2021 News Stories

After graduating with a degree in film and media studies, Harper Birdsong '20 was uncertain where the next path would lead.

William & Mary ranks fourth among public universities in the nation in study-abroad programs, according to the 2021 Open Doors report released Nov. 15 by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The computers and sensors of the future are being engineered one atom at a time. A team of theoretical quantum physicists at William & Mary have partnered with materials scientists to develop a new tool for harnessing the power of subatomic conductivity.

William & Mary’s fall Values in Action award recipients exemplified university values across the spectrum and have been recognized accordingly.

William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe and Rector John E. Littel finalized this week terms of the president’s contract extension through June 2028.

The Faroe Islands, an archipelago between Norway and Iceland, were once believed to have been settled by Viking explorers in the mid-9th century CE. Thanks to new analysis of ancient sheep DNA, the remote, North Atlantic islands are now shown to have been inhabited by British Isle shepherds centuries before the Vikings arrived.

In November, a group of William & Mary undergraduates attended the annual Commonwealth of Virginia Cancer Research Conference, and two of members of the Class of 2023 came back to Williamsburg bearing “best presentation” honors.

Launched in 2020, GRI created the fellowship to help respond to real-world policy changes and develop the next generation of leaders through a multidisciplinary approach — engaging researchers from different academic fields, perspectives and backgrounds in collaborative projects across 10 research labs.

William & Mary is partnering with European Humanities University in Vilnius, Lithuania, and National Central University in Taoyuan, Taiwan, for an eight-week summer study abroad program starting in 2022.

It started with students approaching faculty members to create self-designed majors around the use of data.

Neutrinos may be the key to finally solving a mystery of the origins of our matter-dominated universe, and preparations for two major, billion-dollar experiments are underway to reveal the particles’ secrets.

For Rigzin Dolma, who earned her Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) from William & Mary Law School in May 2021, the opportunity to earn a graduate degree at the school represented an unexpected waypost in her dharma.

William & Mary experienced the largest growth in its endowment in fiscal year 2021 (FY21), increasing $332 million to a total value of nearly $1.3 billion.

Large segments of the world’s research community refocused in early 2020 in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual report of “dead-zone” conditions in the Chesapeake Bay from William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science indicates the overall severity of hypoxia was slightly higher than usual during 2021, due largely to the relatively early onset and late termination of low-oxygen waters.

A new scholarship named for the late Gen. Colin L. Powell D.P.S. ’88 will help William & Mary cultivate leaders who can emulate his example as a statesman on the world stage.

David Brashear, director of the Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary, will present design details and project dates for the facility’s expansion and renovation as The Martha Wren Briggs Center for the Visual Arts during an information session at the museum next week.

Launched in 2019, the IGNITE program aims to introduce William & Mary to a more diverse pool of faculty prospects while providing them with information, tools and a network with which to start their academic careers.

In a recent report, W&M Director of Public Policy Paul Manna examines how state governments can help school districts produce a larger selection of effective principals.

As president of the Janssen Infectious Diseases & Vaccines division since June 2020, Candice Malone Long M.B.A. ’96 led the Johnson & Johnson team that introduced its COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.

On Friday, Nov. 12, for six exciting hours, the Reves Room was transformed into Command Central for the William & Mary’s Global Innovation Challenge (WMGIC) x North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Cybersecurity Challenge.

William & Mary’s undergraduate iGEM team won a Gold Medal and was nominated for a major award at the iGEM Giant Jamboree, the annual conference and award ceremony of the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation.

William & Mary’s Commonwealth Center for Energy and the Environment had its genesis about a decade ago after members of the university’s Board of Visitors expressed interest in encouraging new research, especially interdisciplinary initiatives.

New gifts totaling $1.1 million help project reach closer to $67-million goal.

On Nov. 30, when the whole world comes together to celebrate an annual day of giving, William & Mary has the chance to convey what matters most with a strong showing of support for our community.

The William & Mary Board of Visitors unanimously voted Friday to extend the contract of President Katherine A. Rowe through June 2028.

In departments and initiatives throughout William & Mary, efforts have been underway for nearly two decades to build up relationships with descendant communities and include their members as a vital part of the university’s research efforts.

Following former football player and longtime assistant coach Bob Solderitch's death last spring, a plan was put in place to honor his memory.

Jason Chen, associate professor of education at William & Mary, is working with Professor of Theatre and Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies Francis Tanglao Aguas are using a grant from the National Science Foundation to create a professional development curriculum.

Recent afternoons found Professor of Theatre Steve Holliday standing in various spots on the Kimball Theatre stage directing students either in the wings, on the catwalk or up on pneumatic lifts where to aim the lights.

Andrea Wright, Jinlan Liu Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies (APIA) Faculty Research Award recipient, plans to use the funds to support a research project focused on the impact of green energy projects on people’s lives in India, Kuwait and Virginia.

The clinic has achieved great success in its two-fold mission: to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to be effective attorneys, and to help veterans affected by service-related disabilities receive the benefits they deserve.

The William & Mary Spirit Shop and Bookstore, operated by Barnes & Noble College, opened at 601 Prince George St. on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021.

Christina Tonnochy ’23 served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years. We asked her to speak with us about her experiences transitioning from the military into the classroom and what she plans to do with her degree.

A $40,000 grant from the Virginia Law Foundation to the Parents Engaged in Learning Equality (PELE) Special Education Clinic at William & Mary Law School will support the launch of a virtual clinic project targeting military families across Virginia facing special education issues in their local school districts.

