By William F. Connelly John K. Boardman Professor of Politics (Reprinted from the Jan. 9, 2012, edition of The Roanoke Times) Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich once dubbed himself "the most professorial politician since Woodrow Wilson." Like Wilson, Gingrich is a man both of theory and practice, an intellectual and a politician. These […]
Fifty years ago this week, Washington and Lee was embarking on a new venture in intercollegiate athletics when the formation of the College Athletic Conference (CAC) was announced. Given both the recent shuffling of conference memberships on the NCAA Division I level and the serious conversations about paying D-I athletes $2,000 a year for "cost of […]
With polls in New Hampshire showing Mitt Romney with an insurmountable lead in the Republican presidential primary, the student researchers for Washington and Lee University's Mock Republican Convention are predicting that he will win between 38 and 42 percent of the vote, followed by Ron Paul in second place and Jon Huntsman in third. The […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Dr. Burke Steele, of the Class of 1955, loves to talk about history — especially the history of Petersburg, Va., where he has lived for 73 years, and worked in the same office, on South Market Street, for nearly 50 years. While he majored in history at W&L and had planned on […]
At Howard University in 1908, sisters Beulah and Lillie Burke helped to found Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority. At Washington and Lee University 103 years later, sisters Devin Cooper ’11 and Amber Cooper ’12 helped to found a W&L chapter of that Greek organization. “We tease them and call them the Burke sisters,” said Tamara […]
Alex Wachi, a Washington and Lee University junior from Honolulu, is one of 20 undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the United States to win a Bridging Scholarship for study abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Wachi is the first W&L student to win the scholarship. He will receive up to $4,000 to […]
Washington and Lee law alumnus Terence F. Flynn was in the news this week, when President Barack Obama named him to a recess appointment on the National Labor Relations Board. The controversial announcement from the White House came almost one year to the day that Terry, a 1990 graduate of the School of Law, had been nominated to […]
Washington and Lee economics professors Arthur H. Goldsmith and Timothy M. Diette appeared on NPR affiliate WMRA’s “Virginia Insight” show Thursday, Jan. 5, to discuss their research about the hidden costs of unemployment. Goldsmith recently reported on his and Diette's findings during a congressional briefing on the psychological benefits of employment and the impact of joblessness, sponsored by […]
Jim Gabler, a Washington and Lee alumnus of the Classes of 1953 and 1955L, has recently published two new e-books, and they could hardly be more different — a guidebook to wine and a novel about the first American pope. Be Your Own Wine Expert promises readers that in less than three minutes, they will learn to […]
Renowned biographer Ron Chernow, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2010 biography of George Washington, Washington: A Life, will address Washington and Lee University's annual Founders' Day/Omicron Delta Kappa Convocation on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, at 11:45 a.m. in Lee Chapel. The speech, also titled "Washington: A Life," is free and open to the […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Howard S. Kaylor, Classes of '50, '52L, has been named Hagerstown, Md.'s 2011 Person of the Year by the Hagerstown newspaper, the Herald-Mail. In the story announcing the honor on New Year's Eve, Howard was praised for his support of the local community — through both generous donations and service to […]
Greer Johnson, a 2005 Washington and Lee alumna, is one of the eight men and women featured by Charlottesville's news and arts publication, C-ville Weekly, because they are "making waves in their fields." As a way of looking to 2012, C-ville's editors decided to focus on young leaders and to give their readers "a look at the […]
Early Decision I applications to Washington and Lee University increased by 20 percent this year, representing one of the highest totals in memory, according to statistics released this week by the University's Office of Admissions. W&L has two Early Decision deadlines. Both programs are binding, which means that applicants who choose to apply under Early […]
Student organizers of Washington and Lee University’s Mock Republican Convention are predicting that Mitt Romney will win the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3 with Ron Paul and Rick Santorum finishing second and third, respectively. On a blog post announcing the prediction, Zach Wilkes, a senior politics major from Farmerville, La., and the convention’s political chair, […]
