Provost Peggy Agouris sent the following message to the campus community on Oct. 19, 2026. – Ed.
Dear colleagues,
With sadness, I share the news that former longtime William & Mary Dean of the School of Education and Chancellor Professor Virginia “Ginnie” McLaughlin ’71 passed away on October 15, 2026, following a brief illness. Ginnie was a passionate educator and a devoted supporter of her alma mater. Her passing is a tremendous loss for the School of Education community, for the university as a whole, and for the many people whose lives she touched throughout her remarkable career.
Ginnie served as dean from 1995 to 2013, but her contributions to William & Mary and public education extend far beyond those 18 years. A 1971 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of William & Mary, she earned her master’s degree from Peabody College and her doctorate from the University of Memphis. She began her career in education as a teacher for the public schools of Greenville and Charleston, S.C. She later served as a member of the faculty at Clemson University and Old Dominion University before joining the William & Mary faculty in 1983. Ginnie also served as the chief of staff for W&M President Tim Sullivan. She remained an active educator and accomplished scholar throughout her career, teaching undergraduate and graduate students, mentoring doctoral students, and securing federal and state research funding. Her scholarship focused on special education, collaborative services, and education policy. As dean, she transformed the school by strengthening its academic programs, growing its research enterprise, building partnerships with schools and public agencies, and elevating its national reputation. It was during her leadership as dean that the site of the former Williamsburg Community Hospital was purchased by William & Mary so that a new School of Education could be built at its current location.
Her leadership reached across the Commonwealth through her service on the Virginia Board of Education and nationally as president of the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI). Locally, Ginnie served in a number of leadership roles, including on the boards of Virginia Network for Women in Higher Education, the Williamsburg Community Health Foundation, LEAD Historic Triangle, Williamsburg Landing, and Child Development Resources.
Ginnie’s many honors included William & Mary’s Thomas Jefferson Award; the W&M Alumni Medallion; the Margaret, the Lady Thatcher, Award for Scholarship, Character and Service; and the Edward C. Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education. Ginnie’s lifetime of service to William & Mary is honored through the Virginia McLaughlin School of Education Professorship.
Memorial services are pending.
Sincerely,
Peggy