Campus Life

College Environment

The Virginia peninsula boasts three treasures of American heritage: "The Historic Triangle" of Jamestown, site of the first permanent English settlement in America; Yorktown, where American independence was won; and Williamsburg, the restored colonial capital of Virginia.

William and Mary's campus is a mixture of the ancient and the modern, reflecting the nearly 300 years of the College's past.  The Sir Christopher Wren Building, located at the west end of Duke of Gloucester Street, is the oldest educational building in continuous use in the United States. The Wren Building marks only the eastern tip of a campus that includes 1200 acres, approximately 40 major buildings, a large lake, extensive woods, and many playing fields and tennis courts.  Behind the Wren Building and stretching from the Sunken Gardens to Lake Matoaka is a beautiful wooded area known as the Jefferson Prospect. Surrounding Lake Matoaka is College Woods, an expanse of acreage which provides hiking trails and an exceptional natural laboratory for William and Mary students.

 William and Mary is a university small enough to provide for relationships that cultivate learning and community, and large enough to have the resources to achieve excellence. An important aspect of this community is its location in the historic city of Williamsburg, which offers, after a half-century of restoration and preservation, an unparalleled view of eighteenth century life. The educational, cultural and recreational opportunities afforded to all students by the College, the City and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation add to the quality of life and education at William and Mary.

Student Services

The many resources of the College and the School of Education include:

1.    Office of Admissions and Professional Services

Dr. Tom Ward, Associate Dean for Academic Programs
Dr. Dorothy Sluss, Associate Dean for Professional Services

Located in Jones Hall 100, this office serves as the point of contact for undergraduate and graduate teacher certification; undergraduate and graduate admissions; course scheduling and other curriculum and programmatic offerings; course matriculation and monitoring; doctoral admissions and written and oral comprehensive examinations; degree monitoring and audits; and graduation. Although specific advisors are assigned to admitted graduate students, professionals in the Office of Admissions and Student Services are prepared to respond to general questions regarding graduate curricular programs and academic policies and practices.

2.    Earl Gregg Swem Library

Located very near the School of Education, Swem Library contains more than 1,043,000 volumes, subscriptions to 3,200 periodicals, 1,137,000 microfilms including a complete set of ERIC documents on microfiche, 504,000 government documents, and 1,000,000 manuscripts. Books and periodicals support the various graduate programs in the School of Education are ordered on a continuing basis for the collections in Swem Library. The LION (LIbraries ONline) online catalog is the basic index to the Library's book collection. It is available in Swem Library, the Learning Resource Center in the School of Education, by dial access, and over the campus telecommunications network from dormitories and microcomputer labs. The Library also offers self-serve access to several computerized indexes on CD-ROM, including ERIC, PSYCLIT, and mediated access to several hundred online databases. During most of the hours the Library is open, a reference librarian is on duty to help users with these tools and other research needs. Books and periodical articles not in the William and Mary libraries may be requested through the Interlibrary Loan Department.

3.    Computer Center

The William and Mary Computer Center, located on the ground floor of Hugh Jones Hall, supports computing by the entire College community: students, faculty, and administration. Most administrative computing is performed on an IBM 9121 computer running the IBM operating system MVS/ESA. Several RS6000 computers running AIX are provided for academic computing (i.e., computing related to specific courses). All students have accounts (userids) and passwords established on the RS6000 electronic mail server automatically.

 Microcomputers are also available for student and faculty use. Public-access laboratories housing approximately 300 terminals and micro-computers are located in seven different buildings on campus, and several of these laboratories are open continuously. A variety of software is available for statistical analysis, word processing, spreadsheet or financial analysis, database management, computer language research, and electronic mail. To assist faculty and students, the Computer Center offers non-credit short courses dealing with the use of centralized resources. The College is actively engaged in the acquisition of site licenses for popular academic microcomputer software. Software for the microcomputers includes WordPerfect and various Borland products and is available at substantially reduced prices.

4.    Counseling Center

Located at 125 Richmond Road, the Counseling Center offers professional assistance to students in personal counseling. The services are free of charge, and they are provided by experienced clinical psychologists and counselors. All information discussed in counseling is held in the strictest confidence. The Center serves as a regional testing center for the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is offered through the Graduate School of Business. Other graduate examinations (the Graduate Record Exam [GRE], the Law School Admission Test [LSAT], and the Medical College Admission Test [MCAT]) are administered by the Office of Career Services (757/221-3240).

5.    Career Services

The mission of the Office of Career Services is to provide students with skills and knowledge appropriate for making career decisions. Its services are intended to foster the development of individual identity, autonomy, initiative, and responsibility.

Assistance is provided through individual career counseling, career development seminars, and special programs and speakers. Students have access to "SIGI Plus," a computer-based guidance and information system, allowing them to gain assistance with a wide range of career concerns as well as other career-related inventories.

 The career placement service for the School of Education is located in the Office of Career Services at 128 Blow Memorial Hall. Credential files will be created and distributed for students upon their request. Assistance is offered in creating and maintaining resumes. Career Services also provides available job application forms for Virginia school systems, sponsors a variety of on-campus recruiting events, and maintains listings of current openings in institutions of higher education as well as openings in public and private educational systems throughout the nation.

6.    College Housing

The College offers furnished apartment-style living on a limited basis to graduate students. Room rates for the academic year vary in price depending on the size of the apartment. The Graduate Housing Complex, located next to the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, is available for graduate students. These two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments feature colonial-style architecture around a landscape courtyard. They are also conveniently located within walking distance of the College campus. Twenty-percent of the spaces in the complex are available on a 12-month basis. The other 80% are leased on an academic year basis.

 A room deposit of $200 is required upon assignment to campus housing. This deposit is non-refundable and is applied to the student's rent. Students enrolled for the first time may make application only after being notified of admission. Students should make housing application by submitting the housing request card sent by the School of Education to the Office of Residence Life , College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795.  If  you have questions you may call (757) 221-4314.

Student Organizations

I n the School of Education, there are two organizations for students to actively participate in at the graduate level:

Graduate Education Association

The Graduate Education Association disseminates information regarding different programs in the School of Education and in other units of the College; promotes better communication among graduate students, faculty, and administration of the School of Education; represents the graduate students of the School of Education at official functions and on committees of The College of William and Mary; assists graduate students with such matters as the provision of a limited number of mini-grants which provide reimbursements to cover transportation, lodging, and conference registration fees; provides for an exchange of ideas among scholars of various fields; promotes social activities for its members; and adjudicates student honor code infractions. All graduate students in the School of Education who have been admitted to a program and/or are enrolled in one or more classes are members.

Kappa Delta Pi - Alpha Xi Chapter

Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education, was first organized in 1911, and the Alpha Xi Chapter at The College of William and Mary was chartered in 1927. The purpose of Kappa Delta Pi is to encourage high professional intellectual and personal standards and to recognize graduates of the College for their outstanding contributions to education. To this end, the organization invites to membership persons who exhibit commendable personal qualities, worthy educational ideals, and sound scholarship. The organization endeavors to maintain a high degree of professional fellowship among its members and to quicken professional growth by honoring achievement in educational work.

Things to See and Do in Williamsburg and Surrounding Areas

See Colonial Williamsburg: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Visit Busch Gardens: Busch Gardens, Williamsburg

What's going on in the Hampton Roads area: Hampton Roads