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A panel appointed by Washington and Lee University to study its history and that history's impact on the institution has recommended that the name of the university remain as it is. The Lee portion of the name honors Robert E. Lee, at one-time the president of the institution, whose life story has been revered there, with many symbols of his life and the Confederacy on campus in portraits, traditions and more.
The commission recommended numerous changes for the university's leaders to consider. It suggests that the Lee Chapel be converted to a museum and not be used, as it is now, for key university events. Another recommendation was that the university only display portraits of Lee in civilian attire, and not in his Confederate uniform. And the commission recommended renaming Robinson Hall, which is named for a donor whose bequest to the university included slaves.
As to the university name, the commission said: "The recommendation to retain the name is not passive. Rather, the commission thought that, at this point, efforts are better spent on concrete recommendations about how best to teach and present the university's history. At this time, the commission believes that W&L can maintain its namesakes while being a relevant, ethical and vibrant 21st-century institution."
The university is now starting a process to review the recommendations.
