2006-07 Media Guide - Washington & Lee - Washington and Lee ...

GENERALS TENNIS
ABOUT W&L
WASHINGTON and LEE UNIVER-
SITY — a small, private, liberal
arts college, is the ninth oldest
institution of higher education in
America. Founded in 1749, W&L
prides itself on the characteristics
that have earned its reputation as
a place unique and apart in the
national educational scene.
The school’s name comes from
two of America’s great leaders
who saved W&L in times of need.
George Washington saved then
Liberty Hall Academy from financial
ruin in 1796 when he gave the
school its first major endowment
gift—$50,000 worth of James River
Canal stock. The donation—at
the time the largest to any educational institution—continues today as part of the
endowment.
Robert E. Lee saved then Washington College from obscurity after the Civil
War by serving as its innovative president from 1865 until his death in 1870, and
instituting such programs as the School of Law, the nation’s first school of journalism,
and the revered Honor System that continues to play a major role in W&L life.
More than 95 percent of W&L’s full-time faculty members hold doctorate or
other terminal degrees, and all of them are, first and foremost, teachers. And with
an average class size of just 16, W&L students clearly benefit from that expertise.
W&L was ranked 14th in the 2006 U.S. News listing of the nation's top liberal
arts colleges, marking the 18th consecutive year that W&L has been ranked as one
of the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the nation.
W&L also features a highly-ranked School of Law that has been an integral part
of the school since 1866. Approximately 120 students receive Juris Doctor degrees
each year and five Master of Laws.
With a student body that represents nearly all 50 states and attracts citizens from
50 other countries, W&L is truly an international institution set in an idyllic college
town. USA Today described it this way: “If you close your eyes and conjure up the
ideal campus—red brick buildings with rows of white columns, a placid commons
beneath the arching branches of ivy-covered trees, a small town of 19th-century
storefronts—you’ve got Washington and Lee.”
Washington and Lee University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or veteran's
status in its educational programs and activities or with regard to employment.
Undergraduate student inquiries should be directed to the Dean of Students, Elrod
University Commons, (540) 458-8751, law student inquiries to the Associate Dean
for Student Services, (540) 458-8022, and employment inquiries to the Director of
Human Resources, Howard House, (540) 458-8920, Washington and Lee University,
Lexington, Virginia 24450-0303.