2024: The Year in Review

To: The W&L Community
From: President Will Dudley
Date: Dec. 16, 2024

At the end of each Fall Term, as the calendar year draws to a close, I pause to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for here at Washington and Lee. 2024 was exceptional by any measure. Here are some of the notable achievements of our students, faculty and staff over the past 12 months, all of which were possible thanks to the generosity of our alumni, parents, and friends.

Admissions: A Commitment to Excellence, Access and Affordability

Washington and Lee has long aspired to become need-blind in undergraduate admissions, which means having the financial strength to admit the most compelling applicants every time.  I am proud to report we have achieved this goal, thanks to Bill Miller ’72, who donated $132 million — the single largest gift in the university’s history — for financial aid.

W&L is now one of just a handful of schools in the nation that practice need-blind admissions and meet 100% of demonstrated financial need with aid packages that do not include loans.  Thanks to the W&L Promise, undergraduate students whose families have an income of less than $150,000 pay no tuition, and those whose families have an income of less than $75,000 pay no tuition, room or board.

This fall marked the 10th anniversary of Washington and Lee’s partnership with QuestBridge, which matches high-ability, low-income undergraduate students with top colleges and universities. W&L has increased the number of QuestBridge students by 60% over the last decade, from 15 per year to 24 in the Class of 2029.

Athletics: Another Year for the Record Books

The Generals continue to shine in athletic competitions, concluding 2024 with an impressive overall record of 237-80-7. The year’s highlights include 11 conference championships, 12 NCAA team tournament qualifications, and six individual appearances in the national postseason.

Men’s soccer and lacrosse advanced to the NCAA semifinals, with soccer making its third trip to that stage in the past four years. Women’s basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball all made it to the NCAA quarterfinals, while women’s soccer and tennis advanced to the round of 16. The men’s and women’s cross country teams had best-ever finishes at the national championships, with the women finishing eighth and the men, 21st. The men’s swim team had seven individuals compete at nationals, the most since 2012, and placed 22nd overall.

Football wrapped up its ninth consecutive winning season with a win in the Cape Henry Bowl. And men’s golf is ranked No. 1 in the country after winning the Golfweek October Classic in record-breaking fashion.

Eleven of our coaches earned Coach of the Year recognition at the conference, regional or national level.

The Arts: W&L Students Excel on Stage

The recent Holiday Pops and Lessons and Carols concerts are the latest in a series of outstanding arts performances throughout the year. The Repertory Dance Company staged its winter concert and W&L Dancers Create…, featuring student dancers and choreographers. Theater highlights included Dido and Aeneas, Begets: Fall of a High School Ronin, and Hamlet 50/50. We also enjoyed the full annual array of choral and instrumental concerts, which showcase the tremendous breadth and skill of our student musicians.

Jordan Peimer, former executive director of ArtPower at the University of California, San Diego, took the reins as director of the Lenfest Center for the Arts from Rob Mish ’76, who retires this month after nearly 35 years of dedicated service to his alma mater.

Faculty Excellence: Teachers and Scholars

Our faculty continue to excel as teachers and scholars, earning international accolades and research grants. These include a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant for the digital humanities project Florence as it Was, National Science Foundation (NSF) grants to study the effect of creativity in STEM and identify domestic sources of critical minerals, and a Health Research Council of New Zealand grant to study gastrointestinal motility. Our law faculty were recognized among the top 50 law faculties for research in the 2024 edition of the Scholarly Impact Ranking. I encourage you to subscribe to our AfterClass podcast, now in its fifth season, in which our professors discuss their teaching, research and passion projects.

The Full W&L Experience: Putting Learning to Work

Undergraduate and law students took many opportunities to further their academic and professional interests. More than 200 undergraduates took part in collaborative research with Washington and Lee faculty, setting a new record for participation in the Summer Research Scholars program. Hundreds of other students completed internships, including signature W&L experiences with the Shepherd Program, Community-Based Learning, Washington Term, and our London Internship Program. Forty-eight law students performed public interest work, supported by the School of Law’s Path to Public Interest Program. Haley Carter ’24L won a case in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals as a student attorney in W&L Law’s Black Lung Clinic, illustrating the powerful opportunities our six legal clinics provide for experiential learning.

