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College of William & Mary

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The College of William & Mary
TypePublic university
Established1693[1][2]
EndowmentUS $586 million [3]
ChancellorSandra Day O'Connor
PresidentGene R. Nichol
Academic staff
758
Students7,709
Undergraduates5,734
Postgraduates1,975
Location
Williamsburg
,
Virginia
,
U.S.
CampusSmall city, 1,200 acres (4.9 km²)
ColorsGreen and Gold    
NicknameThe Tribe
Websitewww.wm.edu

The College of William and Mary is a highly selective, coeducational, 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 Ivys.

William & Mary was founded in 1693 by a Royal Charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II of England. 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 and 16 signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In addition, George Washington received his surveyor's certificate from William & Mary.

Although primarily known for its undergradaute liberal arts program, William & Mary has top-ranked business and law schools (the first in the United States), as well as several other well regarded graduate programs (including doctoral programs in U.S. colonial history, education, and marine science). W&M is also 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.

Although considered one of the first universities in America, 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.

History

Prologue

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 English leaders of the Virginia Colony[citation needed], which was initially based at Jamestown in 1607. Within the first decade, a promising start of a school 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.

Founding and colonial history

In 1691, the House of Burgesses sent 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." Blair journeyed to London and began a vigorous campaign. With support from his friends, Henry Compton, the Bishop of London, and John Tillotson (Archbishop of Canterbury), Blair was ultimately successful.[4]

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.[5]

Reverend Dr. James Blair, founder of William & Mary.

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.[6]

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.

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, Blair returned from England, and William & Mary opened in the original "College Building" at Middle Plantation, located on high ground midway across the Peninsula between the James and York Rivers. The College Building (the precursor to today's Wren Building) was completed in 1699 on a picturesque site comprising 330 acres. The present-day College still stands upon those grounds.

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.

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, America's first law professor.

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.[7]

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.

Secret societies

The College of William and Mary has a rich tradition of secret societies and is home to the nation's first, 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, the Wren Society, the Bishop James Madison Society, the Flat Hat Club, the Alpha Club, the Members 13, the W Society, the Williams, and the Phi Society. [1]. 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.[8], and there are now 270 chapters nationwide.[9] Alumni John Marshall and Bushrod Washington were two of the earliest members of Phi Beta Kappa, elected in 1778 and 1780, respectively.[9]

Post-colonial history

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.[10] Somewhat formal ties with royal England today is unique to W&M in U.S. higher education.[citation needed]

Wren Building in 1859

In 1842, alumni of the College formed the Society of the Alumni[11] which is now the sixth oldest alumni organization in the United States.

During portions of the American Civil War (1861-1865), William & Mary was occupied by Union troops. The Battle of Williamsburg was fought nearby during the Peninsula Campaign on May 5, 1862; on September 9, 1862, drunken soldiers of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry set fire to the College Building, reportedly in an attempt to prevent Confederate snipers from using it for cover.

Following restoration of the Union, the College's 16th president, Benjamin S. Ewell, sought war reparations from the U.S. Congress, but he was unsuccessful. The College closed in 1882 due to lack of funds. During this time, President Ewell sounded the bell in the Wren Building every year, an act traditionally regarded as the start of the academic term.[12]

In 1888, William & Mary resumed operations under a substitute charter when the Commonwealth of Virginia passed an act[13] 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. William & Mary was one of the first universities in Virginia to become coeducational, in 1918. During this time, enrollment increased from 104 students in 1889 to 1269 students by 1932. In 1930, William & Mary expanded its territorial range by establishing a branch in Norfolk, VA. This extension would eventually become the independent 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. Thanks to the generosity of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., 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.

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. Queen Elizabeth II again visited the College on May 4, 2007.

In 1974, Jay Winston Johns willed Ash Lawn-Highland, the 535-acre 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.[14]

The Sir Christopher Wren Building

The Wren Building with a snow-covered statute of Lord Botetourt

The building officially referred to as the "Sir Christopher Wren Building" was so named upon its completion 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.[15] A follow-up letter clarified the apocryphal nature of the Wren connection.[16].

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.[17]

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.

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States, W&M alumnus

Academics

History and milestones

William & Mary is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, established in 1693 (Harvard is the oldest). Of the original colonial colleges, William & Mary was the "most prominent and had the best classroom and residential buildings."[18]

William Barton Rogers, Founder of M.I.T., W&M alumnus
James Monroe, 5th President of US, W&M alumnus

The College was the first to teach Political Economy; Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations was a required textbook.[19] In the reform of 1779, William & Mary became the first college in America to become a university[20], 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.

John Tyler, 10th President of US, W&M alumnus

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.[21]

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.[22]

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 thant 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]

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 also has an approximately 63% acceptance rate to medical school [9]--lower (i.e., less successful) than that of W&M.

