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News and events from January and February 2026.

News and events from Fall 2025.

�鶹�ƽ�� is partnering with European Humanities University in Vilnius, Lithuania, and National Central University in Taoyuan, Taiwan, for an eight-week summer study abroad program starting in 2022.

The clinic has achieved great success in its two-fold mission: to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to be effective attorneys, and to help veterans affected by service-related disabilities receive the benefits they deserve.

Christina Tonnochy ’23 served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years. We asked her to speak with us about her experiences transitioning from the military into the classroom and what she plans to do with her degree.

A $40,000 grant from the Virginia Law Foundation to the Parents Engaged in Learning Equality (PELE) Special Education Clinic at �鶹�ƽ�� Law School will support the launch of a virtual clinic project targeting military families across Virginia facing special education issues in their local school districts.

As part of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, W&M President Katherine A. Rowe hosted W&M Chancellor and former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98 and former Navy SEAL Team 2 Commander Mike Hayes for a special conversation.

Julie Bologna, a master’s student in the military and veteran’s counseling program at �鶹�ƽ��, has been selected by the Tillman Foundation as a 2021 Tillman Scholar.

It’s OK to find your way as you go, and most importantly to decide what’s right for you in your own time, according to Evan Kikla ’21.

When the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for the first coronavirus vaccine, Operation Warp Speed’s distribution plans sprang into action — and so did two �鶹�ƽ�� alumni.

On Nov. 11 — Veterans Day, appropriately enough — Merkl took on his latest challenge. He is now special assistant for military & veterans affairs with �鶹�ƽ��’s Veteran-to-Executive Transition program.

The human brain is hardwired for resilience, to adapt and make sense of the incomprehensible. For members of the military who have served in combat zones, that cognitive plasticity is tested to the limit – and sometimes beyond.

Thanks to a $10 million gift from an anonymous alumna who serves as a trustee of the �鶹�ƽ�� Foundation, the university is developing a cutting-edge Veteran-to-Executive Transition program that will prepare veterans to excel in civilian leadership roles.

�鶹�ƽ�� Associate Professor of Sociology Deenesh Sohoni and Yosselin Turcios ’20 researched the deportation of U.S. military veterans who are non-citizens throughout Turcios’ four years at �鶹�ƽ�� and have had their paper accepted for publication.

Jonna Reinhardt ’07, M.B.A. ’20 served 10 years as an Army Ranger before returning to W&M. He was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant.

Competing independently for only the second year, �鶹�ƽ�� finishes second at the All-American Brigade Ranger Challenge to qualify for the exclusive Sandhurst Military Skills Competition

After a medical retirement from injuries sustained during his service, Charles “Chuck” Williamson ’21 found himself at a crossroads.

The Association of 1775 (Ao75), �鶹�ƽ��’s military, veterans and government alumni group, is now back in action and moving forward.

Four �鶹�ƽ�� ROTC cadets will be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army during a ceremony May 10 at 12:30 p.m. in the Commonwealth Auditorium.

�鶹�ƽ��’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business announced a $1 million commitment from Dan Akerson and his late wife, Karin Akerson, to create a scholarship for students who are active duty or veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces enrolled in the business school.

Seven �鶹�ƽ�� ROTC cadets will be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army during a May 11 ceremony on campus.

The inaugural �鶹�ƽ�� Whole of Government Center of Excellence National Security Conference focused on ways that diverse agencies can work together to address important national security challenges.

Isaura Ramirez, a retired Army captain, is working in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion as a Mission Continues Fellow.

At the new Troops to Teachers Virginia Center at the �鶹�ƽ�� School of Education, Charlie Foster M.Ed. '17 is using his experience in the U.S. Marine Corps and his master's degree in higher education to help military veterans become teachers.

Marna Ashburn '85 has written her latest book detailing the difficulties of a military marriage. It is a powerful memoir.

Wilford Kale ’66 recently published his fifth book on the university, “From Student to Warrior: A Military History of the College of William and Mary.”

�鶹�ƽ�� Law School’s fifth annual Virginia Coastal Policy Center Conference, “Defending Our Coasts: Ensuring Military Readiness and Economic Viability as Waters Rise,” took place Oct. 27.

Some of the top business and government officials from the United States and Spain — including the defense leaders of both countries — gathered at �鶹�ƽ�� on Saturday as part of the 2017 U.S.-Spain Council Forum.

The $400,000 grant, awarded through a program within the U.S. Department of Defense, is designed to help veterans and soon-to-be veterans become K-12 educators.

Eight �鶹�ƽ�� ROTC cadets will be commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army during a May 12 ceremony on campus.

The personal papers of �鶹�ƽ�� Chancellor and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98 are now open to researchers and the public.

Military, government and academic experts regarding the United States’ Armed Forces spoke to a crowd of about 100 at the second annual All-Volunteer Force Symposium April 27 at �鶹�ƽ��’s Sadler Center.

The �鶹�ƽ�� Program in Public Policy will host a daylong symposium April 27 focused on examining the all-volunteer structure of America’s military.

Sam Pressler ’15, the founder of Armed Services Arts Partnership, was named among the top 30 social entrepreneurs under the age of 30 by Forbes.