Washington and Lee faculty vote to change the university's name

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Full disclosure: a looooooooong time ago, I came close to going to the place. At the time, it would have been a good match.

Washington and Lee faculty vote to change the university's name
By ELIZABETH BELL Richmond Times-Dispatch 13 hrs ago



RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH FILE

After the faculty vote, a Washington and Lee spokeswoman said, “The university’s name rests with its board of trustees, and there are no current plans to change it.”

RICHMOND — Washington and Lee University faculty passed a motion to remove Robert E. Lee from the name of the small liberal arts college in Lexington.

The motion — the first time for W&L faculty to make such a recommendation — has been sent to the board of trustees.

W&L President Will Dudley called a special meeting to discuss the motion at the request of the faculty affairs committee. About 260 faculty members attended the virtual meeting Monday afternoon.

{snip}

The school was named for George Washington, an early benefactor, and Lee, the former Confederate general and president of the university who is buried in the chapel at the heart of campus. Washington and Lee University is the school’s fifth name since 1749.

The three permanent Black faculty members at W&L’s law school called for the removal of both Washington’s and Lee’s names from the school’s name, according to a letter sent to Dudley.

{snip}

More than 2,000 alumni have joined a group advocating for change, called Not Unmindful.

A separate alumni group, called Generals Redoubt, opposes the name change.

The group was formed in 2018 in response to a commission that examined the school’s institutional history. The commission suggested many changes, including renaming some campus buildings, but stopped short of recommending renaming the school.

“The Generals Redoubt unequivocally opposes the changing of the name. ... It believes a recent resolution by tenured faculty calling for the removal of Robert E. Lee’s name from that of the university poses a serious challenge of financial and reputational sustainability,” the group’s treasurer, Elizabeth Barry Brown, said in an email to students and alumni on June 27.

{snip}

[COLGATE4]

1. IMO I believe this is exaggerated political correctness

The university is not named after Robert E. Lee because of his service to the Confederacy. Rather, he was appointed President of the university after the war and, because of his meritorious service to it the school changed its name to honor that service. Changing the name just because is not a good reason.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. I'm with you. His name is there because he was, briefly, the school's president.

I feel the same way about statues of and schools named after Matthew Fontaine Maury.

Thanks for writing.

[COLGATE4]

4. He was President of the U until his death (5 years)

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Yes.

I edited the OP to add:

Full disclosure: a looooooooong time ago, I came close to going to the place. At the time, it would have been a good match.

I have no idea how much differently my life would have turned out had I gone there.

The setting is really handsome.

[MichMan]

2. If you remove both Washington's and Lee's names, would it just be called "And"?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. Either that or "They Who Shall Not Be Named University." NT

[COLGATE4]

6. I like it!!! Where do you go to school? "AND U"

"Me - I go to Fordham"

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. To: The W&L Community From: President Will Dudley

To: The W&L Community
From: President Will Dudley
Date: June 23, 2020
Re: Priorities, Actions, and Next Steps

In my previous message to you, I emphasized that W&L stands with those demanding fundamental changes to systems and practices that perpetuate racial inequality and injustice. This stance is rooted in our personal and institutional values, and in our educational mission, which commits us to diversity and inclusion and obligates us to apply our talents and resources in the service of the public good. We are called to do everything in our collective power to eradicate racism in all its forms, wherever it is found.

I have heard from many of you in recent weeks. Some of you have recounted painful experiences of exclusion and racism during your time as students or employees at W&L. Some of you have stressed the need for a more thorough and candid accounting of our history. And some of you have expressed the conflict you feel between your love of W&L and your concern about our prominent association with Robert E. Lee, whose presidency transformed the university, but who also led the Confederate army in defending slavery and has come to symbolize the defense of racial oppression that we unequivocally reject.

Many of you have called for decisive action in accordance with our values. You have asked me what we have done. And you have asked me what more we will do. I welcome these questions – which I ask myself every day.

In this message, I want to address our priorities, our recent actions and ongoing commitments, and the next steps we will take together.

{snip}

[WorkDoctor]

9. Washington & Jefferson College alert

Since both might be on the chopping block. It's in PA.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. For philatelists: the Washington and Lee University issue of 1949

Washington and Lee University Issue



3-cent Washington and Lee University single