Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Rockbridge County, Virginia, located very close to Virginia Military Institute. The preparatory school from which it is descended was founded in 1749 as "Augusta Academy" and was renamed "Liberty Hall" in 1776. The academy moved to Lexington in 1780 and built its first building near town in 1782.

Academics

The University is a liberal arts college divided into three schools. These schools are: (1) The College, in which all students begin their undergraduate studies in the liberal arts, sciences, and humanities; (2) the AACSB-accredited Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, which offers majors in accounting and business administration, business administration, economics, politics, public accounting, and public policy; and (3) The School of Law. Washington and Lee offers 40 undergraduate majors and the following interdisciplinary, non-major programs: African-American studies, East Asian studies, environmental studies, global stewardship, and the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability.

Related Topics:
Liberal arts college - African-American studies - East Asian studies - Environmental studies - Global stewardship - Study of Poverty

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The undergraduate calendar is a unique three-term system with 12-week fall and winter terms followed by a required six-week spring term. Spring term is reserved for special topic courses and internships both domestically and abroad. The law calendar follows a more traditional two-semester system.

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In addition, Washington and Lee still upholds the Honor System implemented by Robert E. Lee when he served as president after leading the armies of the Confederacy against the United States. The student-run Honor System, now more than a century old, is the guiding principle of life at Washington and Lee. Students vow, upon entering the University, to act honorably (usually viewed as never lying, cheating, or stealing, in its various forms), in both academic and nonacademic activiites. Any student found by other students to have committed a dishonorable act is subject to only one punishment — expulsion. This process is overseen by the Executive Committee, a group of students elected by the students. The Executive Committee also serves as the student government.

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