Where's William & Mary's Charter Day Speaker?
Who's to help the university celebrate 'Year of the Environment?'
It’s January 23, and, yet, there has been no official announcement from William & Mary on who will be the featured Charter Day speaker.
Last year, the university announced Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch III L.H.P. ’24 as the speaker on Friday, Jan. 12, before the start of the Spring 2024 semester.
Typically, the speaker receives an honorary doctorate, a move voted on by the Board of Visitors during its Charter Day week meeting prior to the ceremony. Last year, Bunch received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from University Rector Charles E. Poston J.D. ’74, P ’02, ’06. On the other hand, former Rector Jeff Trammell ’73 D.P.S. ’24 received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.
At last November’s BOV meeting, University President Katherine Rowe announced that 2025 would be the university’s “Year of the Environment.” The move follows a similar declaration from her a year prior with the “Year of the Arts” campaign.
It’s unclear as to why the university has not announced a speaker for this year’s ceremony.
Apart from the establishment of Virginia’s first Marine Science undergraduate program, as well as “Water” being one of the pillars of Rowe’s Vision 2026 strategic plan, the “Year of the Environment” designation is only one of the many ways the university is emphasizing its commitment to sustainability and coastal and marine preservation.
Last July, the university announced that philanthropist Jane Batten HON ’17, L.H.D. ’19 donated $100 million to establish the Jane Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences, representing the largest amount in the university’s history. It would be unsurprising if the university were to select a speaker in keeping with the environmental theme.