Commitment to Character: How W&L Shapes Lives of Consequence

When I was asked to serve Washington and Lee University as interim president in May 2026, I was both gratified and humbled to return to the university during this time of transition and continued achievement.

As we enter the final stages of our Leading Lives of Consequence campaign, Washington and Lee is in an enviably strong position. We have the resources to attract and support students and faculty of exceptional quality. We sustain and enhance a distinctive curriculum. And we offer facilities of the highest caliber to support the work they do together.

Institutions shape our values, whether intentionally or by default. At Washington and Lee, we are intentional about it, and our aspirations are high. We strive to create a community with certain patterns of interaction among its members — patterns that teach us what we owe to each other and patterns that shape how our students live once they leave here.

Education, especially a liberal arts education like the one we offer, is one of relationships, of learning together what you cannot learn alone. Washington and Lee is in the business of educating students, creating knowledge and instilling in all of us, teachers and students alike, a capacity and thirst for wisdom.

What has always distinguished this university is not a rhetorical commitment to character, but a lived history of students becoming aware of their responsibilities to others, and later leading lives of service that bring distinction to themselves and to this university.

I invite you to learn more about how you can help Washington and Lee prepare future generations to lead lives of consequence.