W&L’s current President, William Dudley, is set to leave W&L following the 2025-2026 Academic Year. After this year, he’ll have served as the president for 10 years, overseeing multiple projects, including W&L’s pivot to becoming need-blind for admissions with a massive capital campaign.
Dudley will become the 6th president of Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. In his statement to faculty & the student body he stated:
There is never a perfect time to leave and, of course, there is always more to do. One of the things I love best about our community is that we are justifiably proud but never complacent. Washington and Lee is already excellent but resolutely aspirational. Having led the university through some challenging, even soul-searching times, I am deeply appreciative of your collective resilience and unwavering commitment to our noble mission. This is an extraordinary university, with tremendous momentum, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to grow into its very bright future.
I’m going to miss President Dudley. I feel like he was a great figure to lead the University. While his policies were controversial with some, I felt like what he did made W&L better than it ever was before. Even though I’ve had him for only two years as my President I’m happy to have had him for that time.
W&L’s Board of Trustees will now begin the process of finding a new President. No updates have been provided about an interim president following the 2025-2026 year.