William & Mary has won two awards and a Platinum Seal from the nonpartisan ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge in recognition of the university’s student voter participation efforts in the 2020 election cycle.

A new study by researchers at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science updates that trend, reveals a clear seasonal pattern, and quantifies the relative contributions to warming brought by the atmosphere, Bay tributaries, and the ocean.

Sumié Yotsukura ‘22 and Brian Zhao ’23 recently celebrated the installation of the exhibit, “Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M,” at Swem Library. The exhibit was the culmination of their research project to unearth the stories of the first Asian students to attend W&M.

The nine-year roadmap sets out specific suggestions in key areas of the university’s multi-pronged approach to a more sustainable future.

Yijie Zou is a Ph.D. student in William & Mary’s Department of Anthropology. He is planning a return to the west African country to continue observing the interaction of the Chinese community and native Ghanaians.

W&M students Cody Armstrong ’22 and Max Berckmueller ’23 immersed themselves in every department during nine-week internship with City of Williamsburg.

Daniel Kovner, a doctoral student in the Department of Physics at William & Mary, will continue his investigation of quantum chromodynamics as one of 65 graduate students supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program.

The vision for William & Mary’s new Democracy Initiative is succinct: “W&M aspires to be a place where respectful dialogue takes place on challenging topics.”

The fellowships, announced recently by Jefferson Science Associates (JSA) will support students’ advanced studies and research at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.

The two educational institutions have announced the creation of a joint research initiative to document the history of the school and its students, which will lead to new interpretive programming that explores the complicated history of this 18th-century institution dedicated to the education of Black children.

Thanks to a cross-university team and the support of small, women- and minority-owned (SWaM) businesses, William & Mary was able to procure the items it needed to continue operating while also protecting the health of its community members.

On Monday afternoon, the Bee McLeod Recreation Center was dedicated in honor of the late Helen “Bee” Elizabeth McLeod ’83, M.B.A. ’91, a beloved alumna whose passion for wellness and commitment to her alma mater left an indelible mark at William & Mary.

Barbette Spaeth, professor of classical studies at William & Mary, teaches and researches in the areas of ancient religion and magic. Her classes are quite popular and draw a cross-section of students across all disciplines and systems of values and beliefs.

Raymond A. Mason School of Business Professor Don Rahtz discusses his new book "Community, Economy, and COVID-19: Lessons from Multi-Country Analyses of a Global Pandemic," co-authored by Clifford Shultz and Joseph Sirgy.

New names in honor of trailblazing alumni now grace two campus buildings. Morton Hall and Taliaferro Hall were dedicated this fall as John E. Boswell Hall and Hulon L. Willis Sr. Hall, respectively.

The Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture (OI) will be doing its part to support humanities posts for underemployed scholars through a new fellowship program aimed at non-tenure-eligible scholars who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

William & Mary Government Professor John McGlennon talks about recent polling numbers and the potential impact of Virginia’s statewide election.

Christopher Freiman, associate professor of philosophy at William & Mary, outlines his reasoning in his new book “Why It’s OK to Ignore Politics.” Just in time for the Nov. 2 elections, he makes an interesting yet controversial case.

Robert West ’23 helped design a Get Out the Vote program that has gotten more than 1.7 million people registered to vote since last fall.

As the world anxiously awaited the first COVID-19 vaccine, Colleen Gorman ’95 played a crucial role at Pfizer in ensuring that correct practices were being followed during clinical trials and preventing any issues that arose from being repeated.

Elizabeth Losh, Duane A. & Virginia S. Dittman Professor of English & American Studies at William & Mary, was selected as a Fulbright Scholar for 2021-22.

Professor Dawn Edmiston, a clinical professor of marketing at William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business, was selected to be a Fulbright Scholar at Tallinn University in Estonia in 2019.

This year’s Homecoming & Reunion Weekend was especially meaningful as the W&M community gathered on campus again after being apart for so long. 

Leading his part of the pandemic response in Williamsburg was just part of the job, according to City Manager Andrew Trivette.

As part of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, W&M President Katherine A. Rowe hosted W&M Chancellor and former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98 and former Navy SEAL Team 2 Commander Mike Hayes for a special conversation.

Hermine Pinson, the Frances L. & Edwin L. Cummings Professor of English and Africana Studies at W&M, will explore some of her favorite pieces of work in the fall 2021 Tack Faculty Lecture.

Laura McGrane will spend the 2021-22 academic year at William & Mary as an American Council on Education Fellow.

William & Mary’s Class of 2020 completed their degrees and launched professional lives amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and, on Sunday, they returned to campus to be honored in a long-awaited in-person Commencement ceremony at Kaplan Arena.

Alynn Parham M.A.Ed. ’18 is teaching Virginia's new African American History course to students at Jamestown High School.

Colonial Williamsburg has renewed its commitment to independent scholarly research by joining William & Mary to financially support the Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture.

Mari Carmen Aponte, a member of William & Mary’s Board of Visitors, has been nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as the nation’s next ambassador to Panama, the White House announced today.

In science there is a term called “ground truth,” the baseline from which data is judged for accuracy. For William & Mary student Ken Koltermann, the term may better be described as “boots-on-the-ground truth.”

Media outlets worldwide have jumped to cover AidData’s latest findings on China’s spending patterns, debt levels and project implementation problems.

Many of the most effective human medicines and therapies have had their origin in nature. Myriam Cotten says there’s a good reason for researchers to look to flora and fauna when seeking new therapies.

Kathryn “Kate” Donati ’20 reached the conclusion that community exists even when we cannot see it shortly after William & Mary switched to remote learning amid COVID-19 in the spring of 2020.

