Position Profile
An Invitation to Apply for the Position of President
— Washington and Lee Mission Statement
The Search for Washington and Lee’s President
Washington and Lee University seeks a president with the skill, vision, and commitment to lead this historic and principled university as a model of academic rigor, integrity, and civility, preparing graduates to lead lives of great character and achievement.
The University has a distinctive approach to liberal arts education that is evident in its three-part curricular structure, which includes two undergraduate divisions — the College and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics — and a graduate School of Law. Washington and Lee offers undergraduate programs in a wide range of liberal arts disciplines, as well as accredited programs in business, journalism, and education. The School of Law, one of the smallest in the nation, shares the liberal arts ethos and offers an innovative academic program with an emphasis on experiential education.
The core values of honor, integrity, and civility are central to W&L’s identity. The Speaking Tradition – a commitment among students, faculty, and staff to exchange friendly greetings in passing – sets the tone for a culture of respect and engagement evident in personal interactions and classroom conversations on campus. The University’s Honor System, whose roots stretch back to the mid-1840s, is entirely student-run and operates with a single sanction. Adherence to the Honor System creates an atmosphere of trust and freedom on campus and a bond among students and faculty that informs interactions in and beyond the classroom. Alumni frequently cite the Honor System as the most valuable and cherished element of the Washington and Lee experience, preparing them for ethical leadership in their communities and their professions.
The University’s core values also underwrite its longstanding commitment to freedom of expression. Washington and Lee actively nurtures intellectual pluralism, bolstered by its faculty-led Liberating Ideas initiative, and has sustained a vital community able to engage in respectful debate on any topic – including its own history.
Washington and Lee is one of the most selective and highly regarded universities in the nation. Undergraduate student satisfaction is high. According to recent student polls by The Wall Street Journal, W&L ranked #1 in student satisfaction among all liberal arts colleges for the last three years. Demand and selectivity have increased accordingly in the last decade, with an undergraduate acceptance rate of 14% and a yield of over 40% in 2024-25. The Law School is also on an impressive trajectory, with incoming classes reporting the highest GPA and LSAT scores in the school’s history.
Generations of careful financial stewardship and consistent giving have placed the University in an enviable position in American higher education. W&L benefits from an endowment of over $2 billion and consistently ranks among the top 10 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. for endowment per student. As of June 30, 2025, its endowment per student was $978,237, a figure that has grown by over 415% in the last 30 years.
The University is deeply committed to access and affordability. In 2024, W&L became need-blind in undergraduate admissions thanks to a $132 million gift – the largest in University history. Washington and Lee is one of the very few colleges and universities in the nation that is need-blind while also meeting the full demonstrated need of every undergraduate student through grants or work-study jobs, without loans. With 10% of each incoming class also receiving a full, merit-based Johnson Scholarship, its financial aid resources are truly best in class.
W&L’s outstanding academic programs and student support prepare graduates for success. The University’s first-year undergraduate retention rate is 97%, and its four-year graduation rate is 93% – both among the highest in the nation. Washington and Lee students enjoy extraordinary success in post-graduate fellowship competitions. The University is the number one producer of Rhodes Scholars among all liberal arts colleges over the last decade and has been named a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholarships for U.S. students for eight straight years.
W&L students also enjoy exceptional career and professional development resources and employment outcomes. Within six months of graduation, 94% of undergraduate students are employed or in graduate school, with many entering careers in finance, consulting, healthcare, and technology. Five-year acceptance rates to medical and law school are 92% and 85%, respectively. Law graduates experience similar success, with a 93% bar passage rate for first-time takers and 95% of graduates employed in bar passage or JD advantage jobs within 10 months of graduation. While most law graduates go on to law firms, they also pursue clerkships and careers in government, business, and the public interest.
The University is invested in the holistic curriculum inherent to the liberal arts yet committed to providing an education that is vital and relevant in the 21st century. Its academic offerings, campus culture, close-knit community, and commitment to access and affordability create an exceptional educational experience that combines intellectual rigor with personal support and broad access to opportunity.
