Washington and Lee University

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	NCAA Division III – ODAC
Nickname	The Generals
Website	www.wlu.edu

Washington and Lee University Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Invalid designation
Virginia Landmarks Register
Washington College at Lexington, 1845
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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 heart of Lexington and abuts the Virginia Military Institute in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains. The campus is approximately 50 miles from Roanoke, Virginia, 140 miles from Richmond, Virginia, and 180 miles from Washington, D.C.

Washington and Lee was founded in 1749 as a small classical school named Augusta Academy (later Liberty Hall Academy) by Scots-Irish Presbyterian pioneers, though the University has never claimed any sectarian affiliation. In 1796, George Washington endowed the struggling academy with a gift of stock, one of the largest gifts to an educational institution at the time. In gratitude, the school was renamed for the first United States President. In 1865, after his surrender at Appomattox Court House, former General Robert E. Lee served as president of the college until his death in 1870, prompting the college to be renamed as Washington and Lee University. Washington and Lee is the ninth-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the second-oldest in Virginia.

The University consists of three academic units: The College; the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics; and the School of Law. The University hosts 24 intercollegiate athletic teams which compete as part of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division III.