The College: About

Accreditation

The College of William & Mary is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.   Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of William & Mary.  The Mason School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International); the School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA); and the School of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). For more information, see the “Accreditation” page on the College’s website.

Correspondence Directory

To facilitate prompt attention, inquiries should be addressed to the following at the College of William & Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8795.

Mission Statement

The College of William & Mary, a public university in Williamsburg, Virginia, is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Established in 1693 by British royal charter, William & Mary is proud of its role as the Alma Mater of generations of American patriots, leaders and public servants. Now in its fourth century, it continues this tradition of excellence by combining the best features of an undergraduate college with the opportunities offered by a modern research university. Its moderate size, dedicated faculty, and distinctive history give William & Mary a unique character among public institutions, and create a learning environment that fosters close interaction among students and teachers.

The university’s predominantly residential undergraduate program provides a broad liberal education in a stimulating academic environment enhanced by a talented and diverse student body. This nationally acclaimed undergraduate program is integrated with selected graduate and professional programs in five faculties - Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Law and Marine Science. Masters and doctoral programs in the humanities, the sciences, the social sciences, business, education and law provide a wide variety of intellectual opportunities for students at both graduate and undergraduate levels.

At William & Mary, teaching, research, and public service are linked through programs designed to preserve, transmit, and expand knowledge. Effective teaching imparts knowledge and encourages the intellectual development of both student and teacher. Quality research supports the educational program by introducing students to the challenge and excitement of original discovery, and is a source of the knowledge and understanding needed for a better society. The university recognizes its special responsibility to the citizens of Virginia through public and community service to the Commonwealth as well as to national and international communities. Teaching, research and public service are all integral parts of the mission of William & Mary.

Goals

In fulfilling its mission, William & Mary adopts the following specific goals:

• to attract outstanding students from diverse backgrounds;
• to develop a diverse faculty which is nationally and internationally recognized for excellence in both teaching and research;
• to provide a challenging undergraduate program with a liberal arts and sciences curriculum that encourages creativity, independent thought, and intellectual depth, breadth and curiosity;
• to offer high quality graduate and professional programs that prepare students for intellectual, professional and public leadership;
• to instill in its students an appreciation for the human condition, a concern for the public well-being, a life-long commitment to learning; and
• to use the scholarship and skills of its faculty and students to further human knowledge and understanding, and to address specific problems confronting the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation and the world.

Code of Ethics

Integrity is one of the core values of the College of William & Mary. Thus, we are committed to lawful and ethical behavior in all of the university’s activities. At William & Mary, we insist that all members of the university community - our board members, employees, students and volunteers - comply with all laws, regulations, policies and ethical norms applicable to them. More generally, we are to be honest, fair, and trustworthy ourselves and to take care that other members of the university community are also.

We, as members of the William & Mary community, will:

1. Obey the laws, regulations and policies applicable to our university activities.
2. Protect and preserve university resources and ensure their proper use.
3. Avoid both conflicts of interest and the appearance of such conflicts.
4. Safeguard confidential information.
5. Make procurement decisions impartially and objectively.
6. Maintain effective internal controls to safeguard the regularity and integrity of our activities.
7. Treat other people with dignity and respect, ensuring there is no discrimination or harassment at William & Mary.
8. Report any illegal or unethical action that comes to our attention, so the university can investigate and take corrective steps.

The College of William & Mary Diversity Statement

The College of William and Mary in Virginia is a community of teachers, students and staff who share our national ideals of human equality, democracy, pluralism and advancement based on merit. We give life to these principles - and prepare young women and men to be citizens of the wider world-  when we value diverse backgrounds, talents and points of view.

As a community, William & Mary believes that cultural pluralism and intellectual diversity introduce us to new experiences, stimulate original ideas, enrich critical thinking, and give our work a broader reach. We cannot accomplish our mission of teaching, learning, discovery and service without such diversity.

William & Mary belongs to all Virginians, to the nation, and to the world. Yet our College, like our country, failed for many years to open the door of opportunity to all people. In recent decades, William & Mary has made itself a more diverse community, and thus a better one. Structures and habits that create injustices, however, have yet to be fully banished from American society. We are committed to eliminate those injustices at the College and beyond.

The College of William & Mary strives to be a place where people of all backgrounds feel at home, where diversity is actively embraced, and where each individual takes responsibility for upholding the dignity of all members of the community.

The Campus

William & Mary is a university community, small enough to provide for relationships that allow collaborative teaching and learning, large enough to have the resources to achieve excellence. An important aspect of this community is its location in the beautiful and historic city of Williamsburg, where it constitutes an integral part of the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg. The partnership of the College, the City, and the Restoration, and the educational, cultural and recreational opportunities afforded to all students by this partnership, add to the quality of life and the quality of education at William & Mary.

The campus, comprising approximately 1,200 acres of land, extends from the western edge of the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg to Lake Matoaka and its surrounding wooded land. Within its boundaries are three contiguous sections known today as the Historic Campus, the Old Campus, and the New Campus, and, a short walk to the southeast, the William & Mary School of Law.

The Historic Campus is the site of three restored pre-Revolutionary buildings. The Sir Christopher Wren Building (1695, restored 1928-31), still in daily classroom use, is the oldest academic building in the United States. The Brafferton (1723, restored 1932), originally a school for Indians established with a bequest from the English scientist Robert Boyle, today contains administrative offices. The third building, the President’s House (1732, restored 1931), has served as home for each of the twenty-five presidents of the College.