William & Mary announced today it will take a significant step forward in building, sustaining and reinterpreting its historical and cultural resources under a new Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships, to be led by long-time university community member Ann Marie Stock.

For New Yorkers, Upper Manhattan is known as the site of Grant's Tomb, the Apollo Theater, The Cloisters, Sylvia's Restaurant and Sugar Hill. For W&M chemist Rachel O’Brien, the slice of city is the ideal marine-urban interface to study changes in the Earth’s atmosphere and its potential impacts on air quality and climate.

Founded in fall 2019, the Immigration Clinic represents immigrants across Hampton Roads in a variety of immigration cases, especially those immigrants who are survivors of trauma, crime and persecution.

AidData, an international development research lab based at William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, today released a trove of new findings about China’s secretive overseas development finance program.

Jens Boos recently was awarded the 2021 P R Wallace Thesis Prize of the Canadian Association of Physicists (Division of Theoretical Physics) and the Winnipeg Institute for Theoretical Physics.

A new study shows that some zooplankton also swim up and down repeatedly within this daytime sanctuary, responding to cloud shadows so subtle they escape the notice of shipboard oceanographers.

William & Mary enrolled a record number of new students receiving federal Pell grants this fall, the university announced this week. 

Patch-Seq is shorthand for “patch-clamp, followed by next-generation sequencing.” It’s a collaborative procedure that’s only been performed in a few labs.

A paper by W&M business professors argues that academia should seek ways to use machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Diamondback terrapins have always found it hard to catch a break.

William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science has partnered with JASON Learning for the Beyond the Plastic Bottle Challenge, an educational activity in which teams of students create a sustainable plan that reduces the debris associated with one source of microplastic pollution in their community.

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine has once again selected William & Mary to receive one of its Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) awards. Some of the initiatives that helped W&M receive this year’s award are included in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion’s annual report, which was published online today.

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci will receive an honorary degree from William & Mary and deliver virtual remarks to William & Mary’s Class of 2020 as part of the university’s in-person celebration for the graduates next month.

A full slate of performances, writing talks and exhibitions open to the university and local communities is planned for the fall at William & Mary.

The Crim Dell jellyfish are back — bigger and more numerous than ever.

William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science has launched its new Professional Master of Arts program, welcoming seven Master of Arts students along with 24 others seeking Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees.

William & Mary moved up in the latest national and public university rankings by U.S. News & World Report and maintains a higher alumni giving rate than any other public national university, according to a report released today.

The William & Mary community returned to the Wren Yard Friday night to celebrate its traditional Opening Convocation ceremony in person again and in unique form.

Students, alumni and staff recount that fateful day and the significant impact it had on their lives.

Trained as a public historian, Jennifer Joyce '11 works with a team of docents and tour guides who interact directly with visitors, relating the events of 9/11 and providing broader historical context.

William & Mary will mark Saturday’s 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. with commemorations to honor those whose lives were lost or affected.

W&M News spoke with the university’s Public Health Advisory Team about current COVID-19 cases on campus.

The popularity of the esports industry has garnered much attention over how esports functions from a business perspective. This summer, professors Sailesh Patel and Karen Conner brought this discussion to the Raymond A. Mason School of Business by spearheading the Esports & Marketing course.

On a blistering hot day in August, the courtyard of the School of Education became a busy testing pad, launching dozens of rockets engineered from plastic soda bottles.

As William & Mary opens for fall, both new and returning students are looking for ways to form or strengthen their social networks.

The Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation has chosen emeritus professor Robert “JJ” Orth of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science as a joint recipient of its 2021 Odum Award for Lifetime Achievement, along with Ken Heck of the University of South Alabama’s Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

William & Mary is experiencing a bumper crop in geology majors, the result of a hot job market created by a tectonic shift in the geosciences industry.

William & Mary’s Washington Center is moving into the District of Columbia Bar (D.C. Bar) association building starting this fall.

A budding partnership between W&M and The Posse Foundation provides full scholarships to 11 incoming freshmen.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki ’00 will be unable to speak at William & Mary’s Opening Convocation due to an unanticipated conflict in scheduling.  Judge John Charles Thomas HON ’18, the first Black justice appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia and a former longtime member of the William & Mary Board of Visitors, will now serve as the keynote speaker.

Its first study, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, demonstrated the profound impact — but also the challenges — of reducing the smartphone gender gap in emerging economies.

Over the course of four days, roughly 4,500 students will move into their new residences on William & Mary’s campus, with new students on the first two days and formerly remote students on the following days.

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra returns to William & Mary Sept. 2 to present a free concert at the Martha Wren Briggs Amphitheatre at Lake Matoaka.

Three people and one department at William & Mary are being recognized for their efforts to promote compassion, empathy and respectful discourse around difficult topics.

Roberto Jamora will be researching and then seeking to capture in imagery the history and experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans at William & Mary.

William & Mary is welcoming its newest undergraduate students to campus this week as the university begins a semester that will be convened primarily in person.

The pandemic has put a spotlight on the critical services our public school system provides to children, including support to families experiencing homelessness.

For years, Professor Deborah Denenholz Morse’s classes on Victorian fiction and the Brontës have been popular with W&M students from a variety of majors. Now, anyone can experience Morse’s fascinating lectures through her new course on Audible.

A tech startup co-founded by a William & Mary computer scientist has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Faced with a lot of time on his hands during the COVID-19 shutdown, Owen Peck ’22 got to work on a project he’d been mulling for a while.

