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Arts & Sciences Annual Report
In the 2025-2026 Report
Message from the Dean
The College of Arts & Sciences experienced continued growth and success during the 2025-2026 academic year thanks to the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. This past year has shown us not only what is possible, but how quickly that possibility can take shape. After changing our name, we moved forward with the development of a mission statement for the College of Arts & Sciences, further strengthening our identity as the academic foundation of William & Mary.
Your support drives discovery and innovation, whether that’s groundbreaking research, applied learning experiences or exploring new ideas in and outside of the classroom. Together, we’ve nurtured a community built around the lifelong pursuit of knowledge — preparing the next generation of creators, thinkers and leaders. Within this report, you’ll find just some of the ways we’re making an impact, along with the stories and people behind it.
Warmly,
Suzanne Raitt
Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences
Chancellor Professor of English
Who We Are
The College of Arts & Sciences is at the heart of William & Mary, building on a long tradition of excellence in research, mentorship and hands-on learning. As the foundation of a liberal arts and sciences education at W&M, the College of Arts & Sciences includes more than 40 departments and interdisciplinary programs in the arts & humanities, social sciences, and natural, mathematical & health sciences.
Strategic Focus Areas
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Naming & Transforming Arts & Sciences for the Future
Investing in people, programs and infrastructure to strengthen the College of Arts & Sciences’ identity, expand opportunity, and ensure long-term support for research, teaching and student success.
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Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders
Expanding access, affordability and support so all students can fully participate in the academic and co-curricular experiences that define a William & Mary education.
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Innovating Through Discovery
Advancing new programs, supporting faculty excellence and investing in interdisciplinary collaboration to drive research and curricular innovation in areas of growing demand.
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Advancing the World, Making New Knowledge
Deepening civic engagement, community partnerships and place-based learning to maximize public impact locally and globally.
By the Numbers
Explore the College of Arts & Sciences by the numbers and learn about the teaching, research and discovery happening on and off campus, and in and out of the classroom.
2025-2026 Student Enrollment
All enrollment data as of Spring 2026
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6,688UndergraduateEnrolled in College of Arts & Sciences degree programs or undeclared
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164Graduate
Undergraduate Majors by Area
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747Arts & Humanities
including 331 secondary majors
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1,729Natural Sciences, Health Sciences & Mathematics
including 69 secondary majors
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1,586Social Sciences
including 60 secondary majors
Graduate Students by Area
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31Arts & Humanities
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45Natural Sciences, Health Sciences & Mathematics
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88Social Sciences
W&M Rankings
These rankings underscore the central role of the College of Arts & Sciences in William & Mary's success; explore additional rankings and recognitions here.
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# 2Best Public School for Undergraduate TeachingU.S. News & World Report, 2026
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# 6Best Schools for Internships (Public)The Princeton Review, 2025
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# 1Study Abroad ParticipationInstitute for International Education, 2025
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Top 10Undergraduate film studies programs in the U.S.Videomaker.com
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41 stBest Chemistry SchoolCollege Factual
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# 1U.S. Colonial History (Graduate)U.S. News & World Report, 2021
Student Outcomes
The College of Arts & Sciences equips students to be leaders for today and tomorrow. The Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement connects with students post-graduation through the Next Destination Survey. Read about the Class of 2024 and stay tuned for updates from the classes of 2025 and 2026.
Check out recent achievements from current students and alumni:
Applied Learning & Internships
As the College of Arts & Sciences' hub for undergraduate research experiences beyond the classroom and across disciplines, the Charles Center for Undergraduate Research continues to expand student access to transformative mentorship, internship and applied learning initiatives. Director Elizabeth Harbron is co-leading the university’s multiyear Applied Learning for All initiative to facilitate cross-campus collaboration, data collection and innovation.
Applied Learning & Internships
Highlights include:
- Arts masterclass series in partnership with Arts at W&M provided 1,000 students with hands-on learning opportunities with master practitioners.
- Community of Scholars: 18 faculty, 20 grants, 750+ students impacted
- The Center’s Research in Motion program supported the research or conference travel of 102 undergraduates.
- 6 Research Dissemination grant recipients
In addition to awarding 307 research grants for summer 2026, the Charles Center is supporting 44 internships, including experiences for:
- 10 Woody interns in Museum Studies
- 11 Monroe Scholar internships
- 8 City Research interns (2 interns with the City of Williamsburg and 6 interns with area nonprofits)
- 5 Sharpe Community Scholars Action Research internships
- 3 Journalism & Democracy fellows with regional news organizations
187 students completed 188 undergraduate honors theses.
Graduate Studies
Graduate Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences is key to our excellence in research and teaching. Graduate students in American Studies, Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, History, Psychological Sciences and Public Policy contribute significantly to undergraduate teaching and mentoring while strengthening our status as an R-1 research university. Doctoral graduates have enjoyed remarkable success this year in attaining tenure track/permanent positions in a range of universities including Washington University, Texas A&M, James Madison University and Western Carolina University, while other advanced students have won predoctoral fellowships including from the American Council for Learned Societies.
Our programs continue to recruit top students in every discipline, with Psychological Sciences alone receiving 230 applications for their 8 funded Master's student places. This year has seen the formalization of Bachelors to Master's Accelerated Pathway programs in Anthropology and Public Policy, with plans for expansion in other programs/departments. We are excited about a newly approved Master's Program in Computational and Applied Mathematics - Operations Research, with the first students entering in Fall 2026.