Building Connections: Alumni Programs and Events

In addition to hosting our traditional campus and chapter events, Alumni and Career Services connected W&L alumni and students through career affinity programs, including the inaugural W&L Policy Forum in Washington, D.C. and the fifth Social Impact Careers Summit here in Lexington. These programs, along with the popular Real Estate Forum and Entrepreneurship Summit, and our Career Exploration Trips and chapter-based internships, introduce our students to possible career paths and strengthen the networks of Washington and Lee alumni who share professional interests.

Outstanding Outcomes: Students Experience Unprecedented Post-Graduate Success

Our students continue to enjoy tremendous post-graduate success, with 95% of the undergraduate Class of 2023 and 98% of the law class of 2023 employed or pursuing further study at six and 10 months, respectively, after graduation. A record number of W&L students received nationally competitive fellowship awards, with more students receiving Fulbright, Gilman, Goldwater, and Critical Language Scholarships in 2024 than in any previous year. W&L was named a top producer of Fulbright U.S. students for the sixth consecutive year, ranking third among all baccalaureate institutions. Tanajia Moye-Green was named the university’s first Knight-Hennessey Scholar, and will pursue a Ph.D. in sociology at Stanford University.

Engaged Citizenship: Doing Our Part

Washington and Lee continues to prioritize institutional citizenship by focusing on how we can best contribute not only to the success of our students, but also to the nation and the world. W&L was awarded the 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for our commitment to community engagement, led by our office of Community-Based Learning, which connects classroom learning to the real world through collaboration with local nonprofit agencies. The university also received high marks for its sustainability efforts from the Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

The 2024 Mock Convention, in which our students accurately predicted the Republican Party’s nomination of Donald Trump, highlighted W&L’s longstanding commitment to civic engagement and intellectual pluralism. Additionally, five of our students became the first team from Washington and Lee to qualify for the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl National Championship, where they will analyze and present arguments centered around today’s most pressing issues. And I have become a member of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, an initiative of the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, which unites 100 campus leaders across the country who are dedicated to preparing students for engaged citizenship.

An Evolving Campus Landscape: New Facilities for the Williams School and Student Wellness

Our physical campus continues to evolve to meet the needs of our current and future students. A new academic building for the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, with classrooms, faculty offices, and student spaces, is quickly taking shape on Washington Street. The Lindley Center for Student Wellness is rising simultaneously on East Denny Circle between the Woods Creek Apartments and Lewis Hall. Both facilities are on schedule to open in time for the coming academic year. This past summer, we expanded indoor and outdoor seating at the Marketplace in Elrod Commons, replaced the turf field and track at Wilson Field, and identified a location for the forthcoming Institutional History Museum on front campus.

Fundraising Milestones: Launching the Leading Lives of Consequence Campaign

And finally, 2024 was a milestone year in fundraising. October 25 marked the public launch of our $650 million Leading Lives of Consequence capital campaign. To date, we have raised more than $481 million in support of Washington and Lee’s strategic priorities, and we are on track to achieve our overall campaign goal by the target date of June 2027.

We bestowed the Washington Award, the university’s highest honor, on two individuals: Lettie Pate Evans, W&L’s largest benefactor, whose foundation has awarded more than $292 million to Washington and Lee since 1953 and whose philanthropic legacy inspired this year’s creation of our first leadership donor society for women; and Bill Miller ’72, whose historic $132 million gift, mentioned previously, ensures that Washington and Lee will be need-blind for undergraduate applicants in perpetuity.

As we turn our attention to 2025, I am grateful to be part of the remarkable Washington and Lee community: our gifted and industrious students, the faculty and staff who teach and mentor them, and the alumni and parents whose support makes possible everything we do. Thank you, as ever, for your devotion to W&L.

I wish you a joyous holiday season and a happy new year.