A little more than a year ago we blogged about Washington and Lee alumnus Matt Bevin, of the Class of 1989,and his family business — Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company, maker of 200 varieties of bells. We noted then that bells were especially relevant given the time of year. National Public Radio apparently agrees. Earlier this […]
Anyone who has made the move to Google+ can now find Washington and Lee's official presence there now. Search for Washington and Lee and add us to one of your circles or go directly to our custom URL: gplus.to/wlu. We've begun adding stories, videos and photos to Google+ page and hope that you'll join us […]
Nora V. Demleitner will be the new dean of Washington and Lee University's School of Law. She becomes the first woman to hold that position and is the 17th dean in the 145-year history of W&L's law school. She will also hold the Roy L. Steinheimer Jr. Professorship in Law. A highly respected scholar on […]
A blog entry on the Roanoke Times' "So Salem" site today features the career of Washington and Lee law school alumna Llewellyn Hedgbeth of the Class of 1980. And quite a career it's been, too. A Salem native, Llew was a drama major at Hollins and then earned both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in […]
In an interview for the website JustLuxe earlier this month, Washington and Lee alumnus and trustee Robert Balentine, of the Class of 1979, repeats a motto that his father used: "If you listen to your clients, they will tell you how to run your business." That, Robert tells the interviewers for JustLuxe, remains a guiding […]
Washington and Lee alumnus and trustee emeritus John Klinedinst, CEO and shareholder of Klinedinst P.C., has been named Most Admired CEO by the San Diego Business Journal. John, a member of the undergrad Class of 1971 and the law school Class of 1978, won the award in the Journal's private company/medium category. This marked the […]
A New York Times piece this week extols the "unconventional taste" of Washington and Lee alumna Hollister Hovey, of the Class of 2000, and her business partner and sister, Porter Hovey, who have recently established Hovey Design. As the story in the Home & Garden section of the Times notes, Hollister and Porter had been considering […]
Throughout the country this month, emotional homecomings are occurring every day as members of the United States military return from Iraq. Although it did not involve Iraq, one homecoming this week caught our eye. A story in the Statesville, N.C., Record & Landmark is about the celebration in that town when an Army officer, Maj. […]
Imagine that you've been working a jigsaw puzzle for 50 years—and you can't find the one piece that will allow you to finish at least one portion of the puzzle. The possibility that this piece might have finally been found is why physicists are so excited about this week's announcement that scientists believe they are […]
Last week was Washington and Lee's second edition of Dancing with the Professors. Not only is it a good fund-raiser for the W&L dance program, but it's proven a big hit with the audiences, too. In fact, it was voted best new event on campus by students last year. Eleven professors participated in 10 dances this […]
The programs go by various names. Green Dot. Red Flag. Some don’t have a name yet. They all share one important trait, however: the education of bystanders about when, and how, to intervene and therefore prevent sexual violence and alcohol abuse in the Washington and Lee community. “Bystander education is an important part of our […]
Chris Gavaler, visiting assistant professor of English at Washington and Lee, is the author of two novels as well as numerous award-winning short stories and plays. He's also got one of the more intriguing blogs that you'll find, particularly if you grew up, as he did, reading comic books. Every Monday, Chris posts a new […]
For more than 29 years The Legend of Chris Moose was stuck away in one of Allen Northcutt's drawer. Allen, a 1963 graduate of Washington and Lee, had conceived of his character on Christmas Eve in 1982. Although he'd never written a book before, he was looking for a way to supplement his income and […]
Harrison Claud, a Washington and Lee University junior from Richmond, has been named a winner of the 2011-12 VMIC/Norfolk Southern Scholarship. Claud, a graduate of Collegiate School in Richmond, is majoring in economics and is a Deans List student. He is also a member of Kathekon, the student-alumni organization, and is on the White Book […]
