Dudley, Student Body President Address W&L Graduates
Washington and Lee University celebrated 463 graduating seniors at its 238th commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 29.
A custom since the 1930s, university President William C. Dudley gave the commencement address, along with Harris Stripling ’25, president of the Executive Committee of the Student Body.
Dudley teaches a philosophy course on Virtue Ethics and Liberal Arts Education, in which his students first read Aristotle on virtue and then examine the W&L mission statement. Both he and Stripling, who was a student in his class this year, reflected on the value of higher education and the impact of Washington and Lee on the graduates’ futures.
“Higher education really matters, and I hope that you all feel that deeply because you have benefited from it,” Dudley told the graduates. “As George Washington knew, it is essential to a healthy democracy. It prepares citizens to think critically about complex issues, and to work constructively with those who see things differently. Our world needs people with these abilities – people like you – more than ever.”
He went on to charge the graduates to make a difference in their communities beyond Lexington, Virginia.
“Washington and Lee has prepared you for leadership and service and citizenship,” he said. “You are ready to make significant contributions wherever you go, for the benefit of yourselves and your families, but also for the benefit of the less fortunate and the communities in which you live. By investing in you, W&L has made a long-term investment in the public good.”
Stripling, a double major in business administration and politics, with a minor in philosophy from Charleston, S.C., was elected as EC president in the spring of 2024. He was inducted into Phi Sigma Tau, the international honor society in philosophy, and received the 1749 Senior Medallion Award, which recognizes graduates who demonstrate outstanding leadership and service throughout their time at the university. After commencement, he heads to New York City where he will work as an investment banking analyst at Lincoln International.
In his address, Stripling pondered the existential question of how to live a worthwhile life. He recalled the late W&L President John W. Elrod’s quote above the fireplace in Elrod Commons that says, “It seems to me that nothing can be more satisfying than a life well lived. It is surely in living a life of intellectual integrity and moral virtue that we should ultimately judge the quality of our own lives.”
Stripling remarked that Washington and Lee’s greatest gift is providing its individuals with the tools and values to discover the answers to that question, pointing to the university’s mission statement, its honor system and its community. He said that President Dudley’s class allowed him to fully appreciate the university and its ability to execute its values.
“Let us remember President Elrod’s wise words on what it takes to live a rewarding life,” he said. “This entails leading our own lives with the values of Washington and Lee, specifically the values found in the mission statement, honor system and the notion of community. I am confident that if we, as soon-to-be W&L alumni, carry out our obligation in encompassing these values we’ve learned here, our lives will certainly be well-lived.”
During Thursday’s ceremony, W&L conferred degrees upon 463 students. The class of 2025 set a new record for the number of bachelor of science degrees at 272, with 191 receiving bachelor of arts degrees. Altogether, graduates completed 53 distinct majors, with 35.2% of the class completing more than one major. Fifty-four percent of the class completed at least one minor.
Ten students were named valedictorians for the Class of 2025: Caroline Evans, Olivia Langhorne, Sarah Lathrop, Caroline Linen, Austin Molitor, Virginia Sparks, Katherine Wagner, Michael Wang, Creighton Wright III and Lydia Yang.
Also during the commencement ceremony, W&L honored 27 retiring members of the faculty and staff, who contributed collectively to 546 years of service to the university.
A recording of the 2025 undergraduate commencement ceremony can be found at https://go.wlu.edu/livestream.
AT LEFT, Executive Committee President Harris Stripling addresses his fellow classmates. ABOVE, President William C. Dudley charges the class with making a difference in their communities. (photos courtesy of Washington and Lee University)
