Wednesday, Sept. 24 to Friday, Sept. 26, the College of William and Mary’s board of visitors met in Blow Memorial Hall for its first meeting of the 2025-26 academic year. All eight committees conducted separate sessions before convening as a full board, passing some resolutions independently and waiting to debate others Friday morning.
The board officially approved the campus comprehensive plan, created three new master’s degree programs, evaluated admissions data and brainstormed institutional strategy steps as Vision 2026 nears a close and a new strategic plan emerges.
National preeminence and the 2026 U.S. News and World Report rankings undergirded each committee’s operational priorities as it relates to the College’s future, with all committees working against the backdrop of a shifting federal policy landscape, institutional reaccreditation this spring and the “demographic cliff” expected to lower application numbers starting in 2026. Cross-committee collaboration on civic engagement among undergraduates also figured heavily in discussions ahead of the College’s Year of Civic Leadership in 2026 and the United States’ semiquincentennial.
Academic Affairs
Thursday, Sept. 25, the Committee on Academic Affairs convened to approve the addition of two new master’s degrees in non-profit management and data science. Members also reviewed key performance indicators for faculty performance, considered revamping the COLL curriculum and evaluated class of 2029 admissions data.
Academic affairs chair Laura Keehner Rigas ’01 opened the meeting with a contextualization of the College’s 2025-26 academic goals in light of institutional reaccreditation this spring and ongoing collaboration with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Among these progress points was the 2024 update of the faculty handbook, which Rigas celebrated as a much-needed step for the College’s future.
“Last year, this committee delivered on the extraordinary task of reviewing and making long-needed updates on the faculty handbook,” Rigas said. “I’m extraordinarily grateful to all those who worked on that.”
Vice Chairman AnnaMaria DeSalva ’90 was absent from the meeting, but Rigas referenced her recent lecture on the importance of the humanities in the emergent artificial intelligence era. DeSalva’s comments came as the College aims to ramp up its academic offerings related to artificial intelligence, from the School of Computing, Data Sciences and Physics’ AI minor to the College’s “ChatGPT Edu” partnership with OpenAI announced Oct. 1.
“She had a brilliant lecture a few weeks ago where she laid out the argument that enhanced humanities are needed today more than ever,” Rigas. “And for people to think critically and make good decisions, applying wisdom in a technical age.”
In line with the evolving higher education landscape, Rigas addressed a possible update of the COLL curriculum to better align with students’ most pressing needs.
“It’s been about ten years since the COLL curriculum has been reviewed, so I’d like the provost and team to think about ways we can approach that in a similar way as we did for the faculty handbook,” Rigas said. “Getting the right people together to think about how the skill sets and expectations for graduates have changed.”
Provost Peggy Agouris then introduced Alyson Wilson, the College’s new vice provost for research, who she said has been a “great addition to the team” since starting in July, and whom she expects to help advance the College’s academic goals.
Agouris also detailed the 600-page self-study report that the College submitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College as a prerequisite for reaccreditation. Assistant Provost for Institutional Accreditation and Effectiveness Matt Smith finalized the report Sept. 2, which now awaits feedback from an off-site review committee by late November.
Following Agouris’ update, the College’s new Vice Provost for Enrollment Strategy Lisa Keegan delivered a presentation on class of 2029 enrollment data. Keegan shared that admissions numbers remained largely similar to the previous year, with slightly more deposit-enrolled withdrawals and 1% fewer first-generation students than in 2024. The College also enrolled 1.5% more undergraduate students in 2025.
Keegan emphasized her long-term goal of boosting the College’s total undergraduate application count to 20,000 students without drastically changing enrollment numbers, resulting in a more competitive acceptance rate. She said the College can accomplish this by increasing its enrollment yield over time, which dipped 1% since 2024.
“That is where we’ll be putting our time, energy, effort and resources,” Keegan said.
Assistant Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Professor of the Practice of Law Iria Giuffrida then presented key performance indicators on post-graduation outcomes, faculty impact, enrollment and transfers. Giuffrida shared that Pell-eligible students’ graduation rate has generally oscillated more than that of other students, revealing the potential need for more tailored administrative assistance.
“Looking ahead, we may think about targeted academic support, maybe more financial support, and maybe more community-based support for students that may fare less well at William and Mary,” Giuffrida said.
Giuffrida highlighted that College graduates have a higher median salary in entry-level jobs than the national average. She also commented on the College’s ability to maintain a 47% approval rating in 2025 for federal research grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, despite federal research funding cuts.
“This is a mic-drop situation, it’s incredible,” Giuffrida said. “The average [approval rating] in Virginia for the NSF is 24%, and for the NIH, it’s 15%.”
Finally, the committee passed resolutions to create master’s degrees in non-profit management and data science, as well as reclassify the master’s in computational operational research under Computational and Applied Mathematics and Statistics, which was previously a concentration within the Computer Sciences department.