WILL, the Wilderness Leadership and Learning Program headed by Washington and Lee alumnus Steve Abraham, was recognized this week on WJLA-TV in Washington as one of Harris' Heroes, a special segment from anchor Leon Harris. WILL helps D.C. teens grow and learn in order to help them become leaders and achieve their goals. Or, more simply, […]
A debate between Democratic strategist James Carville and GOP pundit Ann Coulter will be followed by a speech from former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, on the opening night of Washington and Lee University's Mock Republican Convention, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. That event will be open to the public and held in […]
It seems like an easy decision. Grant political asylum to a Congolese man or send him back to the country where he suffered unspeakable abuse in prison, where his family members were attacked and forced into hiding. The reality, says Aaron Haas, who directs the Immigration and Citizenship program at Washington and Lee School of […]
Letters to the editors of Rockbridge County's newspapers–200 years' worth–was the subject of conversation when Washington and Lee journalism professor Doug Cumming appeared on NPR affiliate WMRA's "Virginia Insight" program on Dec. 8, 2011. He discussed the new book that he edited, The Lexington Letters: Two Centuries of Water Under the Bridge. Cumming, a former […]
The intense media coverage of the allegations of child sexual abuse at Penn State and Syracuse universities has raised questions about various ethical issues that media must confront. For Edward Wasserman, the Knight Professor of Journalism Ethics at Washington and Lee University, one of the most interesting questions concerns the proper relationship between media and […]
Washington and Lee’s Mock Trial team won first place at the Sixth Annual Tobacco Road Invitational Tournament in Durham, N.C., earlier this month. The Tobacco Road Invitational, one of the biggest invitational tournaments in the Southeast, was hosted by Duke University this year. Washington and Lee competed head-to-head against Furman, Emory, and Columbia. Abbie Caudill […]
Four Washington and Lee University geology majors presented their research at the world's largest geoscience meeting to be held in San Francisco this week (Dec. 5-9). Makenzie Hatfield, a senior from Charleston, W.Va., Elizabeth Mann, a senior from Hamilton, Va., Maria Reimi, a senior from Caracas, Venezuela, and Lauren Schultz, a junior from California, Md., […]
At the same time that Washington and Lee alumnus Dave Freed, of the Class of 1992, has announced his candidacy for attorney general of Pennsylvania, another W&L alumnus, Mark Obenshain, a 1987 graduate of the School of Law, is considering a run for the same office in Virginia. Dave, who has spent 14 of his […]
His hometown newspaper, the Lynchburg News and Advance, featured Washington and Lee alumnus Robin Wood a few weeks back, when he announced he was leaving the board of the YMCA there. A 1962 graduate of W&L, Robin is an attorney with Edmunds & Williams and has worked with numerous local organizations, ranging from United Way to Legal […]
In the margins of a nearly 300 hundred year old map Washington and Lee law professor Jill Fraleyhas studied during one of her many visits to library and government archives, she finds a note that tells when the Kanawha River was discovered by the French. This note, says Fraley, is not merely a statement of […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Donnie Caffery can thank Rockbridge County's high ragweed count for a major award he received last week. Donnie, a member of the Class of 1976, won Richmond's Retail Merchants Association Retailer of the Year Award for the success of his two natural-food stores, Good Foods Grocery. In a story about the honor in the […]
A new e-book co-written by Mike Allen, the 1986 W&L alum who is chief White House correspondent for POLITICO, and Evan Thomas, former Newsweek and TIME editor, is generating lots of buzz in political circles these days. The Right Fights Back is the first of four "instant digital books" about the 2012 presidential election. It became available at midnight […]
The following piece by Washington and Lee University law professor A. Benjamin Spencer originally appeared on the Washington Post's website and is reprinted here with permission. By A. Benjamin Spencer These are challenging times for legal education. The legal job market is eroding in ways not likely to improve in the near term, if at […]
Ellen Mayock, professor of Romance languages at Washington and Lee University, served as guest editor on a new double issue of the journal Cuaderno Internacional de Estudios Humanísticos y Literatura (Volume 16/Fall 2011), published by the University of Puerto Rico. The special issue brings together 26 essays from leading experts to discuss the Spanish novel […]
