The College of William and Mary in Virginia is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States (after Harvard University).

The Reverend James Blair founded the College in 1693 by virtue of a Royal Charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II of England, Orange, Scotland and Ireland. ^[1] Named in their honor, William and Mary is a small public university located in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is considered a Public Ivy.

The Virginia State Council on Higher Education describes William & Mary as "one of the nation's premier public universities, combining the best features of an undergraduate college with those of a research university." [2] William & Mary enrolls 5,700 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students and is known for providing a small university environment with largely accessible professors. Notably, nearly all undergraduate classes are taught by professors rather than teaching assistants. In support of its committment to undergraduate teaching, it maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1. Graduates of its undergraduate program traditionally enjoy a high acceptance rate to medical, law and business schools.

In conjunction with its liberal arts undergraduate program, William and Mary (also referred to as W&M or simply The College by those close to it) has several professional schools (law, education and business) as well as numerous graduate programs in the arts and sciences. Although it would be called a university in standard American usage, the Royal Charter specified that it "always and forever" retain its formal name; the school therefore retains its "College" appellation.

The history of the College's founding predates the founding of the United States. It begins in the Virginia Colony, which was first established at Jamestown in 1607. A school of higher education had long been a goal of the original colonists and a notable effort was chartered in 1618 at Henricus (but the plan unfortunately disappeared, along with the entire Henricus community in the Indian Massacre of 1622).

The College was founded on February 8, 1693, under a Royal Charter secured by Blair. Named in honor of the reigning monarchs King William III and Queen Mary II, the College was one of the original Colonial colleges. Fittingly, the Royal Charter named Blair as the College's first president (a lifetime appointment which he held until his death in 1743).

The Royal Charter called for a center of higher education consisting of three schools: the Grammar School, the Philosophy School and the Divinity School. The Philosophy School instructed students in the advanced study of moral philosophy (logic, rhetoric, ethics) as well as natural philosophy (physics, metaphysics, and mathematics); upon completion of this coursework, the Divinity School prepared these young men for ordination into the Church of England. These early offerings in moral and natural philosophy were precursors to the College's present-day liberal arts program.

In 1693, the College was given a seat in the House of Burgesses and it was determined that the College would be supported by tobacco taxes and export duties on furs and animal skins. In 1694, Blair returned from England and William & Mary opened in the original "College Building." The College Building (the precursor to today's Wren Building) was completed in 1699 on a picturesque site comprised of 330 acres. The present-day College is still located upon those grounds.

George Wythe also attended the College as a young man, but dropped out unable to afford the fees. Wythe went on to become one of the more distinguished jurists of his time. Under Wythe's tutelage, Thomas Jefferson studied law (1762-1767); Jefferson, who later referred to Wythe as "my second father," was then admitted to the bar of Virginia. By 1779, Wythe held the nation's first Law Professorship at the College. Wythe is widely regarded as a pioneer in American legal education -- some of his other students included Henry Clay, James Monroe and John Marshall. [5]

Training America's early leaders

William & Mary is among the Presidential alma maters (only Harvard and Yale have educated more U.S. presidents). Three of the earlier U.S. Presidents -- Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe (pictured) and John Tyler -- were educated at William and Mary and a fourth, George Washington, received his surveyor's certificate from the College. George Washington was appointed one of the College's first Chancellors in 1788 and served continuously until his death in 1799.

The College also educated three U.S. Supreme Court Justices (John Marshall, Philip Pendleton Barbour and Bushrod Washington) as well as several important members of government including Peyton Randolph, Henry Clay and George Wythe (a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence). John Marshall went on to become the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and is famous for creating the doctrine of judicial review, considered particularly influential for shaping the early powers of the United States Supreme Court.

Founding of Phi Beta Kappa and other secret societies

The Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society was founded at the College of William and Mary by John Heath and William Short (Class of 1779) on December 5, 1776. It began as a secret literary and philosophical society at the College; additional chapters were soon established at Harvard, Yale and other schools. [6] Alums John Marshall and Bushrod Washington were two of the earliest members of Phi Beta Kappa, elected in 1778 and 1780, respectively. [7]

The Bishop James Madison Society, a secret society active today, was also founded there. A number of other secret societies exist at the school, including the Flat Hat Club (Thomas Jefferson was a member of FHC), the Alpha Club, the Seven Society and the 13 Club.