W&L’s Mudd Center Announces Next Leadership Lab
Judge Michael Luttig ’76, P’14 and Lewis Powell III ’74, P’18, P’20 will lead a discussion on power and accountability on Nov. 13.
Mudd Center for Ethics Archive (123 Stories)
Benjamin Backer is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Backer, founder and CEO of Nature is Nonpartisan, will give a lecture on Oct. 28 in Stackhouse Theater.
W&L’s Mudd Center Presents Screening of ‘Anthropocene: The Human Epoch’
The Sept. 30 screening features the work of Edward Burtynsky, whose solo exhibition is on view at the Reeves Museum of Ceramics.
W&L’s Mudd Center Announces 2025-26 Lecture Series
“Taking Place: Land Use and Environmental Impact” kicks off Sept. 11 with a keynote address by political scientist Thea Riofrancos.
Art Museum and Galleries at W&L: Fall 2025 Programs and Exhibitions
This academic year’s lineup of exhibits and events will explore the theme of “Materiality & Transformation.”
Megan Hess ’97 Named Class of 1960 Professor of Ethics and Accounting
Hess, a professor of accounting, will hold the position for three years.
Melissa Kerin Quoted in ProPublica Article
The professor of art history and director of the Mudd Center for Ethics offered her opinion on the nuances of the return of a Buddha sculpture by the Art Institute of Chicago to the Government of Nepal.
W&L’s Mudd Center Announces Leadership Lab Initiative
The public lecture series kicks off May 7 with an inaugural talk by Kenneth Ruscio ’76.
Jim Withers is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Withers, founder of the Street Medicine Institute, will give a lecture on March 26 at 5 p.m. in Stackhouse Theater on W&L’s campus.
W&L Presents an Evening with Playwright and Actor Christine Toy Johnson
Johnson will present excerpts of her recent musical and give a public talk on March 24 at 7 p.m. in Johnson Theater.
Mudd Lecture Series to Examine the Ethics of Medical Aid in Dying
The virtual panel discussion will take place on Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.
Erica Lord is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Lord, a multimedia artist at the Institute of American Indian Arts, will give a lecture on Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in Wilson Concert Hall.
Carl Elliott is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Elliott, a bioethicist at the University of Minnesota, will give a lecture on Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. in Northen Auditorium.
Lawyer and Historian Paul Lombardo to Deliver Lecture on Buck v. Priddy Court Case
The Nov. 18 lecture is open to the public and marks the centenary of the case argued in Amherst County, Virginia.
‘W&L After Class’ Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Melissa Kerin
In this month’s episode, Kerin, professor of art history, discusses how following her curiosity of the ways in which people tell stories opened her to opportunities to study remote Buddhist shrines in the Himalayas and examine how we live and die as the director of the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics.
Ricardo Nuila is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Nuila, associate professor of medicine, medical ethics and health policy at Baylor College of Medicine, will give a lecture on Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. in Northen Auditorium.
W&L’s Mudd Center Announces 2024-25 Lecture Series
“How We Live and Die: Stories, Values, and Communities” kicks off Sept. 19 with a keynote address by Duke University professor Adjoa Boateng Evans.
W&L’s Mudd Center for Ethics Hosts Annual Undergraduate Conference
Jonathan Gingerich will deliver the keynote address at the virtual conference on Feb. 17.
Unjudge Someone
The Human Library, a collaboration between the Mudd Center for Ethics and Leyburn Library, brought the W&L community together in conversation.
Candy Chang is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Chang, an urban artist and designer, will give a lecture on Feb. 19 at 5 p.m.
Elgin Cleckley is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Cleckley, assistant professor of architecture and design at the University of Virginia, will give a lecture on Feb. 1 at 5 p.m.
Steve Wei is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Wei, a stage combat instructor, will host a workshop on Jan. 30 at 5 p.m.
The Mudd Center for Ethics Presents “Before I Die” Art Project
The W&L community is invited to participate in the public art project, on view in Leyburn Library beginning Jan. 11.
Melissa R. Kerin Selected as Next Director of the Mudd Center for Ethics
The associate professor of art history will serve as the Mudd Center Director for three years beginning July 1, 2024.
Sara Hendren is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Hendren, a professor at Northeastern University, will give a lecture on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.
Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, will give a lecture on Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.
George Aye is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
George Aye, co-founder and director of innovation at Greater Good Studio, will give a lecture on Oct. 9 at 5 p.m.