Overall, sixty percent of W&M students go on to graduate school within five years of graduation.[23]

Rankings

For the past several years, William and Mary has ranked as the 6th best public university in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.[24] And among America's public four-year, degree-granting institutions, William & Mary is ranked 2nd for its high graduation rate. [25] In the August 2007 US News rankings, it is currently ranked 33rd among all national universities (it has generally ranked in the mid 20's to very low 30's).[24] In the last U.S. News ranking of quality undergraduate teaching, William and Mary was ranked 1st among public universities. [26]

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 19th among U.S. universities. [27]

One of W&M's most rigorous and respected programs is in biology where students are very successful in entering medical and graduate schools. According to a recent National Science Foundation (NSF) report, William & Mary ranked 1st among the top 25 doctoral universities in the country in conferring bachelor’s degrees to students who went on to earn doctoral degrees in the biological sciences. [10]

In 2007, The Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary was ranked in the top 10 undergraduate programs among public universities.[28]

William and Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law placed 27th in U.S. News's law school rankings.[29] and doctoral program in American colonial history 2nd [30]. In 2007, Business Week ranked the College's undergraduate business program 29th in the nation[31]. Similarly, in 2006, the Public Accounting Report ranked the undergraduate accounting program 23rd and the graduate accounting program 24th[32]. 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[33]. 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 3rd "best value" among America's public colleges in the latest 2007 issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine.[34]

According to a 2006 survey by the NCAA, William and Mary athletes were ranked 5th 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).[35]

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[36].

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.[37]

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.[23] Many applicants indicate that they were drawn to W&M's small-college environment.

Graduate programs

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

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.[38] For the Class of 2007-2008 academic year, 33 percent of William and Mary's 10,845 applicants were offered admission.[39] Of those admitted to the Class of 2011, 39% are expected to matriculate.[40]. 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. [41]

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. [42]

The top five overlap schools for William & Mary applicants are Cornell University, Duke University, Georgetown University, the University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University. [43]

Student life

Campus activities

The College enjoys a temperate climate[44]. In addition to renovations on the student recreation center, (including a new gym, rock climbing wall, and larger exercise rooms)[45] 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.[46]

Honor system

William & Mary's Honor System was first established by Thomas Jefferson in 1779. 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.[47]

Traditions

Crim Dell in the heart of W&M's wooded campus

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 reads "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," and The Gentlemen of the College sing the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas".[48] 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).

Another unofficial tradition, which the College administration attempts to quell each year, occurs on the last day of classes in the spring and is referred to by the students as "Blowout." On this day, it is customary to wake up early, begin drinking before one's classes, and show to up to class intoxicated and spend the rest of the day at the numerous keg parties which are always held. On this day, a student can win a t-shirt claiming they stayed sober on that day if they blow a .00 into a breathalizer, which is usually administered by a student group at the Sunken Gardens. Some students choose to "blow out" on the last day of classes of the fall semester as well, but it is not as well celebrated.

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.

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.[49]

Athletics

William & Mary Tribe logo
William & Mary Tribe logo

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.[50] 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.[citation needed] The College's appeal regarding the use of the institution’s athletic logo to the NCAA Executive Committee was rejected.[citation needed] 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.[51]. The College phased out the use of the two feathers by the fall of 2007.[52] Some students[citation needed] have vowed to display the prior logo on their own at NCAA post-season games.

For a short time, the College's "unofficial" mascot was an amorphous blob called "Colonel Ebirt" ("Tribe" backwards), which was discontinued.[53] 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". When the football team scored, the "tribe guy" galloped around Cary Field on horseback, brandishing a banner. The practice ended around 1991.

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 has encountered some controversy over his decision to remove the Wren Cross from the College's Wren Chapel and his decision not to bar the Sex Workers' Art Show[54][55]. Some have noted that legal considerations prevented him from banning a student-sponsored, student-paid event from campus.

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.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the 21st Chancellor of The College of William and Mary

W&M Board of Visitors

Trivia

  • 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).[56]
  • 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.
  • 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. [57]
  • 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."

Recent commencement speakers

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, Vic Raschi and Curtis Pride; the popular entertainers Patton Oswalt, Scott Glenn, Glenn Close, Linda Lavin, Dylan Baker and Jon Stewart; creator and writer of Scrubs and Spin City, Bill Lawrence; Hong Kong actor and recording artist Jaycee Chan, the son of Jackie Chan; fashion designer Perry Ellis; and the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (Class of 1965)
U.S. General David McKiernan (Class of 1972)
File:DavidMBrown.jpg
NASA Astronaut David M. Brown (Class of 1978)
Daily Show's Jon Stewart (Class of 1984)
FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell (Class of 1985)