Washington and Lee University’s Community Grants Committee has made 11 grants totaling $26,837 to non-profit organizations in Lexington and Rockbridge County. They are part of the first of its two rounds of grants for 2011-12. The committee chose the grants from 18 proposals requesting more than $106,000. W&L awarded grants to these entities: CASA for […]
Washington and Lee professors Ellen Mayock and Domnica Radulescu appeared on NPR affiliate WMRA’s "Virginia Insight" show on Thursday, Dec. 1, to discuss their book Feminist Activism in Academia: Essays on Personal, Political and Professional Change (McFarland, 2010). Mayock, professor of Spanish, and Radulescu, professor of French and head of W&L's Women’s and Gender Studies Program, edited the volume, which […]
Residents of Lexington and Rockbridge County, will undoubtedly turn first to the index to see if they recognize the names of the letter writers in the new book The Lexington Letters: Two Centuries of Water Under the Bridge (Mariner Publishing, November 2011), which collects 200 years of letters to the editors of the local newspapers. […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Phil Hanrahan, a retired Army brigadier general and a Lexington, Ky., attorney who has specialized in bankruptcy, creditors' rights and equine law, has been named the chief executive officer of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA). The NHBPA is a non-profit corporation that works "to improve the economic health and […]
The following piece by Washington and Lee University finance professor Scott Hoover appeared in the Nov. 27, 2011, editions of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and is reprinted here with permission. By Scott Hoover Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state […]
The following piece by Washington and Lee University junior Michael McGuire was published in The Baltimore Sun on Nov. 24, 2011, and is reprinted here with permission. By Michael McGuire SEVILLE, Spain—Here, the orange trees are the only things changing color as autumn takes its hold. The palmeras and the jasmine vines that climb the […]
For more than two centuries, students, professors and staff have watched the comings and goings of their colleagues from the windows of the Colonnade. With the historic structures now under renovation, one of those students is helping preserve those windows. Liz O'Byrne '00 and her two-year-old company, O'Byrne Contracting Inc., restored the windows of Payne […]
Student interns with the Washington and Lee Collections of Art and History (UCAH) had an assignment this summer to roam around the campus and find two pieces of art that had gained their attention. And that meant looking everywhere: offices and common spaces, nooks and crannies. Once they identified their favorites, they had to research them, […]
When Washington and Lee senior Morten Wendelbo undertook two weeks' study in Beijing, China, little did he know that he would wind up appearing on a Chinese television show. He is appearing today on "Dialogue," a program on China's state-run, 24-hour news station, CCTV News. Morten is meeting analysts, researchers and academics while he researches his thesis on global politics. Guiding his […]
This summer, the editors W&L: The Magazine of Washington and Lee talked with President Ken Ruscio '76 about two interrelated topics that are not only in the headlines but also very much on President Ruscio's mind: the cost and the price of higher education. Here is our conversation. Q: These are turbulent and uncertain times, […]
Ted DeLaney, chair of the Department of History and the Harry E. and Mary Jayne W. Redenbaugh Term Professor at Washington and Lee, appeared on NPR affiliate WMRA’s "Virginia Insight" program on Monday, Nov. 21, for a discussion of the Civil War. He was joined on the live call-in show by historian Ed Ayers, president of the […]
When Eva Amurri, daughter of actor Susan Sarandon, married Kyle Martino in Charleston, S.C., earlier this month, their black-tie reception was the work of Washington and Lee alumna Calder Britt Clark, of the Class of 1999. Calder's company, Calder Clark Designs, was cited in the People magazine article about the Amurri-Martino wedding. It's the latest publicity that […]
Washington and Lee’s Mock Trial “A” team won second place at the Eighth Annual Great American Mock Trial Invitational (GAMTI) in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. Only 23 out of the 600 mock trial teams in the U.S. were invited to compete in the invitational, hosted by the University of Virginia. During the two-day tournament, […]
