one idea
Students who have the intellect to excel and the selflessness to care should have the opportunity to lead.
$100 million
The Johnson Scholarship Program
WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY
Lexington, Virginia 24450-2116
one idea
about the kinds of leaders our world needs has inspired a gift unprecedented in higher education. The result of that gift to Washington and Lee University is the Johnson Scholarship Program. For generations, graduates of Washington and Lee have made substantial contributions to society. In business and politics, in science, education, the arts, communications and religion, in communities in the United States and around the world, they have provided leadership guided by an ethic of service and integrity.
leadership promise sought by the University’s Johnson Scholarship Program. Each Johnson scholar—44 in each class, or almost 10 percent of the student body—will have his or her tuition, room and board paid in full and will graduate from Washington and Lee free of debt. The Johnson Scholarship will provide these students the liberating opportunity to make more generous and visionary life decisions than would otherwise be possible.
Now, a W&L education is being offered as a well-earned gift to select students who meet the high standards of academic ability and THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, Washington and Lee
University has been shaped and advanced in its mission by generous gifts. The school’s first major endowment, George Washington’s 1796 donation of James River Canal stock, valued at $20,000, was the largest gift to any educational institution at that time. The Johnson gift of $100 million, endowing scholarships, faculty positions and programming with a focus on leadership, affirms the University’s historic values and extends its reach farther and wider than ever before.
IN THE TOP RANKS of business, journalism, medi-
cine and public service, many familiar names are
“At the core of Washington and Lee’s leadership is integrity,
Washington and Lee graduates. Twenty-seven have
understood through this one basic principle: our capacity for
served in the U.S. Senate, 67 have served in the U.S.
leadership expands as we focus on others instead of ourselves. Properly defined, properly distinguished from the mere use of power, leadership is about making the lives of others better.”
w&l president kenneth p. ruscio ’76
House, and 31 have served as governors. Four have served as U.S. Supreme Court justices; seven have been American Bar Association presidents, third behind only Harvard and Columbia. Forty-six W&L alumni have gone on to become college or university presidents (including W&L’s own President Kenneth P. Ruscio).
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— the johnson program —
The $100 million gift to Washington and Lee from one of its many successful alumni is meant to further the community’s enduring goals: to prepare individuals to lead, to use their talents in serving society, to build lives of consequence, honor and integrity. In addition to scholarships, the program: » Provides grants of up to $7,000 for Johnson Scholarship recipients to fund internships, community service projects, faculty-supervised research, international experiences, leadership projects or other proposals that will enhance their W&L experience. These funds can be used in one or more summers. » Funds Johnson Opportunity Grant awards. This past summer 30 rising juniors and seniors received funds to support independent projects all across the country and around the world. Past Johnson Opportunity Grant recipients learned about heart surgery in Houston, biological pest control in Australia, refugee education in Israel, ethnography in Gambia, endangered corals in Belize, and many other subjects in the U.S. and abroad.
THE BUZZ YOU HEAR ON CAMPUS may be emanating from W&L’s
leadership programs—some historic and others relatively new. Omicron Delta Kappa, for example, founded by W&L students and faculty in 1914, was the first national college honor society to recognize extracurricular service. Both the Nabors Service League, student-organized in 1999, and the CommunityAcademic Research Alliance connect W&L volunteers with greater Lexington’s needs. The Campus Kitchen focuses on hunger relief in Rockbridge County using surplus food from campus dining services and area donations. Even in the week before Orientation, incoming students can confront poverty’s roots in southwest Virginia through Volunteer Venture, a student-organized service-learning program.
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selection process
» Endows two professorships, one in W&L’s Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics centering on leadership and entrepreneurship, and another in the College of arts and sciences exploring how individuals and ideas shape the course of history:
To be considered for a Johnson Scholarship, students should apply for admission to W&L by Dec. 1 and complete the separate Johnson Scholarship application, found on W&L’s Common Application Writing Supplement. From the pool of Johnson applicants, up to 200 finalists will be selected on the basis of academic achievement and demonstrated leadership. They will be judged on their potential to contribute to the intellectual and civic life of the W&L campus and to the world at large in years to come. Factors weighed will include academic credentials, writing samples, teacher recommendations, and records of leadership, citizenship and involvement in non-academic activities.
» Jeffrey Shay, Johnson Professor of Entrepreneurship and Leadership, has steadily been building an entrepreneurship program that has generated considerable excitement. “Although my courses focus mainly on entrepreneurship,” he says, “I emphasize the role leadership, integrity, ethics and honor play in successfully launching a new business venture.” » Nicolaas A. Rupke, Johnson Professor of Leadership and the History of Ideas, is an internationally known expert on the history of science. His Spring Term course, “Animal Behavior and Human Morality,” explores the history of the way individuals have looked to animal behavior for answers to some of humanity’s ongoing challenges.
