The College of William & Mary

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The College of William & Mary
Established:	1693[1][2]
Type:	Public university
Endowment:	$586 million[3]
Chancellor:	Sandra Day O'Connor
President:	W. Taylor Reveley, III, Interim
Faculty:	758
Students:	7,709
Undergraduates:	5,734
Postgraduates:	1,975
Location:	Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.
Campus:	Small city, 1,200 acres (4.9 km²)
Colors:	Green, Gold and Silver
Nickname:	Tribe
Athletics:	NCAA Division I, CAA
Website:	www.wm.edu

The College of William and Mary is a public university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is one of the original eight Public Ivies. It is also considered a Southern Ivy.

William & Mary was founded in 1693 by a Royal Charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, joint sovereigns of England, Scotland and Ireland. The school hosted the seat of government of the Colony of Virginia beginning in 1698 as a new capitol building was constructed nearby. In modern times, the College's landmark Wren Building stands at at the western head of Duke of Gloucester Street opposite the reconstructed Capitol of Colonial Williamsburg.

William & Mary educated U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler and other key figures important to the development of the nation, including U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House Henry Clay, and 16 signers of the Declaration of Independence. U.S. President George Washington received his surveyor's certificate there and noted legal scholar George Wythe was both an early student and, later, the first head of W&M's law school.

W&M is notable in higher education for the founding of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society and the first to have an honor code of conduct for students.

While it became a university in 1779 (it is among several institutions claiming the be the First university in the United States^[4]), the school retains the traditional "College" in its name as was specified in its Royal Charter of 1693. The institution's official name is The College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Prologue 1.2 Founding 1.3 Colonial history 1.4 Separation from England 1.5 Secret societies 1.6 Antebellum era 1776-1861 1.7 Civil War, Reconstruction, early 20th century 1.8 1930s through modern times 1.9 The Sir Christopher Wren Building 2 Academics 2.1 History and milestones 2.2 Graduate placement 2.3 Rankings 2.4 Learning environment 2.5 Graduate programs 2.6 Admissions and selectivity 3 Student life 3.1 Campus activities 3.2 Honor system 3.3 Traditions 3.4 Fraternities and sororities 4 Athletics 5 Leadership 5.1 W&M Board of Visitors 6 Notable alumni connections 7 Recent commencement speakers 8 Alumni 9 Notable professors 10 References and footnotes 11 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Prologue

When the first permanent settlement in the British Colony of Virginia was established at Jamestown beginning in 1607, the role of the Church of England and its relationship to the government had been established by King Henry VIII some years earlier. The same relationship was established in the new colony.

Religious leaders in England felt they had a duty as missionaries to bring Christianity (or more specifically, the religious practices and beliefs of the Church of England), to the Native Americans in the new colony. There was an assumption that the "mistaken" spiritual beliefs of the natives, which differed from their own, were largely the result of a lack of education and literacy. This was primarily because it was noted that the Powhatan people who lived in the area, which they called "Tsenacommacah", did not have a written language. Therefore, teaching them these skills would logically result in what the English saw as "enlightenment" in Native religious practices, and bring them into the fold of the church. A school of higher education for both Native American young men and the sons of the colonists was one of the earliest goals of the leaders of the Virginia Colony. ^[5] Within the first decade, a promising start of a "University" was initiated as part of the progressive colonial outpost of Henricus under the leadership of Sir Thomas Dale. However, the Indian Massacre of 1622 destroyed the Henricus development, postponing the colonists' hopes for a school of higher education. It would be almost 70 more years before their efforts to establish a school of higher education would be successfully renewed.

[edit] Founding

In 1691, the House of Burgesses sent Reverend Dr. James Blair, the colony's top religious leader and rector of Henrico Parish at Varina, to England to secure a charter to 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." Reverend Blair, who was the Commissary of the Bishop of London in the colony, journeyed to London and began a vigorous campaign. With support from his friends, Henry Compton, the current Bishop of London, and John Tillotson (Archbishop of Canterbury), Blair was ultimately successful.^[6]

Control of the Powhatan was no longer a priority in the Colony, as they had been largely decimated and reduced to reservations after the last major conflict in 1644. The religious principle of educating them in Christianity was nevertheless retained as a vital part of the school's planned mission, perhaps as a moral (and therefore also political) incentive to help successfully gain support and approval in London. However, the efforts to educate and convert the natives to Christianity were to prove less than successful once the College was established, although most other planned goals were met or exceeded.

