For 19 of the Washington and Lee undergraduates who are spending their summer in the University's science laboratories, the road trip that the Career Services Office organized last week was an opportunity to peer into their future. At 6:30 a.m., the students left in vans for Bethesda, Md., where they joined students from Washington-area colleges at the National Institutes […]
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Washington and Lee University has named Brett M. Schwartz as director of its Hillel, effective July 15. As only the second person to hold the post, he succeeds Joan Robins, who retired this past June. Brett Schwartz, Director of Hillel at Washington and Lee University "We are delighted to have Brett join Washington and Lee," […]
When a contributor to the Miller-McCune magazine needed an expert, he knew who to call: Suzanne Keen, the Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English and chair of the Department of English at Washington and Lee University. Suzanne is quoted at length in an article titled “Teaching Empathy to the ‘Me’ Generation,” by Eric Leake, a […]
Former Washington and Lee women's basketball captain Bethany Dannelly, of the Class of 2005, has just been named an assistant coach at Colby College, in Maine. Bethany still holds the career records for assists (459) and steals (197) as the Generals' point guard. She never had fewer than 84 assists and 42 steals in a […]
James R. Kahn, the John F. Hendon Professor of Economics and director of Environmental Studies at Washington and Lee, has been invited to provide one of the keynote addresses at the 2011 LOICZ Open Science Conference in Yantei, China, in September 2011. LOICZ, the Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone, is an international research institute, […]
If you are a royal watcher, this has been a few months to savor, what with Prince William marrying Kate Middleton and Prince Albert of Monaco marrying Charlene Wittstock. Washington and Lee alumna Jane Lee, a 2009 graduate, has it all covered with her video report for Forbes Lifestyle. Jane is an associate editor and producer of Forbes […]
Two young alumni of Washington and Lee recently paid their respects to the late Cy Twombly ’53 in a most appropriate way — by seeing his art in person at two of the world’s great museums. Two days after Cy’s July 5 death, siblings Matt Null (Class of 2006) and Andrea Null (Class of 2010) began a family […]
Although social media seem to dominate conversations about the future of journalism, the current debt-ceiling impasse underscores the value and importance of traditional journalism, according to Pamela Luecke, a journalism professor at Washington and Lee University. "I don't mean to dismiss the power and potential of new forms of journalism," said Luecke, the Donald W. […]
When the devastating tornado tore apart his hometown of Joplin, Mo. in May, Washington and Lee alumnus Brent Beshore, of the Class of 2005, felt helpless. He was miles away in Columbia, Mo., but he wanted to do something. And he did. Brent created a Facebook page, Joplin, MO Tornado Recovery, that was designed, in […]
As the Harry Potter saga draws to a close with the July 15 opening of the final movie, stories abound in the media about what the event means for faithful readers and viewers. Many of them focus on college students in their late teens and early 20s who have literally grown up with Harry Potter, […]
Ron Pen '73 is awed by the power of music, and even more so by its social potential when people make music together. These interests have evolved in such a way that he is now director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music at the University of Kentucky, where he is a member […]
Business Insider website has just named the country's sexiest startup CEOs, and Washington and Lee alumnus Ross Hinkle, of the Class of 2001, is No. 8 on the list. Ross is the CEO of Liveset, which started up last year and presents live concert events for the Web and mobile devices in what it describes […]
In This Issue: A River of Music: Ron Pen '73 and his Passion for Harmony, Story and Photos by Patrick Hinely ’73; Alumni Weekend 2011: Thanks for Making the Journey
At the opening assembly, President Ruscio presented the Washington Award to Roger Mudd ’50(above). The award recognizes distinguished leadership and service to the nation and extraordinary acts of philanthropy in support of W&L and other institutions. Ruscio said that throughout his career, Mudd “covered history and has been a part of it, and throughout it […]
Roger Jeans found the hot, humid July weather in Lexington a bit of a shock when he returned from an out-of-town conference. His dismay is understandable, for the meeting, at which he was an invited speaker, took place in the balmy environs of Oxford, England. Roger, the Elizabeth Lewis Otey Professor Emeritus of East Asian […]
When Killeen King started learning Spanish in the sixth grade in Richmond, Va., the Washington and Lee University rising senior probably never imagined herself with a byline on a front-page story for one of the nation's top Spanish-language newspapers. Three times already this summer, King has had A-1 bylines and she has written plenty of […]
For Washington and Lee University economics professor Linda Hooks, who specializes in the study of money and banking, there is no way to overstate the potential calamity that would befall the U.S. and world economies if Congress and the president do not reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling. "From the economics perspective, the […]
When she was communications director for the House Democratic Caucus in 2007, Sarah Feinberg, a member of Washington and Lee's Class of 1999, described her résumé as a “bit schizophrenic" in an interview with Politico. The latest entry on that packed résumé is a new position at Facebook, where she will be focusing on communications about […]
