HJ548: Commending The College of William and Mary.
WHEREAS, in 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England granted a royal charter creating The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary was the second college established in North America and is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary became the first and only American college to receive a coat of arms from the College of Heralds in 1694; and
WHEREAS, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded by students at The College of William and Mary in 1776; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary was the first college in America to institute an honor system, which was adopted in 1779; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary was the first college in America to have a modern school of languages and a school of municipal and constitutional law, both of which were established in 1779 as well; and
WHEREAS, George Washington, who received his only academic credentials from The College of William and Mary, served as chancellor of the College in 1788; and
WHEREAS, by an act of the General Assembly in 1906, The College of William and Mary became a state institution; and
WHEREAS, in 1919, The College of William and Mary began to offer extension courses in the Cities of Richmond and Norfolk, which eventually led to the establishment of Virginia Commonwealth University and Old Dominion University, respectively; and
WHEREAS, known as the Alma Mater of the Nation, The College of William and Mary has produced, among others, such distinguished alumni as United States Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler; United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall; and former Governor Mills E. Godwin, Jr., as well as leaders in a wide variety of professions; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary today functions as a leading public research university with a strong foundation in the liberal arts, offering exceptional programs in business, education, law, marine science, and the arts, among many others; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary has been ably led by W. Taylor Reveley III since 2008, and he leaves a legacy of excellence to President-Elect Katherine A. Rowe, who will become the College’s 28th president and the first woman president in its history on July 1, 2018; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary commemorated its 325th anniversary on February 9, 2018, at its annual Charter Day Ceremony with Governor Ralph S. Northam serving as the keynote speaker; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend The College of William and Mary for its outstanding contributions to the Commonwealth, the United States, and the world on the occasion of its 325th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the President of The College of William and Mary as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the College’s unique and historic successes as an institution of higher learning and its unparalleled tradition of academic excellence.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 548
Patrons-- Mullin, Bourne, Bulova, Heretick, Hugo, Jones, J.C. and Miyares; Senators: Mason, Norment, Vogel and Wexton
WHEREAS, in 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England granted a royal charter creating The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary was the second college established in North America and is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary became the first and only American college to receive a coat of arms from the College of Heralds in 1694; and
WHEREAS, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded by students at The College of William and Mary in 1776; and
WHERAS, The College of William and Mary was the first college in America to institute an honor system, which was adopted in 1779; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary was the first college in America to have a modern school of languages and a school of municipal and constitutional law, both of which were established in 1779 as well; and
WHEREAS, George Washington, who received his only academic credentials from The College of William and Mary, served as chancellor of the College in 1788; and
WHEREAS, by an act of the General Assembly in 1906, The College of William and Mary became a state institution; and
WHEREAS, in 1919, The College of William and Mary began to offer extension courses in the Cities of Richmond and Norfolk, which eventually led to the establishment of Virginia Commonwealth University and Old Dominion University, respectively; and
WHEREAS, known as the Alma Mater of the Nation, The College of William and Mary has produced, among others, such distinguished alumni as United States Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler; United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall; and former Governor Mills E. Godwin, Jr., as well as leaders in a wide variety of professions; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary today functions as a leading public research university with a strong foundation in the liberal arts, offering exceptional programs in business, education, law, marine science, and the arts, among many others; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary has been ably led by W. Taylor Reveley III since 2008, and he leaves a legacy of excellence to President-Elect Katherine A. Rowe, who will become the College’s 28th president and the first woman president in its history on July 1, 2018; and
WHEREAS, The College of William and Mary commemorated its 325th anniversary on February 9, 2018, at its annual Charter Day Ceremony with Governor Ralph Northam serving as the keynote speaker; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend The College of William and Mary for its outstanding contributions to the Commonwealth, the United States, and the world on the occasion of its 325th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the President of The College of William and Mary as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the College’s unique and historic successes as an institution of higher learning and its unparalleled tradition of academic excellence.