The College was founded on February 8, 1693, under a Royal Charter secured by Blair. Named in honor of the reigning monarchs King William III and Queen Mary II, the College was one of the original Colonial colleges. The Charter named Blair as the College's first president (a lifetime appointment which he held until his death in 1743). The new school was also granted a coat of arms from the College of Arms.^[7]

William & Mary was founded as an Anglican institution; governors were required to be members of the Church of England, and professors were required to declare adherence to the Thirty-Nine Articles.^[8]

The Royal Charter called for a center of higher education consisting of three schools: the Grammar School, the Philosophy School and the Divinity School. The Philosophy School instructed students in the advanced study of moral philosophy (logic, rhetoric, ethics) as well as natural philosophy (physics, metaphysics, and mathematics); upon completion of this coursework, the Divinity School prepared these young men for ordination into the Church of England.

This early curriculum, a precursor to the present-day liberal arts program, made William & Mary the first American college with a full faculty. The College has achieved many other notable academic firsts.

[edit] Colonial history

In 1693, the College was given a seat in the House of Burgesses and it was determined that the College would be supported by tobacco taxes and export duties on furs and animal skins. In 1694, when Blair returned from England, as the past Rector of Henrico Parish (then along the western frontier of the colony), he was very aware of the fate of Henricus and the first attempt at a college there, both of which had been annihilated in the Indian Massacre of 1622.

The peaceful situation with the Native Americans in the Virginia Peninsula area by that time, as well as the central location in the developed portion of the colony located only about 8 miles (13 km) from Jamestown, but on high ground midway between the James and York Rivers, must have appealed to the College's first president, for he is credited with selecting a site for the new college on the western outskirts of the tiny community of Middle Plantation. Blair and the trustees of the College of William and Mary bought a parcel of 330 acres (1.3 km²) from Thomas Ballard, the proprietor of Rich Neck Plantation, for the new school ^[9], just a short distance from the almost new brick Bruton Parish Church, a focal point of the extant community.

The new school opened in temporary buildings in 1694. Properly called the "College Building," the first version of the Wren Building was built at Middle Plantation beginning on August 8, 1695 and occupied by 1700 on a picturesque site. The present-day College still stands upon those grounds, adjacent to and just west of the restored historic area known in modern times as Colonial Williamsburg.

After the statehouse at Jamestown burned in 1698, the legislature moved temporarily to Middle Plantation, as it had in the past. Upon suggestion of students of the College, the capital was permanently relocated there, and Middle Plantation was renamed Williamsburg in 1699. Following its designation as the Capital of the Colony, immediate provision was made for construction of a capitol building and for platting the new city according to the survey of Theodoric Bland. Both the extant Bruton Parish Church and the College Building held prominent locations in the new plan, with the Wren Building site aligned at the center of the western end of the new major central roadway, Duke of Gloucester Street, itself laid along a pathway running along the midpoint ridge of the Peninsula and long a dividing line between two of the original shires of Virginia, James City and York Counties. At the other end of the Duke of Gloucester Street, opposite the College Building, the new Capitol was built.

Williamsburg served as the capital of Colonial Virginia from 1699 to 1780. During this time, the College served as a law center and lawmakers frequently used its buildings. It educated future U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler. The College issued George Washington his surveyor's certificate, which led to his first public office. Washington was later appointed the first American Chancellor in 1788 following the American Revolution. Serving as Chancellor of the College was to be his last public office, one he held until his death in 1799.

George Wythe, widely regarded as a pioneer in American legal education, attended the College as a young man, but dropped out unable to afford the fees. Wythe went on to become one of the more distinguished jurists of his time. Jefferson, who later referred to Wythe as "my second father," studied under Wythe from 1762 to 1767. By 1779, Wythe held the nation's first Law Professorship at the College. Wythe's other students included Henry Clay, James Monroe and John Marshall.^[10]

The College also educated three U.S. Supreme Court Justices (John Marshall, Philip Pendleton Barbour and Bushrod Washington) as well as several important members of government including Peyton Randolph and Henry Clay.

[edit] Separation from England

During the period of the American Revolution, Freedom of Religion and the Separation of Church and State were each established in Virginia beginning in 1776. The English government and the Church of England each lost prominence and control. While they desired independent government, leaders and citizens of the new state and country did not reject their church, only its structure in relationship to government. Worship continued, in some places at a heightened pace, during the difficult years of the War and thereafter. Although shorn of a governmental role and financial support, the Church survived in modified form as what is now known as the Episcopal Church of the United States. Before the Revolution, there had been no bishop in the colony. After the War, the first Episcopal Bishop of Virginia was the Right Reverend James Madison (1749-1812). He was a cousin of future President of the United States James Madison, and was ordained in England just before the American Revolution.

