Dudley Gives Final Graduation Address At W&L
Washington and Lee University celebrated 454 graduating seniors at its 239th commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 28.
A custom since the 1930s, university President William C. Dudley gave the commencement address, along with Meaghan K. Endres ’26, president of the Executive Committee of the Student Body.
The ceremony marked Dudley’s 10th and final commencement address to the university community, as he will assume the presidency of Claremont McKenna College this summer.
Dudley, who served the university for close to decade, achieved several notable accomplishments during his tenure. In his inaugural Commencement address in 2017, he announced his aspiration to make W&L need-blind in undergraduate admissions, a goal that was realized with the $132 million gift from Bill Miller ’72 in 2024. Also during Dudley’s tenure, the university launched its largest-ever capital campaign, Leading Lives of Consequence, with a fundraising goal of $650 million.
In his address, Dudley encouraged the class of 2026 to embrace adventures and new opportunities with the understanding that their paths will likely be winding. He advised them to have the courage to take risks and believe in themselves and, most importantly, to enjoy the journey.
“Liberal arts education does not train you for any particular job,” he said. “That is a feature, not a bug. Liberal arts education prepares you for what you cannot anticipate. It gets you ready to make the most of the rest of your life.
“As free and critical thinkers, you are prepared to know yourselves, to determine what matters to you. As people of integrity, you are prepared to be true to yourselves, to pursue what matters in light of your core principles. And as responsible leaders, you are prepared to inspire others to join you in the endeavors that matter.”
Endres’ address to her classmates focused on gratitude: for the people (family, friends and professors) who helped them attain their goals and for every accomplishment realized, even in the face of setbacks.
“We must appreciate everything,” Endres said. “What we will always have to belong to, however, are the experiences we have here, the connections that bind us. … As you receive your diploma today, be grateful that no matter what you find around that great unknown bend, that at least you are not walking that road alone.”
During Thursday’s ceremony, W&L conferred degrees upon 454 students: 197 Bachelor of Arts degrees and 257 Bachelor of Science degrees. Altogether, graduates completed 50 distinct majors, with 34% of the class completing more than one major. Fifty-four percent of the class completed at least one minor.
Nine students were named valedictorians for the class of 2026: Ashley Ellis, Abigail Leo, Katherine Martin, Rihards Paradnieks, Nicholas Rizzo, Sarp Sahin, John Santowski, Patrick Solcher and William Suttle.
Special honors were given to baccalaureate student speaker Evan Clark (the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Medallion), Katalyn Denby (the Frank J. Gilliam Award), Ava Flory (the Edward Lee Pinney Prize), Gibson Ward (the G. Holbrook Barber Scholarship) and Mariyyah Daniel (the Decade Award).
In national recognition, this year’s graduating class included seven Fulbright Program grant recipients for postgraduate international work, three Boren Scholarship recipients for language study abroad, an FAO Schwarz Fellowship to support a two-year internship in the world of social impact, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to support graduate study in STEM or social sciences, two Teaching Assistant Program in France awards, two U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship awards and four U.S. Teaching Assistantship in Austria awards.
Also during the commencement ceremony, W&L recognized 23 retiring members of the faculty and staff, who represented a total of 582 years of service.
A full livestream of commencement is available at https://go.wlu.edu/ livestream.
