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State of the University
From President Katherine A. Rowe
As we enter the nation’s quarter millennium, I write in a spirit of appreciation. William & Mary is celebrating two extraordinary years of transformation, among the most successful in our long history.
We are evolving our mission in ways that ensure its enduring relevance in our modern era. So many in this dedicated community had a hand in the major wins we achieved.
Students are settling into beautiful dorms, fitted for 21st-century living and learning. Faculty and staff at the new School for Computing, Data Sciences & Physics will soon usher classes into the new labs in the Integrated Science Center IV. Department leaders in the College of Arts & Sciences launched exciting new degrees in human health & physiology and public health. The first undergraduate cohort in the Batten School & VIMS began their semester in the field — or rather, the ocean.
Last spring, the Carnegie Classifications System recognized W&M with the signal “R1” status. Reaching the highest level of research productivity a university can achieve resulted from years of sustained faculty and staff effort. With research discoveries ranging from the American Revolution to Chinese global development, faculty and student scholarship advanced knowledge in key areas. Our Year of the Environment highlighted the Batten School & VIMS and the Institute for Integrative Conservation, among other areas, as powerhouse research institutions. Importantly, W&M’s growing prowess in high-impact research comes because of our enormous success at including students in that work. In any given year, nearly 85% of our undergraduates engage in mentored research with faculty.
When our gorgeous Rick Platt ’72 Cross-Country and Track & Field Training Center opened last summer, those in attendance got a taste of the high standards toward which W&M Athletics is building. This Charter Day, we will cut the ribbon on the Mackesy Sports Performance Center. Here again, W&M’s success has come as we double down on longstanding commitments to the scholar-athlete model of college athletics. Tribe faithful will recall our W&M Women’s Basketball team making history with the university’s first March Madness run last spring. The same semester, this team also broke records in the classroom: earning the highest GPA in the program’s history — and the highest average of any of our 23 sports last year.
W&M’s new Arts Quarter welcomed over 100,000 visitors in 2025. A world-renowned Michelangelo exhibit drew many guests to the Muscarelle Museum. If you have not yet visited our newly dedicated Martha Wren Briggs Center for the Visual Arts, please come.
Among my favorite milestones: the Sunken Garden will soon turn 100. (“Only 100 years?” alumni ask me with surprise.) This cherished gathering place seems to have been here forever … and that is because it was designed by people looking to the horizon. The Sunken Garden sets a high standard for how W&M cultivates a sense of place today. So in this spirit, the university has adopted a Comprehensive Campus Plan dedicated to long-term stewardship of our beautiful campus. The plan will guide university leaders and place makers as we evolve to meet the needs of each generation.
Dream school for the 21st century
As we celebrate these and many more accomplishments, the sense of renewal at William & Mary is palpable. We are positioning the Alma Mater of the Nation as the preeminent public university for student learning and research. Our ideal size, our public mission, strong community, innovative and dedicated faculty, and engaged mentoring — all these qualities distinguish W&M. This is a place where students build lifelong relationships and graduate well-prepared for citizenship and professional life.
To achieve these goals, we must grow William & Mary’s reach, even as we make the invitation to “come study here, together” widely accessible. Doubling down in high-impact research areas, such as coastal resilience, American history, cyber security, and global development, distinguishes W&M’s unique brand. At the same time, the recent leadership gift from W&M Foundation Chair Darpan Kapadia ’95 and his wife, Erica Olan, signals how the university will amplify our recruiting efforts. Growing scholarships remains a top priority — a direct way to increase affordability for students and families from around the nation.
W&M continues to innovate in ways that help drive down the costs of attending college — now, and in the future. To give one example of such far-sighted thinking: W&M has installed 531 geothermal wells as part of our current campus renovations. Those wells are already yielding energy savings as high as 60%, improving efficiency and affordability for the long term.
Finally, continued emphasis on career outcomes ensures that W&M delivers on value for our alumni, students, and their families. Our distinctive education prepares graduates to “stick the landing” in their next destination and well beyond — helping them succeed through rapidly changing careers. That is why Forbes named the university one of the top 20 “New Ivies that employers love.”
At the close of the calendar year and start of our nation’s anniversary, there is much to celebrate and more joyful work ahead. I am deeply grateful to every person who supported our beloved university this year. As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, the Alma Mater of the Nation is flourishing.
Katherine A. Rowe
President