As elementary and high school students head back into classrooms, W&M News spoke with Carrie Dolan, an epidemiologist, an assistant professor in health sciences, member of William & Mary’s Public Health Advisory Board and director of the interdisciplinary Ignite global health research lab. She is currently advising the local school district and preparing her own family for going back to school.

John Cho ’23 and Kelly Crace, associate vice president for health and wellness, will receive the 2021 President’s Award for Service to the Community at this year’s Opening Convocation ceremony Sept. 10 in the Wren Yard.

Amy Zhao’s knowledge of blockchain technology goes back to a course she took through William & Mary’s Global Research Institute. Now she wants to use her expertise to help others, including artists who face intellectual property threats.

Michael Deschenes is professor and chair of Kinesiology & Health Sciences at William & Mary. He specializes in the neuromuscular system, the network of nerves that connects our brains to our muscles.

Holly Gruntner, a Ph.D. candidate in William & Mary’s Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History, recently completed a short-term fellowship at the American Antiquarian Society, delving into the society’s vast collection of original documents for material to complete her dissertation on kitchen gardens in early America.

A team of geology faculty from William & Mary have co-authored study that is a deep dive into 20 years of statistics, logging efforts to achieve racial and ethnic diversity in what stubbornly remains the whitest corner of the STEM world.

Rani D. Mullen is an associate professor of government at William & Mary. Her research and teaching focus is on democratization and development in South Asia, and democracy and state building in India and Afghanistan in particular.

The weight room in Kaplan Arena is hopping again, a stark contrast from a year ago when it was empty. Things are loud and hectic, just the way they're supposed to be in the dog days of summer conditioning.

Tracy L. Cross, the Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education, and Jennifer Riedl Cross, research associate professor, have been recognized by the Mensa Education & Research Foundation.

If Blackstone is a small pond, then Billy Coleburn ’90 is a big fish as both mayor of the 3,600-person Southside Virginia town and editor of the independently owned Courier-Record newspaper.

A new historical marker will honor Arthur “Art” Matsu '27, William & Mary’s first known Asian American student and the first W&M alumnus to play for the National Football League – one of the first Asian Americans to do so.

The W&M Libraries staff scholarship was named in honor of longtime employee Natasha McFarland, because of her unique story and dedicated career. The scholarship provides financial assistance for library employees pursuing education to advance their library career.

As a young parent attending William & Mary, Nicole Lynn Lewis ’03 felt like she was the only person struggling to attend undergraduate classes and complete assignments while changing diapers, searching for reliable child care and worrying about how to pay for food and housing.

When Ming Chang ’55 arrived on campus in 1952, he likely had no idea of the legacy that would follow.

Martin Gallivan, professor and chair of William & Mary’s Department of Anthropology, was a consultant in the design of Machicomoco State Park.

Reine Digital & Consulting is a social and digital agency rooted in strategic communications that focuses on supporting companies, athletes and personalities with their online branding and presence.

Brianna Nofil won the Allan Nevins Prize for her dissertation, “Detention Power: Jails, Camps, and the Origins of Immigrant Incarceration, 1900-2002.”

Whimbrels are marathon migrators, flying great distances twice a year between their South American wintering grounds and their summer breeding areas in far northern Canada.

Rachel Bardon, a 2021 graduate of Buckingham County High School, is the 2021-2022 recipient of the Harriett Pittard Beales Scholarship at William & Mary.

The Elizabeth River Project (ERP) has teamed with researchers from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and William & Mary to build an online mapping tool that can help the non-profit and other community partners better incorporate environmental justice issues into planning and restoration efforts.

Amid a pandemic and year of unprecedented challenges, William & Mary experienced a surge in philanthropic giving and community-wide engagement.

Quan Chau '21 writes, performs and films his own play dealing with his experiences as a child of immigrants from Vietnam.

For many Black families, the church not only provides a place of worship, but a place of belonging and a hub that connects them to the community through a wide range of support services.

The Raymond A. Mason School of Business has launched a new scholarship initiative for students in the Full-Time MBA program who identify as first-generation students.

Starting this fall, the School of Education will add several new programs to its slate of 100% online offerings.

Marjorie Thomas joined William & Mary in 2013 as the university’s dean of students, leading the student success thematic area of Student Affairs. After eight years in the role, Thomas will be leaving the university at the end of July to become vice president for student affairs at the New College of Florida in Sarasota.

Adrienne Petty is one of seven recipients of a fellowship designed to foster classroom innovation and diversify curricula.

Tyler Hutchison is a rising junior and physics major at William & Mary who has set his sights (and camera) on the stars.

William & Mary has selected Sallie Marchello, associate provost and university registrar, and Jeremy Martin, chief of staff to President Katherine A. Rowe who has spent the past nine months serving as interim athletics director, to receive the Shirley Aceto Award.

Brian Mann grew up playing just about any sport you could name, but nothing beat football in a blizzard. Even if that meant being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night by his older brothers, who would spare him no mercy.

Julie Bologna, a master’s student in the military and veteran’s counseling program at William & Mary, has been selected by the Tillman Foundation as a 2021 Tillman Scholar.

On any given day, a research university like William & Mary has a shopping list that reads like a cross between an office supply catalog and a science fiction novel.

If you walked inside the Chi Omega sorority house on a typical afternoon in the early 2000s, you probably would have seen sorority sisters gathered in pajamas on the couch with hot drinks and snacks, watching C-SPAN or White House press conferences.

William & Mary has named nationally renowned ecologist Derek Aday as its next dean of the School of Marine Science and director of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).

Through her work at the Kennedy Center and with the Popular Culture Association, Tiffany Bryant ’07 makes art of all kinds accessible to diverse audiences.

