College of William and Mary President Taylor Reveley released his report on calendar year 2014 Jan. 5. The 2014 President’s Report is comprised of highlights from the year, as well as a financial update.
In his message, Reveley praised the College’s new general education curriculum, COLL, which will take effect for the entering class in fall 2015. The changes will affect about 25 percent of the undergraduate curriculum, he wrote.
“[COLL] will extend over four years of the undergraduate experience and provide more interdisciplinary and international work than has ever been the case before, as well as renewed emphasis on written and oral communication,” the report reads. “There will be a significant research component for all undergraduates from their freshman to their senior years.”
The College also received a $900,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to be put toward the curriculum’s implementation.
In addition to discussing COLL, Reveley listed various statistics regarding admissions, academics and athletics.
In terms of admissions, this was the 10th consecutive year that the College saw an increasing number of undergraduate applications, with 14,500 applicants.
The university also took the sixth spot among public schools on U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings. The College tied for second among universities with a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”
2014 also saw high numbers of students receiving Fulbright Awards, as well as nearly 50 percent of undergraduates participating in study abroad or institutionally-supported international research. Additionally, nearly 100 varsity athletes graduated in the Class of 2014, giving the College the best varsity athlete graduation rate in the CAA and in the state.
While commending students, faculty, staff and alumni on their achievements, Reveley also discussed other issues, including sexual violence. He mentioned the creation of a task force at the College, which is currently examining the campus’ climate with the goal of making recommendations as to how to both educate students about and prevent instances of sexual violence.
Beyond combatting sexual assault on campus, Reveley noted that the College also faces other issues. He addressed the university’s financial future near the conclusion of his report, emphasizing the importance of donations, tuition and fees, as well as the state’s “continued if diminishing” support.
“In W&M’s first 319 years, the university had just one year in which it raised $100 million,” he wrote. “We just reached that mark in back-to-back years, fiscal years 2013 and 2014, and we are moving toward even greater heights in philanthropy to ensure a future for William & Mary worthy of its past.”
