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Washington and Lee is a small, private, liberal arts university nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains in Lexington, Va. It is the ninth oldest institution of higher learning in the nation. Tracing its roots to 1749, the University began as Augusta Academy and, as the years passed, changed its name several times: Liberty Hall Academy (1776), Washington Academy (1798), Washington College (1813), and Washington and Lee University (1871). Founded by Scotch-Irish pioneers, the small classical school was chartered to grant degrees by the Virginia General Asembly in 1782. In 1796, George Washington saved the struggling Liberty Hall Academy when he gave the school its first major endowment-$20,000 worth of James River Canal stock. The trustees promptly changed the name of the school to Washington Academy as an expression of their gratitude. In a letter to the trustees, Washington responded, "To promote the Literature in this rising Empire, and to encourage the Arts, have ever been amongst the warmest wishes of my heart." The donation-one of the largest to any educational institution at that time-continues today as part of the University's endowment, and all Washington and Lee students can say that Washington's gift helps pay a part of their tuition every year. General Robert E. Lee reluctantly accepted the position of president of the College in 1865. Because of his leadership of the Confederate army, Lee worried he "might draw upon the College a feeling of hostility," but also added that "I think it the duty of every citizen in the present condition of the Country, to do all in his power to aid in the restoration of peace and harmony." During his brief presidency, Lee established the School of Law, encouraged development of the sciences, and instituted programs in business instruction that led to the founding of the School of Commerce in 1906. After Lee's death in 1870, the trustees voted to change the name from Washington College to Washington and Lee University. Once an all-male institution, Washington and Lee first admitted women to its law school in 1972. The first undergraduate women matriculated in 1985. Since then, Washington and Lee has flourished. The university now boasts a new science building , a performing arts center and an indoor tennis facility, and it continues to climb the ranking charts of U.S. News and World Report and other rating agencies. Washington and Lee is ranked 14th among the top national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News. Washington and Lee's tradition of providing the finest and most rigorous professional education for small numbers of accomplished and carefully selected students dates backs to 1849, when Judge John White Brockenbrough established the Lexington Law School, which later became officially part of Washington and Lee in 1870. Unlike many small law schools that were founded in the years before the Civil War, the Lexington Law School flourished and eventually became an integral part of the educational vision of Gen. Robert E. Lee who served as president from 1865 to 1870. Lee believed that the successful rebuilding of the nation ravaged by Civil War depended on the good work of trained professionals, including lawyers and judges, who would embody the highest standards of professional knowledge, intellect and character. As one of the oldest law schools in the nation, Washington and Lee has trained generations of distinguished judges, lawyers and public servants. The Law School is proud to claim: Justice Lewis Powell; Solicitor General John W. Davis; four other presidents of the American Bar Association; Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, and seven United States senators, including the Law School's first dean, Sen. John Randolph Tucker. The faculty at Washington and Lee Law School are recognized scholars in their fields, and they have substantial experience in the practice of law. The student to faculty ratio (11 to 1) is one more often found in a small liberal arts college than in a law school ranked 20th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The entering law class median GPA is 3.4 and the median LSAT score is 164, the 92nd percentile. In 1972, the Law School became co-ed, and in 1976, the school moved from Tucker Hall on the front campus Colonnade to its present location in Sydney Lewis Hall. In 1992, additional space was built to house the Lewis F. Powell Jr. papers, as well as office space for the Frances Lewis Law Center, a research program, and the Legal Practice Clinic, which oversees The Prison Practicum, the Black Lung Clinic and The Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse. The School of Law has been a member of the Association of American law Schools since 1920 and is one of the initial groups of law schools rated as "Class A" by the Council on Legal Education of the American Bar Association in 1923. In a world that sometimes seems adrift without a moral compass, the Honor System points a steady course for students at W&L. This defining feature is viewed by experts on academic integrity as the most effective in the nation. Since Robert E. Lee's presidency of the University, honor has been the moral cornerstone on campus. In 1865, the story goes, a young student from Tennessee went up to Lee to ask for a copy of the rules. General Lee replied, "We have but one rule here, and it is that every student must be a gentleman." Today, that rule manifests itself in many ways: the undergraduate library stays open 24 hours, and there are no electronic devices placed in the entrance to catch book thieves. Students leave bicycles unlocked and personal belongings unattended, confident they will not be stolen. Most importantly is the promise each student makes, "On my honor, I have neither given nor received any unauthorized help on this test." Exams are unproctored, and closed-book, take-home exams are common. Lee's concept of honor, that students will not lie, cheat , steal or violate trust, is so deep-rooted in the school's history, that is it woven into almost every element of academic and social life. The Honor System works, because students see that it does. No freshman is permitted to attend fall classes until he or she has acknowledged in writing an understanding of the philosophy and policies of the Honor System. A Student Executive Committee is charged with investigating and managing honor hearings. The sole penalty for an Honor System violation is dismissal from Washington and Lee. Through the years, the Honor System has been challenged. There have been proposals that the single penalty be softened, or that a range of penalties be instituted. Yet after serious and sometimes heated debate, change has been always been rejected. Students are committed to this ideal, and alumni frequently describe how it guides them in their professional lives. That Lee's inspiration of a century-ago can carry into the new millennium is good news, indeed.
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