Commending Sweet Briar College.

Commending Sweet Briar College.
Agreed to by the Senate, January 30, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 2, 2026
WHEREAS, Sweet Briar College, a private women's liberal arts institution in Amherst County, has been educating, inspiring, and empowering women for 125 years; and
WHEREAS, Sweet Briar College is located on the former site of the Sweet Briar plantation, owned by the Fletcher family, which took its name from the abundance of roses growing on the property; upon her death in 1900, Indiana Fletcher Williams bequeathed the plantation for use as a school for women in memory of her late daughter, Daisy; and
WHEREAS, since its founding in 1901, Sweet Briar College has challenged and inspired women to build a more just and sustainable society, and its alumnae have become valuable members of their communities throughout the Commonwealth, the United States, and the world; and
WHEREAS, the long history of Sweet Briar College is evident in its architecturally renowned campus, featuring 22 elegant Georgian-style buildings by architect Ralph Adams Cram, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and
WHEREAS, Sweet Briar College also acknowledges the past with a special monument on campus to honor the Monacan Indians who previously lived in the region and memorialize the enslaved persons who lived and worked on the Sweet Briar plantation; and
WHEREAS, Sweet Briar College has benefited from the leadership of many esteemed women over the years, including Meta Glass, the university's third president and a trailblazer for women in higher education; and
WHEREAS, Sweet Briar College's many excellent programs—from its ABET-certified engineering curriculum to its working greenhouse and its nationally recognized equestrian program—have equipped generations of women with the skills they need to be good citizens and consequential leaders; and
WHEREAS, the leadership of Sweet Briar College proudly encourages robust civic participation, sustainable environmental stewardship, and the pursuit of excellence in all endeavors, producing talented alumnae who remember their alma mater with graceful pride as they go forth to do great things in the Commonwealth and around the world; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Sweet Briar College on the occasion of its 125th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Sweet Briar College as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the institution's many contributions to the Commonwealth and its 125-year commitment to preparing women to better the world.