Working Group Charge
The working group’s charge from President Katherine A. Rowe includes the following actions:
- The group will codify principles for a) naming and renaming buildings, spaces or structures and b) developing commemorative/explanatory markers throughout campus. Rowe has asked the group to prepare a preliminary outline of such principles in a report to the president, in advance of the August Board of Visitors retreat.
- The university took action in 2015 to remove the most visible manifestations and iconography of the Confederacy from campus, including a Confederate plaque that hung in the hallway of the Wren Building and two emblems on the College Mace carried at William & Mary’s signature events. By early August, the working group will review any others and recommend actions to address, rename or contextualize them.
- Based on research by the Lemon Project and in consultation with our historically linked Indigenous communities, the working group will prepare a prioritized list of appropriate new names for any buildings the Board may wish to name as they come online for consideration.
- The working group will conduct a comprehensive landscape review to identify additional structures that may be perceived as barriers to a welcoming and inclusive environment.
A final report (pdf) was due and presented to the president at the February 2021 Board of Visitors meeting. President Rowe submitted a memo with recommended next steps for naming and renaming (pdf).
