President Dudley Reflects on Uniqueness of W&L

President Dudley Reflects on Uniqueness of W&L

Dudley argues that institutions like the Honor System and Speaking Tradition continue to positively shape W&L’s culture. 

(Washington and Lee President Will Dudley. | SOURCE: Washington and Lee University)

“I feel like they're strong. Does that mean they're perfect? No,” President Dudley argued regarding the Honor System and Speaking Tradition. 

Prior to current student, faculty and alumni discussions of the Honor System, Washington and Lee President Will Dudley agreed to sit down for an interview with The Spectator. The interview, which will be released in several topic-specific sections, included a discussion about two of W&L’s defining, unique institutions.

When asked about what new students can learn from the legacies of W&L’s namesakes, George Washington and Robert E. Lee, Dudley said he had not “quite thought about it in those terms,” but focused instead on today’s institutions. Calling the Honor System and the Speaking Tradition “some of the most important traditions at this place,” he extolled the virtues of both aspects of campus life. 

Dudley argued that both the Honor System and Speaking Tradition are healthier today than when he assumed the presidency in January 2017. “One great tradition among W&L alumni is worrying about the health of those two traditions,” he said, noting that a century-old Ring-Tum Phi article included “alumni lamenting that the speaking tradition isn't what it used to be.” 

He said that such worrying “is consistent, which I think just means that it matters a lot to W&L people, and they want those things to continue.” Dudley elaborated: “There are modern challenges, right? It's why I talk about the speaking tradition is that the cell phone gets in the way,” he said.

Dudley added, “I’ve been here eight and a half years, I haven't noticed a change,” although he noted that “the Honor System is a lot older than that” and he could not comment on “how different [it] is from 20 or 40 or, … 60 years ago.”

He complimented the leadership of the Executive Committee of the Student Body (EC), saying that he has been “highly impressed” by the “quality of people” serving as president. 

“[T]he system is” is set up where “each generation of students, … is entrusted to determine for itself how it wants to interpret, … what ‘the community's trust’ requires, right, and what ‘honor’ means,” he noted, continuing that the student control “is regarded by W&L students, alumni as … a feature, not a bug.” 

“[Y]ou guys really own it,” he continued, saying, “it's up to the students to elect people that you think … are the right people to run that system, if you, you know, were to run for those positions, if you think … you or people you know could do it better than the people who have been doing it.” He said that it is a “really good thing” that “the administration doesn't run the honor system, it's the student system.”

While many worry about the Honor System, President Dudley maintains a positive view of W&L’s core institutions and the health of its community.