A new commission promotes
deeper understanding of the
many facets of W&L’s rich,
complex history.
n the wake of the racial violence
in Charlottesville in August,
Washington and Lee was again
thrust into the middle of the
national conversation about
white supremacy and Confederate memory
— especially when that conversation turned to
Robert E. Lee, the former Confederate general
who served as president of this institution from
1865 to 1870.
In the immediate aftermath, President Will
Dudley, who was born in Charlottesville, wrote
to the community a day after sending a
message of support and solidarity to Teresa
Sullivan, president of the University of Virginia.
I
Dudley acknowledged that W&L and Lexington
have “a complex history with regard to the
Confederate symbols and figures around which
these hateful groups are rallying.” He asserted
that “W&L’s institutional values are antitheti-
cal to the vile ideologies that we saw on full
display in Charlottesville . . ., and they call us
to speak out in opposition when confronted
with such detestable behavior.”
Dudley subsequently empaneled the
Commission on Institutional History and
Community. His goal, described in an Aug. 24
message to the community, is for the commis-
sion to “lead us in an examination of how our
history — and the ways we teach, discuss and
represent it — shapes our community.”
The commission’s work, he continued, will
include “studying how our physical campus, a
significant portion of which is a National
Historic Landmark, can be presented in ways
that take full advantage of its educational
potential and are consistent with our core
values. I am confident that Washington and
Lee will set a national example for how this
work should be done, and that our own
community will be better and stronger for
having done it.”
Dudley also emphasized the importance of
studying the issues from an academic
perspective. In that vein, the Office of the
Provost developed a year-long academic series
entitled “Washington and Lee: Education and
History,” which features a variety of lectures
and other opportunities for conversation. A
schedule of those events is in the sidebar on
p. 20; many are available to watch online.
On Aug. 31, the president named the
12-member commission, comprising faculty,
staff, students and alumni (see FAQ, opposite).
Brian Murchison, the Charles S. Rowe
Professor of Law and a 35-year veteran of the
faculty, serves as chair. Dudley praised the
members’ willingness to participate in what is
certain to be a difficult, time-consuming
process. “I made 12 phone calls and got 12
affirmative responses,” he said. “I wanted to
What a University
Should Do
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK HINELY ’73
AND KEVIN REMINGTON
