PrezPride. Founded Here

W&J senior Grace Gegick smiles.

Celebrating Seniors

Grace Gegick '22

What spot on campus will you return to when you come to visit in the future?
The Greenhouse in Dieter-Porter.
What was the best meal you had at The Commons?
The best meal at The Commons was Commonsgiving!
What was your favorite on-campus event? Why?
Arrowbands! I love the dances and that all of the money from it goes to helping others.
What advice would you give to incoming or prospective students?
Whatever you put into your time in college, is what you will get out.
W&J Senior Robert Fleischauer smiles in a black shirt and red tie.

Celebrating Seniors

Robert Fleischauer '22

What or whom was your favorite class or professor? Why?
My favorite professor at W&J was Dr. Miller, who was my advisor through my sociology major. He not only pushed me to be the best student I could be, but to also to be a better person in and outside the classroom. I owe my future success to Dr. Miller due to his guidance, encouragement, and passion for being an educator.
What inspired you to stay at W&J when things got tough?
The people I was able to meet and develop close relationships with during my time at W&J kept me here when times got tough. Also, the never-ending support of my professors and fellow classmates.
What are you most proud of doing while at W&J?
I'm most proud of myself for becoming the first male in my family to go to college. W&J gave me the opportunity to pursue that dream, and, now I'm weeks away from fulfilling it.
What are you going to miss the most about W&J?
My friends, professors, and coaches. I've met people here who will be with me for the rest of my life. I will cherish the lessons, knowledge, and relationships I accumulated at W&J for the rest of my life.
W&J senior Anja Popey poses next to a poster displaying her research.

Leading the Way

Anja Popey '22

“This experience taught me that I have so much more to learn,” Popey said, “but that I am capable of handling anything.”

W&J junior Lekhya Kollu poses along a banister and smiles.

Leading the Way

Lekhya Kollu '23

“I had to deal with a lot of failure last summer—a lot of the experiments I did just didn’t go how I wanted or expected them to—but it made me really good at looking at things critically,” she said. “Dr. Shanmuganathan and Dr. DeBerry really encouraged me…and I’m going back to the same lab for the summer of 2022.”

W&J senior English major Hannah Lindsay smiles in front of a brick wall.

Leading the Way

Hannah Lindsay '22

“I was excited to get to know a larger community of people who see the importance of studying literature and continuing to analyze how it affects our understanding of people and the world,” Linsday said of the conference. “My favorite part of the panel was hearing how my fellow panelists’ essays worked in conversation with my own, despite covering significantly different works of literature and concepts.”

Prez Positivity

W&J History

Addition of Centers for Ethical Leadership and Professional Pathways

The Center for Ethical Leadership and the Center for Professional Pathways launched during the fall semester.

Renovations to Clark Family Library

A complete interior renovation and exterior upgrades to the Clark Family Library, formerly U. Grant Miller Library, were completed in May. The project was funded by a leading gift from Richard (Class of ’68) and Angela Clark, with contributions from other generous donors to the College.

James David Ross Family Recreation Center

The James David Ross Family Recreation Center opened in April. The 30,000-square foot facility features a walking/running track, multi-sport athletic courts, a new wrestling room, and a general exercise room, plus new offices and recruiting spaces for the athletics department. It is named for the family of lead donor David A. Ross ’78.

Dr. John C. Knapp Joins W&J

Dr. John C. Knapp became the 13th president of Washington & Jefferson College. Dr. Knapp is an internationally known author and speaker with leadership experience spanning the education, non-profit, and business sectors.

Dr. Tori Haring-Smith Retires

Dr. Tori Haring-Smith retired as president.

Janet Swanson Tennis Center

The Janet Swanson Tennis Center opened in September and serves as the home site for the W&J men’s and women’s tennis teams.

John A. Swanson Science Center

John A. Swanson Science Center was opened and dedicated to the physical sciences, including Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics.

Uncommon Achievements

Tori Haring-Smith became the first woman to serve as president of Washington & Jefferson College. Under Haring-Smith’s leadership, the College initiated the award-winning Magellan Project, built the state-of-the-art Janet Swanson Tennis Center, surpassed the $100M goal laid out by its Uncommon Bond capital campaign, established the English Language Institute…

The Burnett Center

The Burnett Center houses the Departments of Economics and Business, Modern Languages, and Education. It was named after Howard J. Burnett.

Increased Enrollment

Student enrollment grew from 830 in 1970 to 1,100 in 1998.

Growth and Community Engagement

Under Brian C. Mitchell, who served as president from 1998 to 2004, the college experienced a growth in construction and an effort to improve relations with the neighboring communities.

Retirement of President Howard Burnett

Howard Burnett retired as president.

Program Expansion

Howard J. Burnett took office as president and hired the college’s first female faculty members and the first female dean. The college also adopted a new academic calendar to include intersession and expanded its academic programs to include the Entrepreneurial Studies Program, the Freshman Forum, and several cooperative international education programs.

Women Admitted

The Trustees authorized the admission of women as undergraduate students.

Curriculum Revisions and Construction

Boyd Crumrine Patterson assumed the presidency and oversaw curriculum revisions and the construction of a number of buildings, including the Henry Memorial Center, ten Greek housing units in the center of campus, the U. Grant Miller Library, the Student Center, The Commons, and two new dormitories. His fundraising abilities grew the college’s endowment from…

New Dorms Constructed

James Herbert Case, Jr., who was president from 1946 to 1950, constructed several new dormitories to handle the influx of veterans under the G.I. Bill.

Renovations to McMillan Hall

James D. Moffat personally paid for the renovations of McMillan Hall.

W&J Grows

James D. Moffat led a period of growth when the college constructed The Old Gym, Hays Hall, Thompson Memorial Library, and Thistle Physics Building. Also purchased was the land known as the “old fairground.”

Consolidation Upheld

The United States Supreme Court upheld the consolidation, allowing the newly configured college to proceed.

Effort to Overturn Consolidation

Before the merger could be completed, Canonsburg residents and Jefferson College partisans filed a lawsuit known as the Pennsylvania College Cases, which sought to overturn the consolidation plan.

Jonathan Edwards

On April 4th, Jonathan Edwards, a pastor from Baltimore who had been president of Hanover College, was elected the first president of the unified Washington & Jefferson College.

Washington & Jefferson College

Following the Civil War, both colleges were short on students and on funds, causing them to join together as Washington & Jefferson College.

Washington College

Matthew Brown petitioned the Pennsylvania General Assembly to grant Washington Academy a charter, allowing it to be re-christened as Washington College.

Canonsburg Academy

Canonsburg Academy was reconstituted as Jefferson College, with John McMillan serving as the first President of the Board of Trustees.

Whiskey Rebellion

During the Whiskey Rebellion, portions of David Bradford’s militia camped on the hillside that would later become home to the unified Washington & Jefferson College.

Founding of College

The Beginning: Three Log Cabins

Washington & Jefferson College traces its origins to three log cabin colleges established by frontier clergymen John McMillian, Thaddeus Dod, and Joseph Smith.

Have PrezPride?

We'd love to hear your story!  Send it to us.

And tag your post with #prezpride on Instagram or Twitter to be featured in PrezPositivity feed.

Contact Student Life

KaishaContact Kaisha Jantsch at x1234 for contributions the The Weekly, Friday Followup, the PrezPride social media accounts, or for any communications through Student Life.