The next president will join Washington and Lee at an exciting moment. In recent years, undergraduate applications and law applicant credentials reached an all-time high. Alumni remain actively engaged, setting records for reunion attendance, and the University’s current capital campaign, Leading Lives of Consequence, has raised approximately $600 million to date toward a $650 million goal and a campaign completion date of June 30, 2027. Progress on the initiatives in W&L’s 2018 strategic plan is well underway, and exciting opportunities remain, including the renovation and expansion of the University’s STEM facilities, the creation of an Institutional History Museum, and the expansion of residential and social spaces. The next president will oversee these initiatives while strengthening the University academically and financially, leading its community in the next generation of strategic planning, and championing the culture that makes W&L distinctive in higher education.
The President
The President leads a dedicated seven-person leadership team that includes the provost, the chief legal officer and general counsel, and five vice presidents — admissions and financial aid, communications and strategic initiatives, finance and administration, student affairs, and university advancement.
As the chief executive officer of the University, the president reports to the 30-member Board of Trustees and works closely with the Rector of the Board (chair). The trustees come from a broad range of professional backgrounds, locations, and constituencies. Wangdali C. “Wali” Bacdayan ’92, a private investor and entrepreneur, has served on the Board of Trustees since 2019 and as Rector since 2024. The board and the president engage in collegial, transparent dialogue through tri-annual meetings and a number of ad hoc and standing committees.
Opportunities and Challenges for the Next President
Honor, preserve, and champion Washington and Lee’s culture of integrity and civility.
At every historical inflection point and with each improvement and adaptation, Washington and Lee has retained its distinctive culture. The next president must represent the University in every dimension and steward the Honor System, the Speaking Tradition, and the norms of open, respectful discourse that define W&L’s community. It is not possible to lead W&L without leading in its ethos.
Complete current strategic initiatives and engage the community in the next generation of strategic planning.
In keeping with Washington and Lee’s motto, non incautus futuri (not unmindful of the future), the University looks to its future with care and preserves its identity even as it evolves. As W&L turns to the tenure of its next president, it expects to fulfill the commitments of the 2018 strategic plan and comprehensively engage the community in the next generation of strategic planning, adapting and innovating in the face of new challenges while remaining true to the University’s values and distinctions.
Enhance Washington and Lee’s position as a preeminent liberal arts university that prepares students for responsible leadership and engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society.
W&L graduates are well-prepared to enter an ever-changing world, developing the personal integrity, habits of mind, and technological fluency to sustain them throughout their careers. The next president has the opportunity to elevate W&L’s remarkable position, national profile, and trajectory of success by supporting the recruitment and retention of distinguished faculty; strengthening interdisciplinary opportunities across the University’s academic divisions; expanding support for advising and experiential learning; championing the University’s commitment to freedom of expression, academic freedom and intellectual inquiry; enhancing technological training and resources; and expanding career and professional development opportunities.
Strengthen W&L’s appeal to talented and engaged undergraduate students.
In the last decade, the University has become increasingly well-known and selective thanks to the breadth of its academic curriculum, the appeal of its community, the strength of its pre-professional and experiential programs, the quality of its athletic programs, the success of its graduates, and the sheer enthusiasm of its students and alumni.
W&L seeks to serve a broadly diverse group of students from across all demographic categories. The University expects that its next president will build on its record of success, enriching student life, further expanding financial aid, and personally championing the University to expand its reach to talented students from all backgrounds and sustain a welcoming community in which they can live and learn together.
Continue to strengthen the national profile of the School of Law.
W&L’s law school has an impressive reputation. It attracts talented students who seek a legal education with a highly attentive faculty and a distinctive experiential curriculum. Last year, the school’s acceptance rate was 23% with a yield of 24%. It frequently ranks among the top law schools for employment success, and The National Jurist 2025 report named W&L Law #2 in best-value private law schools in America. The school’s intimate academic program engenders close relationships between student and faculty and inspires the alumni loyalty for which W&L is known.
The Law School faces considerable competition. Major universities, both public and private, have raised large sums for financial aid and are actively competing for the top-caliber students W&L Law attracts. In the next president’s tenure, the University will expect to see the Law School sustain its current trajectory and improve its impressive position to become even more competitive in the national landscape.
