February 19, 2024

Dear colleagues,

Let’s take a moment to celebrate the news that W&M broke another early decision record for the third consecutive year! The caliber of our prospective students is remarkable; it’s wonderful to see their enthusiasm for the university in action.

Additionally, as W&M continues to expand the Careers cornerstone of Vision 2026, I encourage you to join W&M One Network, William & Mary’s global professional networking platform designed exclusively for our community of students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff. Signing up only takes a few minutes using your W&M login. Thank you to everyone who has already joined.

Here are the Top 5 Things to Know this week:

My office will present at the BOV meeting in April on faculty research. This year we built a faculty database to reflect the full contributions of faculty scholarship. Every faculty member has a profile in Faculty Success starting at the time of hire; the software allows for reporting in the aggregate on a range of faculty contributions. At this stage, 90% of faculty research profiles are included in Faculty Success as we work to confirm accuracy. The power of this system lies in its ability to report information about the range of work occurring; how many students are involved in publications, scholarly work and presentations; and faculty members poised to be competitive in national and international awards. Stay tuned for more information on the final BOV presentation information.
Nominations are open through Wednesday, Feb. 28, for the Charles and Virginia Duke Award. This is an opportunity to honor a member of our community “for exemplary individual accomplishments in their professional lives and service to the William & Mary community.” Recipients are presented with a plaque, a cash prize and a booklet with information about Charles and Virginia Duke’s contributions to William & Mary by President Rowe during a reception in their honor. In addition, the recipient’s name will appear on the Duke Award plaque in Sadler Center as well as the program at Commencement each year. Eligible nominees must be a non-student, non-instructional faculty employee or one of the contractors providing auxiliary services to William & Mary.
The Year of the Arts is extended through Dec. 2024, and with it, we continue to have several opportunities to celebrate and get involved. For example, the artistic work of the seven 2023 Catron Scholars will be exhibited in Andrews Gallery through Feb. 23. Last summer, these undergraduate students received Charles Center funding to complete dynamic off-campus experiences cultivating their creative skills in visual art, theatre, and music. In addition, the next Ewell Concert Series: Duo Del’Ato in Concert Hall at the Music Arts Center this Saturday, Feb. 24, will feature Daniel Inamorato, a multidisciplinary artist from Brazil who recently joined the W&M community as a piano faculty member. I encourage you to join Year of the Arts events when you can — it’s a great way to celebrate the enrichment that W&M arts offer.
Reveley Faculty Fellowship applications are due to my office by Friday, Feb. 23, at 5 p.m. This program targets interdisciplinary work, and all full-time, continuing faculty (both tenure and non-tenure eligible) can apply in teams of two with a proposal for a joint project. Please know that applications require a signature from the respective dean(s). For more information about the proposal requirements, please review the call for proposals. You can also see a list of previous Reveley Fellows to get an idea of combinations and specialties that have been successful with this program.
This week’s shout-out goes to The Institute of Bill of Rights Law; the Institute for the Study of Education, Democracy, and Justice; and the William & Mary Law Review, which sponsored and curated the two-day Brown v. Board at 70 symposium last week. The event attracted expert legal and education scholars, including Mike Klarman, the Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History at Harvard Law School and award-winning author of “From Jim Crow to Civil Rights,” who was the keynote speaker. The symposium examined ways the decision continues to affect everyday life, in addition to other critical questions. I appreciate these units for their commitment to impactful and relevant dialogue like this.