William & Mary will name building after former defense secretary Robert Gates

WILLIAMSBURG, VA. — WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will have an academic building named after him in William & Mary, the university in Virginia where he holds the honorary position of chancellor, the school announced on Wednesday.

Robert M. Gates Hall will be a hub for disciplines such as economic development and inequality, geopolitical conflict, national security and conservation, the school said in a statement.

According to the Pentagon, Gates is the only Defense Secretary asked to remain in his post after a new president is elected. He served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Gates served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency under President George HW Bush in the early 1990s. Gates also wrote the book“Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World.”

A $30 million gift from an anonymous donor makes the hall possible. The currently vacant Brown Hall is being renovated on the Williamsburg campus.

Katherine Rowe, William’s president & Mary praised the donor, saying Gates “has championed the power of education and science to advance democracy and build a better world.”

Gates received his bachelor’s degree from William & Mary in 1965. He went on to earn a master’s degree in history from Indiana University and a doctorate from Georgetown in Russian and Soviet history. He was also commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

“This is the greatest honor I have received in my life,” Gates said in a statement. “Willem & In Mary I felt called to public service, and I see that the call to make a difference is still strongly felt here.”