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About GWUGeorge Wythe University is a classical liberal arts school with undergraduate and graduate programs designed to produce leaders who possess the foundation and characteristics required for good government. Within this scope is a focus on protecting liberty, promoting free-enterprise, preserving moral ethics, limiting government, inspiring civility, and strengthening individuals, families and society--to further empower the human pursuit of happiness throughout the world. The key fronts upon which liberty either advances or retreats are given special attention. A top priority is to prepare undergraduates for pursuing advanced degrees in such fields in order to maximize their leadership impact on society. George Wythe (pronounced "with") was the personal mentor to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Marshall, and many other notable founders of the United States. Consequently, he was known as America's "Teacher of Liberty." A statesman in his own right, Wythe signed the Declaration of Independence, served in the First Continental Congress, and was a Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He also helped develop the Bill of Rights. While teaching at the College of William and Mary, he was the first professor to make American Constitutional Law the subject of regular instruction. We have embraced the principles and methods used by George Wythe to train some of the most influential leaders in history. These are long established in the tradition of the classical liberal arts, and are known as the Socratic seminar and the Oxford tutorial models. This approach continues to produce great thinkers and leaders in our day. It is challenging, timeless and built upon the classical canon of Western Civilization. It is grounded in the self-discipline and temperance that come from a respect for Natural Law, and crowned in the wisdom gained through rigorous simulations and real-world application under the guidance of a committed mentor. At its core, this was the education that Thomas Jefferson and his peers received under the tutelage of George Wythe. It is the tutoring in classical thought that C. S. Lewis received at Oxford, and that Clarence Thomas received at Holy Cross, Yale and from his mentor Thomas Sowell. It is to join the Great Conversation of the ages wherein principled leaders learn the hard won habits of how to think, why liberty is essential, and to grapple with the most vital questions of life. Likewise, students with the desire and determination may experience this rigorous and exciting challenge at George Wythe University--laying the foundation for a rich, satisfying life of contribution, service and leadership.
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Who was George Wythe?
His success is evident in the contribution of his graduates: he taught two United States Presidents, two Supreme Court Justices and over thirty Governors, Senators, Congressmen, Ambassadors and Judges. His methods were simple: students read the classics and were required to orally discuss what they had learned and how it applied to personal life and world events.
Perhaps his student Thomas
Jefferson said it best:
