Thirty students from Washington and Lee's Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, along with members of the faculty and representatives of W&L's Career Services, descended on New York City last week to get a sense of what might await them after graduation. The Williams School Annual Investments Trip allows students to observe and talk with individuals […]
Washington and Lee University alumna Rebecca Makkai presented the Glasgow Reading at Washington and Lee University on Oct. 26, 2011, when she read from her novel, "The Borrowers." A member of W&L’s class of 1999, Makkai is currently a Montessori school teacher in Chicago. She has had a story published in Best American Short Stories […]
Harlan Beckley, the Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion and director of the Shepherd Poverty Program at Washington and Lee University, has been named to a three-year term on the Board of Visitors of the Campus Kitchens Project (CKP). Beckley is one of nine new board members who CKP announced at its annual conference on […]
Garrett G. Fagan, associate professor of classics, history and ancient Mediterranean studies at The Pennsylvania State University, will give a lecture at Washington and Lee University on Monday, Oct. 31, at 6:30 p.m. in Northen Auditorium in Leyburn Library. The title of the talk, which is free and open to the public, is “Watching the […]
“The Widow’s Season,” by Laura Brodie, visiting assistant professor of English at Washington and Lee University, has become a surprise hit in Germany. The book, which prominently features places around W&L and Lexington, was published by Berkley Books (part of Penguin Books) in 2009. A German translation was published in the summer of 2010 and […]
Sandy O’Connell vividly remembers the morning she saw the Payne Hall ghost. It was about 8 a.m., a gray and overcast day, and she was stepping from the Colonnade into the first-floor hallway of Payne Hall. O’Connell, the administrative assistant to the English Department, was the first person to enter the building that morning—or so […]
Before you carve the usual scary face on your jack-o-lantern this year, consider using one of our stencils to make this a Washington and Lee Halloween. You can choose from one of four symbols — the W&L logo, the Trident, Old George and the Bob and George silhouettes. Just click on one of the images below, download […]
Congratulations to Crawford Rhyne, a sophomore at Washington and Lee University from Gastonia, N.C., who won a new iPad last month in the Dining Services Great iPad Give-Away. Any student who signed up for one of the six meal and flex plans in Dining Services was eligible for the prize. Approximately 70 percent of W&L's […]
Richard Dien Winfield, Distinguished Research Professor in Philosophy, University of Georgia, will give a lecture at Washington and Lee University on Monday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in Northen Auditorium, Leyburn Library. The talk, which is free and open to the public, is titled “Is Phenomenology Necessary as Introduction to Philosophy?” In his talk, Winfield […]
"Echoes of the Past, Voices of the Future," a film created to support Washington and Lee University’s current fund-raising campaign, won a Gold Dolphin at the 2011 Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards at Cannes, France, on Oct. 13, 2011. The six-minute film, produced by Tribe Pictures, of Chatham, N.J., featured Washington and Lee students. […]
The economic downturn and banking system overhaul have led to a boom in so-called "payday" loans, short-term, high-interest loans that help tide borrowers over between paychecks. As reported recently by the Wall Street Journal, shares in companies that provide these services have jumped in recent weeks as even more consumers have been turned away from […]
Mike Wienick is called "Big Dog" by many of his employees at QualitySmith.com in Portland, Ore. Now they can call Mike something else — "Portland's Best Boss." A 2002 graduate of Washington and Lee, where he majored in computer science, Mike is president of QualitySmith.com, a website that connects homeowners with contractors. In celebration of […]
“Senshin’an” or “Clearing-the-Mind-Abode,” was announced as the name of the Japanese Tea Room at Washington and Lee University in a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the Reeves Center’s Watson Pavilion. The ceremony was attended by special guest Kayoko Hirota, chief of administration at the Urasenke Chanoyu Center in New York, along with members […]
Students at Washington and Lee University who are stumped by a math assignment can now seek a solution at the University's new Math Center, where trained tutors will be available for assistance. “This is for any student taking Math 101 or Math 102,” said Alan McRae, professor of mathematics and director of the Math Center. […]
Peter Converse, a 1972 graduate of Washington and Lee and president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Commerce Bank, was named 2011 Business Leader of the Year by the Alexandria (Va.) Chamber of Commerce earlier this month. The Chamber’s selection was based on Peter's dedication and exemplary leadership in the business community. From the […]
Lucas Morel, the Lewis G. John Term Professor of Politics and acting chair of the Politics Department at Washington and Lee, will lecture on “Lincoln and Race" at Roanoke College on Nov. 2 at the Wortmann Ballroom of Roanoke College. Morel has written extensively on Lincoln and civil rights and is author of Lincoln’s Sacred […]
Two former Washington and Lee lacrosse coaches have recently taken over head coaching duties in Major League Lacrosse. Jim Stagnitta, who coached the Generals from 1990 to 2001 before leaving for Rutgers, is now leading the Denver Outlaws. Jim becomes the fifth head coach in the history of the Outlaws, who finished in a tie […]
David Harbor, professor of geology, and Jeffrey Rahl, assistant professor of geology, both of Washington and Lee, presented the results of their summer research to approximately 6,000 geoscientists at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in October. Their work was supported by the Lenfest program and two alumni funds in the geology […]
Going to college can be quite the adventure, but more and more young people are choosing to have an entirely different type of adventure first. Throughout the country, increasing numbers of high school graduates are choosing to take a "gap year," also known as a sabbatical, and traveling or working for a year before settling […]
A new confocal laser scanning microscope at Washington and Lee University aims to increase research and training across the sciences, not only at W&L but also at two nearby institutions, Virginia Military Institute and Mary Baldwin College. The microscope will be acquired through a $366,000 Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). […]
Bill Colby, the lawyer who represented the family of Nancy Cruzan in their family's right-to-die case, will speak at the Washington and Lee University School of Law on Friday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. in the Millhiser Moot Court Room, Sydney Lewis Hall. The title of Mr. Colby's talk is "From Nancy Cruzan to Terri […]
Two Washington and Lee University economists leading a group of researchers have found that individuals who have suffered from long-term unemployment in the past year — those unemployed for longer than 25 weeks — are three times more likely than people employed throughout the past year to experience mental-health issues for the first time. The […]
When Lynn Symansky talked to the W&L alumni magazine back in 2005, she described her passion for what she called “an extreme sport” — the equestrian pursuit known as eventing. That passion has led the 2005 graduate of Washington and Lee University to a berth on the U.S. eventing team that’s competing this weekend in […]
Washington and Lee University’s Community Grants Committee is soliciting proposals for its Fall 2011 evaluation period. Community Grants Proposals may be submitted at any time, but are reviewed semiannually: at the end of the calendar year and at the end of the fiscal year. The deadline for submitting a proposal for the Fall 2011 evaluation […]
Washington and Lee University alumna Rebecca Makkai will be reading from her first novel, "The Borrower," on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m. in the Hillel House Multipurpose Room. The reading will be followed by a book signing and refreshments will be served. The reading, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored […]
While taking a walk in Goshen Pass earlier this month, Washington and Lee Spanish professor Mónica González snapped a photo of the brilliant fall colors. She then submitted it to "National Geographic," which has turned it into an online jigsaw puzzle. Mónica, whose undergraduate training was in journalism, has continued her interest in photojournalism. Four of the […]
Gary H. Stern, past president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minn., will give the H. Parker Willis Lecture at Washington and Lee University on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 5 p.m. in the Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons. The title of the talk, which is free and open to the public, is "Challenges […]
Washington and Lee University students Lauren Ashley Tipton and Kelton Buchanan will be recognized at the second Generals of the Month presentation of the academic year on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 12:10 p.m. in the Marketplace in Elrod Commons. Lauren Ashley Tipton, a senior from Myrtle Beach, S.C., is majoring in neuroscience. She is the […]
Patrick Hall, a 1999 graduate of Washington and Lee and a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, has been awarded a bronze star medal for his service in Afghanistan from August 2010 through February 2011. According to the citation, Pat's "actions during the deployment single-handedly resulted in more lives saved, more enemy killed, and more […]
“Bring a prop, wear a hat, or come up with your own way of portraying your personality on video,” declare posters inviting students, faculty and employees to take part in The Warhol Screen Test Project at Washington and Lee University. W&L’s Student Arts League is spearheading the project as part of a forthcoming three-part exhibition […]
A film screening of the documentary “Mississippi Innocence” will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Millhiser Moot Court Room in Lewis Hall. It will be followed by a Q&A session with the co-producer of the film and director of the Mississippi Innocence Project at the University of Mississippi, Tucker Carrington, […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Alex S. Jones, of the Class of 1968, director of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, was among 177 of the nation’s most influential artists, scientists, scholars, authors and institutional leaders who were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences […]
Uri Berliner, a deputy national editor at National Public Radio, will give a public talk at Washington and Lee University on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 5 p.m. in Huntley Hall 327. The title of his talk is "Risky Business: Bankers, Governments and Debt Bubbles." Unemployment, mortgage crisis, rising debt, looming Euro disaster. The current economic […]