Support the expansion of STEM programs and facilities.
Since W&L’s existing Science Center was last renovated in 1996, the University has experienced a 90% increase in majors across STEM departments and programs, and an 89% increase in student summer research. In 2026, the University announced it is seeking ABET accreditation to support and expand its well-established engineering program. With a strong faculty of teacher-scholars who are eager to involve undergraduates in their research, Washington and Lee has identified support for 21st-century science teaching and research needs as an institutional priority. The University is in the early stages of planning for an expanded science building estimated to cost $200 million. The next president will be expected to lead the effort to enhance W&L’s position in these fields and adapt its programs and facilities to a rapidly changing future.
Invest in residential facilities while maintaining W&L’s distinctive student experience
As a residential liberal arts institution, the University requires undergraduate students to live on campus for their first three years, with fourth-year students traditionally living in housing in downtown or in the surrounding area. Off-campus houses rival on-campus Greek houses as centers of undergraduate social life. There is currently no university housing for law students.
The 2016 addition of a third-year undergraduate housing requirement and the construction of attractive townhomes and apartments to accommodate upper-division students have been a welcome addition to campus, sparking interest in additional optional housing and enhanced social spaces for both undergraduates and law students. At the same time, many students and alumni appreciate the independence and responsibility that living off campus provides. As the University prepares for the addition of new campus housing options for both undergraduates and law students, the new president will need to carefully navigate the impact of that housing on W&L’s social environment, campus culture and its relationship with the Lexington community.
Understand and appreciate the University’s history.
Washington and Lee is the ninth-oldest institution in the United States, with a history that reflects the successes, failures, and challenges of our nation. It is named for both George Washington and Robert E. Lee, two of the most prominent figures in American history, who made direct contributions to the institution that were instrumental in its survival and evolution.
The next president must understand and appreciate Washington and Lee’s history as a critical component of the University’s identity, providing thoughtful leadership in navigating sensitive historical and cultural issues as the University fulfills its mission and its strategic commitment to build a modern Institutional History Museum that will present the full context of W&L’s history for the educational benefit of the university community and the general public.
Productively engage with constituents to articulate W&L’s value proposition.
Washington and Lee operates in a vital public and political world, where the opinions of multiple constituencies are critical to its success. The president represents the University and must create and sustain productive relationships with constituent groups, including students, faculty, parents, donors, alumni, community leaders, and elected and appointed officials, to effectively represent the interests of W&L, consistently explain its value proposition, and proactively and productively engage with these multiple constituencies.
Build on alumni affinity for their alma mater.
Washington and Lee alumni care deeply about their alma mater. It forged their friendships, shaped their character, and honed their minds. As a result, they are passionate and generous advocates of the institution, forming a dedicated network that is the foundation for much of its success. Alumni hold a wide range of viewpoints, as evidenced in 2020, when the Board of Trustees led an examination of the University’s name and symbols amidst the global pandemic. Guided by the University’s cultural commitments, the Board navigated the divides within the W&L community through a process widely regarded as thorough, respectful, and inclusive.
Over the past five years, Washington and Lee has made tremendous progress in reengaging alumni across generations and demographic groups whose affinity had been strained by the University’s examination of its history and its impact on W&L’s community. The next president must serve as a visible and passionate advocate and ambassador for Washington and Lee, continuing the vital work of rebuilding unity and deepening alumni affinity through visionary leadership, innovative programming, and personal interactions that connect its graduates with what makes W&L distinctive.
Lead fundraising efforts in support of strategic priorities.
W&L occupies a strong financial position built on generations of generosity from alumni, parents, and friends. Its president leads the University’s philanthropic efforts, personally participating in the careful cultivation and stewardship of major gifts. The next president will be responsible for successfully completing the Leading Lives of Consequence capital campaign, aligning future fundraising with strategic priorities, constructing the plan for the University’s next capital campaign, and effectively engaging donors, both large and small, in a shared vision for W&L’s future.
