EllisPerry Ellis was an American fashion designer who founded a sportswear house in the mid-1970s.-The rise of Perry Ellis:...
; founder and chairman of Legg Mason Raymond A. "Chip" Mason;
Willis Group HoldingsWillis Group Holdings is a global insurance broker headquartered in the Willis Building, London, United Kingdom. It has more than 400 offices in 120 countries, and approximately 17,000 employees...
CEO Joe Plumeri; sports management pioneer
Mark McCormackMark Hume McCormack was an American lawyer, sports agent for professional athletes and a prolific writer...
; U.S. Representative and Republican presidential candidate
Michele BachmannMichele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
; Cabinet officials
Robert GatesDr. Robert Michael Gates is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W....
(22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense) and
Christina RomerChristina D. Romer is the Class of 1957 Garff B. Wilson Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and a former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration...
(former Chairwoman, Council of Economic Advisors); and General David McKiernan (Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan); and
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
David M. Brown.
Commencement speakers
Commencement speakers at the College of William and Mary have included a variety of individuals, including alumni, presidents of the College, students, professors, politicians, journalists, entertainers, and royalty, among others.
- 2011 — Joseph Plumeri
Joseph J. "Joe" Plumeri II is the Chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings , a New York Stock Exchange-listed insurance broker. The company has 17,000 employees in 400 offices, which are located in 120 countries...
(Class of 1966)
- 2010 — Christina Romer
Christina D. Romer is the Class of 1957 Garff B. Wilson Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and a former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration...
(Class of 1981)
- 2009 — Tom Brokaw
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
- 2008 — Mike Tomlin
Michael Tomlin is the current head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Tomlin is the third youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports. He is the tenth African-American head coach in NFL history, and first in Steelers history...
(Class of 1995)
- 2007 — Robert Gates
Dr. Robert Michael Gates is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W....
(Class of 1965)
- 2006 — Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
- 2005 — Timothy J. Sullivan
Timothy Jackson Sullivan was the twenty-fifth president of The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States.-College years:...
(Class of 1966)
- 2004 — Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
(Class of 1984)
- 2003 — Queen Noor of Jordan
- 2002 — Lamar Alexander
Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
- 2001 — Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...
- 2000 — Brent Scowcroft
Brent Scowcroft, KBE was the United States National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush and a Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force. He also served as Military Assistant to President Richard Nixon and as Deputy Assistant to the President for National...
- 1999 — John Warner
John William Warner, KBE is an American Republican politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009...
- 1998 — Joseph Ellis
Joseph John Ellis is a Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College who has written histories on the founding generation of American presidents. His book Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation received the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2001.-Background and teaching:He received his B.A...
(Class of 1965)
- 1997 — Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
- 1996 — Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
- 1995 — George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
- 1994 — George Will
George Frederick Will is an American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winner best known for his conservative commentary on politics...
- 1993 — Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
- 1992 — James Baker
James Addison Baker, III is an American attorney, politician and political advisor.Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
- 1991 — Hanna Holborn Gray
Hanna Holborn Gray , is a historian of political thought in the area of the Renaissance and Reformation, and an emerita professor and former President of the University of Chicago.-Biography:...
- 1990 — Douglas Wilder
Lawrence Douglas "Doug" Wilder is an American politician, the first African American to be elected as governor of Virginia, and the second to serve as governor of a U.S. state. Wilder served as the 66th Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. When earlier elected as Lieutenant Governor, he was...
- 1989 — Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
(Class of 1974)
- 1988 — Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
- 1987 — Roger Mudd
Roger Mudd is a U.S. television journalist and broadcaster, most recently as the primary anchor for The History Channel. Previously, Mudd was weekend and weekday substitute anchor of CBS Evening News, co-anchor of the weekday NBC Nightly News, and hosted NBC's Meet the Press, and NBC's American...
- 1986 — Jeane Kirkpatrick
Jeane Jordan Kirkpatrick was an American ambassador and an ardent anticommunist. After serving as Ronald Reagan's foreign policy adviser in his 1980 campaign and later in his Cabinet, the longtime Democrat-turned-Republican was nominated as the U.S...
- 1985 — Grace Hopper
Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper was an American computer scientist and United States Navy officer. A pioneer in the field, she was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, and developed the first compiler for a computer programming language...
- 1984 — Paul Volcker
Paul Adolph Volcker, Jr. is an American economist. He was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve under United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan from August 1979 to August 1987. He is widely credited with ending the high levels of inflation seen in the United States in the 1970s and...
- 1983 — Elizabeth Dole
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
- 1982 — Garry Trudeau
Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
- 1981 — William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
- 1980 — Art Buchwald
Arthur Buchwald was an American humorist best known for his long-running column in The Washington Post, which in turn was carried as a syndicated column in many other newspapers. His column focused on political satire and commentary...
- 1979 — Jeff MacNelly
Jeffrey Kenneth MacNelly was a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and the creator of the popular comic strip Shoe.-Early life:...
- 1978 — Barbara Jordan
Barbara Charline Jordan was an American politician who was both a product and a leader, of the Civil Rights movement. She was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first southern black female elected to the United States House of Representatives...
- 1977 — William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer, jurist, and political figure who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States...
- 1976 — Forrest Mathews
Forrest David Mathews served as the 11th United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1975 to 1977, during the administration of President Gerald R. Ford. He is one of only two surviving secretaries of the now defunct Department of Health, Education, and Welfare...
- 1975 — Kingman Brewster, Jr.
Kingman Brewster, Jr., was an educator, president of Yale University, and American diplomat.-Early life:...
