Winter 2025-26

Together, we're creating a world informed & inspired by research

Director's Message

Liberal arts in action

The close of the semester brings thoughts of endings, but our students are already busy thinking about new opportunities to put their liberal arts education into action.

This month we received a record number of student applications for our summer research internship programs – the Woody Internship in Museum Studies, City Research Scholars, and the Journalism & Democracy Fellowship.

Current honors research students are preparing to present their work at the Spring Honors Research Symposium, and the number interested in competing for the Barr Prize in Public Speaking has doubled since last year.

On all fronts, our students are eager to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to fields, roles, professions they may want to pursue upon graduation.

Please consider a gift this holiday season in direct support of our student programs!

Support the Charles Center!

Charles Center Community News

Catron exhibition showcases research, student artistry

The Charles Center hosted a lively reception celebrating the work of seven 2025 Catron Scholars in Sadler Center's Hart Gallery Nov. 13.

More than 60 faculty, staff, students, and family members attended the immersive and interactive event.

Journalist-in-residence Raynor inspires versatility in course

Artificial Intelligence, new media platforms, and evolving reading habits may be rapidly reshaping the field of journalism but, according to William & Mary’s inaugural Journalist-in-Residence Grace Raynor, one thing remains constant: “If you can write, you can do anything.”

Tyler Fellowship takes

Mishra '26 full circle to Nepal

Curiosity often leads to unknown places, but for Aditi Mishra ’26, research into maternal health took her to the country of her birth. Mishra is one of five inaugural recipients of a Tyler Fellowship, a new partnership between the Charles Center and Florida State University’s Tyler Center for Global Studies.

Munyikwa '11 embraces the ampersand in multifaceted medical career

As this year’s Anthropology Homecoming Guest Lecturer, Dr. Michelle Munyikwa ‘11 returned to campus to share lessons from her research and work seeking solutions to society's ills through collaboration and cross-disciplinary connections.

Woody interns gain hands-on experience in museum field

In summer 2025, ten William & Mary students with a passion for museums received Woody Internships in Museum Studies to pursue ten-week positions with local and regional institutions, as well as several farther afield -- in Delaware, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington, DC.

City Research Scholars trace hidden histories, untold stories

This past summer, one small group of City Research Scholars took a trip through time and space without ever leaving Williamsburg. Through the Charles Center, students interned with local organizations over a ten-week period in which they blazed a trail through the past, revealing local histories and family legacies.

Summer grant launches first-year Monroe Scholar research

For Sadie Wallander '27, a James Monroe Scholar from Arlington, Virginia, a summer research project offered a chance to explore Cold War diplomacy and reflect on her role as a global citizen. The Monroe program’s guaranteed research funding was key to her choosing William & Mary.

Journalist Nina Dietz:

investigate the 'long now'

Freelance investigative journalist and photographer, Pulitzer Center grantee Nina Dietz is redefining how stories at the intersection of human and environmental health are reported. She visited campus in October as a guest lecturer with the Sharp Journalism Seminar.

Fair highlights vibrant

campus research community

The third annual Undergraduate Research Opportunities Fair drew a record crowd to Sadler Center's Chesapeake Room Oct. 15, with more than 270 students exploring the expansive array of multidisciplinary research opportunities available on campus.

Masterclass brings sculpture

to life through movement, music

A synthesis of vibrant sculpture, gravity-defying dance, and riveting music, Noli Timere is a collision of art forms like no other. Students of Leah Glenn, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor, experienced this living work of art through an immersive masterclass held in the Glenn Close Theatre Oct. 2.

Professor Isaiah Speight seeks

to make chemistry greener

Green chemistry is a movement that hopes to solve the solvent problem and make chemistry safer, more environmentally friendly, and sustainable. Isaiah Speight, W&M assistant chemistry professor and WMSURE Faculty Fellow, recently talked with W&M News about the promise of green chemistry.

Glauber faculty-student research fellows examine addictions

Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences Adrian Bravo ’12 is collaborating with an international team of researchers and undergraduate students to tease out the cross-national trends that might explain why certain students are more vulnerable to alcohol use disorders.

Journalism internships help W&M students find their voice

By bridging classroom learning with community storytelling, the Charles Center’s Journalism & Democracy Fellowship internship program is helping William & Mary students hone their reporting and writing skills while making an impact on local journalism and the community.

Approaching Due Dates!

Summer research funding

Feb. 16, 2026

The Charles Center offers a wide range of grants to fund summer undergraduate research in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

Rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors are eligible to apply for these grants.

Learn more

Honors Fellowship funding

Feb. 16, 2026

Honors Fellowships support students conducting research for departmental honors projects the summer before senior year.

An Honors Fellowship is a grant of up to $5,000 to conduct 10 full-time weeks of pre-honors summer research.

Learn more

Catron grant funding

March 2, 2026

Catron grants support artistic growth over the summer in the creative and performing arts through off-campus educational experiences, either through a formal educational institution or structured hands-on experiences in the U.S. or abroad.

Learn more

Charles Center Staff Spotlight:

Kristin Witt!

This month our Communications Assistant for social media, Kristin Witt, is graduating from William & Mary, where she has studied psychology and marketing. In addition to reimagining the Charles Center's digital presence, Kristin served as a media/communications intern at a local church.

On campus she was involved in the professional business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, the mentorship program at the Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance, and a Christian organization. This spring Kristin is interning in media and public relations at a Washington, DC, think-tank. When she's not creating content online, Kristin can be found traveling, cooking, and painting.

Congratulations, Kristin! Thank you for all you have done for the university and the Williamsburg community during your time at W&M!

Meet the rest of the Charles Center team here!

Your Support Makes a Difference!

Giving to the Charles Center Fund ensures your gift will support the areas of greatest need and student impact. In all we do, we seek to put our values in action: inclusivity & accessibility, collaboration & connection, and inquiry & innovation.