Qualifications and Characteristics
Washington and Lee seeks an exceptional leader with the intellectual vigor and unquestioned integrity to lead the institution into its next chapter. Though the Search Committee understands that no one individual will embody all qualifications in equal measure, the successful candidate will bring many of the following experiences, personal virtues, and values:
- Professional experience in either of the following areas: a) senior institutional leadership in a nationally recognized academic institution; or b) executive leadership in a non-academic organization, and a demonstrated aptitude to successfully transition to higher education.
- A genuine appreciation of W&L’s singular culture and steadfast commitment to honor, integrity, and civility;
- A deep understanding of and commitment to a liberal arts institution that embraces pre-professional programs and a highly ranked law school;
- Proven efficacy in working with a highly engaged governing board, as a group and as individuals; experience in building and maintaining relationships with an engaged and supportive board;
- A demonstrated ability to develop a strategic vision and the management expertise to execute that vision in a practical and inspiring way;
- A history of recruiting, developing, and retaining a world-class faculty; a strong appreciation of and experience with the academic world, its scholarly values, and professional culture;
- A history of recruiting, developing, and retaining top-quality senior leaders (i.e. the President’s direct reports);
- Recognized skill as a gifted communicator with the capacity to tell W&L’s unique story;
- A proven capacity to connect with and relate to all members of the W&L community on a personal level; an excellent listener who can build strong relationships and maintain open, accessible lines of communication with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents;
- A promoter of a balanced W&L student life providing support for and interest in W&L’s broad array of student clubs and organizations; NCAA athletic teams, and Greek life;
- A record of building and maintaining external relations and advancing an organization’s profile and reputation regionally, nationally, and internationally; the desire and ability to speak to the challenges facing higher education, especially the liberal arts, on national and global platforms.
- A talent to lead productive fundraising in an academic environment; an established background of fundraising success and campaign experience is highly desired;
- A leader for whom community is of essential importance, who will work to nurture a community where all feel welcome, engaged, and supported, and who is an active participant in such a community.
- A demonstrated respect for free speech, academic freedom, and diverse opinions on key social and political questions of the day; an advocate for civil discourse;
- Approachability, humor, and a sense of perspective and balance;
- A leader recognized for integrity and sound judgment.
The Essential Context
Washington and Lee is located in the heart of Virginia’s scenic Shenandoah Valley and is home to 1,916 undergraduate students from across the country and the world. They are taught by dedicated faculty in small classes with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio. More than 80% of W&L students come from out of state, and they live, work, and play in a close-knit community.
With 370 students, the Law School ranks among the most intimate of the nation’s top law schools. Like its undergraduate counterpart, the Law School maintains a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and appeals strongly to students who seek close relationships with their faculty and peers. Both undergraduate and law students are active in the local community through volunteer groups, internships, legal clinics, and community-based learning courses.
Academics
The combination of Washington and Lee’s small size, distinctive academic structure, expansive curriculum and outstanding student opportunities offers students the academic flexibility of a larger university with the support and faculty mentorship only a small college can provide.
Many of W&L’s academic programs are interdisciplinary, and students are encouraged to take advantage of the breadth of the curriculum. All three academic divisions contribute to the popular undergraduate Law, Justice, and Society minor and programming by interdisciplinary academic centers, including the Roger A. Mudd Center for Ethics; the DeLaney Center for the Study of Southern Race Relations, Culture, and Politics; and the Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship.
Washington and Lee’s faculty are dedicated teacher-scholars who prioritize teaching and are deeply committed to mentoring students in their personal and professional journeys. Many are nationally and internationally known experts in their fields who engage students in their research throughout the year. The close relationships that students develop with faculty are central to W&L’s educational experience, and they persist long after graduation. Thanks to the relationships forged with mentors and peers, W&L alumni have an uncommon affinity for their alma mater and remain closely connected to the University. They credit Washington and Lee with success in their personal lives and their careers, and they share that success with every new class of W&L students, providing internships, networking opportunities, and employment at graduation.
