Taylor Reveley

Twenty-Seventh President

W. Taylor Reveley III became the 27th president of William & Mary in February 2008 after a decade as dean of the Law School.

William & Mary has thrived under Reveley's leadership. The entire campus saw expansions, renovations and new facilities, including the graduate schools; science facilities; the arts quarter; dormitories and fields. The undergraduate curriculum was revised for the first time in almost 20 years with the innovative COLL curriculum.

The university focused on diversity and inclusion efforts; sexual assault and violence response and prevention; and mental health and wellness. The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation was launched in 2009. In 2013, Confederate iconography was removed from display and in 2016, the first two buildings – Lemon and Hardy halls – were named in honor of African-Americans who had contributed to the university.

William & Mary adopted a new financial model, launched an efficiency initiative and announced an ambitious $1 billion campaign. Alumni engagement and philanthropic efforts reached new highs.

Even as he announced his retirement, Reveley looked ahead. "The 21st century is going to be the most productive and successful in William & Mary's long life," he predicted. "The College, the university, is going to do great good for generations of William & Mary people in the years ahead, for their communities, states and nations."

Tributes

"Taylor Reveley has built an extraordinary foundation at William & Mary that will endure for decades by building a genuine sense of community among students, faculty, staff and alumni." ~Henry C. Wolf '64, J.D. '66, former Rector More...
"If Taylor Reveley had not existed, William & Mary's destiny would have required that he be invented. The nation's oldest university required a leader in the tradition of founding president, James Blair and, providentially, W. Taylor Reveley III was there to assume that mantle of leadership." ~Jeffrey Trammell '73, former Rector More...
"Taylor has a deep respect for the free exchange of ideas, a passion for precision in thinking and communication and an extraordinary gift for connecting with undergraduates. In his language great ideas are succulent, the right words are powerful, and nothing out of the ordinary happens unless someone, a live human, seizes the opportunity and leads. He seized the opportunity and led brilliantly." ~Brig. Gen. Jim Golden (ret.), senior counselor to the president, retired vice president for strategic initiatives & public affairs More...
"The epitome of propriety, a quick wit especially when self-deprecating, an analytical mind, forthright, a true gentleman." ~Joe Muscarelle, W&M supporter and honorary alumnus More...
"He goes about his work with a kindness and quirky sense of humor that is legendary and uplifting. To our students, he is a kind of beloved mascot … And when he speaks as the voice of William & Mary he makes our alumni and greater community proud of the College and enthusiastic about its prospects." ~Michael K. Powell '85, D.P.S. '02, former Rector More...
"Taylor is the quintessential citizen lawyer. He devoted 20 years to our "Public Ivy," trading in treasure for our Tribe. When I look back at the roles he played in my own life, I see a mentor, a teacher, a colleague, a friend, a role model and a gentleman." ~Professor Patricia Roberts J.D. '92, vice dean of the Law School More...
"All who walk our hallowed grounds and herringbone bricks are the better for President Reveley's wise leadership. He will always be my president." ~Yohance Whitaker '16, former Student Assembly president More...