The Johnson finalists will be invited to campus for interviews with faculty, student leaders and members of the administration. They will attend classes and experience life at W&L firsthand. This visit will allow prospective Johnson scholars the opportunity to judge whether Washington and Lee is a good personal fit. For application instructions and other information about the Johnson Program, visit go.wlu.edu/johnson.
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD, W&L students fan out
to practice their leadership skills. Through the Shepherd Poverty Program, W&L summer interns are placed in not-for-profit human-services agencies to serve impoverished communities in the eastern United States and Latin America. Another service-learning program, the Institute for Honor (endowed by the Class of 1960), sponsors W&L-student-led discussions on ethics in high schools across the country. The conversations are part of the Institute’s Initiative for Academic Integrity in Secondary Schools, sharpened by the working example of W&L’s Honor System.
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historic and modern | Employing the best features of very different time periods, the W&L campus merges the beauty of its 19th-century Colonnade (on the National Register of Historic Places) with modern facilities and the high-tech equipment students need to maximize their classroom and research opportunities. The University, which was founded in 1749, has invested $90 million in its facilities over the last five years and anticipates making additional investments of $150 million in the coming five years.
committed to affordability | The Johnson Scholarship is only one component of the University’s commitment to making a W&L education affordable to all deserving students, regardless of their financial background. The W&L Promise ensures that any admitted student from a family with income below $75,000 will receive an aid award of at least full tuition, without loans. Admitted students from other income brackets will have their institutionally determined financial need fully met with grants and a work-study job, without loans. Learn more at go.wlu.edu/financialaid.
— a washington and lee education —
There may be no other campus in the nation where the moral issues of our time are the subject of so much lively interest and honest debate—nor another university where the study of an individual’s capacity to make a difference is such a significant part of the academic experience and day-to-day conversation. Educating students in a climate of learning that stresses personal responsibility and integrity is central to Washington and Lee’s mission—an emphasis reflected in the University’s renowned Honor System. Student-administered and acknowledged to be among the strongest of its kind in the nation, the Honor System creates a safe and trusting environment, influencing W&L students’ lives long after graduation.
At the heart of a Washington and Lee education are the timeless skills of reasoning and communication that a rigorous education in the liberal arts provides. Multidisciplinary core studies open students’ eyes to the world, exposing them to many ways of thinking about any given topic.
BY TRADITION, A CIVIL AGREEMENT dictates that all
members of the W&L community greet one another—whether passing on the Colonnade or meeting in the Commons. Sound corny? Our students don’t think so and insist on acquainting first-year students with the Speaking Tradition at each year’s Orientation. They recognize that acknowledging others they encounter around campus promotes a spirit of friendliness and goodwill, resulting in campus conversations that are more inclusive, probing and productive. It’s just another example of the ethos of civility and mutual consideration—perpetuated by students themselves—that pervades this remarkable community.
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THE RULE OF HONOR, set by personal example and a
simple statement by then-president Robert E. Lee (“We have but one rule here, and it is that every student must be a gentleman”), is still felt today in every aspect of campus life. (Today, of course, there are equal numbers of ladies on campus.) Students leave their doors unlocked and their backpacks unattended without worry. University classrooms and libraries are open 24 hours a day—a convenience made possible by the unflinching honesty of W&L students. Their professors assign self-scheduled, unproctored exams in an environment of complete academic trust.
elect to study in the University’s accredited journalism program or, as seniors, take electives in its nationally ranked School of Law. Critical national and international issues are addressed across disciplines. The Roger Mudd Center for Ethics supports the interdisciplinary study of ethics across the curriculum. In the nationally recognized Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, students apply their classroom studies of disadvantage and poverty to possible real-world solutions through service and reflection.
distinctive opportunities Washington and Lee is a university in a liberal arts college setting. With a total undergraduate enrollment of only 1,890 men and women, classes are small and discussionfocused, and professors are as dedicated to undergraduate teaching as they are to scholarship and to research. Yet students build their programs of study from among more than 1,300 courses, 37 majors and 29 minors, a rich array seldom found at a small college.
Even W&L’s academic calendar distinguishes the institution. Twelve-week fall and winter terms are followed by the four-week Spring Term, during which students take one indepth course (often in an area outside their primary academic focus), study overseas, do internships or conduct research or independent projects.