W&L’s Mudd Center Announces 2023-24 Lecture Series
“Ethics of Design” kicks off Sept. 21 with a keynote address by MIT Professor Danielle Wood.
Richard Weissbourd to Present Virtual Lecture in the Mudd Lecture Series
Richard Weissbourd will give a virtual lecture on March 21 at 5 p.m.
W&L Celebrates Women’s History Month
The campus community will recognize women’s achievements with various events throughout the month of March.
W&L’s Mudd Center for Ethics Hosts Annual Undergraduate Conference
The virtual conference on March 4 will feature students from across the country.
Céline Leboeuf is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Center’s CareLab Event Series
Céline Leboeuf, an associate professor of philosophy at Florida International University, will give a public lecture in Hillel 101 on March 9 at 4 p.m.
Lynn Chin is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Lynn Chin, an associate professor of sociology at Washington and Lee University, will give a lecture on March 2 at 5 p.m.
W&L Presents “Blacks and Jews in America: An Invitation to Dialogue”
Terrence Johnson, professor of African American religious studies at Harvard University, will discuss his latest book on March 1.
Seema Gajwani is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Seema Gajwani, a special counsel for juvenile justice reform at the D.C. Office of the Attorney General, will give a lecture on Feb. 9 at 5 p.m.
Kyle Bass is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Center’s CareLab Event Series
The playwright will host a screening of his play “Citizen James” and a playwriting workshop Feb. 14-15.
John Lysaker is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
John Lysaker, a professor of philosophy at Emory University, will give a lecture on Jan. 30 at 5 p.m.
Leslie Wingard Cunningham Named W&L’s Associate Provost for Faculty Development
Wingard Cunningham joins W&L from College of Wooster, where she is the Mildred Foss Thompson Professor of English and dean for faculty development.
The Mudd Center’s Carelab Series Presents Megan K. Mueller
Mueller will give a public lecture in Northen Auditorium on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.
Oscar Jerome Stewart to Present Next Lecture in the Mudd Lecture Series
Oscar Jerome Stewart, an assistant professor of management at the College of Charleston, will lecture on Nov. 3 at 5 p.m.
Washington and Lee Names Seven Faculty Members to Endowed Professorships
These faculty have been recognized for their outstanding teaching, scholarship and service to the university.
Helen Y. Weng is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Helen Y. Weng, a clinical psychologist, neuroscientist and research associate at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Osher Center for Integrative Health, will give a lecture on Sept. 22 at 5 p.m.
Karla Murdock to Deliver Lecture in Honor of Endowed Professorship
The title of Murdock’s talk is “Paying attention: Habits of Mind and Psychological Well-being.”
W&L’s Mudd Center Launches New Lecture Series
“Beneficence: Practicing an Ethics of Care” kicks off Sept. 15 with a keynote address by Professor Karen Stohr.
Katharine Hayhoe is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Katharine Hayhoe will give a virtual lecture at W&L on March 14 at 5:30 p.m.
Neeru Paharia is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Neeru Paharia, associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, will give a public lecture on March 9 at 5 p.m. at W&L.
Creating Community
As part of its 2021-22 lecture series on daily ethics, the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics at Washington and Lee University partnered with Staniar Gallery and invited community members to participate in a collaborative art project called the Daily Ethics Mosaic, which is now on display in Wilson Hall's Lykes Atrium.
W&L’s Staniar Gallery Daily Ethics Mosaic Exhibition Opens Jan. 10
The large-scale community artwork created as part of a Mudd Center program will be on view in Wilson Hall's Lykes Atrium through Feb. 9.
Chantal Bilodeau is the Fourth Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Chantal Bilodeau, the founder and artistic director of The Arctic Cycle, will give a lecture on Nov. 11 at 5 p.m.
Andrew Chignell is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Andrew Chignell, a professor at Princeton University, will give a lecture on Oct. 28 at 5 p.m.
Jelani Cobb is the Next Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
Cobb, a staff writer for The New Yorker, will give a lecture at W&L on Oct. 7.
Mudd Center Announces 2021-22 Lecture Series on Daily Ethics
"Daily Ethics: How Individual Choices and Habits Express Our Values and Shape Our World” kicks off Sept. 27 with a keynote address by Professor of Philosophy Cheshire Calhoun.
Lost and Found
Two presenters who met at a 2017 conference at Washington and Lee joined forces to repatriate a stolen Nepali deity.
New Exhibit Illustrates Perilous Path to Opportunity
Hostile Terrain 94, a global pop-up exhibit that takes a powerful look at the human cost of undocumented migration at the U.S. southern border, opened at W&L this week after years of planning and collaboration.
