Thank you Provost Feiss

After a long day at the College of William and Mary full of classes and club meetings, I was greatly looking forward to the tour guide meeting that our advisor Wendy Livingston had coordinated. This past Wednesday the Tour Guides of the College were privileged enough to meet Provost Feiss. Even as a sophomore here at the College, I have to be quite honest when I say that I really did not know what a Provost actually does here at the College. After meeting the Provost, his first point was to explain to us tour guides what a Provost actually does. I now understand that the Provost is not only the head of our academic advising but also helps plan and regulate our finances here at the College as well. Several years ago, when the President’s job did not involve so much politics and the constant trip back and forth to Richmond, some of these duties would actually be designated to the President. However, in these times of financial change and constant communication with the government of Virginia, our Provost has done an amazing job fulfilling all of his duties and more!

As the floor opened up for questions it was great to see how willing and interested the Provost was to answer some of our questions about the College. One of the first questions a tour guide asked was how the College of William and Mary was truly different from other universities across the nation. As a tour guide, we are asked this question by prospective students and parents alike, and we really strive to give an honest, entertaining, and thoughtful answer. The Provost really focused on our professors and size of the College when answering this question. He stressed the fact that our college is ideally “not too big, and not too small, but just right!” As a student, hearing the encouraging things that the Provost had to say about our professors behind the scenes, and how they really strive to fulfill what is best for the students here, really assured me of all the decisions that our professors have to make on a daily basis.

After discussing academics here at the College, we made the shift to change and progress that the College has already successfully started, and hopes to continue. Everything from architectural change, which included the transition of the Business School, to the possible addition of another dormitory, and what was in the future for the Dillard Complex was all discussed. Over the next ten years the College is going to try its best to uphold a sense of  community, reach out to alumni, promote diversity, and continue its quest to be a liberal arts college with a strong emphasis on student research.

Taking the time to understand how the College of William and Mary actually runs is of utmost importance. When I give my tours and point out the President’s house and the President’s “long commute” to the Brafferton, I will actually be able to tell the prospective students and their parents what our Provost does at the College. As tour guides we always stress our sense of community here at the College. Not only with our peers, residential assistants, and professors but I now understand that our staff that makes the fundamental decisions of the College really takes what is in our best interest to heart! Thank you Provost Feiss for enlightening the tour guides on your fantastic job, and best of luck, we will all miss you!

Noelle DuVall

Class of 2011