Undergraduate Curriculum
The College is home to the liberal arts core of the University, offering programs in visual and performing arts, humanities, social sciences, journalism and mass communications, education, natural and physical sciences, computer science, and mathematics. The Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics is an AACSB-accredited undergraduate business program, home to programs in accounting and finance, business administration, economics, entrepreneurship, and politics. It is distinctive amongst its peers for offering a business education within a larger liberal arts curriculum. The academic calendar is structured with two 12-week terms in the fall and winter, followed by a four-week Spring Term in which students explore a single topic in depth alongside fellow students and professors, on campus and around the world.
Interdisciplinarity and exploration are at the core of the curriculum. Students can choose from 37 majors and 42 minors, housed across 25 academic departments and 14 interdisciplinary programs. More than 40% of undergraduate students will pursue either a major or minor in both the College and the Williams School, and Williams School courses are open to all students, regardless of their major. In recent years, the University has strengthened its commitment to the arts and humanities through targeted initiatives to help students interested in these fields connect their studies to practical skills, acquire varied internships, and identify fulfilling career paths. A new general education curriculum is currently being developed to ensure all undergraduate students are exposed to the breadth of the liberal arts curriculum and provide core experiences proven to impact student success and fulfillment. It will be implemented beginning in the 2027-28 academic year.
W&L invests heavily in student research, both independent and in partnership with faculty. Students can apply for research stipends to partner with a professor or undertake independent research, both on campus and in the field. Opportunities span the sciences, arts, and humanities, and students are encouraged to take part in the University’s biennial Science, Society, and the Arts research conference.
Hands-on experience is also available in the form of internships, global learning, and community engagement. W&L is committed to ensuring that financial resources are not a barrier to participation, offering abundant resources to help students identify internships both in the United States and abroad, and grant funding to support travel, living costs, and other expenses associated with internships and equivalent experiences. About 70 percent of students participate in an experience abroad during their time at W&L. These experiences span full-year, semester, Spring Term, summer program, internship, research, and service opportunities.
Community engagement is the bridge that connects W&L to surrounding communities. Students get practical experience and contribute to the greater good by collaborating, learning, and growing together with the community in mutually beneficial ways. Programs such as Community-Based Learning, the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, and the Bonner Program offer students opportunities to integrate academic coursework and leadership development into community service work.
Law School Curriculum
The Law School is W&L’s only graduate program, seeking to cultivate broad-minded, highly skilled, and honorable practitioners of the law. One of the smallest of the nation’s top-tier law schools, it shares the University’s liberal arts ethos and fosters a close-knit community in which students benefit from interacting with talented faculty in small instructional settings. While law schools have traditionally taught all students in the same way for all three years, W&L Law offers a sequence of learning experiences rooted in the basic assumption that each year of law school should build upon the lessons of its predecessor and present new and different challenges while pushing students further along the continuum from beginning law student to lawyer-to-be.
A law school well-known for its curricular innovations, W&L was one of the first to introduce small-section legal writing classes and to require a transnational law course in the first year. During the second and third years, students broaden their knowledge by selecting from a wide array of more specialized and rigorous courses and further hone their writing skills. They also take their first steps into actual practice and begin to develop the habits and mindset of successful lawyers. W&L Law requires 18 experiential credits for graduation – three times the American Bar Association requirement. Students complete these credits in litigation- and transaction-based practicum classes, in legal clinics, and through a robust externship program. The combination of the demanding study of legal doctrine and analysis with simulated and real-world practice experiences creates a unique opportunity for law students to learn in context and be truly prepared for the legal profession upon graduation.
Like its undergraduate counterpart, the School of Law provides meaningful opportunities for students to engage in the community through six legal clinics focused on civil rights and racial justice, civil legal concerns, criminal defense, immigrant rights, tax disputes, and federal “Black Lung” benefits for disabled coal miners and their families. The school’s Path to Public Interest Program provides financial support for students seeking internships and jobs in fields including legal aid and government.
