Board of Trustees’ Update

To: The W&L Community
From: Rector Mike McAlevey ’86
Date: May 5, 2021
Re: Board of Trustees’ Update

As we approach the end of a challenging year at W&L, I write with an update on the Board of Trustees’ work.

Since we last communicated with you in late January, we have continued to examine the matters raised in the petitions we received regarding the name of the university and the form of our diploma.  We are also evaluating many other questions and issues raised during the process that bear on diversity and inclusion.  The perspectives of W&L community members -- expressed in more than 14,000 survey responses, thousands of letters, and numerous conversations with focus groups of students, faculty, staff and alumni -- have been immeasurably helpful to our work.

As always, we seek to act in the university’s best interests, and the multitude of considerations before us demand that we take the time necessary to make our best judgments.  We expect to reach and announce our conclusions in June.

We understand that there will be high interest and strong feelings regardless of the outcome of our deliberations. We know that those feelings arise from a shared love of the university and a desire to ensure its success in the future.  It will be imperative that we continue the dialogue with our community following our announcements in June. We appreciate your ongoing patience as we undertake this critical work.