William & Mary announced today that Brian Mann, senior associate athletics director at the University of California, Berkeley, will be the university’s new director of athletics.

Mohamed Noor ’92 brings the science to science fiction as a consultant for “Star Trek: Discovery”

Erin Schwartz, a Ph.D. candidate in William & Mary’s Department of Anthropology, is studying enslaved women of the community of Buffalo Forge, a 19th century ironworks in Glasgow, Virginia.

Rise in disease virulence due to evolving parasite, not just drought.

Gift from Steven W. Kohlhagen ’69 and Gale Gibson Kohlhagen ’69 jumpstarts lab’s research effort

The Omohundro Institute at William & Mary has joined a multi-institutional partnership to document the lives of individuals who either were enslaved, owned slaves, were connected to the slave trade, and/or worked to emancipate individuals and families held in bondage.

William & Mary is celebrating Juneteenth for the first time on June 19 with a virtual event featuring performances, remarks from community leaders and more. The event is part of a community-wide celebration of the holiday, which marks the day on which news about the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas.

Flanked by traffic and street art on the north end of Lafayette Square in Washington, Weijia Jiang ’05 makes her morning trek through the labyrinth required to enter the White House.

Phillip Sun ’04 and Cord Jefferson ’04 are promoting diversity through their platforms in the entertainment industry.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam today appointed two new members to William & Mary’s Board of Visitors: John Rathbone and Ardine Williams. The governor also reappointed Barbara L. Johnson J.D. '84, currently serving as secretary of the board, and J. E. Lincoln Saunders '06 to second terms.

Four W&M students were recently awarded fellowships from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), a program aimed at increasing diversity among college and university faculty.

This year, two extraordinary individuals have been nominated by their peers and selected by the W&M Association Board of Directors to be inducted as honorary alumni.

Five William & Mary alumni have been selected to participate in the 2021 Governor’s Fellows Program June 1-July 31, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced recently.

Organizers of the Global Innovation Challenge at William & Mary (WMGIC) drew on the lessons from last year’s pandemic pivot to online format to put together an even larger WMGIC V for 2021.

Titled “Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved,” the brick structure will resemble a fireplace and will feature the names of people who are known to have been enslaved by the university.

Plans include all new courts, elevated seating platforms, new bleachers along Brooks Street and the installation of a scoreboard, among other enhancements.

Associate professor Emily Wilcox and W&M alumni Emily Matson ’12 and Austin Strange ’12 receive prestigious fellowships supporting the next generation of American scholarship on China.

The royal palace at Ijebu-Ode was the center of economic, political and ritual life in the great Ijebu kingdom for a millennium, maybe more.

It took a pandemic for the world to understand the importance of something Rachel O’Brien has been researching for the better part of two decades.

With multiple ceremonies, graduates sitting six feet apart and other health protocols in place due to COVID-19, William & Mary’s 2021 Commencement weekend was like none other in many ways.

William & Mary will mark the end of the 2020-21 academic year with a celebration unlike any in its 328-year history.

President Katherine A. Rowe’s latest Community Conversation examines the university’s course in a post-pandemic world

With the promotion of sustainable practices at the forefront of these grants, the Committee on Sustainability members approved a total of $35,712 to be spent across a broad spectrum or projects, from academia and research, to operations that advance sustainability on campus.

William & Mary senior Caroline Duckworth ’21 is among a group of 12 students from across the country to be selected for a 2021-2022 fellowship with the James C. Gaither Fellows Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), a foreign policy think tank in Washington, D.C.

In recognition of exemplary values-driven leadership, four William & Mary faculty and staff members have been selected as the inaugural recipients of the Values in Action Award: Natoya Haskins Ph.D. ’11 (School of Education), Mariellynn Maurer '95 (Conference Services), Kathleen Mazzitti (Advancement) and Corinne Picataggi (Information Technology).

75-year old W&M student will graduate Saturday, completing a degree she started in 1963.

Eight William & Mary alumni and students have been selected to receive U.S. Student Program awards, which will fund their teaching and research in countries around the world during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Ann Marie Stock left the classroom to add her time and talents to the administration at William & Mary. As vice provost for academic & faculty affairs the past four years, she has had an opportunity to broadly impact teaching and learning.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) has awarded its 2020 IIE Seal of Excellence to William & Mary in recognition of making study abroad more accessible and inclusive for all students.

States around the country are increasingly taking the lead on flooding and resilience. In light of the recent activity, innovation, and demand for guidance in this topic area, the Virginia Coastal Policy Center at William & Mary Law School has joined the newly launched State Resilience Partnership.

William & Mary will join Colonial Williamsburg and other partners including the City of Williamsburg and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation to commemorate Juneteenth with a series of special events beginning on June 19 – the date in 1865 when U.S. forces announced emancipation in Texas and ended slavery in the United States.

William & Mary researchers will be allocated a portion of those funds to enable students to perform consultative services for small and medium businesses located in the Southeast region of the Commonwealth, in targeted sectors such as the maritime and defense industries.

The following books by William & Mary faculty members were published in 2021.

The Delmarva Peninsula, which includes Virginia’s Eastern Shore, is the avian version of a southbound interstate during the fall migration of raptors and songbirds.

In this spring's Impact Week, from April 19-23, the three organizations that competed were Kappa Sigma, supporting the Williamsburg House of Mercy; InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, supporting 3e Restoration; and Greater City, also supporting 3e Restoration.

William & Mary will honor Anthony Kennedy, retired associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and Faith Ringgold, renowned artist, writer, teacher and lecturer, during its Commencement weekend May 21-23.