Faculty Excellence & Research
Faculty continued to produce the high-quality research for which W&M is known, securing external grants in an increasingly competitive and constrained funding environment and building new collaborations globally, locally and across the university. To help sustain this momentum, we provided more than $370,000 in support for faculty research, programming and events through the Faculty Grants Fund, Arts & Sciences Annual Fund and Dean's Innovation Fund. During the year, Arts & Sciences faculty and staff submitted 228 external grant proposals totaling $35,713,746. This year, we also launched the Faculty Research Forum, a monthly series highlighting and celebrating the full range of research activities and excellence across the College of Arts & Sciences.
Books Published by Faculty
Each year, William & Mary News publishes a compilation of books written or edited by faculty across campus, as submitted by the authors. Explore the 2025 list.
Academic Culture & Values
Strategic initiative actions this year included:
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Insights from Within
The annual Insights from Within community conversation included two virtual professional development workshops: Active Bystander Cultures and Courageous Conversations, in collaboration with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.
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Open Inquiry Speaker Series
The Open Inquiry Speaker Series featured a poetry reading by Ada Limón, the 24th United States Poet Laureate.
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Faculty Mentoring and Success
The Faculty Mentoring and Success Initiative for Mid-Career Faculty launched as a mid-career faculty mentoring program.
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Open Inquiry Awards
Our Open Inquiry Awards continue to support faculty efforts to promote open inquiry into diverse experiences and perspectives in existing or new non-COLL courses. This year, Open Inquiry Awards were distributed to faculty teaching courses in English and Creative Writing, Modern Languages & Literatures and Anthropology.
Staff Excellence
The College of Arts & Sciences is powered by an exceptional staff whose dedication and commitment supports students, faculty and colleagues across our community. Through the Dean's Innovation Fund and Arts & Sciences Annual Fund, the College also provided support for staff professional development, initiatives and programming that advance our mission. This year, Arts & Sciences staff member Shanay Butler was recognized with a university-wide Values in Action Award for exemplifying William & Mary's core values. We were also proud to launch the inaugural College of Arts & Sciences Gail Pascaris Award for Staff Excellence, established in memory of a beloved colleague. The award recognizes outstanding staff contributions and honors individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, dedication and service to the College and the campus community.
Arts at W&M
This past year was extraordinary for the arts at William & Mary. The William & Mary Presents! season featured an impressive range of artists and performances, showcasing talent from around the world across genres and disciplines. The season included seven sold-out performances featuring acclaimed artists such as Whose Live Anyway?, multi-Grammy Award winner Béla Fleck, acrobatic ensemble Noli Timere (pictured), and Tony, Oscar, and Grammy Award–winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Through the support of the Sumner G. Rand Foundation, the Charles Center Masterclass Series, and the Arts & Sciences Annual Fund and Dean’s Innovation Fund, the Office of the Arts brought an ambitious and dynamic season of programming to campus.
Highlights of the year included:
- 7 sold out William & Mary Presents! performances
- 350+ ticketed events
- 50,000 attendees across the performing arts spaces
- Partnerships with Virginia Arts Festival, Tidewater Classical Guitar Society, Ampersand International Arts Festival and Last Word Comedy Festival
Communications
This year marked a significant step forward in how we share the story of the College of Arts & Sciences. We launched official College social media channels (be sure to follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook!) and saw strong early growth, while expanding our production of original content. Our student communications team contributed more than 40 original stories and related pieces, highlighting student research, faculty scholarship and campus initiatives. The team also supported several major institutional priorities, including incorporating William & Mary’s updated brand across CAS content and advancing the rollout of the College of Arts & Sciences’ new name.
Advancement
From our first "Toast to the College of Arts & Sciences" tent at Homecoming to travels across the country, including multiple Yule Log celebrations, we spread the word of our outstanding Arts & Sciences faculty, staff and students to our alumni, parents and friends. We were also pleased to welcome a new member to the advancement team, Jacob Miller '18, as our Director of Development.
Thanks to your extraordinary generosity, support and dedication, this fiscal year has turned out to be a record-breaking one for the College of Arts & Sciences! A highlight this spring was another successful One Tribe One Day:
- 2,785 donors (new CAS record)
- $652K raised (new CAS record)
- $298K from the Council of Arts & Sciences to any CAS fund (and 100% participation)
- Government chair and professor Marcus Holmes ran more than 50 miles on his home treadmill (and broadcast on social media) and raised more than $30K for the department from more than 300 donors
Your support strengthens Arts & Sciences today and shapes what’s possible tomorrow. For that, we are most grateful!
Democracy Scholars Program Fund
This year, the College of Arts & Sciences launched Democracy Scholars, a new living-learning community inspired by the legacy of Project Plus and supported by alumni and friends. The program brings together 24 first-year students to explore active citizenship, democratic engagement and the exchange of ideas across disciplines.
Contact the College of Arts & Sciences Advancement Team:
University Advancement
Gerald Bullock, M.Ed.'97
- Title: Executive Director of Development
- Email: [[igbull]]
- Phone: 757-221-1023
Jacob Miller '18
- Title: Director of Development
- Email: [[jamiller03]]
- Phone: 757-221-1952
Susan Adams
- Title: Donor Engagement Associate
- Email: [[sfadams]]
- Phone: 757-221-1805