Washington and Lee University Williams School Enhancement and Expansion

Williams School Enhancement and Expansion Strengthening a Distinctive Program

Current campus plans call for the Washington Street corridor to become the main entrance to campus.

New Admissions and Financial Aid building

Evans Hall Events Center

Washington and Lee’s Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics stands out among the top 20 liberal arts institutions as the only internationally accredited undergraduate business program. That distinction and the success of its graduates creates a strong demand. Over the past 20 years, the number of students majoring in accounting, business administration, economics, and politics has grown, as has the number of faculty who teach them. In 2020, nearly 50 percent of the graduating class majored in one of these disciplines.

To accommodate that growth and to provide a modern learning complex that supports this robust program, the W&L Board of Trustees approved a plan to renovate Huntley Hall and build a new Williams School structure on Washington Street. These improvements will facilitate hands-on learning, accommodate the university’s hallmark small class size, and enhance networking and professional development opportunities for students. Classrooms and flexible meeting spaces will be outfitted with state-of the-art technology, and dedicated community spaces will facilitate faculty-student collaboration and conversation.

Williams School Majors

Accounting Business Administration Economics Politics

Increase 2000 2010 2020 from 2000 80 83 107 +34% 118 113 231 +96% 117 104 138 +18% 77 97 115 +49%

New Williams School building

New Hall for the Williams School Located on Washington Street between Evans Hall and the Richard L. Duchossois Athletic and Recreation Center, a new Williams School building will feature a central, three-story hub; ample classroom and office space; and two innovation labs — dynamic spaces for group work and faculty-student collaboration. The building’s proximity to catering and dining facilities at Evans Hall will more effectively support networking and academic events such as the AdLib Conference, DataCon, the Real Estate Forum and the Entrepreneurship and Social Impact summits, which have become key to the Williams School experience.

The new building and the renovation of Huntley Hall will provide the Williams School with the space needed to effectively and efficiently fulfill its mission, and they will maintain a connection to the Colonnade while expanding to the Washington Street corridor.

“Working closely with peers and faculty was at the heart of my Williams School experience. Open, collaborative and natural light-filled spaces that provide the integrated technology necessary for research, study and group work will be very beneficial to current and future students.”

— Julia Carullo, Class of 2020 Assurance Associate with PwC

Key Features of the Williams School Projects Central activity hubs. Both Huntley Hall and the new building will feature dynamic, three-story spaces that tie each level together and provide flexibility for gathering, collaborating and learning. One of the classrooms on the lower level of the Huntley hub will feature a wall that opens up to the hub to create a larger venue for speakers and other programming, and the natural lighting in both of these central spaces in Huntley and the new building will create an inviting setting for learning and connectivity.

Spaces geared for today’s work environment. Different tasks and responsibilities require different workspaces in professional settings, and the same is true at Washington and Lee. The new Williams School facilities will include “touchdown spaces,” which are laptop-centric, open, informal areas where students and faculty can land to work together on a task, have a conversation or quickly respond to an email, call or text. “Team rooms” in the innovation labs

Huntley hub

will be equipped with the tools students need to meet in small-group settings, and can be reserved for the time it takes to collaborate on projects and presentations.

These spaces will foster dynamic interactions and give students and faculty the freedom to work and connect easily and efficiently.

Innovation labs. Together, these two spaces in the new building will offer a Mac computer lab, four “team rooms” with floor-to-ceiling white boards, and two larger rooms with flexible and varied seating. These areas will offer many opportunities for faculty and students to collaborate and create in ways that replicate the professional settings students will experience as interns and in their careers. They also will support the work and meetings of co-curricular groups such as Washington and Lee Student Consulting and curricular offerings such as Ad Class.

Modern classrooms. A wide variety of seminar rooms and classrooms will offer great flexibility in scheduling Williams School classes and co-curricular student groups. Most classrooms will be scaled to support the traditional small class sizes common within the Williams School, while a few larger classrooms will better support student organizations like the Real Estate Society and Williams Investment Society. Many will be tiered and feature flexible furniture to provide opportunities for rearranging seating for break-out sessions, team-based learning and small-group discussions. Technology

in these classrooms will include sliding boards, projection screens and multiple monitors.

“This project is as much about the encounters between students and faculty outside the classroom as within.

In addition to meeting our great need for more classrooms and offices, the collaboration and community spaces will support faculty/student research, experiential and community-based collaborations, and interactions with business and government leaders — learning opportunities that have become defining elements of the 21st century student experience in the Williams School.”

— Rob Straughan Crawford Family Dean of the Williams School of Commerce

to Graham-Lees

CROSS-SECTION OF CURRENT HUNTLEY HALL

Huntley Hall Renovation Huntley Hall requires upgrades to align with the ways in which faculty teach and interact with students. The renovation will open up the center of the building to create a three-story, multi-use hub for formal and informal gatherings, special events and community-building.

The classrooms, offices and the Larry and Fran Peppers Room on the periphery of the hub will be enhanced by new technology and natural light, providing a more appealing setting for teaching and learning.

Williams School Space Comparisons Existing Proposed Increase Administrative, Faculty Offices

58

74

+28%

Classrooms

12

16

+33%

1

3

+200%

1,790 sq. ft.

7,185 sq. ft.

+301%

Computer Labs Student Spaces*

*from the Peppers Room and the lower level of Holekamp to the proposed addition of three innovation labs, a Mac computer lab, and a large number of breakout rooms and touchdown spaces

to Reid Hall

CORRIDOR

CORRIDOR

CORRIDOR

VESTIBULE

CORRIDOR

CROSS-SECTION OF PROPOSED RENOVATION

The entrance on the southwest side of Huntley will be modified for entry on the ground level, and the outdoor space that connects Huntley and Holekamp halls will provide a greater connection between the two Williams School facilities.

Shown in blue, Huntley, Holekamp and the new building will offer an impressive footprint for the Williams School.

Next Steps for This Important Project The goal for the entire project, including the new Williams School hall and transformation of Huntley Hall, is $40.5 million. In accordance with the Board of Trustees policy, construction cannot begin until the needed funds are committed; therefore, the university intends to begin construction of the new building at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 academic year. Work on Huntley will begin two years later.

This much-needed new space and renovation of Huntley Hall will bridge the Williams School’s impressive past to its cutting-edge future. It is a top priority of the university and will only be possible through the collective action of the W&L community and the generosity of our donors whose support of the Williams School has been critical to its success. Join the many W&L alumni, parents and friends who will make a gift commitment by June 30, 2022, to help W&L break ground on this exciting new facility.

A list of naming and recognition opportunities is available.

Office of University Development