Newly published research, led by William & Mary undergraduate Morgan Pincombe ‘21, analyzes public health disparities among 113 countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two Ph.D. students in William & Mary’s Department of Applied Science are recipients of Doctoral Scholars Program Fellowships of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), a program aimed at increasing diversity among college and university STEM faculty.

As most of us weigh the conveniences and challenges of Internet-connected “smart houses,” Adwait Nadkarni is thinking on a higher level altogether.

Molly Swetnam-Burland, Adina Allen Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Classics at William & Mary, received the 2020 Award for Excellence in Teaching of the Classics at the College Level by the Society for Classical Studies.

It’s a new era for bald eagles in the Chesapeake Bay drainage — and the end of an era for a veteran team of eagle researchers.

A 2021 Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Matt Crittenden ’21 seeks to build systems in data and policy that contribute to a better world and to serve as a role model for future Asian American students in the global governance and development community.

William & Mary has been selected to join a partnership of higher-education institutions that aims to form and build a new discipline that melds public-policy concerns with technological fields.

With the 2020-21 academic year concluding next month, William & Mary President Katherine Rowe will be holding a special Community Conversation with student Commencement award recipients at 3 p.m. on Friday.

The American singer, songwriter, producer, visual artist and two-time Grammy winner Frank Ocean can now say that mathematics proves he’s the most influential artist of the 21st century.

AidData researchers uncovered 100 loan contracts during a three-year study that details China’s lending practices to developing countries.

White, lead custodian on W&M’s Historic Campus, has been steadfast in her three decades at the university. This fall challenged her more than ever.

If a student has earned the credits to graduate from William & Mary, Wendy Urbano has shepherded every single one of them along to make sure it happens.

It’s OK to find your way as you go, and most importantly to decide what’s right for you in your own time, according to Evan Kikla ’21.

Strands of pride, collaboration and trust ran through numerous reflections as William & Mary employees looked back on powering the university through an extraordinary year.

Everybody knows that squirrels love nuts, but every squirrel knows that some nuts are better than others.

The William & Mary Board of Visitors approved tuition and fees for the 2021-22 academic year during their April 23, 2021 meeting.

Following a consultative and thorough process established earlier this year, William & Mary’s Board of Visitors voted Friday to rename two campus buildings and name one campus structure to honor trailblazing alumni who helped open the door for marginalized people at both the university and beyond.

The names of those who were enslaved by William & Mary slowly have been emerging during the past decade. This academic year, artists at the university have added faces, hands and other textured marks of belonging and humanity.

Sarina Faizy LL.M. ’21 is by any and all accounts an extraordinary woman.

Omiyẹmi (Artisia) Green, W&M associate professor of theatre and Africana studies, discusses her choreo-ritual "Dance of the Ocras" as it is being filmed at Hampton's Buckroe Beach.

William & Mary is the best public university in the nation for internships and making an impact, according to a new set of rankings out today from Princeton Review.

Since early days of what would become the COVID-19 pandemic, the William & Mary community has engaged in the herculean work of managing and adapting to operations during a global public health crisis.

Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott spoke about efforts to redress longstanding racial and economic inequality and systemic racism in the United States during a virtual conversation on April 8 with students, faculty, staff and other members of the local community.

A new minor program in integrative conservation will be offered to William & Mary undergraduates as early as the fall, 2021 semester.

On Tuesday, the entire William & Mary community joined together once again for an historic and successful One Tribe One Day (OTOD).

More than 1,800 members of the William & Mary community, including about 940 students, were invited to receive COVID-19 vaccinations this week at the Greater Williamsburg, York County and Christopher Newport University clinics.

Abram Clear ’21, a linguistics and anthropology major, discovered a lot about himself during his college years, and he’s quick to credit the inclusive and welcoming home W&M provided throughout that time.

For the better part of the past year, Brooke Ford’s return home from work has been an exercise in mitigating the spread of a potentially deadly pathogen.

April 18 to 24 marks this year’s Earth Week celebration hosted by William & Mary Sustainability, giving the campus the opportunity to come together, listen and learn about the planet and each other.

Jody Allen, assistant professor of history at William & Mary and director of the Lemon Project, was recently appointed by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to the Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent De Jure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination.

Because of efforts from the student-driven William & Mary Voter Engagement Action Committee, the university joins a cohort of national schools designated as “Voter Friendly Campuses” through 2022.

When COVID-19 started negatively impacting the economy a year ago, William & Mary M.B.A. students stepped up to help local small businesses.

Next Tuesday, April 13, is One Tribe One Day — William & Mary’s eighth annual celebration of giving back and paying it forward.

Starting this week, William & Mary and Williamsburg residents have increased access to comprehensive academic health care services in Williamsburg. A new medical office, located at 332 North Henry St. in Williamsburg, offers services previously located at VCU Health’s 1162 Professional Dr. location, as well as new services for students and community members.

Cypher VI, the 2021 version of William & Mary’s student-run hackathon is set for April 9-11 – and it’s entirely online.

The S. Laurie Sanderson Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring recognizes the graduate students in Arts & Sciences who mentor undergraduate students.

The needle on the scale of diversity at William & Mary has moved forward significantly, if not quite steadily, during the 25 years Chon Glover has served at the university.

Sharan Grewal is an assistant professor of government at William & Mary and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. His research examines democratization, religion, and civil-military relations in the Arab world, especially Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria.

To grow, the juvenile sea stars must eat, and W&M researchers discovered that what the young sea stars eat often turns out to be each other.