The Student Experience
Student Life
Washington and Lee students are multi-dimensional and highly engaged. It is rare to find a student with a single academic or extracurricular focus. There are more than 150 student clubs and organizations, ranging from leadership and service to recreation and fitness, arts and culture to religious and spiritual life. Outdoor recreation is a popular pastime for students, who take advantage of W&L’s location to participate in activities such as backpacking, fly fishing, kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and caving through the University’s Outing Club. More than 70% of students participate in a vibrant and engaged Greek Life. There are currently nine IFC fraternities, six NPC sororities, and four historically black Greek letter organizations at W&L. Greek life is notable at W&L because of both the breadth of student involvement and its inclusivity. Most social events are open to all students, and for those who participate, Greek affiliation is frequently just one aspect of their identity on campus.
The University boasts a strong Division III athletic program, with more than 30% of undergraduate students competing on 24 intercollegiate athletic teams in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, along with a wide range of club sports and intramurals. W&L finished 13th overall in the final 2024-25 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Division III standings, driven by 18 teams reaching the postseason and 12 ODAC championships. The athletic program emphasizes holistic development, and student-athletes are drawn to the high caliber of athletics and academics W&L offers, as well as the opportunity to be an integral part of the University community. Head athletic coaches have faculty status and teach physical education courses, which remain a requirement for all undergraduates.
The University offers equally robust theater and arts programming in the Lenfest Center for the Arts, a multi-use performing arts facility designed and equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of art exhibitions, along with touring productions and student performances from W&L’s repertory dance company, award-winning concert choir, and range of musical ensembles. The Lenfest Center hosts more than 100 art, theater, dance, and musical events annually.
The Law School also offers a similarly vibrant student experience. Law students can select from over 30 student organizations, ranging from the Student Bar Association to affinity, service, and political organizations, as well as the popular Law School Football League. Students can further their writing and research skills by joining one of the three law school journals and improve their oral advocacy through participation in Moot Court competitions. As a part of the larger W&L community, law students can take advantage of cross-campus organizations and leadership opportunities, participating in musical groups, theatrical performances, athletic and Outing Club events, and group fitness classes. They also serve as advisors or informal mentors to undergraduate clubs and Greek organizations.
Leadership development is central to the student experience. Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society, was founded at Washington and Lee in 1914, and the local chapter remains active today. Students serve as leaders on campus and off, as resident advisors, peer tutors, and club leaders, or via participation in leadership and service in the community. The student government’s role on campus reflects an institutional belief in student autonomy. The Executive Committee (EC) includes representatives from each class and is responsible for administering the Honor System and allocating funds to student organizations. Students lead the Student Judicial Council, Interfraternity Council, and Panhellenic Council, which adjudicate student conduct on campus. W&L students are also responsible for Mock Convention, a quadrennial tradition in which student delegates predict the presidential nominee of the political party then out of the White House. Thanks to careful research and interactions with state and national political leaders, the student delegates boast a 74% accuracy rate over the event’s 118-year history. The LEAD Program, a two-year, comprehensive leadership program, develops leadership skills through various workshops, team-building exercises, roundtable discussions, reflective activities, and service.
Access and Affordability
The University has an unparalleled commitment to enrolling talent across all social and demographic groups. Nearly two-thirds of each entering undergraduate class receive W&L grant aid. Through the W&L Promise, undergraduate students with annual household income of less than $150,000 pay no tuition, and those with annual household income of less than $75,000 pay no tuition, room, or board. In addition to being need-blind for all undergraduate students and meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need with aid packages that do not include loans, W&L offers the Johnson Scholarship, one of the premier merit-based programs in the country. Established in 2008 through a transformative $100 million gift, the Johnson Scholarship recognizes students for academic achievement, demonstrated leadership and integrity, and their potential to contribute to the intellectual and civic life of the W&L campus and the world at large. It is awarded to 10 percent of each incoming class, covering tuition and fees, housing and food, and $10,000 for summer experiences.
The Law School is also recognized as an excellent value, offering a lower tuition and cost of living than its private school rivals, along with generous financial aid. Over 90% of law students receive scholarship support, with an average award of $31,753. Fundraising for new law scholarships recently topped $35 million.