Future U.S. President James Madison was a key figure in the transition to religious freedom in Virginia, and Reverend Madison, his cousin and Thomas Jefferson, who was on the Board of Visitors, helped the College of William and Mary to make the transition as well, and to become a university with the establishment of the graduate schools in law and medicine in the process.

A 1771 graduate of the College, and an ordained minister in the Church of England, Reverend James Madison was a teacher at William and Mary as the hostilities of the American Revolution broke out, and he organized his students into a local militia. During 1777, he served as chaplain of the Virginia House of Delegates. The same year, Loyalist sympathies of the College President, Reverend John Camm (who had been the initial litigant in the Parson's Cause case 1758-1764), brought about his removal from the faculty. Reverend Madison became the 8th president of the College of William and Mary in October, 1777, the first after separation from England. ^[11]

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, which was also known as the Brafferton School. The 1693 royal charter provided that Indian School of the College educate American Indian youth. College founder James Blair had arranged financing for that purpose using income from Brafferton Manor in Yorkshire, England, which had passed to the estate of scientist Robert Boyle. The Indian School, intended to "civilize" Indian youth, was begun in 1700. However, Native American parents resisted enrolling and boarding their children, and many of those who enrolled were captive children from enemy tribes, including the first six students. Enrollment was never strong, revived somewhat after construction of the fine brick Brafferton School building in 1723. The school was never very successfully in achieving any quantity of Indian conversions to Christianity, but did help educate several generations of interpretors who could aid in communication. The school's dedicated income from England was interrupted by the Revolutionary War. By 1779, the Brafferton School had permanently closed, although "The Brafferton", as it is known in modern times, remains a landmark building on the campus. ^[12]

Along with establishment of new, firmer financial footing, the creation of the graduate schools in law and medicine officially made the "College" a school meeting the contemporary definition of a "university" by 1779, notwithstanding the retention of the original name as set forth in the 1693 Royal Charter. Also thanks to Jefferson's reorganization, the College adopted America's first elective system of study and introduced the Honor System, which remains an integral part of the College today.

In June 1781, as British troops moved down the Peninsula, Lord Cornwallis made the president's house his headquarters, and the institution was closed for a few months of that year, which saw the surrender at Yorktown on October 19.

[edit] Secret societies

The College of William and Mary has a rich tradition of secret societies and is home to the nation's first academic secret society, the Flat Hat Club. Although the pressures of the American Civil War forced many Societies to disappear, most had been revived during the 20th century. Some of the secret societies known to currently exist at the College are the Seven Society, Order of the Crown and Dagger, Wren Society, Bishop James Madison Society, Flat Hat Club, Alpha Club, The Society, 13 Club, and W Society^[13][14]. In addition to the popular culture notion of secret societies' wealth and extensive alumni networks, William and Mary's focus on the betterment of the College through philanthropy of a clandestine nature. John Heath and William Short (Class of 1779) founded the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society at William & Mary on December 5, 1776 as a secret literary and philosophical society. Additional chapters were soon established at Yale and at Harvard.^[15], and there are now 270 chapters nationwide.^[16] Alumni John Marshall and Bushrod Washington were two of the earliest members of Phi Beta Kappa, elected in 1778 and 1780, respectively.^[17]

[edit] Antebellum era 1776-1861

The colonies declared their independence in 1776 and the College of William & Mary severed formal ties to England. However, the College's connection to British history remains as a distinct point of pride; it maintains a relationship with the British monarchy and includes former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher among those who have served as Chancellors. Queen Elizabeth II has visited the College twice. ^[18]

In 1842, alumni of the College formed the Society of the Alumni^[19] which is now the sixth oldest alumni organization in the United States. In 1859, a great fire caused destruction to the college.

[edit] Civil War, Reconstruction, early 20th century

At the outset of the American Civil War (1861-1865), enlistments in the Confederate Army depleted the student body and on May 10, 1861, the faculty voted to close the College for the duration of the conflict. The College Building was used as a Confederate barracks and later as a hospital, first by Confederate, and later Union forces. The Battle of Williamsburg was fought nearby during the Peninsula Campaign on May 5, 1862, and the city fell to the Union the next day. The Brafferton building of the College was used for a time as quarters for the commanding officer of the Union garrison occupying the town. On September 9, 1862, drunken soldiers of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry set fire to the College Building, ^[20] 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. He later sought war reparations from the U.S. Congress, but he was repeatedly put off. Ewell's request was finally honored, and Federal funds were appropriated, but not until 1893. Meanwhile, after some years of struggling, the College closed in 1882 due to lack of funds.

