Democracy Initiative Updates
The updates below reflect progress made toward the goals for this initiative.
Fall 2024
Students at William & Mary today advance a centuries-old tradition of passionate civil engagement. The university has long led the nation in student voter registration. Grounded in that bedrock, in 2021, William & Mary launched a Better Arguments curriculum – led by students, faculty, and staff – that serves as a national model for building community across differences. (Our broader campus community enthusiastically joined in, including over 70% of W&M faculty, staff and leadership boards in the past year.) We recognize that it is the role of a great university to hold open space for respectful dissent, so we can grow in understanding together. At William & Mary, we walk this talk, as you can learn from our stories and updates.
Spring 2023
Via university-wide initiatives, key partnerships and high-impact research, Williamsburg aims to be the destination for the country in 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
- Restoration continues on the Bray School, the oldest extant schoolhouse in the United States used for the education of Black children, earning national recognition. Together William & Mary, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the City of Williamsburg will open this extraordinary site to visitors in 2024;
- The Brafferton Tercentennial, launched at Charter Day, builds on 20 years of impactful research partnerships, showcasing how collaborations with our region’s tribes drive new discoveries;
- W&M joined the Council of Presidents in affirming Virginia public higher education’s unwavering commitment to free speech;
- This summer, W&M will cohost the high-profile NATO Youth Summit in Washington, D.C., reaching young leaders across NATO countries.
Fall 2022
University-wide initiatives prepare students for the rights and obligations of 21st-century citizenship:
The Democracy Initiative committee consulted with the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, who shared NSLV survey results: 82% of W&M students voted in the 2020 election, compared to 69% of other public doctoral institutions.
W&M continues to pilot use of the Constructive Dialogue Institute’s training modules with students.
During Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, the university convened a panel of prominent alumni journalists representing CNN, CBS News and The New York Times, and a photojournalist based in Ukraine. They discussed the free press as a core function of a pluralistic democracy and how their W&M education prepared them for these roles. Watch the recap of their compelling conversation.
Spring 2022
Since February 2022, the university has dedicated the Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved, which was the location for the first in-person Juneteenth Celebration hosted by William & Mary, bringing together the university and the broader community. W&M faculty are also collaborating with a local advocacy organization, The Village Initiative, on The Local Black Histories Project, a community-led research project.
Every unit at W&M is being invited to host a Challenging Topic Lecture in 2022-23 academic year to ensure that W&M aspires to be a place where respectful dialogue takes place on challenging topics. Additionally, in fall 2022 the Open Mind Platform, an evidence based tool that fosters empathy and mutual understanding across difference, is being launched to all incoming freshman.
The National Institute for American History & Democracy also returned to their in-person experience for high school students giving potential future students an outstanding learning experience supported by William & Mary’s Department of History and Colonial Williamsburg.