Further, those interested in the authentic issues and practice of business, public policy and government may take courses in W&L’s AACSB-accredited Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics. Others may
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— w&l facts — history The ninth-oldest school in the country, W&L was founded in 1749 as Augusta Academy, became Liberty Hall Academy (1776), Washington Academy (1798), Washington College (1813) and, finally, Washington and Lee University (1871), recognizing the direct contributions of two of the most influential figures in American history. George Washington’s 1796 gift of James River Canal stock ensured the fledgling school’s survival; Robert E. Lee’s presidency, 1865–1870, brought innovation and national recognition to the school. distinctive features Honor System—Entirely student-run; based on the fundamental principle that students attending Washington and Lee will not lie, cheat, steal or otherwise violate community trust. Curriculum—W&L is the only leading liberal arts college to have a nationally accredited journalism program or a nationally accredited business school, and one of the few offering an engineering program. Speaking tradition—As a matter of civility and mutual consideration, members of the W&L community greet one another—whether passing on the historic Colonnade on the way to class or meeting for dinner in Elrod Commons. Academic calendar—12-12-4: two 12-week terms; one four-week Spring Term to allow for focused study, research, travel or internships.
campus At the foot of House Mountain in Lexington (population 7,000), in the Great Valley of Virginia, between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. Washington and Lee’s historic campus consists of 55 acres, plus 40 acres of playing fields and 305 acres of woodland, streams and countryside. W&L’s 35 principal buildings include the picturesque Colonnade, which faces Lee Chapel (both National Historic Landmarks), where Robert E. Lee is buried. Campus facilities have been built anew or updated to 21st-century standards with high-tech classroom and research equipment. Hours to Washington, D.C., 3; Richmond, 2; and Roanoke, 1.
degrees offered Undergraduate—Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science with special attainments in commerce. The School of Law—Juris Doctor, Master of Laws. programs of study The University offers more than 1,300 courses and majors in 37 areas: Accounting and Business Administration Accounting: Public Accounting Art History Biochemistry Biology Business Administration Chemistry Chemistry-Engineering Classics Computer Science East Asian Languages and Literature Economics English Environmental Studies French Geology German History Independent Work Journalism Mathematics Medieval and Renaissance Studies Music Neuroscience Philosophy Physics Physics-Engineering Politics Psychology Religion Romance Languages Russian Area Studies Sociology and Anthropology Spanish Strategic Communications Studio Art Theater
students Undergraduate—1,890 students from 49 states (87 percent from outside Virginia), representing citizenship in 55 countries (four percent from outside the U.S., including India, Japan, Argentina, Rwanda, Turkey, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Italy and South Korea). Ratio of men to women is 50:50. Ethnic minorities: 16 percent. The School of Law—374 students. faculty 224 full-time undergraduate faculty members. 98 percent hold doctorates or terminal degrees. Student-toteacher ratio, 8:1. Average class size, 15. Classes with fewer than 25 students, 93 percent; with fewer than 10 students, 23 percent. divisions The College—Where all undergraduate students begin with a broad study of the liberal arts and sciences (arts, humanities, and natural and social sciences). W&L is the only top-ranked liberal arts college with a nationally accredited journalism program. The Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics—Economics, politics, accounting, business administration, public accounting. W&L is the only top-ranked liberal arts college with a nationally accredited business school.
Minors are also available in Africana studies, art history, biology, classics, computer science, creative writing, dance, East Asian studies, education, education policy, environmental studies, film and visual culture,
The School of Law—Among the nation’s top law schools.
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French, German, Latin American and Caribbean studies, mass communications, mathematics, museum studies, music, philosophy, poverty and human capability studies, Russian language and culture, studio art, theater, and women’s and gender studies. Typically, half of all W&L students study abroad, facilitated by four-week Spring-Term opportunities as well as full-semester programs. student life More than 130 student activities and organizations, including drama, music and dance; media, including yearbook, newspapers and WLUR, our campus radio station; political action and advocacy organizations; cultural awareness groups; groups with religious focus; service-oriented clubs and initiatives; Outing Club; and the nationally celebrated Mock Convention, among others. About 80 percent of all students are members of one of W&L’s 22 Greek organizations. Recent visitors include Jesse Jackson, Nina Totenberg, Rudy Giuliani, Sylvia Earle, Julian Bond, Ben Stein, Roger Goodell, Bob Woodward, David McCullough, Cornel West, Christopher Buckley, Clarence Thomas, the Russian National Ballet, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, the Juilliard String Quartet, The Roots, Blues Traveler, Busta Rhymes and W&L alumnus Tom Wolfe. practicing leadership One of W&L’s most distinctive activities is the quadrennial Mock Convention, begun in 1908. This is a nationally recognized simulation in which the entire student body— Democrats, Republicans and independents alike—participates in predicting the non-incumbent party’s nominee for the U.S. presidency. The convention garners national media attention due in part to its accuracy in predicting eventual winners— correct 13 of 15 times since 1952, and 19 out of 25 times overall.