Jason De León is Final Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
De León will give a virtual lecture on May 4 at 5 p.m. as part of W&L's Mudd Center for Ethics series.
W&L’s Weissman to Give Anne and Edgar Basse Jr. Author Talk
Jeremy Weissman will talk about his recent book, “The Crowdsourced Panopticon: Conformity and Control on Social Media,” on March 31.
Harvard’s Katrina Forrester is Next Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
Katrina Forrester will give a virtual lecture on March 25 at 5 p.m. as part of W&L’s Mudd Center for Ethics series.
Felix Kwame Yeboah is Next Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
Felix Kwame Yeboah will give a virtual lecture on March 15 at 5 p.m. as part of W&L’s Mudd Center for Ethics series.
In Memoriam: Roger H. Mudd ’50
The award-winning journalist covered some of the most important stories of the 20th century.
W&L Hosts Jocelyn Bioh for Two Streamed Events in March
Bioh's hit comedy "School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play" will be screened online March 16, and a virtual talk by Bioh will occur March 18.
W&L’s Mudd Center for Ethics Hosts Annual Conference
The two-day virtual conference will begin March 6 and feature students located across the country.
W&L’s Weissman Publishes Textbook
Mudd Postdoctoral Ethics Fellow Jeremy Weissman recently published a textbook titled "The Crowdsourced Panopticon: Conformity and Control on Social Media."
W&L Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Brian Murchison
"W&L After Class: The Lifelong Learning Podcast" invites listeners to join conversations with W&L's expert faculty, giving them a walk down the Colonnade from the comfort of their home.
Valerie Hudson is Next Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
Valerie Hudson, George H.W. Bush Chair and professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University, will deliver a virtual lecture on Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. as part of W&L’s Mudd Center for Ethics series.
W&L Professor, Physician Alumnus to Deliver Talk in 2021 Mudd Series
Assistant Professor Erin Taylor and Dr. Ralph Caldroney’s public discussion, which is open to the public to view online, is titled "Ethical Issues in the Context of Covid-19."
Talks, Exhibits, Podcasts for Holiday Downtime
COVID-19 may have forced events to go virtual this Fall Term, but that means some guest speaker talks and art exhibits can still be enjoyed online.
Jonathan Wortham is the First Speaker in the 2021 Mudd Lecture Series
Dr. Jonathan Wortham '04 is the outbreak investigations team leader in the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Elizabeth Kolbert is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series
Elizabeth Kolbert, a staff writer for The New Yorker, will give a virtual lecture on Oct. 29 at 5 p.m.
Karla Murdock Named Next Director of the Mudd Center for Ethics
Karla Klein Murdock, professor of cognitive and behavioral science at Washington and Lee University, has been named the next Roger Mudd Professor of Ethics and director of the university’s Roger Mudd Center for Ethics.
Anne-Marie Slaughter is Next Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
Slaughter's lecture, which is open to the public to view online, is titled "Renewing the Promise of America: Looking Back to Move Forward."
W&L’s Thomas H. Speedy Rice is Third Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
Rice's lecture, which is open to the public to view online, is titled "Cultural Norms and the Export of the W&L Honor System."
Mudd Center Announces 2020-21 Lecture Series on Global Ethics
“Global Ethics in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges,” a collaboration between the Mudd Center for Ethics and the Center for International Education, kicks off Sept. 24 with a keynote address by former U.S. ambassador and Sewanee University President Reuben E. Brigety.
Tolu Olubunmi ’02 to Deliver International Day of Peace Talk
Tolu Olubunmi, a 2002 graduate of Washington and Lee, will return to her alma mater as the guest speaker for Washington and Lee’s first International Day of Peace event.
Mary Anne Franks to Deliver Constitution Day Address
Franks, a professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law, will discuss the topic of her 2019 book, “The Cult of the Constitution: Our Deadly Devotion to Guns and Free Speech.”
Canceled – W&L’s Mudd Center for Ethics Hosts Half-Day Conference
The conference is titled Ethics and Technology: Surveillance, Civil Rights, and Cyber-Security.
JMU Professor to Give Keynote for Mudd Undergraduate Ethics Conference
The conference is free and open to the public.
W&L’s Murdock and Whiting Co-Present Next Mudd Lecture
Their talk is titled "The New Appendage: Cellphones in Cognitive and Behavioral Context."