Faculty and Staff
Washington and Lee faculty are devoted teachers and scholars who uphold the highest academic standards and take a personal interest in their students’ lives. The depth and intensity of interactions with inspiring, attentive, and creative faculty members are a primary feature of the student experience at W&L. In keeping with the University’s commitment to teaching, five professors and staff have been honored with individual teaching awards from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC), and 18 have received Outstanding Faculty Awards from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) — the state’s highest teaching honor. Washington and Lee currently has 295 full-time faculty members: 259 in the two undergraduate divisions and 36 in the School of Law.
W&L employs 1,083 staff who are integral not only to the administration, maintenance, and operation of the University but also to its educational mission. The staff’s loyalty, hard work and commitment to the mission of W&L are critical to its success.
Location
Consistently named one of the best small towns in Virginia and the South overall, Lexington is located in Virginia’s picturesque Shenandoah Valley. The charming downtown adjacent to campus is home to shops, galleries, museums, restaurants, hotels, seasonal festivals, an outdoor concert venue, and a farmer’s market. It is also home to the Virginia Military Institute, which, along with Washington and Lee, contributes culturally to the area. With a population of 7,000, Lexington is a place where people know their neighbors and are actively involved in the community. Students and employees contributed almost 72,000 volunteer hours to local nonprofit organizations in 2024-25. The surrounding landscape is adventure-ready. With the Maury and James Rivers and the Appalachian Trail nearby, there are countless outdoor pursuits available to Lexington residents. The campus is about forty-five minutes to Roanoke, one hour from Charlottesville, two hours from the state capital of Richmond, and three hours from Washington, D.C.
Finances
Washington and Lee is in a strong financial position, as indicated by an endowment of $2.19 billion and net assets of $2.55 billion in FY25. The University maintains Aa3 and AA ratings with Moody’s and S&P, respectively. The University has invested $156.7 million in capital projects since the adoption of the University’s Strategic Plan in May 2018, including a new academic building for the Williams School, the new Lindley Center for Student Health and Wellness, improvements to campus dining facilities, a utility-scale solar project that matches 100% of campus electricity consumption, and upgrades to the campus utilities infrastructure that will ultimately allow for the elimination of fossil fuels in the campus heating plant.
The public phase of the Leading Lives of Consequence capital campaign saw the most successful fundraising year in the institution’s history, with pledges and gifts totaling nearly $200 million in FY25. In addition to extraordinary individual gifts, W&L continues to benefit from an annual estate gift from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, established in 1955. Distributions from the foundation in 2025 totaled more than $14 million, bringing the cumulative total to more than $300 million and making Letitia Pate Evans the University’s most generous benefactor.
Alumni have traditionally provided generous support each year, with annual giving participation rates exceeding 30 percent. Giving to the W&L Fund has topped $10 million in 10 of the last 11 years. Annual gifts, endowment spending, tuition revenue, and auxiliary enterprises each contribute to an annual operating budget totaling $225 million for 2025-26. Endowment distributions and annual gifts have outpaced net tuition as the University’s main revenue source since 2015, now accounting for 55% of the University’s operating revenue, while tuition and fees account for 32%. W&L is committed to providing a high-quality education as efficiently as possible, reporting the third-lowest ratio of administrative costs to educational expenditures in the top 25 liberal arts colleges.
History
Washington and Lee’s history has been shaped by key figures and moments in American history. Founded as Augusta Academy in 1749, it became Liberty Hall Academy in 1776. In 1796, George Washington gave the school a gift of $20,000 of canal stock, believed to be one of the largest gifts to an educational institution at that time. The academy’s trustees expressed their gratitude to and respect for Washington by renaming the school, first as Washington Academy and later as Washington College.
Washington College was one of the few southern colleges to remain open throughout the Civil War. Fewer than 50 students were enrolled in 1865, when the college awarded only one degree. In 1865, the trustees of Washington College invited General Robert E. Lee to become president of the institution. Under President Lee’s leadership, the college expanded its classical curriculum, annexing the Lexington Law School and adding courses in business, journalism, modern languages, science, and engineering. Lee is also credited with helping to establish the campus culture of integrity and civility that exists today.
