Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98 will serve a third term as William & Mary’s chancellor from 2026 to 2033.
The university’s Board of Visitors unanimously approved a resolution for his reappointment during a meeting on campus today.
Gates is already the longest-serving chancellor in the university’s history. When he is re-invested for a second time in 2026, he will become the first William & Mary chancellor to serve three terms. Details on his re-investiture will be announced at a later date.
“Serving as William & Mary’s Chancellor has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” said Gates. “This university prepared me for the unique challenges of public service. It taught me how to understand other points of view and make tough decisions by calibrating principle and compromise for the greater good. I am delighted to continue serving as chancellor, inspired by the university’s community and my continued optimism about its future.”
As chancellor, Gates serves in a primarily ceremonial capacity, participating in campus traditions and other major events and meeting periodically with faculty, staff and students.
Gates was initially invested as chancellor in 2012, succeeding retired U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and becoming the first alumnus in the modern era to hold the position. He was re-invested in 2019 at the same ceremony in which President Katherine A. Rowe was inaugurated.
“The Board of Visitors deeply appreciates Chancellors Gates’ service to his alma mater and the nation,” said Rector Charles E. Poston J.D. ’74, P ’02, P ’06. “The chancellorship is a vital symbol of William & Mary’s preeminence and its aspirations for the future. Chancellor Gates has served in that role with distinguished leadership.”
In addition to Gates and O’Connor, other recent chancellors include former Chief Justice of the United States Warren Burger, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. William & Mary’s first American chancellor was George Washington.
A lifetime of service
A history major at William & Mary, Gates used his liberal arts and sciences education to build a career in public service that spanned more than 45 years.
He served nearly 27 years with the Central Intelligence Agency, including nine years on the National Security Council. He rose from entry-level employee to the agency’s director — the sole career officer to ever do so.
After leaving the CIA, Gates led Texas A&M University as president from 2002 to 2006, when he became the 22nd U.S. secretary of defense under President George W. Bush. He went on to become the first defense secretary in U.S. history to serve under presidents from both political parties. When he retired in 2011, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a president can bestow on a civilian.
Following his retirement, Gates continued finding ways to serve, in such capacities as president of the Boy Scouts of America, national chairman of the Eisenhower Fellowships and board member for the George and Barbara Bush Foundation. He also became a principal in the strategic consulting firm Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel, LLC.
Serving W&M
Gates has remained closely connected to William & Mary, which shaped his career and ethos as a public servant. In 1998, he spoke at the Charter Day ceremony and received an honorary degree, and he received an Alumni Medallion in 2000. Seven years later, he delivered the Commencement address.
As chancellor, he has been a frequent participant in major events and other gatherings, including Gates Global Forums, which launched at William & Mary in 2021. Hosted by the Gates Global Policy Center and Global Research Institute, the forums bring together policymakers and other experts to discuss pressing issues. The next one is scheduled for early December 2025, with a public keynote on Dec. 4.
In 2024, the university announced a $30 million gift from an alumna to establish the first academic building in the nation to bear Gates’ name. Robert M. Gates Hall, formerly Brown Hall, is currently being renovated to serve as a hub for four university research centers: AidData, the Global Research Institute, the Institute for Integrative Conservation and the Whole of Government Center of Excellence. The hall is expected to be completed in 2026, in alignment with the 250th anniversary celebration of the United States.
“Chancellor Gates is the model for leadership our nation needs at the turn of the U.S. quarter millennium. He places country over party, patriotism over politics. He has called thousands of William & Mary students to serve with that same spirit of duty,” said Rowe. “As chancellor, he honors the legacy set by George Washington. He has championed faculty and counseled two presidents. We are proud he will once again answer alma mater’s call as our 22nd chancellor.”
Erin Jay, Senior Associate Director of University News