Law Schools compete tooth and claw.  Depending on the marketplace’s judgment, their reputations rise or fall.  Reputations, in turn, affect not only the caliber of the faculty and students, but also the opportunities for alumni.

A law school’s chance to excel hinges on many factors.  One of the bedrocks is financial strength.  Virginia’s taxpayers now pay less than 8% of Marshall-Wythe’s operating costs.  Over 90% of these costs are privately funded – by tuition, yield on endowed funds, annual giving, and grants.  Against this background, our Annual Fund has become vital.

Gifts to the Annual Fund do double duty.  They provide an immediate infusion of cash to meet crucial Law School needs, and they let the world know that its graduates – and friends – are voting for Marshall-Wythe with their pocketbooks.  The marketplace does look to see if a school’s graduates care enough to invest in its future.  The graduates and friends of William & Mary Law School do care enough.

W. Taylor Reveley, III
Dean and John Stewart Bryan
    Professor of Law