Washington and Lee University closed the books on another successful fund-raising year in 2010-11, with $35.5 million in new gifts and pledges and the highest percentage of alumni in history donating to the University's Annual Fund. The Annual Fund exceeded its $7.3 million goal, recording a $400,000 increase over last year's record-setting total. The more […]
Readers of the Roanoke Times on Sunday, July 10, may have noticed a familiar face and name in the Business section — Jenny Elmes, a member of Washington and Lee’s Class of 1991. She made the news for her status as an environmentally conscious caterer. The Q&A explains how she decided to make her business, […]
Congratulations to Washington and Lee alumnus Lindsey Millar, of the Class of 2002, who has been elevated to editor of the Arkansas Times, a weekly alternative newspaper in Little Rock. A native of Searcy, Ark., and a history major at W&L, Lindsey has written for the Times since 2007 after holding previous positions at the […]
Lucas Morel, the Lewis G. John Term Professor of Politics, has been named to the editorial board of the new interdisciplinary journal, <em><a href="http://www.jackmillercenter.org/2011/07/american-political-thought-a-journal-of-ideas-institutions-and-culture/" target="_blank">American Political Thought: A Journal of Ideas, Institutions, and Culture</a>.</em> Published by the<a href="http://www.jackmillercenter.org/" target="_blank"> Jack Miller Center</a>, the journal "is concerned with classic texts and authors in the American political tradition and with key political ideas such as democracy, constitutionalism, equality, liberty, citizenship, political identity, and the role of the state." Morel has been a member of the W&L faculty since 1999 and was appointed to the John Term Professorship in 2010. He has served as the Garwood Visiting Fellow at Princeton University and as a Supreme Court Historical Trustee.<br /> <p> </p>
Seven Washington and Lee University seniors are pursuing research projects over the summer after winning Student Summer Independent Research (SSIR) grants from the University. Now in its fifth year, the SSIR program complements the University's R.E. Lee Scholars program, established in 1960. The SSIR grants underwrite students' independent research and creative projects, with faculty serving […]
Washington and Lee University has appointed Nicolaas A. Rupke, currently of the University of Göttingen, Germany, to the Johnson Professorship in the College, where he will focus his teaching and scholarship on the intersections of leadership and the history of ideas. Hank Dobin, dean of the College, announced Rupke's appointment, which will be effective on […]
After a career spanning 38 seasons, 7 University presidents and 5 athletic directors, Gary Franke has stepped down as W&L's head wrestling coach. "I just felt like it was time," said Franke. "I realized that the older I got, I couldn't wrestle with the guys anymore, and it's just become more challenging. So I was […]
Media magnate Rupert Murdoch's decision to shut down the British tabloid News of the World in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal sets a whole new standard for the response to a newspaper's ethical lapse, according to Edward Wasserman, media ethics professor at Washington and Lee University. "It's the first time I've ever seen ethical […]
Readers of the Richmond Times-Dispatch got a treat on Independence Day in the form of a story about Washington and Lee alumnus James A. Tyler Jr., of the Class of 1967. Jim is the great-grandson of President John Tyler. But he didn't make his mark in politics. As T-D reporter Carol Hazard wrote, he worked […]
Washington and Lee's campus is a hub of activity this summer, with a variety of projects underway to maintain the historic campus and enhance undergraduate teaching spaces. The work ranges from the completion of Payne Hall's restoration, to the installation of new turf on an athletic field, to the continuing implementation of the campus landscape […]
Terry Metz, library director and a professor at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I., has been named University librarian at Washington and Lee University. Metz's appointment, announced by Robert Strong, interim provost at Washington and Lee, is effective Sept. 1. Selected at the conclusion of a national search, Metz succeeds Merrily Taylor, who […]
Washington and Lee University business administration professor David Touve discussed the concept of "wicked problems," the subject of his recent Spring Term course, on WMRA radio's Virginia Insight program on July 7, 2011. In his description of the course, Touve wrote: "Simply put, the purpose of this course is to find a few ways and […]
The morning after finishing his Winter Term finals and then driving from Lexington to his home in Easton, Md., Michael McGuire, a rising junior at Washington and Lee, got up bright and early to record a song that he hoped would earn him $2,500 and a chance to meet one of his favorite singers, Toni […]
Serving more than 600 meals a week to people in the community, the students of Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee University (CKWL) will take all the help they can get. The Rockbridge County-based organization recently received a $25,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program to help them do more to fight hunger […]
Famed artist Edwin Parker "Cy" Twombly Jr., who died today in Rome at the age of 83, attended Washington and Lee for only one academic year — 1949-1950. But he and the University (and the city of Lexington, too) had a much deeper history than that single year suggests. Born and raised in Lexington, Cy […]
Paige Smith, a member of Washington and Lee’s Class of 2006, is spending the summer in Nairobi, Kenya, working with impoverished children. In her luggage are handmade gifts for the kids from a Lexington organization that includes many W&L employees, and from the mother of a new graduate. Paige made her first visit to Africa last […]