W&M News recently spoke with R. Benedito Ferrão, assistant professor of English and Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies, to discuss the history and roots of anti-Asian sentiment and violence in the U.S. and abroad.

A digital showcase of undergraduate accomplishment will roll out throughout the month of April.

William & Mary’s graduate program in U.S. colonial history is the best in the country, according to rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report.

The W&M Washington Center has announced a new online leadership course, open to all members of the W&M community and beyond.

Work that began in 2017 as a spring break assignment for members of a William & Mary freshman seminar unexpectedly blossomed into a serious investigation into the presence of a radioactive isotope in honey in the eastern U.S.

William & Mary staff rolled out several initiatives to help students during the second semester of the academic year, including the new Nod app to help students connect with one another.

Three William & Mary students have been named Goldwater Scholars, joining a select group of undergraduates studying the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.

Study raises concerns of further establishment in U.S. East Coast estuaries

Against the backdrop of Kaplan Arena, the university launched a $55-million campaign for William & Mary Athletics this evening. Aptly titled “All In,” the campaign will galvanize the entire W&M community to shape a bolder future in which all student-athletes can perform at their highest level and reach their fullest potential.

Returning to a strategic planning process that was paused a year ago for COVID-19, William & Mary leadership outlined updates to the final phase of planning during a virtual community conversation Monday.

During this challenging year, staff, faculty and students have been unceasing in their support of the university and its people, demonstrating the very best in values-driven leadership. In recognition of these extraordinary efforts, two anonymous donors have established the Values in Action Award.

Eric Garrison M.A.Ed. ’94 discusses how better sleep practices during the pandemic and beyond can help you maintain overall health, energy and immunity.

The reimagined Global Film Festival enables the William & Mary community to enjoy the arts while remaining physically distanced. The event will run from March 25-28.

William & Mary’s 11th annual Lemon Project Spring Symposium will feature panel discussions, keynote speeches and performances — all focused on the history and future of Black women in America.

William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe announced today the formation of a search committee that is tasked with finding the university’s next Athletics Director.

Dr. Kelebogile Zvobgo is the founder and director of the International Justice Lab (IJL) at William & Mary's Global Research Institute, which brings together faculty and students to conduct research on human rights, transitional justice, and international law and courts.

New data collected by student researchers show that 97% of William & Mary’s campus community is wearing masks in public spaces. The university is one of roughly 60 institutions partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct an eight-week mask observation study as part of the CDC’s Mask Adherence Surveillance at Colleges and Universities Project (MASCUP).

One year ago today, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Over the past 12 months, the university and its community members faced unprecedented challenges, all while finding ways to support one another and the larger community.

Ornithology students at William & Mary traditionally travel the commonwealth, piling into vans at 3 a.m. to head out to where the birds are. But because of the pandemic, they can't get in a van together. Instead, they are doing it all on foot.

All teams to continue to compete without potential end date; increased fundraising remains critical to long-term sustained success.

Lindy Johnson, associate professor of English education, has been examining the role of games and play in the classroom for several years.

William & Mary Bookstore, operated by Barnes & Noble College, announced today that it will relocate to a new store location in the Triangle Building, located at 601 Prince George St. ahead of the fall semester.

Faculty from the School of Education Higher Education Program have launched a research project to help advance understanding of the engagement of William & Mary faculty in internationalization efforts both on campus and abroad.

Prince George House is perhaps the most inconspicuous building on a picturesque campus, but for a week or so the structure tucked away near William & Mary’s Sorority Court basked in the glow of national media.

William & Mary’s Esports Training and Research Center will include a research lab and training facility designed to foster interdisciplinary collaborations around gaming.

A William & Mary chemist is a member of an international team that found a way to easily synthesize 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone and a series of derivatives in the lab, and subsequently conducted a series of biological tests on the molecules.

Relying on medical research, scientific data, guidance from federal and state agencies, and consultation with professional peers, the six-member group weighs health concerns and practical effects of the university’s pandemic response on the lives of the approximately 9,000 students and 700 faculty and staff members.

In order to have more clarity about state budget impacts, the W&M BOV deferred action on FY22 tuition and fees until their April meeting.

William & Mary’s Working Group on the Principles of Naming and Renaming (PNR) this week presented its final report to President Katherine A. Rowe, who accepted it during the Board of Visitors meeting Thursday in the Alumni House.

Racial-justice, COVID-19 and higher-education concerns dominated conversations as William & Mary students lobbied Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and other elected state officials during the 2021 Road to Richmond event .

Drew Stephenson ’92 and Laura Papp ’18 combined forces to get Pleasure House Brewing through the pandemic.

A small white building that sits tucked away on the William & Mary campus once held an 18th-century school dedicated to the religious education of enslaved and free Black children, researchers have determined.

Adapting to pandemic conditions, William & Mary’s Office of Community Engagement has transformed its ongoing programs to continue reaching out and the Presidential Call to Service Council is spending this academic year exploring what service expansion could look like in the future.

William & Mary alumni have a long history of service at the highest levels of government — a legacy stretching from George Washington (who received his surveyor’s license at William & Mary in 1749) to our current Chancellor, Bob Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98, former Secretary of Defense.

With its new name comes new changes for the Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic. Thanks to a $2 million gift in 2020 from Professor Emeritus S. Stuart Flanagan, William & Mary’s expanded counseling training clinic now encompasses the New Horizons Family Counseling Center, the New Leaf Clinic, and a new service called the Telehealth Team, making services more accessible than ever.

