Not long after the announcement of President Gene R. Nichol's resignation (see story on pages 38-39), William and Mary Law School Dean W. Taylor Reveley III was tapped as the College's interim president by the Board of Visitors.
"We're fortunate that Taylor would take on the enormously challenging presidency of the College," said Rector Michael K. Powell '85, D.P.S. '02. "He brings to the job a deep love for the College and its values, coupled with a proven leadership record. We're confident he has what it takes to succeed."
He's certainly hit the ground running. And he's listening. Reveley's first few hours and days on the job have included meetings on virtually every corner of campus -- and listening to as many people as possible.
"An alumnus of the law school sent me an e-mail, saying he didn't know whether this was a promotion, a civic duty or a sentence," joked Reveley recently with the Flat Hat student newspaper. "I'm focusing on the civic duty dimension. I think I can help the university get through a difficult period and do some good."
Reveley, who has served as dean of the College's law school since 1998, sent a message to faculty, staff and students noting that it was a difficult time of transition for the campus and it was part of his job to bring the William and Mary family back together.
"Though not a mission I sought, I will serve this marvelous College as best I can," Reveley wrote. "Listening and learning will be crucial for me in the weeks to come. I have begun meeting with our extraordinary faculty and students, deeply committed staff, and stalwart alumni. I look forward to many more conversations in the days and weeks to come."
Reveley added that the College's priorities remain the same, starting with its role as a superb place for teaching, research and learning. He wants to build on the progress already made in areas such as diversity on campus, accessibility for students regardless of means, internationalism and the College's place as one of the country's leaders in civic engagement.
"These are College values of great importance," he said. "They are also my values."
Reveley successfully guided the nation's oldest law school for nearly a decade, after practicing law at Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Va., for 28 years. He served as managing partner of the nationally recognized firm for nine years.
In addition to his accomplishments in both the law school community and corporate world, Reveley is very connected to life at a liberal arts college. He grew up on college campuses -- first when his father served as a professor at what is now Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., and then later when his father served as president for 14 years of Hampden-Sydney College.
Reveley is a trustee emeritus of Princeton University (where he served on the board for 14 years) and is a current trustee of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, JSTOR, St. Christopher's School and the Virginia Historical Society. He is a former president of both the Richmond Symphony and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Reveley graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton and was a member of the Order of the Coif at the University of Virginia Law School. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. and was an international affairs fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He has written one of the leading books on the war powers of the U.S. president and Congress. He and his wife, Helen, have three sons and a daughter.
Since the news of Nichol's departure on Feb. 12, many students and faculty have participated in rallies and other activities to honor the former president. Describing Gene Nichol as a popular and charismatic figure on campus, Reveley acknowledged that members of the College community needed an opportunity to express themselves before looking ahead to the future.
"Part of my job is to reach out to as many people as possible. To listen to as many people as possible, and to begin the process of bringing this community back together," Reveley said. "William and Mary is one of the genuinely great, enduring institutions in American life. It's a national treasure. I want to help push it forward."