When Lee died on Oct. 12, 1870, the college had regained its financial footing, and enrollment had grown to more than 400 students. Upon his death, the faculty requested that the trustees rename the college in Lee’s honor. The trustees agreed to change the name to Washington and Lee University. Lee House, Lee’s home on campus, is now the president’s house, and Lee is buried in a mausoleum in the chapel he built on campus during his presidency, along with members of his extended family.
Washington and Lee operated as an all-male school until 1972, when the first female law students matriculated. The undergraduate division became coeducational in 1985. Over the past forty years, the University has become increasingly selective. The introduction of the Johnson Scholarship Program in 2008 significantly enhanced the University’s ability to attract exceptionally talented students from around the world.
The University’s history has been a topic of discussion over the last two decades, and has led to several steps, including the 2014 removal of Confederate battle flags from the chapel; the 2016 introduction of a permanent historical marker on campus recognizing the 84 African American men, women, and children who were bequeathed to the University as part of a donor’s estate and who continued to be owned by the school for about three decades prior to the Civil War; the 2017 creation of a presidential Commission on Institutional History and Community; and the 2018 renaming of two buildings on campus. In 2020, in response to calls from students, faculty, and alumni, the Board of Trustees appointed a special committee to undertake a year-long, comprehensive review of the University’s name, history, and symbols. In 2021, the board announced that the institution would continue to be known as Washington and Lee University, but also committed to making changes to campus buildings, practices, and governance.
The Current Moment
William C. Dudley became Washington and Lee University’s 27th president in January 2017. In the decade under his leadership, W&L has seen major fundraising success, introduced new academic initiatives, improved the physical campus, advanced sustainability initiatives, and conducted a thorough examination of the University’s history. Dudley has announced plans to conclude his service in June 2026.
The next president will join a proud institution with considerable momentum. The University continues to make excellent progress toward the goals of the Leading Lives of Consequence capital campaign, launched publicly in 2024 and the most ambitious fundraising effort in the institution’s 277-year history. The campaign will underwrite initiatives outlined in the University’s Strategic Plan that enable Washington and Lee to continue to offer a truly exceptional education. It will provide the resources to attract and support top-quality students and faculty, invest in its innovative liberal arts and legal curriculum, expand student opportunities, and provide first-rate facilities that support its mission
Work on these initiatives is already well underway. The Duchossois Athletic and Recreation Center, the Lindley Center for Student Wellness, the Harte Center for Teaching and Learning, and a new academic building for the Williams School — the University’s first LEED Gold-certified facility — are complete. In process are Founders Hall (a new admissions and financial aid center), an institutional history museum, and a new golf course in partnership with the local country club. An expanded and renovated science center, additional student housing, enhanced rehearsal spaces for the performing arts, and a softball field are still in the planning phases.
Programmatically, W&L has added new minors in data science, entrepreneurship, legal studies, and arts management, and founded the DeLaney Center for the Study of Southern Race Relations, Culture, and Politics. Additional resources have been secured and allocated towards undergraduate research and study abroad.
With the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign on track for successful completion in 2027 and corresponding progress in implementing the University’s strategic plan, the next president will join at a time of significant energy and with a platform to lead the institution forward.
Applications, Inquiries, and Nominations
Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/washington-and-lee-university/president.
- John Isaacson, Chair
- Daniel Rodas, Partner
- Andy Marshall, Managing Associate
- Stephen Kalogeras, Senior Associate
- Mindy Cimini, Senior Search Coordinator
In compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Virginia Human Rights Act, and all other applicable non-discrimination laws, Washington and Lee University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, military status, genetic information, or any other protected class under the law in its educational programs and activities, admissions, and with regard to employment. Inquiries may be directed to Lauren E. Kozak, Title IX Coordinator, Elrod Commons 237, (540) 458-4055, kozakl@wlu.edu, who is designated by the University to coordinate compliance efforts and carry out its responsibilities under Title IX, as well as those under Section 504 and other applicable non-discrimination laws.
This document has been prepared based on the information provided by Washington and Lee University. The material presented in this leadership profile should be relied on for informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the original source documents and information provided by Washington and Lee University would supersede any conflicting information in this document.