W&M Associate Professor of Government Marcus Holmes has run more than 8,000 miles since joining online physical training program Zwift in 2018, an accomplishment that opened an opportunity for him to chat with British comedian/actor Eddie Izzard during a recent virtual marathon.

William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe welcomed Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci for a virtual community conversation Thursday about recent developments concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly 3,000 W&M students have had similar experiences while studying at the Washington Center since it opened on Jan. 2, 2001, and 90 faculty members have taught there.

New research shows that biodiversity is important not just at the traditional scale of short-term plot experiments, but when measured over decades and across regional landscapes as well.

The Asian Centennial will celebrate all those at W&M, past and present, who identify as Asian or of Asian ancestry, including those from Southwest Asia – often referred to as the Middle East.

As fellows at W&M’s Center for Geospatial Analysis, Kira Holmes ’17 and Colleen Truskey ’17 showed the power of maps.

As has become custom with birthdays in the pandemic, William & Mary celebrated its 328th on Thursday with a virtual version of its annual Charter Day ceremony. The tradition marks the day on which the university received its royal charter in 1693.

William & Mary biologist Shantá D. Hinton has become a member of the Public Affairs Advisory Committee of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB).

With retirement near, Virginia McLaughlin to receive the 2021 Thomas Jefferson Award for her many contributions to William & Mary.

Katherine Barko-Alva, William & Mary assistant professor and director of English as a second language/bilingual education at the School of Education, will be recognized with the 2021 Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award during a virtual Charter Day celebration Feb. 11.

Jamelah Jacob '21 has been awarded the 2021 James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership, which goes to “a student who has demonstrated sustained leadership of an unusual quality, leadership combined with initiative, character and an unfailing commitment to leveraging the assets of the William & Mary community to address the needs of our society.”

The Alumni Medallion is the highest award the Alumni Association can bestow on a graduate of William & Mary.

The Sadler Center West expansion project started in late November and was well underway when students returned to campus the final week of January. When work is completed — the target date is summer of 2022 — 53,000 square feet will be added to make Sadler the undisputed centerpiece of campus activity.

Olivia Ding is the 2021 recipient of William & Mary’s Thomas Jefferson Prize in Natural Philosophy. The honor is endowed by the trustees of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation to recognize excellence in the sciences and mathematics in an undergraduate student.

Across a variety of disciplines, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked service to others using an acceleration of accumulated knowledge to take bold, swift action, according to William & Mary community members hosted by President Katherine A. Rowe in a virtual community conversation Feb. 4.

Stephen E. Hanson helps put into broader context the recent headlines about Alexey Navalny and Russian protests.

Engaging in memorable social activities is a key component of student life at William & Mary, but one that the pandemic has made far more complicated. Thanks to the perseverance and creativity of university staff and student organizations, there are numerous ways to answer that question.

Peel Hawthorne was 30 years old when she was hired as William & Mary's field hockey coach, and like most of us at that age, she wasn't thinking a decade down the road — let alone three. Yet more than three decades later, Hawthorne is not only still here. She's a staple and trusted voice in the Tribe's athletic department.

W&M Assistant Professor of Economics Peter Savelyev led study showing that education increases health and longevity through healthier lifestyles, superior earnings and better work conditions.

Natoya Haskins, associate professor of counselor education, will serve as the W&M School of Education's first director of diversity & inclusion.

W&M Law School's Immigration Clinic is committed to preparing the next generation of immigration attorneys and is one of the few nonprofit entities that provides pro bono representation on immigration matters in the Hampton Roads region.

“Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: The Power of Protest, Marches and College Students,” sponsored by the Center for Student Diversity, will take place virtually through Zoom at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3.

The spring semester at William & Mary will be different, but in ways that have become familiar to the campus community, as the nation marks a year of grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comedian Pete Davidson, a regular on Saturday Night Live, will participate in a virtual conversation with the William & Mary community at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 as part of the university’s Charter Day celebration.

The university will implement a team-based model for its ombuds office; Samuel Hayes III has been appointed full-time chief facilities officer

Despite the unprecedented challenges of the 2020-21 school year, this year’s applicant pool for William & Mary’s Class of 2025 is 23% higher than last year’s - the first time applications for the undergraduate class has topped 15,000.

William & Mary’s Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance will host a diverse array of performers for its virtual season in the spring 2021 semester.

The annual update of their sea level “report cards” by researchers at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science adds further evidence of an accelerating rate of sea-level rise at nearly all tidal stations along the U.S. coastline.

Faraz Sheikh, assistant professor of religious studies at William & Mary, has published a new book, “Forging Ideal Muslim Subjects: Discursive Practices, Subject Formation, & Muslim Ethic,” which discusses the forms a religiously-informed, ethical Muslim life can take.

Six members of the Virginia Research Libraries (VRL) recently completed contract negotiations with Elsevier, the largest publisher of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) scholarly journals.

Steve Prince, director of engagement and distinguished artist in residence at William & Mary’s Muscarelle Museum of Art, is using this pandemic period as a time to be deeply creative in both art and in education.

Williamsburg Regional Library and W&M Libraries are once again partnering for One Book One Community, an initiative that encourages readers to come together for a shared reading experience. This year’s book selection is "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.

William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe will host a virtual community conversation with Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci.

W&M Libraries provides access to a host of resources chronicling the life and legacy of King.

In the wake of last week’s deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, William & Mary News spoke with Timothy Zick, nationally recognized free speech expert and John Marshall Professor of Government and Citizenship at William & Mary Law School.

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have named Ike Irby as Policy Advisor in the Office of the Vice President. Irby earned joint graduate degrees from William & Mary and its Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 2017.