Washington and Lee University

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{{Infobox_University |name = Washington and Lee University| 

 image          = Image:Wlu-crest.gif|
 motto          = Non Incautus Futuri
("Not Unmindful of the Future")

|established = 1749 |type = Private| 

 president= Kenneth P. Ruscio, takes office July 1, 2006

|city = Lexington| 

 state          = Virginia|
 country        = USA|
 undergrad      = 1,755

|postgrad = 406 |staff= 209 |campus = National Historic Landmark, 325 acres| 

 free_label     = Team name|
 free           = "The Generals"

|colors = Royal Blue and White |website= www.wlu.edu }} Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Rockbridge County, Virginia, located adjacent to Virginia Military Institute. The preparatory school from which it is descended was founded in 1749 as "Augusta Academy" and was renamed "Liberty Hall" in 1776. The academy moved to Lexington in 1780 and built its first building near town in 1782. Washington and Lee's motto is Non incautus futuri, meaning "Not unmindful of the Future."

The academy became a college when it granted its first bachelor of arts degree in 1785, making it one of the oldest universities in the country. George Washington gave the school its first significant endowment in 1796, at the time the largest gift ever given to an educational institution in the United States, which continues to provide nearly three dollars toward each student's tuition to this day. The board of trustees changed the name of the school to Washington Academy, and later Washington College, to honor him. After the American Civil War, General Robert E. Lee turned down several financially tantalizing offers of employment that would merely have traded on his name, and instead accepted the post of college president for two reasons: (1) he had been superintendent of West Point, so higher education was in his background, and (2), more important, he felt that it was a position in which he could actually make a contribution to the reconciliation of the nation. He established the first school of professional journalism education in the country and added both a business school and law school to W&L's curriculum. He also implemented an Honor System ("We have but one rule here, and it is that every student must be a gentleman") and Speaking Tradition that continue to the present time; he went out of his way to seek students from the North. The school's name was changed to honor President Lee after his death. His son, George Washington Custis Lee followed as the school's next president. Both Lee and his son are buried, along with much of the Lee family, at Lee Chapel. Robert E. Lee's beloved horse Traveller, is also buried on-campus.

The tiny and selective Washington and Lee University School of Law offers Juris Doctor and Master of Laws degrees.

The University admitted its first African-American student when John Chavis, a free Negro, enrolled in 1795. Chavis accomplished much in his life including fighting in the American Revolution, studying at both Liberty Hall Academy (now Washington and Lee University) and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), becoming an ordained Presbyterian minister, and opening a school which instructed white and poor black students in North Carolina. He is believed to be the first black student to have earned a degree in the United States. Washington and Lee enrolled its next African-American student in 1966.

Washington and Lee was all-male until 1972, when women were admitted to the law school; the first female undergraduates enrolled in 1985.

The University prides itself on both strong academics and active social life. 25% of undergraduates participate in varsity athletics, 75% in the club sport and intramural program. Over 120 student organizations and publications operate every year, and approximately three-quarters of undergraduates belongs to a fraternity or sorority. The Princeton Review -- which is essentially a blog, having no connection with Princeton University -- ranked the University first in both "How widely used is beer?" and "How widely used is hard liquor?" in its 2005 edition of The Best 357 Colleges.

W&L is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South. Image:WashingtonLeeUniversity.jpg

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Academics

The University is a liberal arts college divided into three schools. These schools are: (1) The College, in which all students begin their undergraduate studies in the liberal arts, sciences, and humanities; (2) the AACSB-accredited Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, which offers majors in accounting and business administration, business administration, economics, politics, public accounting, and public policy; and (3) The School of Law. Washington and Lee offers 40 undergraduate majors and the following interdisciplinary, non-major programs: African-American studies, East Asian studies, environmental studies, Russian area studies, and the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability. The university was ranked highly by the Princeton Review in its 2006 edition of The Best 357 Colleges for "Best Overall Academic Experience," "Professors Get High Marks," and Professor Accessibility.

