Giving
A W&L education is for life, and we have our loyal supporters to thank for ensuring our success today and for future generations.
W&L delivers excellence year after year, fostering dynamic, innovative and honorable leaders who make their mark on the global community.
More than 9,000 alumni, parents and friends supported the university in 2022-23, bringing their energy, passion and tenacity to help accomplish W&L’s mission. Generosity is powerful, and all you have to do is step on campus to witness its impact. Success is all around, inside and outside, and the far-reaching influence goes beyond bricks and mortar to change lives through a world-class education and opportunities that add up to the W&L experience.
The nature of philanthropy is personal, as are its rewards. The Annual Fund introduced directed giving last year to help more donors reach their philanthropic goals. Gifts directed to financial aid, academics, the arts, athletics, diversity and inclusion, student opportunities and those left unrestricted to support areas of greatest need allow us to provide unparalleled education and experiences, year after year.
Make Your Annual Gift Today
Giving
Funding Priorities
Your gift helps keep W&L at the forefront of liberal arts in our nation. Learn more about W&L's top fundraising priorities.
Student Scholarships
Washington and Lee enrolls students with exceptional academic ability who demonstrate outstanding leadership and character. Thanks to programs such as the Johnson Scholarship Program and the W&L Promise, the university meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students. W&L seeks to grow endowments for scholarships in order to admit the strongest students every time, regardless of their family financial circumstances.
Annual Fund
The Annual Fund brings the W&L community together in its common pursuit of excellence, harnessing the energy fueled by generous alumni, parents and friends to support an outstanding academic experience for every student. Providing funding for the areas of greatest need to giving to any of the six designated areas within W&L, contributing to the Annual Fund means empowering students to achieve their full potential. Annual giving impacts every sector of the university and provides significant support for the operating budget each year. Each gift advances W&L’s core mission, and the result is class after class of phenomenal leaders who go out into the world to make a positive difference.
Huntley Hall Renovation and Williams School Expansion
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. The number of students majoring in accounting, business administration, economics, and politics at W&L has grown significantly over the last 20 years, with nearly 50 percent of each graduating class earning degrees in one of these disciplines. To accommodate that growth and to provide a modern learning complex that supports this robust program, W&L plans 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.
The Lindley Center for Student Wellness
In the last five years, both the Student Health Center and the Counseling Center have experienced a significant increase in visits. The critical services these facilities provide ensure the health and wellness of W&L students so that they can take full advantage of the learning experiences available to them. Washington and Lee seeks to expand the Student Health and Counseling Center, consolidating medical practice, counseling and psychiatry services in one location, to support a team approach to caring for students in a setting that is easily accessible.
Find Your Gift Officer
Our leadership giving team is happy to work with you to ensure your gift makes a big impact.
Susan Wood
Executive Director of University Development
- P: 540-458-8489
- E: swood@wlu.edu
Susan leads the university’s Development Office and is a key partner in fundraising for W&L. She works with donors from Georgia and Tennessee.
Jocelyn Lewis
Director of Leadership Giving
- P: 540-458-8165
- E: jlewis@wlu.edu
Lewis manages the leadership gifts team responsible for securing private support from alumni, parents and friends of W&L. Her areas include women in philanthropy and she works with donors in Georgia, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Illinois.
Steve Wasser
Director of Regional Leadership Giving
- P: 540-458-8487
- E: swasser@wlu.edu
Steve is responsible for managing a team of regional gift officers. He works with donors from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Amy Bersett
Senior Director of Development
- P: 540-458-8410
- E: abersett@wlu.edu
Amy is part of the leadership gifts team responsible for securing private support from alumni, parents and friends of the University. She works with donors from San Francisco, Washington, DC, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pittsburgh.
Mike Fisher
Regional Director of Development
- P: 540-458-8423
- E: mfisher@wlu.edu
Mike Fisher is part of the leadership gifts team responsible for securing support for W&L from alumni, parents and friends. He works with donors from North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Arizona and New Mexico.
Megan McAllister
Regional Director of Development
Megan McAllister is part of the leadership gifts team responsible for securing support for W&L from alumni, parents, and friends. She works with donors from Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, northern Florida, and the Shenandoah Valley.
Karine Pastorius
Regional Director of Development
Karine Pastorius is part of the leadership gifts team responsible for securing private support from alumni, parents and friends of the university. She works with donors from Washington State, Los Angeles, San Diego, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Oregon, Delaware and Ohio.
Danica Rose
Regional Director of Development
- P: 540-458-4381
- E: drose@wlu.edu
Danica Rose is part of the leadership gifts team responsible for securing support for W&L from alumni, parents, and friends. She works with donors from Dallas, Texas, central and southern Florida, West Virginia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.
Nancy McIntyre
Director of Undergraduate Academic Development
Nancy secures private support for the university and serves as the university academic development staff liaison. In this role, Nancy will explore new opportunities for university faculty to connect with W&L alumni, parents and friends to enhance philanthropy and the student experience. She works with donors in New York City, South Carolina and Virginia.
Kenny Melvin
Senior Director of Development
- P: 540-458-8410
- E: kjmelvin@wlu.edu
Kenny Melvin handles giving in support of the university and serves as the staff liaison to the Williams School. He works with donors in New York City, New York State, Northern New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The Case for Giving
The following alumni and friends have honored Washington and Lee with a gift, and we honor them in return.
Your Support Matters
Thank You
The impact of your gifts is not simply the tangible resources you provide to help carry out W&L's mission. Your support offers inspiration to the campus community in many ways.
W&L Students Learn the Importance of Paying it Forward
The second annual Philanthropy Education Week highlighted the impact donations have on the undergraduate experience.
Dyson Foundation endows director position at the DeLaney Center.
Giving All Students a Leading Edge
W&L’s Class of 2027 takes part in orientation experiences at no additional cost.
2023 Annual Fund Tops $10 Million
Total giving to all areas reached an impressive $73.9 million, the second highest total in W&L history.
A New Generation of W&L Friendship
What started as a “Tale of Two Evans” 33 years ago has sparked a new friendship for first years Max Patterson and Spratt Allison.
Meet a W&L Scholar: Blake Sanchez ’23
Sanchez plans to pursue graduate study in public policy after graduation.
Meet a W&L Scholar: Ryan Schwartz ’25
Schwartz hopes to enter the medical field to continue helping people.
Rain or Shine, W&L’s Community Comes Together for Parents and Family Weekend
The annual event brought 1,800 people to campus.
A Conversation with the Parents Leadership Council Chairs
Wimberly and Richard McPhail P’24 share their thoughts on the W&L Experience, community and the Parents Leadership Council
W&L Library and Institutional History staff joined Mellon-funded initiative On These Grounds with several partner universities to catalog events in enslaved people’s lives.