Notable professors

References and footnotes

  1. ^ http://www.wm.edu/about/facts.php
  2. ^ The College gives its founding date as 1693, but has not operated continuously since that time, closing in 1882 and re-opening in 1888; v. s. Post-colonial history
  3. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=8266
  4. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=2705
  5. ^ http://www.wm.edu/vitalfacts/seventeenth.php
  6. ^ Webster, Homer J. (1902) "Schools and Colleges in Colonial Times," The New England Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, v. XXVII, p. 374, Google Books entry
  7. ^ http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/wythe.htm
  8. ^ http://www.shsu.edu/~eng_wpf/frat_hist.html
  9. ^ a b http://www.pbk.org/about/history.htm
  10. ^ http://www.wm.edu/hermajesty/history.php
  11. ^ http://alumni.wm.edu/history/index.shtml
  12. ^ http://www.wm.edu/vitalfacts/nineteenth2.php
  13. ^ http://swem.wm.edu/departments/special-collections/exhibits/exhibits/charter/normal/
  14. ^ http://www.ashlawnhighland.org/
  15. ^ http://www.wm.edu/alumni/WMAA/Magazine/Fall05/pages/Fall05_Wren.htm
  16. ^ http://www.wmalumni.com/magazine/wint_0506/mailbox_1.shtml
  17. ^ http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Autumn04/perry.cfm
  18. ^ http://www.greekpages.com/LocalsOnline/history.htm#pbk
  19. ^ http://mason.wm.edu/overview/
  20. ^ http://www.wm.edu/law/about/firsts.shtml
  21. ^ However, a biographer notes that "Jefferson would one day sharply criticize William & Mary, and eventually he designed, built, and administered the University of Virginia in open opposition to his alma mater." Willard Sterne Randall (1994). Thomas Jefferson: A Life. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-097617-9. p. 40
  22. ^ http://www.wm.edu/vitalfacts/eighteenth2.php
  23. ^ a b http://www.wm.edu/admission/?id=3154
  24. ^ a b http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php
  25. ^ http://nces.ed.gov/ipedspas/RankByVar.asp
  26. ^ http://www.wm.edu/about/rankings.php
  27. ^ http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.collegechart.html
  28. ^ "BusinessWeek: Undergraduate Business Program of The Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary Among the Best in the U.S." College of William & Mary. March 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
  29. ^ http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/brief/lawrank_brief.php
  30. ^ http://www.wm.edu/about/rankings.php
  31. ^ http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,72535.shtml
  32. ^ http://www.bentley.edu/graduate/banner_PDFs/pareport.pdf
  33. ^ http://www.wm.edu/irtheoryandpractice/trip/surveyreport06-07.pdf
  34. ^ http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/102273/Best_Values_in_Public_Colleges
  35. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=6999
  36. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8939242/site/newsweek/page/2/
  37. ^ http://research.schev.edu/roie/four_year/CWM/body.asp?i=1
  38. ^ http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/webex/lowacc_brief.php
  39. ^ https://alumni.wm.edu/magazine/spgsum_2007/feature_5.shtml
  40. ^ https://alumni.wm.edu/magazine/spgsum_2007/feature_5.shtml
  41. ^ http://www.wm.edu/admission/?id=3154
  42. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=8024
  43. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/pdf/College%20of%20William%20andMary9%20%202005%2001pdf.pdf
  44. ^ http://www.wm.edu/environment/Watershed/Weather/KeckWeather.htm
  45. ^ http://www.wm.edu/recsports/
  46. ^ http://flathat.wm.edu/story.php?issue=2006-04-28&type=4&aid=1
  47. ^ http://www.wm.edu/deanofstudents/judicial/Honor_System.php
  48. ^ http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_59339.asp
  49. ^ http://www.wm.edu/so/greeks/
  50. ^ http://www.tribeathletics.com
  51. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/?id=5338
  52. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=6870
  53. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=5246
  54. ^ http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6099447
  55. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254142,00.html
  56. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/books/chapters/1203-1st-hail.html
  57. ^ http://www.wm.edu/hermajesty/
  58. ^ http://www.wm.edu/history/directory.php?personid=6545
  59. ^ http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_experts/task,view/id,283/
  60. ^ http://www.wm.edu/jmp/hobson.htm
  61. ^ http://www.wm.edu/linguistics/directory.php?personid=12595
  62. ^ http://www.wm.edu/government/directory.php?personid=8963
  63. ^ http://www.wm.edu/chemistry/facultydirectory.php?personid=1228082
  64. ^ http://www.wm.edu/law/facultyadmin/faculty/van_alstyne-873.shtml
  65. ^ http://www.wm.edu/physics/faculty.php?personid=4833
  66. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=6966
  67. ^ http://www.wm.edu/news/?id=6479
  68. ^ http://www.wm.edu/government/directory.php?personid=8945

Further information

Alumni organizations

Student organizations

Institutes and special projects

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