It has become legendary that, every single morning of that long seven-year period, President Ewell would arise and ring the bell calling students to class, so it could never be said that William and Mary had abandoned its mission to educate the young men of Virginia. ^[21]

In 1888, William & Mary resumed operations under a substitute charter when the Commonwealth of Virginia passed an act^[22] appropriating $10,000 to support the College as a state teacher-training institution. Lyon Gardiner Tyler (son of US President and alumnus John Tyler) became the 17th president of the College following President Ewell's retirement. Tyler, along with 18th president J.A.C. Chandler, expanded the College into a modern institution. Then, in March of 1906 the General Assembly passed an act taking over the grounds of the colonial institution, and it has remained publicly-supported ever since.

In 1915, William & Mary was one of the first universities in Virginia to become coeducational with its admission of women. 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. These were key pieces of a larger plan in which Dr. Goodwin, who was also rector of Bruton Parish Church, enlisted the interest, substantial financial support and generosity of wealthy industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. Together, they led the establishment and beginnings of Colonial Williamsburg.

For more details on this topic, see Colonial Williamsburg.

[edit] 1930s through modern times

In 1930, William & Mary expanded its territorial range by establishing a branch in Norfolk, Virginia. This extension would eventually become the independent state-supported institution known as Old Dominion University.

Significant campus construction continued under the College's nineteenth president, John Stewart Bryan. In 1935, the Sunken Gardens were constructed, just west of the Wren Building. The sunken design is taken from a similar landscape feature at Chelsea Hospital in London, designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited the College on October 16, 1957, where the Queen spoke to the College community from the balcony of the Wren Building. The Queen again visited the College on May 4, 2007.

In 1974, Jay Winston Johns willed Ash Lawn-Highland, the 535-acre (2.17 km²) historic Albemarle County, Virginia estate of alumnus and U.S. President James Monroe, to the College. The College restored this historic Presidential home near Charlottesville and opened it to the public.^[23]

[edit] The Sir Christopher Wren Building

The building officially referred to as the "Sir Christopher Wren Building" was so named upon its renovation in 1931 to honor the English architect Sir Christopher Wren. The basis for the 1930s name is a 1724 history in which Hugh Jones stated that the 1699 design was "first modelled by Sir Christopher Wren" and then was adapted "by the Gentlemen there" in Virginia; little is known about how it looked, since it burned within a few years of its completion. Today's Wren Building is based on the design of its 1716 replacement. The College's Alumni Association recently published an article suggesting that Wren's connection to the 1931 building is a viable subject of investigation.^[24] A follow-up letter clarified the apocryphal nature of the Wren connection.^[25].

In the early 20th century, the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller Jr. undertook a massive reconstruction and restoration project in Williamsburg—the project culminated in Colonial Williamsburg. The Wren Building was the first major building to be reconstructed or restored as part of the project. Following a drawing on the Bodleian copper plate (ca. 1740) and plans Thomas Jefferson drew of the interior in 1772, the Boston architectural firm of Perry, Shaw & Hepburn rebuilt the building to its second form (1715-1859). The architectural firm subsequently designed complete reconstructions of the Capitol and the Governor's Palace, the original versions of which had burned during the eighteenth century.^[26]

Two other buildings around the Wren Building complete a triangle known as "Ancient Campus": the Brafferton (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).

The Wren Building is sometimes described as the oldest educational building in continuous use in the United States, although it ceased to serve its original function several times over the centuries. The Wren Building was known in colonial times as "The College" because, in the early years of the institution, the entire College of William & Mary consisted solely of the Wren Building. Inside its hallowed walls, all students (males only at that time) lived, ate, studied, worshiped and learned.

[edit] Academics

[edit] History and milestones

William & Mary is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, established in 1693 (Harvard is the oldest).

The College was the first to teach Political Economy; Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations was a required textbook.^[27] In the reform of 1779, William & Mary became the first college in America to become a university^[28], establishing faculties of law and medicine; it was also the first college to establish a chair of modern languages. Chemistry was taught beginning in the nineteenth century; alumnus and future Massachusetts Institute of Technology founder William Barton Rogers served as the College's Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry from 1828-1835.

