College of William and Mary

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The College of William and Mary (also referred to as William and Mary, W&M or simply The College by those close to it) is a small public university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. It is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.

William and Mary was founded in 1693 by a Royal Charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II of England. It has educated U.S. presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler as well as other leaders important to the development of the nation. It has a strong academic reputation and was considered one of the original eight Public Ivies.

William and Mary is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching and liberal arts program, yet it also has several professional schools and graduate programs. Although it has long been a university by definition, the school retains the word "College" in its official name, as specified in its Royal Charter of 1693. The institution's official name is "The College of William and Mary in Virginia."

Contents

History

Early history

Wren Building with a snow-covered statue of Lord Botetourt

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, 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 -- the colonists' hopes and dreams for their school were dashed. It would be almost 70 more years before the efforts to establish a school could be successfully renewed.

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. [link]

Reverend Dr. James Blair (Founder)

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, making it the only institution of higher education in the United States to receive one.

William and 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.Webster, Homer J. (1902) "Schools and Colleges in Colonial Times," The New England Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, v. XXVII, p. 374, Google Books[link]

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 and 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 and 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.

Thomas Jefferson (Class of 1762)

Williamsburg served as the capital of Colonial Virginia from 1699 to 1780. During this time, the College served as a law center and its buildings were frequently used by lawmakers. 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 chancelor following the American Revolution Chancellors in 1788, which was his last public office that 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. [link]

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, Henry Clay and George Wythe (a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence).

Secret Societies

The Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society was founded at William and Mary by John Heath and William Short (Class of 1779) on December 5, 1776. It began as a secret literary and philosophical society at the College; additional chapters were soon established at Yale and at Harvard.[link] There are now 270 chapters nationwide.[link] Alumni John Marshall and Bushrod Washington were two of the earliest members of Phi Beta Kappa, elected in 1778 and 1780, respectively. [link]

Some of the secret societies known to exist at the College are the Seven Society, Order of the Crown and Dagger, the Bishop James Madison Society, the Flat Hat Club, the Alpha Club, the Members 13, the W Society and the Phi Society. [link]

Post-Colonial history

The colonies declared their independence in 1776 and William and 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.

Wren Building in 1859

During portions of the American Civil War (1861-1865), William and 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. The Royal Charter, lacking a beneficiary, lapsed in 1882 while the institution lay dormant. 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, which, symbolically, kept the College in operation and the charter in effect. [link].

In 1888, William and Mary resumed operations when the Commonwealth of Virginia passed an act appropriating $10,000 to support the College. 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, it has remained publicly supported ever since. In 1918, William and Mary was one of the first universities in Virginia to become coeducational. During this time, enrollment increased from 104 students in 1889 to 1269 students by 1932.

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.

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

The Sir Christopher Wren Building

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 attributed with the design for the College's main building by an eighteenth century author. Wren was famous for designing St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The Wren Building is based on the design of original College Building (1699) as it appeared after a 1716 remodeling. 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 and was remodeled by 1716. Therefore historians have little evidence to substantiate Jones's claim that Wren actually designed the 1699 main building. The College's Alumni Association recently published an article exploring Sir Christopher Wren's potential involvement in the original College Building. [link] A follow-up letter clarified the apocryphal nature of the Wren connection. [link].

In the early 20th century, the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller Jr. undertook a massive restoration project in Williamsburg -- the project culminated into Colonial Williamsburg. As part of this undertaking, the Wren Building was the first major building to be restored. 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 restored the building to its second form (1705-1859). 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. [link]

Two other buildings around the Wren Building complete a triangle known as Ancient Campus: the Brafferton (built in 1723 and originally housing the Indian School, now the President and Provost's offices) and the President's House (built in 1732).

Academics

History and milestones

William and Mary is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The College was the first to teach Political Economy; Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations was a required textbook [link][link]. In 1781, William and Mary became the first college in America to become a university by uniting its law, medicine and arts faculties; it was also the first college to establish a chair of modern languages. Chemistry was taught beginning in the nineteenth century; alumnus and future MIT 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, Thomas Jefferson was involved with efforts to reform the College. Jefferson guided the College to adopt the nation's first elective system of study and to introduce the first student-adjudicated Honor System. However, a biographer notes that "Jefferson would one day sharply criticize William and Mary, and eventually he designed, built, and administered the University of Virginia in open opposition to his alma mater." [p. 40]

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[link] and is named after these founding jurists.

Current Rankings

William and Mary ranks among the top ten public universities in America. William and Mary also ranks among the top American colleges in several touchstone categories including graduation rates, [link] value-per-tuition dollar, [link] and student-to-faculty ratio (11:1).

A recent survey of the nation's best public institutions by The Wall Street Journal finds William and Mary to be one of the top public "feeder" colleges to the nation's Top 5 programs in law, medical and business schools (e.g., Harvard Business School, Yale Law School and Johns Hopkins Medical School). [link] In this survey of state schools, William and Mary placed second statewide and seventh nationally.

The College of William and Mary also ranks 6th among public universities and 31st overall in U.S. News & World Report's 2006 rankings of "America's Best Colleges".