Franklin Foer is the Next Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
Franklin Foer, a national correspondent for The Atlantic and a fellow at the New American Foundation, will give a public lecture at W&L.
Virginia Eubanks is the Fifth Speaker in W&L’s Mudd Lecture Series
Eubanks' talk is titled "The Shakedown State: Digital Debt, Economic Inequality and Automation in Public Services."
Helen Nissenbaum to Speak in Mudd Lecture Series
Nissenbaum's talk, which is free, is titled "Privacy as Contextual Integrity: Thwarting the Great Regulatory Dodge."
Ronald C. Arkin is Third Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
Arkin is a roboticist and roboethicist.
Virginia Military Institute Professor is Second Mudd Lecture Series Speaker
Smith’s talk is titled “An Ethical Framework for a God-Like Intellect.”
Virginia Judge Rounds Out Mudd Center Speaker Series
The talk is free and open to the public.
Lawyer and Bioethicist to Give Keynote Address for ‘Ethics of Technology’ Series
Johnston’s talk is titled “The Good Parent in an Age of Gene Editing: How Novel Genetic Technologies Challenge Parental Responsibility.”
Final Mudd Lecture of the Academic Year to Feature Professor and Author Jonathan Lear
Lear's talk, which is free and open to the public, is titled “What Would It Be to Mourn Gettysburg?"
David Luban to Deliver Mudd Series Lecture
Luban’s lecture, which is titled "The Ethics of Professional Identities in Law and War,” will explore facets of professional identity.
Joy Harjo is Fifth Speaker in Mudd Lecture Series
The title of her talk, which is free and open to the public, is "Exile in Memory."
Fourth Mudd Lecturer Talks Bioculture of Ethics and Identity
Rebecca M. Jordan-Young, a sociomedical scientist, is the fourth speaker in the 2017-18 “Ethics of Identity” series.
Playwright Paula Vogel is the Third Speaker in W&L’s Ethics of Identity Series
Vogel's talk, which is free and open to the public, is titled “The Art of Tolerance.”
Anita Foeman to Discuss DNA and Identity in Second Mudd Lecture
The title of Foeman's lecture is "DNA and Identity: Changing the Conversation About Who We Are."
NYU Professor to Give Keynote Address for “Ethics of Identity” Series
Appiah will speak on “The Ethics of Identity: The Injuries of Class.”
Finding Beauty Behind Bars
After taking a course at Augusta Correctional Center, two W&L juniors helped to organize an exhibition at the university featuring artwork by artists who are incarcerated. The exhibit is entitled “Unfreedom of Expression.”
W&L’s Center for International Education Presents Vanessa Davies
Her talk, which is free and open to the public, is titled “An Untold Story of Black Intellectuals and Egyptology.”
Virginia Tech Professor to Give Keynote for Mudd Undergraduate Ethics Conference
Wodak will speak on “Fake News and Echo Chambers.”
Miranda Fricker Completes Yearlong Mudd Center Equality and Difference Series
The title of her talk is “Epistemic Equality as a Condition of Well-Functioning Blame.”
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks to Speak
Parks is the eighth speaker in the 2017–18 Equality and Difference series, sponsored by the W&L's Mudd Center for Ethics.
UCLA Law Professor Devon Carbado Continues W&L’s Equality and Difference Series
The title of his talk is “Equality and the Fourth Amendment.”
Equality and Difference Series Features Talk on Racism, Sexism and Inequalities in Tech
Laura I. Gómez, founder and CEO of venture-backed startup Atipica, Inc., is the sixth speaker in the 2017-18 Equality and Difference series.
Brian C. Murchison Named Next Director of the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics
Brian C. Murchison, the Charles S. Rowe Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University, will be the new Roger Mudd Professor of Ethics and director of the Mudd Center for Ethics, beginning July 1, 2018. He succeeds Angela Smith, who was named the Mudd Center’s inaugural director in 2013 and is returning to her full-time faculty role as professor of philosophy.
Georgetown Professor Continues Equality and Difference Series with Research on Pregnant Women
Maggie Little, director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics (KIE) at Georgetown University, will speak on “Research With Pregnant Women: A Moral Imperative.”
Harvard’s T.M. Scanlon to Speak as Part of Equality and Difference Series
Scanlon will speak on “Further Reflections on Tolerance (and Some Implications for Immigration).”
W&L Students Organize Annual “Know Your Rights” Event
The event will feature a talk from Charlie Schmidt, a public policy associate at the America Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.