Beginning with his 1778 Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge, alumnus and future University of Virginia founder Thomas Jefferson was involved with efforts to secularize and reform the College's curriculum. Jefferson guided the College to adopt the nation's first elective system of study and to introduce the first student-adjudicated Honor System.^[29]

Also at Jefferson's behest, the College appointed his friend and mentor George Wythe as the first Professor of Law in America in 1779. John Marshall, who would later go on to become Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was one of Wythe's students. The College's Marshall-Wythe School of Law is the oldest law school in the United States.^[30]

William & Mary has produced five Rhodes Scholars since 1988 and many students have won Fulbright, Truman and Goldwater fellowships.[2]

William & Mary has increased its international presence as a "global university", offering exchange programs with 15 foreign foreign schools, drawing more than 12% of its undergraduates into these programs, and receiving U.S. state department grants to further expand its foreign exchange programs. [3] Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright has called W&M International Studies Department "perhaps the finest in the nation." [4]

[edit] Graduate placement

W&M students have exceptionally high medical and law school acceptance rates hovering around 80% for both medical school and law school. [5] In comparison, graduates of fellow Public Ivys University of Michigan and University of Virginia experience approximately 55% and 65% acceptance rates to medical school, respectively. [6] [7] Another Public Ivy UC-Berkeley has had an approximately 80% acceptance rate to law school for its graduates [8]--similar to W&M, but UC-Berkeley has an, approximately, 63% acceptance rate to medical school [9].

Overall, sixty percent of W&M students go on to graduate school within five years of graduation.^[31]

[edit] Rankings

For the past several years, William and Mary has ranked as the best small public university in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.^[32] And among America's public four-year, degree-granting institutions, William & Mary is ranked 2^nd for its high graduation rate. ^[33] In the August 2007 US News rankings, it is currently ranked 33^rd among all national universities (it has generally ranked in the mid 20's to very low 30's).^[32] In the last U.S. News ranking of quality undergraduate teaching, William and Mary was ranked first among public universities and 3rd overall behind Brown and Dartmouth. ^[34]

In 2006, The Washington Monthly ranking, a survey which counterbalances the U.S. News rankings with a different methodology and intent (e.g., measuring the institution as an engine of service, research, and upward mobility), ranked the College 19^th among U.S. universities. ^[35]

In 2007, The Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary was ranked in the top 10 undergraduate programs among public universities.^[36]

William and Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law placed 31^st in U.S. News's law school rankings.^[37] and doctoral program in American colonial history 2^{nd [38]}. In 2007, Business Week ranked the College's undergraduate business program 29th in the nation^[39]. Similarly, in 2006, the Public Accounting Report ranked the undergraduate accounting program 23^rd and the graduate accounting program 24^th[40]. In 2007, a survey completed by more than 1,000 U.S. and Canadian faculty members in international relations, identified William and Mary as one of the top twenty-five colleges or universities for an undergraduate student interested in international relations^[41]. William and Mary was one of only five schools without an international relations doctoral program to place in the top 25.

With respect to cost of attendance, William and Mary ranked 3^rd "best value" among America's colleges in the latest 2007 issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine.^[42]

According to a 2006 survey by the NCAA, William and Mary athletes were ranked 5^th for graduation rates (tied with Stanford University). Of the six sports that are individually highlighted in the NCAA report, William and Mary shows a 100 percent graduation rate in three of the sports categories (football, women’s basketball and women’s track and field/cross county).^[43]

In summer 2005, Newsweek Magazine dubbed the College the "hottest small state school" based on the school's small enrollment (for a public university) and 34 percent increase in applicants since 1999^[44].

[edit] Learning environment

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, a state organization charged with promoting Virginia's institutions of higher education, concluded:

William & Mary is one of the nation's premier public universities, combining the best features of an undergraduate college with those of a research university.^[45]

William & Mary's small university environment, with only 5,635 undergraduates enrolled, distinguishes it from larger research universities, and its 11:1 student-to-faculty is lower than all top public universities. 86% percent of undergraduate classes have fewer than 40 students.^[31] Many applicants indicate that they were drawn to W&M's small-college environment.