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." [link] The College's small university environment, accessible professors and undergraduate enrollment of 5,635 distinguishes it from larger research universities. Recently, Newsweek Magazine found this learning environment notable. [link]

Graduate Programs

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

Admissions

William and Mary's undergraduate acceptance rate typically ranges between approximately 31% to 37%, among the most selective universities in the U.S. [link] The top five overlap schools for William and Mary applicants are the University of Virginia, Duke, Georgetown, Cornell, and Vanderbilt. [link]

For the 2005-06 academic year, 31.0% of applicants were admitted to William and Mary, ahead of peers University of Virginia (37.7%) and Vanderbilt University (35.3%) but behind Georgetown University (21.5%), Duke University (22.1%), and Cornell University (27.1%). [link] Of those admitted to the 2005 enrolling class, 40.9% matriculated at William and Mary, a yield that leads Vanderbilt's (39.4%) but trails those of the University of Virginia (52.8%), Georgetown University (47.2%), Cornell University (46.5%) and Duke University (43.2%). [link]

In turn, graduates of William and Mary experience acceptance to the nation's law and medical schools at rates notably above the national average. [link]

Student life

Campus Activities

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

The College's University Center Activities Board (UCAB) hosts concerts on campus and in the 8,600-capacity Kaplan Arena. [link]

Honor System

William and Mary's Honor System was first established by alumnus Thomas Jefferson in 1779. The Honor System stands as one of the College's most important traditions; it remains student-administered 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 from an oral warning to dismissal. [link]

Traditions

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

William and Mary has a number of traditions, including the Yule Log Ceremony, at which the president dresses as Santa Claus and reads "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Incoming freshman 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. The Senior Walk is an analogous tradition held at commencement, symbolizing graduating students' departure.

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, streaking through the Sunken Gardens, and jumping into the Crim Dell (pictured).

Greek Life

William and Mary has a long history of Greek organizations 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 15 national fraternities and 12 sororities. [link]

Fraternities

Sororities

Athletics

William and Mary's sports teams are 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 mens baseball and football.

Each year, the College has upwards of 500 student athletes competing on 23 NCAA Division I teams. In the 2004-05 season, the Tribe garnered 5 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. [link]

Leadership

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, replacing Timothy J. Sullivan. Sullivan elevated the College's profile as a top public institution. President Nichol is seeking to continue Sullivan's work. He recently introduced the Gateway William and Mary Program, extending debt-free undergraduate education to outstanding applicants from underprivileged economic backgrounds.

Sandra Day O'Connor was installed as the College's 23rd Chancellor on April 7, 2006. The post of Chancellor has been important in the history of the College. 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, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The position of Chancellor at William and Mary is largely ceremonial, and the Chancellor does not live at the College but typically makes a number of appearances each year.

The Student Assembly, the College's student government organization charged with student advocacy, social event planning, and appropriating funds to other student groups, has existed since 1915, with some structural reforms made in recent years. See Also: List of presidents of the College of William and Mary

Commencement Speakers

Recent developments

Athletic nickname and mascot

William and Mary's sports teams are known as "The Tribe." Recently, the National Collegiate Athletic Association asked William and Mary whether its sports teams' American Indian nickname and associated logo were “hostile and abusive.” After consideration, the College administration found no basis for concluding that the use of the term “Tribe” violates NCAA standards. On the contrary, they claimed that the “Tribe” moniker communicates ennobling sentiments of commitment, shared idealism, community and common cause. [link]

Previously, the College's "unofficial" mascot was Colonel Ebirt (Tribe spelled backwards) which was discontinued, despite objections from many students.

Notable William and Mary alumni

See List of Notable Alumni from the College of William and Mary

Notable William and Mary alumni include three United States Presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler; figures from American history such as John Marshall, Carter Braxton, Peyton Randolph and General Winfield Scott; and the popular entertainers Jon Stewart, Glenn Close, and Linda Lavin.

Notable professors

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James L. Axtell, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Humanities; inducted to American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2004)
Susan Wise Bauer, Instructor of writing and American literature; Founder of Peace Hill Press
Clayton Clemens, Professor of Government
Henri Cole, Poet-in-Residence
Robert Maximilian de Gaynesford, Associate Professor of Philosophy
John McGlennon, Professor of Government
Mitchell Reiss, Professor of Government and Law; Director of Policy Planning (U.S. Department of State)
Ron Schechter, Professor of History; Recipient of the Leo Gershoy Award
Martin Schmidt, Associate Professor of Economics, co-author of The Wages of Wins
William H. Starnes, Jr., Floyd Dewey Gottwald, Sr. Professor of Chemistry; inventor of ester thiol organic PVC stabilizers
Dirk Walecka, Professor of Physics; recipient of Tom Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics from American Physical Society; former director of CEBAF/JLAB
Lawrence Wilkerson, Government instructor on national security, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, critic of Iraq War intelligence
General Anthony Zinni (Ret.), Government instructor; retired U.S. General and former U.S. special envoy to the Middle East
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)

References

External links

Further information

Student organizations

[W&M Student Activities] and [Student Activities Board]
[The Flat Hat]
[Student Information Network]

[The DoG Street Journal]

Institutes and special projects

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