A distinguished panel of senior judges from three different federal circuit courts will decide the 2011 John W. Davis Appellate Advocacy Competition at the Washington and Lee School of Law. The finals will be held Friday, October 21, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Millhiser Moot Court Room, Sydney Lewis Hall. The competition will be […]
Julie Campbell, associate director of communications and public affairs at Washington and Lee University, was honored on Saturday, Oct. 15, when her book, The Horse in Virginia: An Illustrated History, won the People’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Library of Virginia’s 14th Annual Literary Awards, in Richmond. At the same event, Lesley Wheeler, the […]
Timothy S. Jost, Robert L. Willett Family Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law and one of the nation's leading voices in health care law, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and […]
To Washington and Lee University marketing professor Amanda Bower, October means two things: the arrival of Christmas catalogues in the mail and the predominance of pink. "Everybody looks around at all the pink — from batteries to the White House — and wonders what is this and does it work," said Bower, referring to the […]
Michael Blake, associate professor of philosophy and public policy at the University of Washington, will give a lecture on Friday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. in Huntley Hall 327 at Washington and Lee University. The title of his talk, which is free and open to the public, is “Equality without Documents: Political Justice and the […]
Author Terry Tempest Williams, an environmental conservationist and fierce advocate for freedom of speech, will give a reading with commentary at Washington and Lee University on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. in Lee Chapel. It is free and open to the public. The reading will be immediately followed by an audience Q&A with a […]
Journey Home, an exhibition of paintings by Washington and Lee Professor Emeritus of Art I-Hsiung Ju, will be on view in Staniar Gallery from October 12 – November 2, 2011. Ju will present an artist’s talk in Wilson Hall’s Concert Hall before the exhibition reception on Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Over the twenty years […]
2011 Safety ("Clery Act") Reports – Updated 10/2011 Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Annual Notice to Employees – Updated 9/2011 HIPAA Privacy Notice – Updated 10/2011 Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – Updated 4/2011 Notice for Creditable Coverage – Updated 10/2011 Summary Annual Report – Defined Contribution Retirement Plan – Updated 10/2011 […]
When Bill Hamilton, associate professor of biology, and Tom Lovell, Class of 1991 and associate director of alumni affairs, appeared on WMRA radio last month to talk about their Lexington micro-brewery, Blue Lab Brewing, the show on which they appeared hadn't even been given a name yet. It was being called "The Not Yet Named […]
Lucas Morel, the Lewis G. John Term Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee, was a featured lecturer for the Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series in Springfield, Ill., on Oct. 13. the theme of the series, held at the University of Illinois at Springfield, was "Lincoln and the Civil War." Morel's speech was titled "War and […]
Angelica D. Light, a 1975 graduate of Washington and Lee's School of Law, is being honored this Friday as an honorary alumna of Old Dominion University. Angelica is president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation in Tidewater. She joined the foundation (originally The Norfolk Foundation) in 1999, after 20 years as an attorney with […]
When he graduated from Washington and Lee in 1943, Bill Wilcox discovered that he was in demand. He had majored in chemistry, and the Tennessee Eastman Co. was in the market for young chemists. As Bill told the St. Petersburg Times in 2010: "In May of 1943 they grabbed up all the graduating chemists from around […]
Virginia writers are invited to participate in the annual Graybeal-Gowen Prize sponsored by Shenandoah: The Washington and Lee Review The contest is open to writers born in or with a current established resident of at least one year in Virginia. The writer who submits the best poem will win the $500 prize. Past winners have […]
The other day, we blogged about two alumni of Washington and Lee who run a lodge and fly-fishing shop in Idaho and had a close encounter with a grizzly bear. Turns out they’re not the only graduates to be pursuing a career in the wilds of the West, and not the only one to have […]
Senior Zach Wilkes is bound and determined to start a new streak when Washington and Lee University's 2012 Mock Republican Convention nominates its presidential candidate on February 10, 2012. In its last attempt to predict the presidential nominee of the party out of power, the W&L conventioneers incorrectly chose Hillary Clinton in 2008 to win […]
Former U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Yalowitz, currently the The Norman E. McCulloch Jr. Director of the John S. Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, will give a lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. in Northen Auditorium, Leybury Library. The talk is open to the public. Before his time at Dartmouth, where he […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Thomas N. McJunkin, a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, died at his home in Charleston, W.Va., on Saturday, Oct. 8. He was 62. Tom received his B.S. in business economics in 1970 and his J.D. from the School of Law in 1974. “Tom epitomized the loyal alumnus,” said Washington […]