[edit] Graduate programs

William & Mary also enrolls approximately 2,000 students in the following graduate or professional schools:

• William & Mary Law School (Marshall-Wythe)
• Mason School of Business
• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy
• School of Education
• Virginia Institute of Marine Science

[edit] Admissions and selectivity

Nationally, W&M's acceptance rates (ranging from 31% to 37%) place it among the most selective universities in the U.S.^[46] For the Class of 2007-2008 academic year, 33 percent of William and Mary's 10,845 applicants were offered admission.^[47] Of those admitted to the Class of 2011, 39% are expected to matriculate.^[48]. Traditionally, more than 80% of matriculants graduate from the top 10% of their high school class and approximately 95% of those who enter W&M return their second year. ^[49]

It is reported that Gateway W&M has helped ensure a record number of first-generation college students in the school's history by allowing those with lower incomes to attend the university for free. In fact, a record number of international students and first-generation college students are part of the Class of 2011. ^[50]

The top five overlap schools for William & Mary applicants are Cornell University, Duke University, Georgetown University, the University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University. ^[51]

[edit] Student life

[edit] Campus activities

The College enjoys a temperate climate^[52]. In addition to renovations on the student recreation center, (including a new gym, rock climbing wall, and larger exercise rooms)^[53] the largely wooded campus has its own lake and outdoor amphitheatre. Beaches at Virginia Beach are an hour away, and Washington DC is a three-hour drive to the north.

The College's University Center Activities Board (UCAB) hosts concerts, comedians, and speakers on campus and in the 8,600-capacity Kaplan Arena.^[54] The campus boasts an award-winning student newspaper called The Flat Hat,^[55] as well as a student-produced online newspaper and monthly print magazine called The DoG Street Journal.^[56]

[edit] Honor system

William & Mary's Honor System was first established by Thomas Jefferson in 1779 and is widely believed to be the nation's first. [10] During the orientation week, nearly every entering student recites the Honor Pledge in the Great Hall of the Wren Building pledging:

As a Member of the William & Mary community I pledge, on my Honor, not to lie, cheat, or steal in either my academic or personal life. I understand that such acts violate the Honor Code and undermine the community of trust of which we are all stewards.

The Honor System stands as one of the College's most important traditions; it remains student-administered through the Honor Council with the advice of the faculty and administration of the College. The College's Honor System is codified such that students found guilty of cheating, stealing or lying are subject to sanctions ranging anywhere from an oral warning up to expulsion.^[57]

[edit] Traditions

William & Mary has a number of traditions, including the Yule Log Ceremony, at which the president dresses as Santa Claus and reads a rendition of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the Vice-President of Student Affairs reads "Twas the Night Before Finals," and The Gentlemen of the College sing the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas".^[58] Incoming freshmen participate in Opening Convocation, at which they pass through the entrance of the Wren Building and are officially welcomed as the newest members of the College. Freshmen also have the opportunity, during orientation week, to serenade the President of the College at his home with the Alma Mater song. The Senior Walk is similar, in that graduating seniors walk through the Wren Building in their "departure" from the College. On the last day of classes, Seniors are invited to ring the bell in the cupola of the Wren Building.

Unofficial traditions include the Triathlon, a set of three tasks to be completed by each student prior to graduation. These include jumping the wall of the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg after hours, and if so inclined, running through the Boxwood Maze to the Palace itself, streaking through the Sunken Gardens, and swimming in the Crim Dell (pictured).

Legends include: kissing a date on the Crim Dell Bridge results in a future marriage. The crypt under the chapel can be reached via steam ducts under the campus and were supposedly used to steal bones from the grave of Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt who is entombed in the Wren Chapel. Many ghosts supposedly^{[citation needed]} haunt the older sections of this school.

[edit] Fraternities and sororities

William & Mary has a long history of fraternities and sororities dating back to Phi Beta Kappa, the first "Greek-letter" organization, which was founded there in 1776 . Today, Greek organizations play an important role in the College community, along with other social organizations (e.g., soccer house, theatre organizations). Overall, about one-third of its undergraduates are active members of the following 14 national fraternities and 12 sororities.^[59] William & Mary is also home to several unique non-Greek social fraternities, notably the Nu Kappa Epsilon music sorority^[60] and the Queens' Guard.^[61]

[edit] Athletics

See also: William & Mary Tribe men's basketball

Formerly known as the "Indians", William & Mary's sports teams are now known as "The Tribe." The College fields NCAA Division I teams for men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field. In addition, there are women's field hockey, lacrosse and volleyball squads as well as men's baseball and football. In the 2004-05 season, the Tribe garnered five Colonial Athletic Association titles, and it leads the conference with over 80 titles. In that same year, several teams competed in the NCAA Championships, and the football team appeared in the I-AA semifinals.^[62] The men's soccer team has produced some notable players; the goalkeeper Adin Brown was a back-to-back NCAA First Team All-American in 1998 and 1999. The football program has produced many NFL players and coaches; all pro safety Darren Sharper, current Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, kicker Steve Christie, current Denver Bronco Mike Leach, 1-AA Walter Payton Offensive Player of the Year award winner QB Lang Campbell, WR Dominque Thompson, WR Rich Musinski, Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, Jacksonville Jaguars linebackers coach Mark Duffner, & Minnesota Vikings QB coach Kevin Rogers. The men's cross country team finished 8th at the 2006 Division I National Championships. In addition, the track team has produced many All-Americans, including Brian Hyde, an Olympian and Collegiate record holder in the 1500 meter run.