athletics The Generals play in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, NCAA Division III. Facilities include an indoor tennis center and 14 outdoor courts; baseball stadium; indoor pool with 500-seat gallery; 10,000-square-foot fitness center; training room; handball, racquetball and squash courts; 400-meter artificial surface track and turf field surrounded by the recently renovated 4,000-seat Wilson Stadium; and more than 40 acres of playing fields. Men’s varsity sports
Baseball Basketball Cross-country Football Golf Lacrosse Soccer Swimming Tennis Track and field (indoor and outdoor) Wrestling Women’s varsity sports
Basketball Cross-country Field hockey Golf Lacrosse Riding Soccer Swimming Tennis Track and field (indoor and outdoor) Volleyball Intramural and sport clubs
Badminton, baseball, cheerleading, disc golf, eventing, fencing, fly fishing, ice hockey (men’s), lacrosse, paintball, ping pong, racquetball, rock climbing, rowing, rugby, running, skiing, soccer, squash, tennis, ultimate Frisbee and volleyball. 75 percent of all students participate in athletics at some level. residence life About one-third of rooms for firstyear students are singles; students must live in on-campus residence halls or Greek housing (all owned
and maintained by the University) through the junior year. after w&l W&L’s 26,500 alumni represent an astonishing array of leaders across all fields. The University has produced 120 Fulbright scholars, 16 Goldwater fellows, 28 Kemper scholars, 22 National Science Foundation fellows, 15 Rhodes scholars, six Luce scholars and six Truman scholars. Prominent alumni
Alumni of note include Dr. Joseph L. Goldstein ’62 (Nobel Prize winner); Roger Mudd ’50 (television news correspondent); Tom Wolfe ’51 (novelist); Cy Twombly ’53 (artist); H. F. Lenfest ’53 (philanthropist and CEO); Paul Maslansky ’54 (Hollywood producer); Bill Johnston ’61 (New York Stock Exchange president); Meriwether Lewis 1790s (explorer); Lewis Powell Jr. ’29, ’31 law (Supreme Court justice); Terry Brooks ’69 law (fantasy author); John Warner Jr. ’49 (former Virginia U.S. Senator, former Navy Secretary). financial aid and scholarships
Scholarship application, available on W&L’s Writing Supplement to the Common Application. For more information about Johnson Scholarships, visit go.wlu.edu/johnson. applying Successful candidates typically have performed exceptionally well in their high schools’ most rigorous curricula and have engaged substantively in the non-academic life of their communities. Interviews are highly recommended. The first-year class size is usually 460-470. Deadlines
The University’s aid programs make a W&L education affordable to all deserving students, regardless of their financial background. The W&L Promise ensures that any admitted student from a family with income below $75,000 and with assets typical of their income will receive an aid award of at least full tuition, without loans. Admitted students from other income brackets will have their institutionally determined financial need fully met with grants and a work-study job, without loans. Learn more at go.wlu. edu/financialaid.
Early Decision, Round I—Nov. 1 (for Dec. 22 decision) Johnson Scholarship—Dec. 1 Early Decision, Round II—Jan. 1 (for Feb. 1 decision) Regular Decision—Jan. 1 Need-based financial aid: Early Decision I—Dec. 1 Early Decision II—Jan. 15 Regular Decision—Feb. 15 visiting campus Washington and Lee University is located in Lexington, Virginia, just off I-81 and I-64.
Johnson Scholars
The prestigious Johnson Scholarship Program provides debt- free education to 44 students in each class on the basis of academic achievement and leadership potential. Students wishing to be considered should submit the Johnson
Driving from the north
On I-81, take the first Lexington exit and follow Route 11 south, which becomes Main Street, past Virginia Military Institute to the W&L campus, on the right (eight miles from I-81).
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Driving from the south
On I-81, take the second Lexington exit (I-64 west) and follow signs to Route 11 south and the W&L campus (two miles from I-64). By air
Roanoke airport (50 miles south) is served by Delta, United and USAirways. Follow directions (above) for driving from the south. contact us Office of Admissions Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 24450-2116 admissions@wlu.edu www.wlu.edu (540) 458-8710 Washington and Lee University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran’s status or genetic information in its educational programs and activities, admissions and with regard to employment. See complete statement at go.wlu.edu/eeo. W&L 2015-16
WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY
204 W. Washington Street 458-8710 admissions@wlu.edu www.wlu.edu (540) Lexington, Virginia 24450-2116