W&L’s Woodzicka is Second Speaker in “Equality and Difference” Series
Woodzicka's talk is titled “Are All Jokes Created Equal? Differential Effects of Group-Based Disparagement Humor.”
Equality and Difference Series Begins with Speaker Tariq Ramadan
Ramadan will speak on “Equality as a Social Requirement and a Human Ideal.”
W&L’s Mudd Center for Ethics to Host Equality and Difference Lecture Series
The first lecturer will be Tariq Ramadan of Oxford University, whose talk is titled: “Equality as a Social Requirement and Human Ideal.”
Ethics in Leadership: Zachary Taylor ’17 and Austin Piatt ’17
Zachary Taylor '17 and Austin Piatt '17 believe leadership, collaboration and responsibility are the keys to a successful conference.
Stanford Professor Robert Reich to Speak on Role of Philanthropic Foundations
Robert Reich, professor of political science at Stanford University, will give a lecture on “Repugnant to the Whole Idea of a Democratic Society?: On the Role of Philanthropic Foundations.”
U.Va. Philosophy Professor to Give Keynote for Mudd Undergraduate Ethics Conference
Sahar Akhtar, assistant professor in the department of philosophy at U.Va., will speak on "Why Religious and Racial Immigration Bans are Wrong."
U.Va. Professor Deborah Johnson to Lecture on Ethics in Engineering
Deborah G. Johnson, the Olsson Professor of Applied Ethics and Emeritus, Science, Technology and Society Program at U.Va., will discuss the question, “Does Engineering Need a Code of Ethics?”
Neil Brodie to Keynote Conference on “The Ethics of Acquiring Cultural Heritage Objects”
Staniar Gallery partnering with the Mudd Center to host exhibition, “Remembering the Lost: Community Responses to the Theft of Nepal’s Sacred Sculptures” Feb. 9-Mar. 17.
W&L’s Reiter to Give Markets & Morals Talk on Corporate Responsibility
Sandra Reiter, associate professor of business administration at Washington and Lee University, will give a talk on Feb. 15 as part of W&L’s Roger Mudd Center for Ethics Markets and Morals series.
Jennifer Golbeck to Discuss the Digital Traces People Leave Behind
University of Maryland professor Jennifer Golbeck will speak on “Footprints in the Digital Dust: How Your Online Behavior Says More Than You Think.”
Author and Poet Susan Briante To Read from “The Market Wonders”
Poet and author Susan Briante will read from “The Market Wonders,” a lyric investigation into the stock market.
W&L’s Colón Weighs in on Use of Graphic Photos of Ambassador’s Murder
In an interview with the Christian Science Monitor, Colón points to the key questions that must be asked when determining if the graphic nature of a photograph outweighs its journalistic importance.
Author, educator and social activist Jonathan Kozol to Speak at W&L
Children’s author, educator and social activist will discuss “Education, Poverty and Social Justice in an Age of Persistent Inequality.”
“Markets & Morals” Speaker to Discuss Responsibilities of Business in Society
Harvard Business School professor Nien-hê Hsieh to lecture on “The Role and Responsibilities of Business in Society: Back to Basics.”
NPR Executive to Speak on Bias in Journalism
Keith Woods, vice president of diversity in news and operations at NPR, will deliver the keynote address for the 62nd Ethics Institute in Journalism.
German Ambassador to U.S. Headlines Institute for Honor Symposium
Peter Wittig, German Ambassador to the U.S., will speak on “German Policy Toward the European Refugee Crisis” at W&L's Institute for Honor Symposium.
Markets and Morals Series Features Talk on ‘Taboo Trades in the Human Body’
Kimberly Krawiec, the Kathrine Robinson Everett Professor of Law at Duke University and senior fellow and faculty council member at the Kenan Institute for Ethics, will give a lecture on “Gifts Within Markets? Taboo Trades in the Human Body.”
The Ethics of Environmental Valuation
The conference will explore two fundamental but related themes: the ethical issues surrounding the valuation of ecosystem services and the proper role of preference satisfaction in the development of environmental policy.
One on One: Angela Smith and Roger Mudd Talk Ethics
Angela Smith sits down with award-winning journalist Roger Mudd '50 to discuss the Mudd Center for Ethics.
In Depth: The Mudd Undergraduate Ethics Conference
Seniors Teddy Corcoran and Stephanie Foster get students from around the country talking about ethics.
Philosophy of Leadership: Paqui Toscano ’17
ODK National Leader of the Year Paqui Toscano talks about his approach to leadership.