In May 2006, the NCAA ruled that the athletic logo, which includes two green and gold feathers, could create an environment that is offensive to the American Indian community. The College's appeal regarding the use of the institution’s athletic logo to the NCAA Executive Committee was rejected. The "Tribe" nickname, by itself, was found to be neither hostile nor abusive, but rather communicates ennobling sentiments of commitment, shared idealism, community and common cause.^[63]. 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.^[64] Some students^{[citation needed]} have vowed to display the prior logo on their own at NCAA post-season games. A new design was unveiled in December of 2007.

For a short time, the College's "unofficial" mascot was an amorphous blob called "Colonel Ebirt" ("Tribe" backwards), which was discontinued.^[65] Prior to that, two students, one male, one female, dressed in buckskins. The female was referred to as squaw, while the male was usually referred to as "tribe guy". The practice ended around 1991.

[edit] Leadership

See also: List of Presidents of William & Mary

On July 1, 2005, Gene R. Nichol (formerly Dean and Burton Craige Professor of the Law School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) was sworn in as the College's 26th President, succeeding Timothy J. Sullivan. Nichol encountered controversy over his decision to remove the Wren Cross from the College's Wren Chapel. After the Board of Visitors opted not to renew his contract, Nichol resigned on February 12, 2008 and has been replaced on an interim basis by the Dean of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, W. Taylor Reveley, III.

Until 1776, the Chancellor was an English subject, usually the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Bishop of London, who served as the College’s advocate to the crown, while a colonial President oversaw the day-to-day activities of the Williamsburg campus. Following the Revolutionary War, General George Washington was appointed as the first American chancellor; later President John Tyler held the post. The College has recently had a number of distinguished Chancellors: former Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger (1986-1993), former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1993-2000), and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (2000-2005). Continuing that tradition, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was installed as the College's 23rd Chancellor on April 7, 2006.

[edit] W&M Board of Visitors

Officers

Michael K. Powell '85, D.P.S. '02, Rector, Fairfax Station, VA

Henry C. Wolf '64, J.D. '66, Vice Rector, Norfolk, VA

Suzann W. Matthews '71, Secretary, McLean, VA

Members

Charles A. Banks, Gloucester, VA

Janet M. Brashear '82, Virginia Beach, VA

Thomas E. Capps, Richmond, VA

John Gerdelman '75, McLean, VA

Sarah Gore '56, Newark, DE

R. Philip Herget III, Alexandria, VA

Kathy Y. Hornsby, '79, Williamsburg, VA

Jeffrey L. McWaters, Virginia Beach, VA

Joseph J. Plumeri II '66, Scotch Plains, NJ

Anita Poston J.D. '74, Norfolk, VA

John Charles Thomas, Richmond, VA

Jeffery B. Trammell '73, Washington, DC

Barbara B. Ukrop '61, Richmond, VA

[edit] Notable alumni connections

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Hollywoodland, the recent L.A. film noir centering around the mysterious death of Superman actor George Reeves, is based upon a book co-authored by W&M professor Nancy Schoenberger

• As a college student at W&M, Thomas Jefferson attended lavish dinner parties held by royal governor Francis Fauquier where he developed his early love for wine (his favorites were madeira and claret).^[66]

• There are elaborate catacombs running under the Wren Building leading to tombs under the Wren Chapel, which have been closed off due to student explorations.

• The reigning British monarch Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip spoke at the College on October 16, 1957, as did Prince Charles in 1993 at the 300th anniversary (or Tercentenary) of the founding of the College.

• Queen Elizabeth II made a second historic visit to the College on May 4, 2007, receiving honorary membership in the Class of 2007 and taking part in the ringing of the Wren Bell. ^[67]

• The Steely Dan song "My Old School" with its lyric about William & Mary was widely thought to be about the College, but apparently is about songwriter Donald Fagen's student days at Bard College.

