Parents Leadership Council

The Parents Leadership Council

The Parents Leadership Council (PLC) is an active and enthusiastic group of generous families who recognize the value of philanthropy in higher education and want to make a difference by demonstrating leadership support of Washington and Lee. Members enjoy unique opportunities and events throughout the year. The PLC offers opportunities to make important connections within the W&L community and to engage more deeply with the school. While the PLC is less focused on committee work than donor recognition, we do recruit volunteers to help us with outreach and engagement events. The PLC provides a nice way for parents to build a unique relationship with W&L — a relationship that is separate from their student’s experience and one that can be quite meaningful and special.

Levels of PLC Membership

• Circle • Recognizes annual contributions of $25,000 and above
• Steering Committee • Recognizes annual contributions of $10,000 - 24,999
• Member • Recognizes annual contributions of $5,000 - 9,999

Membership Opportunities

Engagement — W&L parents share many things in common, and we’ve come to realize that one of those is a sincere desire to make W&L the best it can be for all students. We value parents’ perspectives on the W&L experience. Throughout the year, parents are invited to a variety of gatherings where they have opportunities to interact with the president, key administrators, faculty and staff. We also look for ways to engage with parents when they are on campus for PLC events, athletics, performances or visiting their W&L student(s). For PLC Circle and Steering Committee members, these interactions often take the form of individual meetings with administrators, on-campus accommodations, special receptions and more. 

Events — Parents and Family Weekend (PFW) — In addition to the wide range of events designed for all families throughout PFW, we invite PLC members and prospective new members to a special cocktail reception on Friday evening and breakfast with a brief program on Saturday morning. This is always a great way to kick off the year and to thank and connect with current and potential new members. PLC Circle and Steering Committee members occasionally are invited to events designed exclusively for them.

PLC Weekend — Each spring we invite all PLC members to campus for engaging programs, opportunities to meet and hear from key administrators and faculty, plenty of time to network and socialize with new friends, and — best of all — a great excuse to come visit their W&L student(s). PLC members look forward to this fun weekend every year!

• Browse the schedule of events for PLC Weekend on March 14 – 16, 2024

Outreach — PLC members are instrumental in helping to foster a warm and welcoming environment for all W&L families. Each year, PLC volunteers make welcome calls to new families, host or attend summer/fall Welcome Receptions, host regional events through the Alumni Admissions Program (AAP) designed to encourage accepted students to attend W&L, and more. Some PLC members help facilitate philanthropy by working with staff to identify potential new PLC members and encouraging other families to participate.

Expertise — Our PLC membership is full of accomplished and generous parents, some who want to have a deeper level of engagement with W&L and are willing to share their time and expertise. When opportunities arise, we often look to the PLC to identify parents who would be a good fit for one of our advisory boards, strong additions to our network of alumni and parents who help mentor and advise students through the Office of Career and Professional Development, insightful visiting lecturers and speakers, and more. As we get to know our PLC members, we look for ways to add value to their PLC experience.

To learn more about the Parents Leadership Council, please contact: 

Tara Hackenberg
Director of Parent Giving
Washington and Lee University
thackenberg@wlu.edu
540-458-8128