- 1974 — Walter Whitehill
Walter Muir Whitehill was an author, historian and the Director and Librarian of the Boston Athenaeum from 1946 to 1973. He was also editor for publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts from 1946 to 1978. From 1951 to 1972 Whitehill was a professor at Harvard University.Whitehill's...
- 1973 — Warren E. Burger
Warren Earl Burger was the 15th Chief Justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Although Burger had conservative leanings, the U.S...
- 1972 — Ralph Ellison
Ralph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953...
- 1971 — Thomas Downing
Thomas Nelms Downing was a lawyer, politician, and Democratic Congressman from for nine terms.Downing was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia. He attended Newport News High School, and graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1940...
- 1970 — Edmund S. Muskie
- 1969 — No speaker
- 1968 — Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
- 1967 — Robert Calkins
- 1966 — Henry H. Fowler
Henry Hammill Fowler was an American lawyer and politician.Born in Roanoke, Virginia, he graduated from Roanoke College in 1929 and received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1932....
- 1965 — Howard Bryant
- 1964 — William McFarlane
- 1963 — R. O. Nelson
- 1962 — Lucius D. Battle
Lucius Durham Battle , known as Luke Battle, was a career Foreign Service officer who served with distinction in Washington, Europe and the Middle East.-Early life:...
- 1961 — Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller was a politician and philanthropist who served as the first Republican Governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was a third-generation member of the Rockefeller family.-Early life:...
- 1960 — Gaylord Harnwell
Gaylord Probasco Harnwell CBE , was an American educator and physicist, who was president of the University of Pennsylvania from 1953 to 1970...
- 1959 — James Lindsay Almond, Jr.
James Lindsay Almond, Jr. was a United States federal judge and politician. He served as the 58th Governor of Virginia from 1958 until 1962.-Early life:...
- 1958 — Dabney S. Lancaster
- 1957 — Sir Pierson Dixon
Sir Pierson John Dixon GCMG, CB was an English diplomat.Bob Dixon was the son of Pierson John Dixon and he was educated at Bedford School and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was the Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary between 1943 and 1948...
- 1956 — A. Willis Robertson
Absalom Willis Robertson was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician from Lexington, Virginia. Also known as A. Willis Robertson, he represented Virginia in both the U.S...
- 1955 — Carlos P. Romulo
Carlos Peña Rómulo was a Filipino diplomat, politician, soldier, journalist and author. He was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32...
- 1954 — John Jacob Scherer
- 1953 — William T. Sanger
- 1952 — Frederick D.G. Ribble
- 1951 — Paul Douglas
Paul Howard Douglas was an liberal American politician and University of Chicago economist. A war hero, he was elected as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Illinois from in the 1948 landslide, serving until his defeat in 1966...
- 1950 — Dudley W. Woodbridge
- 1949 — John Leslie Hall, Jr.
- 1948 — Leverett Saltonstall
Leverett A. Saltonstall was an American Republican politician who served as the 55th Governor of Massachusetts and as a United States Senator .-Biography:...
- 1947 — James W. Miller
- 1946 — Colgate Darden
Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr. was a Democratic Congressman from Virginia , the 54th Governor of Virginia , Chancellor of the College of William and Mary and the third President of the University of Virginia...
- 1945 — Henry Irving Willett
- 1944 — Graves Clark
- 1943 — William O. Douglas
William Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
- 1942 — Ernest King
Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King was Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. As COMINCH, he directed the United States Navy's operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the U.S...
- 1941 — George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense...
- 1940 — Charles E. Wilson
Charles Edward Wilson was a CEO of General Electric. He left school at age 12 to work as a stock boy at Sprague Electrical Works, which was acquired by General Electric, taking night classes and working up to president in 1939.During World War II he served on the War Production Board as executive...
- 1939 — Francis Sayre
Francis Bowes Sayre was a professor at Harvard Law School and a son-in-law of President Woodrow Wilson.-Biography:He was born on April 30, 1885....
- 1938 — Claude V. Spratley
Claude Vernon Spratley was born in Surry County, Virginia. He attended the College of William and Mary, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1901 and the University of Virginia School of Law, receiving his law degree in 1906. Afterward, he was admitted to the bar and began practice in...
(Class of 1901)
- 1937 — Elbert Trinkle
Elbert Lee Trinkle or E. Lee Trinkle an American politician who served as the 49th Governor of Virginia from 1922 to 1926....
- 1936 — Douglas S. Freeman
Douglas Southall Freeman was an American historian, biographer, newspaper editor, and author. He is best known for his multi-volume biographies of Robert E...
- 1935 — Harry Byrd
Harry Flood Byrd, Sr. of Berryville in Clarke County, Virginia, was an American newspaper publisher, farmer and politician. He was a descendant of one of the First Families of Virginia...
- 1934 — Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II...
- 1933 — Robert M. Hughes
Robert Morton Hughes was a Virginia lawyer who served as a president of The Virginia Bar Association and helped establish what became Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.-Family:...
(Class of 1873)
- 1932 — John R. Saunders
- 1931 — James Southall Wilson
James Southall Wilson was an author, professor, and founder of the Virginia Quarterly Review. He organized the 1931 Southern Writers Conference. His wife, Julia Tyler, was the granddaughter of President John Tyler and a founder of Kappa Delta sorority...
(Class of 1904)
- 1930 — Gilbert Grosvenor
Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor , the father of photojournalism, was the first full-time editor of National Geographic Magazine, serving from 1899 to 1954. Grosvenor is credited with having built the magazine into the iconic publication that it is today...
- 1929 and earlier
External links