Katharine (Katie) Shester, assistant professor of economics at Washington and Lee University, has won the 2011 Allan Nevins Prize for the best dissertation on American and Canadian economic history. The prize was awarded by the Economic History Association, and Shester was selected from three finalists. Her dissertation, “American Public Housing’s Origins and Effects,” examines the […]
Thanks to a new effort by faculty and students, Washington and Lee University law students interested in studying poverty issues as part of their legal education now have any even greater array of opportunities to explore. Partnering with the University's Shepherd Program on Poverty and Human Capability, the law school has identified law courses, clinics, […]
Civil War historian James I. Robertson Jr. addressed what he called "three forgotten months" in Robert E. Lee's life during his lecture, “Lee and the Mobilization of Virginia Forces 1861,” at the annual Remembering Robert E. Lee program in Lee Chapel on Oct. 10, 2011. The event commemorated the 141st anniversary of Lee's death on […]
Pamela Hemenway Simpson, an art historian who was one of the most influential figures of the last four decades at Washington and Lee University, died at her home in Lexington, Va., on Oct. 4. She was 65. "She was a dear friend and colleague," said W&L President Kenneth P. Ruscio. "Washington and Lee is a […]
This Saturday night at 8 o'clock, or thereabouts, Doug Harwood, of the Class of 1974, will sit down at the controls of WLUR-FM for yet another Saturday night. Since 1971, the Saturday nights stretch beyond 2,000. He will spend the next four hours playing music that may be accurately described as eclectic, though it is […]
Back in June, we wrote about President George W. Bush's trip to Little Rock, Ark., to honor Warren Stephens, a 1979 Washington and Lee graduate, for his work on First Tee, the national organization that gives young people free access to golf courses, equipment and instruction. Last month, Warren received yet another honor for his work […]
George Kester, Martel Professor of Finance at Washington and Lee, received a Financial Education Association 2011 Conference Competitive Paper Award for his paper, “Reflections on Thirty Years of Using the Case Method to Teach Finance,” which he presented at the conference. In this paper, which will be published in Advances in Financial Education, he discusses […]
Washington and Lee University celebrates the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of jazz icon Stan Kenton in a musical extravaganza conducted by Washington and Lee music professor Terry Vosbein. The concert, featuring the University of Tennessee Studio Orchestra combined with the trombones of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, will take place in Wilson Hall at […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Philippe Labro, of the Class of 1958, has been in the news in his native France these past several weeks, largely because of a new documentary on his life, "Philippe Labro, Entre Ombre et Lumiere," which appeared on France 5 television last month. Parts of the documentary were filmed in Lexington […]
Lee Chapel & Museum at Washington and Lee University presents noted Civil War historian Dr. James I. Robertson Jr. lecturing on “Remembering Robert E. Lee,” a program commemorating the 141st anniversary of Lee’s death. The talk will be on Monday, Oct. 10, at 12:15 p.m. in Lee Chapel auditorium. Lee died in Lexington on Oct. […]
Washington and Lee University's Alumni Association has bestowed its 2011 Distinguished Young Alumna Award on the Rev. Jennifer R. Strawbridge, of the Class of 2001. Announcement of the award was made on Friday (Sept. 30) during the annual Young Alumni Reunion on campus. Rev. Strawbridge is chaplain of Oxford University's Keble College in England, where […]
During her summer internship at "D Magazine" in Dallas, the Washington and Lee senior Kelsy McCraw, from Greenville, S.C., interviewed chefs and professional women bowlers, wrote about advertising and did a video with Dallas' best children's entertainer. But maybe her most memorable assignment — and most compelling story — was one that she did on […]
At first glance, Room 201 in Payne Hall looks much like it did 100 years ago: slate blackboards, plaster walls, large windows. It's only after you step inside that you notice the recent upgrades, which include central air, overhead projectors, a high-definition ceiling-mounted document camera and a recessed screen. It's also fully wired for Internet […]
Two members of Washington and Lee's Class of 1993, now partners in a Idaho fly shop and lodge, had a close encounter with a bear last month, while they were bow hunting for elk in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. According to both media reports and a first-hand blog post, the men, Rich Paini and Jon Stiehl, […]
The Shannon-Clark lecture this fall features Douglas Mao, professor of English and chair of the Department of English, Johns Hopkins University. The lecture will be on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. in Northen Auditorium, Leyburn Library. The title of the talk, which is free and open to the public, is "An Address to the […]
Terry Vosbein, professor of music at Washington and Lee, was one of seven composers from Associated Colleges of the South institutions commissioned to set poems to music as part of a project at Southwestern University of Texas. Vosbein's composition became part of a song cycle that focuses on the environment, particularly the importance of water […]
Adam Schwartz, the Lawrence Term Associate Professor of Business Administration in Washington and Lee’s Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, has been credentialed as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He took three levels of exams over an 18-month period to achieve the CFA, a self-study program for people interested in learning more about investments. […]
