W & L

Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University coat of arms
Former names	Augusta Academy (1749–1776) Liberty Hall Academy (1776–1796) Washington Academy (1796–1813) Washington College (1813–1870)
Motto	Latin: Non Incautus Futuri
Motto in English	"Not Unmindful of the Future"
Type	Private
Established	1749
Endowment	$1.472 billion (2016)
President	William C. Dudley
Provost	Marc Conner
Academic staff	361 (Fall 2014)
Students	2,264 (Fall 2014)
Undergraduates	1,890 (Fall 2014)
Postgraduates	374 (Fall 2014)
Location	Lexington, Virginia, U.S.
Campus	National Historic Landmark, Rural, 325 acres (1.32 km2)
Colors	Blue and white
Athletics	National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division III) – Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC)
Nickname	"The Generals"
Website	www.wlu.edu
Location in Shenandoah Valley Show map of Shenandoah Valley Washington and Lee University (Virginia) Show map of Virginia Washington and Lee University (the US) Show map of the US

Washington and Lee University Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Invalid designation
Virginia Landmarks Register
Washington College at Lexington, 1845
Show map of Virginia Show map of the US
Location	Washington and Lee University campus, Lexington, Virginia
Built	1824 (1824)
Architect	Jordan, John
Architectural style	Greek Revival, Neo-Classical
NRHP reference #	71001047
VLR #	117-0022
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 11, 1971
Designated NLHD	November 11, 1971
Designated VLR	October 6, 1970

Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a private liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia, United States.

Washington and Lee's 325-acre campus sits at the edge of Lexington and abuts the campus of the Virginia Military Institute (founded 1839) in the Shenandoah Valley region along the Shenandoah River of the western part of the Commonwealth of Virginia between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains in the eastern ranges of the Appalachian Mountains. The campus is approximately 50 miles (80 km) northeast from Roanoke, 140 miles (225 km) west from the state capital of Richmond, and 180 miles (290 km) inland southwest from the national capital at Washington, D.C..

Washington and Lee was founded in 1749 as a small classical school named Augusta Academy (later renamed Liberty Hall Academy) by Scots-Irish Presbyterian pioneers, though the University has never claimed any sectarian affiliation. In 1796, shortly before the end of his second term as President of the United States, George Washington endowed the struggling academy with a gift of stock, one of the largest gifts to an educational institution at that time. In gratitude, the school was renamed for the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), president at the Federal Constitutional Convention meeting in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787, framer of the American Constitution, and the first President of the United States (1789-1797).