Administration, Buildings and Grounds
The Committee on Administration, Buildings and Grounds convened Thursday to approve the College’s new campus comprehensive plan, which outlines infrastructural projects for the “next decade and beyond.” Members also evaluated the enterprise software Workday’s initial months of use, which replaced parts of Banner in July.
Chief Business Officer Sean Hughes explained that the plan has three components: housing and dining facilities, learning spaces and landscape. He also highlighted community outreach efforts in advance of the plan’s finalization to incorporate feedback.
One focus area is the Boswell site, which includes reconstructing Boswell and Jones Halls, as well as adding new pedestrian walking spaces. Additionally, the College will demolish the Campus Center, developing a new multi-use building in its place and constructing a 246-space parking lot. Redevelopment of the Green and Gold Village and Botetourt Complex will also begin in the next few years.
The 100-year landscape plan aims to restructure several on-campus roads to become more pedestrian-friendly, develop four new “parking cores” on the edges of campus, renovate the Sunken Garden for greater accessibility and revamp the Central Woods.
Finally, the plan envisions additions to the Batten School for Coastal Marine Sciences at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, including several new academic and administrative buildings, an amphitheater and a river walk. Hughes underscored that sea level rise directly threatens the Gloucester Point campus as it stands today, stating that all the infrastructure will be elevated above the projected inundation levels by 2040.
Student Experience
The Committee on Student Experience met Thursday morning to introduce two new faculty members and evaluate the College’s core student values, such as belonging and civic engagement, through live feedback from student representatives. Members did not pass any new resolutions during the session.
Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Public Safety Ginger Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06 welcomed the College’s new Associate Vice President for Public Safety Cliff Everton ’96.
“After 26 years in my previous career in federal law enforcement, I never would have imagined coming to higher education, much less my alma mater,” Everton said. “But that’s the journey I’m currently on and it’s wonderful.”
Everton addressed his desire to instill a community policing model that collaborates with student leaders and builds a strong connection with students around shared concerns.
“We’re working hard to bridge gaps if there are any,” Everton said. “And to communicate clearly and effectively on what we’re doing to support the students.”
Ambler also introduced new Associate Vice President for Health and Wellness Christopher Renjilian ’05, who previously specialized in adolescent medicine and development.
Ambler highlighted students’ increased engagement with academic support and health and wellness resources between 2022 and 2025, which she said has grown threefold.
“There’s an increase in case management plans, and that suggests that students are receiving more structured, personalized interventions,” Ambler said. “For us, this aligns with the evolving complexity of student needs that we see, and highlights the importance of continuing to invest in that area.”
Before introducing the committee’s student representatives, Ambler mentioned the continuation of the better arguments framework in partnership with the Office of Conflict Resolution and Education, as well as a new civic scorecard for students. Both initiatives seek to strengthen civic leadership skills in advance of the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Rigas suggested collaboration with the academic affairs committee on conflict resolution initiatives, referencing conservative political activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination last month on a Utah college campus.
“Whatever we can do to be supportive, we’re all in,” Rigas said. “Especially in light of what happened two weeks ago on a college campus, we need to have more dialogue and more discussion rather than less.”
William Henderson ’26 shared his takeaways from serving as an orientation area director this fall, which he said bolsters students’ sense of belonging and community.
“Orientation is the time for students to really find their way, find their path,” Henderson said. “And also find the resources that can help them find their path.”
Liam Palumbo ’28 works as an inaugural student specialist in the Office of Conflict Resolution and Education. He reflected on the College’s work to mitigate student conflicts through the new office, which opened in spring 2024.
“A lot of people believe sometimes that [conflict] doesn’t happen or that we can avoid it, or that we can kind of step away and believe it isn’t there, but it is there,” Palumbo said. “But there’s a good conflict, and that’s when you learn to handle it well and engage with each other well.”
Institutional Advancement
Thursday, Sept. 25, the committee on institutional advancement covered the College’s trajectory toward national preeminence, results leading into the final year of Vision 2026
and overarching priorities for the next strategic plan to be enacted in 2027.
Secretary Kendrick F. Ashton, Jr. ’98 opened with remarks on what he called a “productive” summer board retreat in July for strategic planning. He also addressed the U.S. News and World Report’s rankings released Sept. 23, which saw the College move up three spots in the national standings from the previous year, attaining the 51st spot.
“It’s incredibly gratifying to see that U.S. News and World Report saw a significant improvement in William and Mary’s rankings,” Ashton said. “And that is due, in no small measure, to our improvement in our national peer score. That is a direct reflection of our national reputation.”
College President Katherine Rowe then delivered a presentation on institutional strategy, outlining the key factors that she sees as essential to elevating the College’s stature on the national stage.
“What drives student demand is a complex ecosystem of brand awareness and philanthropy that creates a cycle of visibility that underscores William and Mary’s credibility to deliver what we say we’re going to deliver for those who come to learn here,” Rowe said.
