How did Robert E. Lee change Washington College as its president?

When Robert E. Lee became president of Washington College in 1865, he oversaw a period of significant growth and modernization for the institution. During his five-year tenure, he transformed the college in several key ways:1

• Institutional Growth: The student body increased dramatically, the size of the faculty expanded, and the physical condition of the campus was improved.1
• Curricular Reform: Lee modernized the academic offerings by revising the curriculum to include courses in science and engineering, supplementing the school's traditional focus on classical subjects.1

While Lee held private animosity toward the Reconstruction agenda, he maintained a public stance of situational reconciliation, refraining from criticizing the victors of the Civil War to encourage progress toward national reunion. Following his death in 1870, the institution was renamed Washington and Lee University in his honor.12