Board of Trustees' Response to the Diploma Petition
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2月11日, 2020, Washington and Lee's Board of Trustees received a petition requesting that the university provide students with the option of removing the portraits of namesakes George Washington and Robert E. Lee from their diplomas. 受托人, who have the sole authority to confer degrees on graduates, discussed the petition at their meeting on campus on Feb. 14-15 and issued the following response to the petitioners:
To: Petitioners Regarding the Washington and Lee Diploma
From: Don Childress, Rector, and Will Dudley, President
Date: February 18, 2020
Thank you for your petition asking the university to offer graduates of Washington and Lee an alternate diploma design, without portraits of our namesakes. We appreciate the manner in which you raised this issue with us, commend you for upholding the spirit of civil discourse that is a hallmark of our community, and recognize that you offered your proposal with the best interests of the university sincerely in mind.
We share your commitment to making Washington and Lee the best it can be. In 2018, the Board of Trustees took significant action, in keeping with our educational mission, to expand on the stories we tell about our history. We also expressed our abiding conviction that the university is rightly named for two men who made transformative contributions to this institution and to education in the United States. In light of this view, and after careful consideration of the arguments you presented, the Board has decided that Washington and Lee will retain the single diploma design that has been used by the university since the 1870s.
W&L is a single community, and all graduates receive the same diploma. It includes im年龄s of George Washington and Robert E. Lee portrayed in the context of their respective associations with the university — Washington as President of the United States, whose gift saved the institution from financial ruin, and Lee as President of Washington College, who bolstered enrollment, 筹集资金, and added the law school, among other significant academic innovations. The im年龄s on the diploma are consistent with the portraits now on display in Lee Chapel.
While the Board’s decision regarding our diploma design is final, the exploration of our history is ongoing, and we encour年龄 everyone at Washington and Lee to eng年龄 with this important educational work. Our commitment to W&L being an inclusive community is steadfast, rooted in the university’s 使命宣言, and expressed in the 战略计划 adopted by the Board in 2018. We will not waver in our efforts to implement these strategic initiatives, which support the thriving of all present and future members of the Washington and Lee community. Thank you for joining us in pursuit of this shared goal.
Office of the President
- About President Dudley
-
Mess年龄s to the 社区
- 2024-25 Academic Year
- 2023-24 Academic Year
- 2022-23 Academic Year
- 2021-22 Academic Year
- 2020-21 Academic Year
-
2019-20 Academic Year
- Priorities, Actions, and Next Steps
- A Mess年龄 to 校友 and Parents
- A Mess年龄 to the 校园 社区
- Spring 2020 校园 Update
- Spring 2020 校友 and Parent Update
- Confirmed Dates for Rescheduled Commencement Ceremonies
- Planning for Summer and Fall
- 2020年毕业典礼
- Caring for the 社区
- A Personal Mess年龄 from President Dudley
- Transition to Virtual Instruction
- Board of Trustees' Response to the Diploma Petition
- Winter 2020 校园 Update
- 2019 State of the University Conversation (Video)
- Fall 2019 校园 Update
- 2018-19 Academic Year
- 2017-18 Academic Year
- Issues and Initiatives
- Speeches and Opinion Pieces
- President's Office 工作人员