The Year of Civic Leadership

In December 1776, with the Declaration of Independence newly inked, William & Mary students gathered at Raleigh Tavern. Over a meal and a few beers, perhaps, the students chartered a society dedicated to “freedom of inquiry that ever dispels the clouds of falsehood by the radiant sunshine of truth.” They recognized that the habits of mind cultivated in open debate are vital to citizenship. That gathering launched the first U.S. academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, on the principle that “love of learning is the guide of life.”

Fast-forward 249 years to the turn of our country’s quarter millennium. The pursuit of fact-based knowledge, sharpened in the open exchange of ideas, flourishes here. The Alma Mater of the Nation is approaching this anniversary as a time of reflection on our future as well as our past. During W&M’s “Year of Civic Leadership,” we aim to honor our community’s foundational role in establishing U.S. democracy and to continue strengthening those foundations: preparing our graduates to meet the current moment with resourcefulness and integrity.

This legacy of civic leadership anchors W&M’s national preeminence, from the country’s first law school to a school of computer science focused on ethics in AI. The W&M Washington Center advances internships in our nation’s capital. The top-ranked U.S. Colonial history graduate program tells new stories of the American Revolution. Premier research labs apply their knowledge in service to our country’s leaders. This fall, an AidData report earned coverage from more than 1,100 media outlets, reaching hundreds of millions of people worldwide. A $2.8 million grant for teacher training underscores the credibility W&M commands in civics education. More than 1,800 students across the university have ties to military service. The university ranks among the top schools for such service-minded students, with volunteer opportunities in Williamsburg and around the world.

Trust in universities depends on our commitment to these common goods. At W&M, we uphold the ideals of open inquiry and service by putting them into practice in a peer-taught curriculum, Better Arguments. Since its inception in 2020, over 9,000 students have participated. The majority of W&M’s faculty and staff and all of the university’s leadership boards have completed the curriculum as well. In Better Arguments, we teach leadership skills to navigate conflict in order to accelerate learning.

In our Chancellor, the Honorable Robert M. Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98, we have an example of this teaching: the only Secretary of Defense to have served under presidents from opposing political parties. I am delighted that he has graciously answered alma mater’s call once again. At Charter Day, we will reinvest him for an unprecedented third term. Please join us in Kaplan Arena or via livestream on Feb. 6 at 3:30 p.m. Learn more at wm.edu/charterday.

Few stories in the news report well on what I hear daily on campus — and what a recent national poll underscores — that the generation coming to college today shares the convictions of those Raleigh Tavern founders. Young people report that “respect and open-mindedness are the most essential to improving civic discourse.” They have so many reasons for recognizing this — their immersion in social media, their experiences of isolation during pandemic, intractable conflicts around the world.

W&M students come to us actively seeking out environments where civil debate is taught and valued. They view this as a lifelong skill. They could not be more right.