Following President Will Dudley’s announcement that he will leave the university, members of Washington and Lee’s community said they hope his successor will balance tradition with an eye toward the future.

Dudley will depart the university after the end of the 2025-26 academic year to serve as the president of Claremont McKenna College. He announced his plans to step down in December 2025, according to previous reporting by the Phi.

Dudley took over as president in January 2017. He will have served as president for nine and a half years this spring.

The search for the next president is being conducted by the Presidential Search Committee, led by John Robinson, ’94, and the search firm Isaacson, Miller, according to previous reporting by the Phi. Through open listening sessions and questionnaires, students, faculty, parents  and alumni are being invited to share what qualities they want to see in the university’s next leader.

 While the final decision ultimately rests with the trustees, the search process offers campus community members the opportunity to influence the direction of the university.

 Executive Committee President Meaghan Endres, ’26, said the listening sessions reflect the university’s emphasis on student involvement.

“I think that it’s an incredible opportunity for students on campus to be able to voice their opinions,” Endres said. “That is somewhat unique to Washington and Lee, that we place so much emphasis on our students and student leadership.”

Endres said she believes student voices will have a meaningful impact on the process.

“The student body is the lifeblood of the Washington and Lee community,” she said, “I think that our perspective is one of, if not the most important.”

Professor Alecia Swasy has taught in the university’s journalism department since 2016 and has witnessed Dudley’s full presidency. Swasy said she believes the open listening sessions are a meaningful way to gather input. 

“Students will speak up,” Swasy said. “Especially under current leadership, they don’t shy away from questioning authority and holding power to account. And that’s really important too. So I think it’s a good process.”

 Brooke Peccie, ’17, associate director of career and professional development, said the defining quality of the next president should be active involvement with student life. 

“Someone who is going to be present on campus and actually curious about student life on campus,” she said.

Peccie said she still remembers Dudley’s early efforts to connect with the student body when she was an undergrad, through campus events and informal interactions.

“Right off the bat, what stood out and what I always remember is he did so many activities to actually get to know the students,” she said.

Alumna Armistead Lemon, ’99, said some of the most effective past presidents embodied both accessibility and vision. 

“I like the ability to be with the people and then also above, you know, and doing all of that really important leadership work. That’s very special,” Lemon said. 

Lemon recalled a memory from when she was a prospective student and unknowingly encountered the president at the time, John Wilson, in the outdoor stairwell of the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

“He was just staring at the Latin inscription in that stairwell,” Lemon said. “And I remember he was just curious about it. He made some comments about it. And then we went on in. And then 10 minutes later, he was on stage, and he was welcoming us.

Lemon also expressed a desire for a president who deeply understands the campus culture. She said it would be great to have a leader with prior ties to the university.

“There’s something really special about Washington and Lee, and if you are the product of it, you just get it,” she said.

Trabue Bland, ’94, agreed.

“You generally know that a Washington and Lee student,” Bland said, “is going to be socially adept.”

Swasy said the next president must be both independent and willing to advocate for the university in a shifting national landscape.

 “We need an independent leader who understands concerns of faculty and students and staff,” Swasy said. “One that’s confident enough to speak up.”

On a campus where traditions like the speaking tradition, student governance and close student-faculty relationships define the experience, Swasy said change must be approached carefully.

“We are a school of tradition, very much so of tradition,” Swasy said. “But you have to also keep up with the times.”

You want to be very respectful of Washington and Lee and not make too many changes,” Bland said. 

Lemon said that she isn’t concerned about the future. 

“I have only hopes. I don’t have worries, because I think Washington and Lee is a place that does community really well,” she said.