Reason to Celebrate!
Today William and Mary celebrates the 323rd anniversary of its Royal Charter, issued by King William and Queen Mary in 1693. The charter provides that the College shall consist of "one President, six Masters or Professors, and an hundred scholars [students] more or less." The Charter named James Blair, selected by the General Assembly of Virginia, as the College's first President, "during his natural life." Bishop James Madison, for whom this blog is named, served as President of the College from 1776-1812.
Blair and Madison are tough acts to follow, but W. Taylor Reveley III has proved himself a worthy successor to these leaders. Earlier today Todd Stottlemyer, '85 and Rector of the College and William and Mary, announced that the College's Board of Visitors has unanimously extended the appointment of Taylor Reveley as President of William and Mary until June, 2018. Here is the complete announcement.
Rector Stottlemyer's announcement rightly notes that President Reveley's leadership "has been crucial to the University's sustained excellence." He took the helm in early 2008 and has presided during a time of great financial challenge to higher education in general and William and Mary in particular. Along with Rector Stottlemeyer, former Rector Trammel, and others, President Reveley helped conceive, develop and execute a new financial model for the College, in the form of the William and Mary Promise. Recently extended by the Board of Visitors, the Promise helped ensure that entering students would experience predictable tuition bills while simultaneously enhancing affordability for low and middle income families and generating stable revenue necessary for important investments in academic excellence. As a result, the College continues to provide an excellent and accessible education. At the same time, President Reveley and others conceived and launched the College's most ambitious fundraising campaign, For The Bold, with a goal of raising $1 billion, about a third of which will be devoted to scholarships. He also established a strategic planning process, under the auspices of the University's Planning Steering Committee, to ensure a more transparent assessment of the College's objectives and a more rational allocation of resources between such objectives. In short, the College is fortunate that he has agreed to extend his service as President.
This blogger would be remiss if he did not mention one more notable achievement, namely, the designation of the College's current mascot. After a grueling process that produced five finalists, President Reveley chose the Griffin, as recounted in this video. No wonder the mythical creature is clapping!
Rector Stottlemyer's announcement rightly notes that President Reveley's leadership "has been crucial to the University's sustained excellence." He took the helm in early 2008 and has presided during a time of great financial challenge to higher education in general and William and Mary in particular. Along with Rector Stottlemeyer, former Rector Trammel, and others, President Reveley helped conceive, develop and execute a new financial model for the College, in the form of the William and Mary Promise. Recently extended by the Board of Visitors, the Promise helped ensure that entering students would experience predictable tuition bills while simultaneously enhancing affordability for low and middle income families and generating stable revenue necessary for important investments in academic excellence. As a result, the College continues to provide an excellent and accessible education. At the same time, President Reveley and others conceived and launched the College's most ambitious fundraising campaign, For The Bold, with a goal of raising $1 billion, about a third of which will be devoted to scholarships. He also established a strategic planning process, under the auspices of the University's Planning Steering Committee, to ensure a more transparent assessment of the College's objectives and a more rational allocation of resources between such objectives. In short, the College is fortunate that he has agreed to extend his service as President.
This blogger would be remiss if he did not mention one more notable achievement, namely, the designation of the College's current mascot. After a grueling process that produced five finalists, President Reveley chose the Griffin, as recounted in this video. No wonder the mythical creature is clapping!