The undergraduate calendar is an unusual three-term system with 12-week fall and winter terms followed by a required six-week spring term. Spring term is reserved for special topic courses, faculty-supervised study abroad, and internships both domestically and abroad. The law calendar follows a more traditional two-semester system.

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Honor System

Washington and Lee maintains a rigorous and unusual Honor System. The original form of the system was implemented by Robert E. Lee when he served as University President after leading the armies of the Confederacy against the United States. Lee is often quoted by the University as saying "We have but one rule here, and it is that every student be a gentleman."

The Honor System has been run by the student body since 1906, and is an important part of the University's culture. Students vow, upon entering the University as freshmen or first year law students, to act honorably in both academic and nonacademic activities. While this is often interpreted as meaning that students should never lie, cheat, or steal in any way, the White Book governing the W&L Honor System directs that dishonorable behavior consist only of what the student body at any given time considers to be dishonorable. Any student who is found guilty of an Honor Violation by his or her peers can only be subject to the single sanction of the Honor System: expulsion. This process is overseen by the Executive Committee, a group of 13 students elected by the student body. The Executive Committee also serves as the general student government.

The W&L Honor System is regarded as unique from other academic Honor Systems such as those found at the neighboring Virginia Military Institute or the University of Virginia because it is not codified, that is to say, it does not have a concrete set of rules that define punishable behavior. Although, as mentioned above, lying, cheating, and stealing are consistently considered dishonorable behavior by most students, such behavior is not defined as dishonorable in any rule or code; the dishonorable nature of these and other acts lie with the fact that the students consider such acts to be so.

The Honor System has some interesting effects on the W&L campus. The school claims that its campus is relatively safe. Many students, administrators, professors, and staff of Washington & Lee seem to feel that a feeling of trust and safety pervades the campus. Thus, many faculty and staff of the University (and indeed, many local Lexington merchants) feel comfortable taking W&L students at their word, and exams at W&L are unproctored and self-scheduled. It is not unusual to find professors at W&L who assign take-home, closed-book finals with an implicit trust in the student not to cheat.

Not all students conduct themselves in accordance with the Honor System. A number of students are expelled each year. Recently, expulsions have ranged from 8 in the 2003-2004 school year to a more modest 2 in the 2004-2005 year. The number of Honor cases that are brought is often two to three times the number of expulsions, as many students are found innocent.

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Alumni of Note

  • J. Michael Luttig '76 — Thought to be one of two potential nominess to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court

In total 27 alumni have served in the United States Senate, 67 have served in the United States House of Representatives, 31 have served as governor of a state, and 4 have served as Supreme Court Justices.

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Student Activities

Image:WashingtonAndLeeTrident.GIF The school's teams are known as "The Generals" and compete in NCAA Division III in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The student body is relatively conservative in its political outlook compared to most elite colleges and universities. Every four years, the school sponsors the Washington and Lee Mock Convention for whichever political party (Democratic or Republican) does not hold the Presidency. The Convention receives gavel-to-gavel coverage on C-SPAN and attention from many other national media outlets.

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Demographics

For a long time, the University was male only. While women at neighboring institutions were permitted to take courses at the University, they were not allowed to register as a full-time student. Women were permitted to enroll full-time starting in 1972 for the law school and 1985 for undergraduate. As of 2005, the University is 49% female, 51% male. [1]

The University has also attempted to increase the number of minority students enrolled. The student body used to consist of well over 90% white students. In recent years, that number has steadily decreased. The student body remains mostly white, but the number is currently a hair below 87%. [2]

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Fraternities and Sororities

Greek letter organizations play a major role in Washington and Lee's social scene. The following is a list of active, recognized Fraternities and Sororities.

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Fraternities

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Sororities

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External links

Template:Old Dominion Athletic Conferenceda:Washington and Lee University

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