Rowe addressed the College’s preparations for the anticipated 2026 demographic cliff, which estimates fewer undergraduate applications through 2041 due to consistently declining national birth rates since the Great Recession of 2007. However, she believes the College’s yield will experience far less turbulence than the national average based on positioning studies conducted in 2019 — the next studies will be carried out in 2026.
“We’ve completed multiple rounds of positioning studies to track the interests of prospective students,” Rowe said. “Vision 2026 strategically elevated the strengths that spoke to those interests.”
Senior Vice President of University Advancement Matthew T. Lambert ’99 presented four key performance indicators for institutional strategy, highlighting an increase in alumni engagement, undergraduate internships and philanthropy in the past few years.
He mentioned that 2024 was the single highest year of philanthropy since the College’s founding in 1693, totalling $240 million and representing 16% of the 2025 budget. Lambert views continued philanthropy gains as paramount to institutional development.
“The last view of this is really around the number of donors across the university and the retention rate of those donors,” Lambert said. “And we have an aspiration to have that retention rate much higher.”
Financial Affairs
Friday, Sept. 26, the Committee on Financial Affairs met to review and approve the College and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s six-year financial plans that will cover from 2026-32.
Every two years, the College is required to submit a six-year plan to the Virginia state government, which is meant to align the budget of the College with its long-term goals, while ensuring it meets the requirements of the state of Virginia.
The College’s plan includes a proposal to grow the population of Pell-eligible students, increase investment in computational and data sciences and modernize campus infrastructure.
The presentation further included a request to continue to fund the Community Law Clinic, which supplies over 10,000 hours of pro bono legal service to low-income residents in the Hampton Roads region.
The VIMS six-year plan outlined its priorities for the coming years by emphasizing a budget that would allow it to more proactively assist the state in handling emerging environmental issues.
“With the right investment, we are poised to be a national leader in forecasting key aspects of life in coastal communities, and we’re prepared to help the Commonwealth more effectively and efficiently address the existential challenges they face,” the resolution said.
It also includes major capital investments, such as completing the Marine Operations Headquarters and the Fisheries Science Building, which will expand research and operational capacity on campus.
Full Board
Friday, Sept. 26, the full board met to summarize the work the individual committees conducted over the previous two days, as well as vote on multiple proposed resolutions.
Rowe opened the meeting, outlining the position the College is in at the start of its 332nd academic year, and how she hopes the College will continue to progress.
“We are evolving to position William and Mary as the preeminent public liberal arts and sciences university for the 21st century,” Rowe said.
Rowe continued to highlight the College’s goal of achieving national preeminence, noting that the results of these efforts are already starting to work, with the College climbing 3 spots in the U.S. News and World Report rankings. This progress comes nearly two years after the College dropped 12 spots in the same ranking back in 2023.
“National preeminence matters,” Rowe said. “We saw William and Mary climb three spots in U.S. News and World Report. We made the largest gains in peer reputation, peer assessment, which is really powerful.”
The board awarded emeriti status to three faculty members for their combined 79 years of service to the College. This honorific designation is awarded to retiring faculty who have demonstrated sustained dedication to the academic community at the College. Two professors of marine science, Carl Friedrichs and Richard Snyder, and associate dean and professor of the practice of law Robert Kaplan were all approved to receive this title.
The board further voted to approve the creation of a nonprofit management degree program to be administered as a master’s of science. Board member Laura Keehner Rigas ’01 noted that this development came in response to popular demand from students at the College.
“46% of current William and Mary undergraduates indicated interest in enrolling in this program,” Rigas said. “That’s pretty outstanding.”
The full board debated a resolution to rename the department of classical studies. This resolution would change the title to the Department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies. Suzanne Raitt, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, explained the proposal and took questions from the board members as to the benefits of the name change.
Raitt deferred to the judgment of the leadership of the classics department, noting that they felt this name change best reflected the geographical scope of the degree, while also implying that the department, in recent years, has adopted a more interdisciplinary approach to its instruction.
“In recent years, we have brought it out to material culture,” Raitt said. “We have a large archaeology program in classical studies, and the department decided that this new name reflected better the interdisciplinary focus as the department evolves and grows.”
Raitt further explained that this switch is not completely out of the ordinary. When contemplating this change, faculty in the classics department noted that institutions across the country were in the process of renaming their own departments to fit the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of the field.
“It feels like a name out of left field, and that we recognize when they were planning this change, they did a lot of research around the country because they already knew that other departments were changing their names,” Raitt said. “They wanted to see, ‘Is everybody doing it?’”
Members of the board worried that this name change would confuse prospective students when locating information about the College’s classical studies. However, Raitt noted that only the name of the department would change — the title of the degree would remain the same.
Rowe expressed her support for this name change, noting that she feels it should be up to the judgment of the experts in the field.
“On balance, my inclination would be to trust the experts here and say this is the general direction of the field, where we’ve seen wonderful diversification of the kinds of work that happened there,” Rowe said.
The resolution ultimately passed with two members of the board voting against the proposed change.
The board will meet again in Blow Memorial Hall from Wednesday, Nov. 19 to Friday, Nov. 21.