A new study of the graduates of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, including Washington and Lee University, has found that alumni of these institutions report higher levels of satisfaction with their college experience than graduates of any other types of colleges. The study was commissioned by the Annapolis Group, a consortium of America’s leading […]
Ernani DeAraujo, a 2008 graduate of the Washington and Lee School of Law, received praise last month for his work as neighborhood liaison for Boston's mayor, Thomas Menino. Ernani joined Adrian Madaro, legislative aide to Massachusetts State Representative Carlo Basile, in assisting East Boston residents who were displaced by the collapse of one building and the subsequent demolition […]
When Washington and Lee alumnus Lacey Putney, of the undergraduate Class of 1950 and the law Class of 1957, heads back to Richmond in January 2012 for the opening of the General Assembly, it will mark the 50th anniversary of the day that he first arrived in the House of Delegates. Lacey was first elected […]
Raj Prasad, a 1999 graduate of Washington and Lee's School of Law, is in Washington, D.C., today to receive the Albert Schweitzer Award from the Animal Welfare Institute in recognition of his work in the Wayne County, Mich., Prosecutor's Office. Raj and his colleague, Amy Slameka, are being hailed as pioneers in "aggressively pursuing animal […]
Washington and Lee’s Staniar Gallery will host an artist’s talk with Minneapolis painter Michael Kareken on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 5:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall’s Concert Hall. It will coincide with his exhibition Salvaged Views, recent paintings and drawings by the artist, which will run from until Dec. 10. The artist’s talk will be followed […]
Naomi Oreskes, provost and professor of history and science studies at the University of California San Diego, will give a public talk as part of the 2011-2012 Speaker Series WS2: Women Scientists and Women in Science on Monday, Nov. 14, at 5:30 p.m. in Stackhouse Theater of Elrod Commons. The title of Oreskes’ talk is “Moving […]
Members of Washington and Lee's faculty and staff (including retirees) and student body who have served in the military gathered in front of Lee Chapel this morning, Veterans Day, Nov. 11, for a brief service of commemoration. Washington and Lee President Kenneth P. Ruscio read a message from Rob Rain, a 2007 graduate of W&L who recently finished service […]
There is, Will Sharp insists, a method to his madness. In an article in Washingtonian Magazine, the 2003 graduate of Washington and Lee admitted that his clothing company, DURKL (it was his first word as a baby), has come a long way since he was designing shirts in his mother's basement. From those modest beginnings, […]
Mark Drumbl, Class of 1975 Alumni Law Professor and director of the Transnational Institute at the Washington and Lee School of Law, discussed child soldiers on Thursday, Nov. 10, on WMRA’s "Virginia Insight" program. Mark’s new book, Re-Imagining Child Soldiers (Oxford University Press), discusses the plight of child soldiers and whether international law should consider boys […]
When Washington and Lee University announced that most of the $100 million gift it received in June 2007 would establish a new scholarship program, Bill Hartog, W&L's long-time dean of admissions and financial aid, knew things were going to change. He had no idea just how much. In September, W&L welcomed its fourth, and largest, […]
In October, Washington and Lee's athletic director, Jan Hathorn, was honored with induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame at her high school, Marcus Whitman Central School, in Rushville, N.Y. She was one of five inductees. A 1978 graduate of Marcus Whitman, Jan competed in soccer, tennis, softball, swimming and basketball. She was an All-League […]
Washington and Lee University joined all colleges and universities in unveiling a new net-price calculator on its website this fall, as required by federal legislation. Prospective students and families can now enter their financial information into the calculator and find out how much need-based financial aid they can expect to receive from the University. The […]
As the only top-tier liberal arts college with a nationally accredited business school, Washington and Lee University has always promoted the value of studying business in the context of the liberal arts. A new revision to W&L’s business administration curriculum will make that connection even more explicit. Students can now use more than 100 liberal […]
Viewers of "PBS Newshour" might have seen a familiar face last Friday, when Washington and Lee alumna Ingrid Schroeder, of the Class of 1991, provided expert commentary on the United States' high jobless rate. As director of the Pew Fiscal Analysis Initiative for the Pew Charitable Trusts, Ingrid led the Pew study "A Year or More: […]
