Initiatives

"Activism and Black Life" is a yearlong series sponsored by W&L's Africana Studies program. The series includes participants from multiple disciplines and various academic and civic institutions and explores how the struggle for freedom shapes black identity. Events include lectures, panels, roundtables, debates, and the Looking at Blackness (LAB) initiative, which features film screenings and listening sessions. The series shows the complex legacies that created our current racial reality and, by studying the intersection between then and now, equips our community to chart a productive path forward.

The charge of the General Education Development Committee (GEDC) will be to facilitate a conversation about changes to the Foundation and Distribution Requirements (FDR).

Each year in January, W&L celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a series of events designed to commemorate his life and legacy. During this week long celebration, we feature several different events, ranging from student-led discussions on social change, to the traditional children's birthday party, to our featured MLK speaker. Our commemoration of Dr. King is also conceived of as a learning opportunity for our students and for our entire community.

A task force dedicated to addressing concerns and improving policies and practices as they relate to non-tenure track faculty.

The summer before first-year students arrive to W&L, they receive a common reading assignment that welcomes them into their new community of learners. Faculty and staff across campus join students in this conversation by leading small, book club style discussion sessions during orientation week. In 2021, we read "A Lesson Before Dying" (vintage, 1994) by Ernest J. Gaines. Stay tuned for the 2022 reading selection.