• Upon graduation in 1965, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award naming him the graduate that "has made the greatest contribution to his fellow man."

• Three people with ties to W&M, Chancellor Sandra Day O'Connor, Board of Visitors member Laurence Eagleburger, and alumnus Robert Gates were members of the 2006 Iraq Study Group.

• Scrubs' creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence graduated from William & Mary in 1990 with a BA in English. Most college flashback scenes involving Turk & JD show W&M memorabilia and merchandise in the background

[edit] Recent commencement speakers

2008 - Mike Tomlin (Class of 1995) 2007 - Robert Gates (Class of 1965) 2006 - Desmond Tutu 2005 - Timothy J. Sullivan (Class of 1966) 2004 - Jon Stewart (Class of 1984) 2003 - Queen Noor of Jordan 2002 - Lamar Alexander 2001 - Madeleine Albright 2000 - Brent Scowcroft 1999 - John Warner 1998 - Joseph Ellis (Class of 1965) 1997 - Margaret Thatcher 1996 - Antonin Scalia 1995 - George H. W. Bush 1994 - George Will 1993 - Bill Cosby

1992 - James Baker 1991 - Hanna Holborn Gray 1990 - Douglas Wilder 1989 - Glenn Close (Class of 1974) 1988 - Colin Powell 1987 - Roger Mudd 1986 - Jeane Kirkpatrick 1985 - Grace Hopper 1984 - Paul Volcker 1983 - Elizabeth Dole 1982 - Garry Trudeau 1981 - William F. Buckley, Jr. 1980 - Art Buchwald 1979 - Jeff MacNelly 1978 - Barbara Jordan

[edit] Alumni

Main article: List of Notable Alumni from the College of William and Mary

William & Mary has produced a large number of distinguished alumni including: U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, John Tyler, and James Monroe; key figures in American history Peyton Randolph, Henry Clay and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Marshall; MIT founder William Barton Rogers; U.S. Military Generals Winfield Scott and David McKiernan; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, football Hall-of-Famer Lou Creekmur, and Minnesota Vikings safety Darren Sharper; major league baseball players Chris Ray, Brendan Harris, Vic Raschi and Curtis Pride; the popular entertainers Patton Oswalt, Scott Glenn, Glenn Close, Linda Lavin, Dylan Baker and comedian-pundit Jon Stewart; creator and writer of Scrubs and Spin City, Bill Lawrence; Hong Kong actor and recording artist Jaycee Chan, the son of Jackie Chan; historian and teacher Robert C. Lemire Jr.; fashion designer Perry Ellis; and the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; founder, Chairman, CEO of Legg Mason Raymond A. "Chip" Mason.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (Class of 1965)

U.S. General David McKiernan (Class of 1972)

NASA Astronaut David M. Brown (Class of 1978)

Daily Show's Jon Stewart (Class of 1984)

FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell (Class of 1985)

[edit] Notable professors

• James L. Axtell - William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Humanities; inducted to American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2004)^[68]
• Carl P. Daw Jr. - Executive Director of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.
• George Grayson - government professor, noted expert in Latin American politics, Senior Associate with the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies^[69]
• Deborah Allen Hewitt - Clinical Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at the Mason School of Business; an international economics and finance expert.
• Charles Hobson - author of several prominent books on Chief Justice John Marshall, and the editor of the Marshall papers (housed at W&M's law school)^[70]
• Jack B. Martin - Associate Professor and Chair of English; author of a Creek language dictionary along with Margaret Mauldin^[71]
• John McGlennon - Professor of Government and member of the James City County Board of Supervisors; author of several books on political parties and other political science topics. Unsuccessful candidate for the United States Congress in 1982 and 1984. ^[72]
• Mitchell Reiss - Professor of Government and Law; Director of Policy Planning (U.S. Department of State)^[73]
• William H. Starnes, Jr. - Professor Emeritus; inventor of ester thiol organic PVC stabilizers^[74]
• William Stith (1707-1755) author of The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia
• Lyon Gardiner Tyler, former College president and history professor
• William Van Alstyne - Professor of Law, nationally known constitutional scholar, noted to be among the most frequently cited scholars (top forty) in the preceding half century and elected into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 1994 ^[75]
• Dirk Walecka - Emeritus Professor of Physics; recipient of Tom Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics from American Physical Society; former director of CEBAF/JLAB^[76]
• Lawrence Wilkerson - Harriman Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy,^[77] former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and critic of Iraq War intelligence ^[78]

[edit] References and footnotes

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Athletics department

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