February 5, 2024

Dear colleagues,

We celebrate William & Mary’s 331st birthday at 4 p.m. Friday with Charter Day speeches, music, videos and the Green & Gold Bash. I hope to see you there, showing William & Mary spirit and celebrating the place we call home. (When attending Charter Day, please also keep in mind the clear bag policy for events in W&M Athletics facilities.)

Throughout the month we have several events commemorating the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recognizing Black History Month. In honor of Dr. King’s legacy of service, W&M’s Office of Civic & Community Engagement is hosting Service Saturdays, connecting to meaningful one-time volunteer activities. Tomorrow, the Lemon Project holds a virtual porch talk, featuring Char McCargo Bah on finding descendants of an African American Civil War cemetery. Then at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 15, the Kappa Pi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will lead a commemorative march from the Sadler Center to the Hearth Memorial to the Enslaved followed by a dinner at the Alumni House. A couple of days later, at 11 a.m. on Feb. 17 at Bruton Heights, the Williamsburg Bray School will offer the public a restoration update.

Here are the Top 5 Things to Know this week:

The Student-Athlete Services Team and Faculty Athletics Representative play a pivotal role in helping students balance academics and athletics and offer valuable services to faculty members. Team members can help navigate travel letters and changes, proctoring and scheduling conflicts, and injuries, among other matters. Support also includes Athletics Department staff to proctor assessments student-athletes may miss due to athletics travel. To learn more about how this valuable resource can be of assistance to you, I encourage you to contact John Donahue, Faculty Athletics Representative.
Created by the Provost in 2022-23, the Interdisciplinary Research Fund was established to maintain excellence in research and to support innovation in emerging areas of scientific and societal interest. Successful proposals foster collaboration between principal investigators from areas with limited external funding opportunities (such as the humanities or the arts) with researchers in fields with greater access, like social sciences and/or STEM. The fund allocates $300,000 in one-time funding for new internal interdisciplinary research grants and establishes new pathways to funding that is currently beyond reach. Please submit proposals to provost@wm.edu by Feb. 26. If you have any questions, please contact Josh Burk.
All W&M students and employees are invited to celebrate the Year of the Arts in Washington, D.C., at the opening performance of the Washington Ballet's "Jazz Icons: A Fine Romance" at the Kennedy Center on Feb. 14. Sponsored by W&M Libraries, Arts & Sciences, Washington Center, Student Affairs, the Year of the Arts Coordinating Committee and my office, the cost is $25 for W&M community members and includes transportation via bus, a ticket to the performance, and an alumni networking dinner at the William & Mary Washington Center. Seating is limited, so please register early.
The Arts & Sciences Inclusive Inquiry Speaker Series will take the shape of a two-day film festival on Feb. 22-23 featuring Cadence Theatre Company’s Sitelines BLM ACTION short films and keynote speaker director, writer, producer — and W&M alumnus — Omar Kamara, whose debut feature “African Giants” will premiere in 2024 at the Slamdance Film Festival. The series brings transformational organizations and speakers to William & Mary to explore shared values, engage with diverse perspectives, and enhance W&M’s inclusive teaching and research practices through community dialogue and collaboration.
Today’s shout-out goes to the TutorZone, which provides free tutoring services for over 150 classes, and has recently grown in both students served and hours offered. The free service, supported by the Parents Fund, advances academic success and reduces unhealthy stress for students. I thank staff and students – and W&M families – who have grown the TutorZone; it is an incredible and appreciated resource.