The Reves Center for International Studies is a brick building located adjacent to the Campus Center at the corner of South Boundary Street and Jamestown Road. The Reves Center houses the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, the Global Education Office (GEO), and the International Students and Scholars Program. It is connected to Reves Hall, which is currently a freshman dormitory building.

The Reves Center for International Studies is a brick building located adjacent to the Campus Center at the corner of South Boundary Street and Jamestown Road. The Reves Center houses the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, the Global Education Office (GEO), and the International Students and Scholars Program. It is connected to Reves Hall, which is currently a freshman dormitory building.

Initially used as a dorm, the building was constructed in 1916 and formerly named “Tyler Hall” in honor of W&M President Lyon Gardiner Tyler. The building ceased being a dorm in 1981 due to deterioration. The costliness of potential renovation influenced W&M admin’s decision to use the building as storage. Things took a turn for the better in 1985 with developing plans for an International House of Studies. A 3-million-dollar pledge from Wendy Reves and Emery Reves, 1.89 million of which was used for renovations in 1989, transformed the building into the Reves Center for International Studies. Wendy Reves, Emery Reves’ wife, wanted to honor her late husband’s memory and his “commitment to internationalism.” The Reves Center was officially dedicated April 14, 1989.

Emery Reves was a Hungarian-born scholar and writer with a strong anti-fascist leaning. During the world war period, Reves established the Cooperation Press Service out of his desire to create an international news agency that would “counter purely nationalistic viewpoints.” The agency circulated articles presenting the perspectives of different world leaders. Reves also served as Winston Churchill’s press and literary agent. His most famous work is The Anatomy of Peace, in which he argues for nations to rise above nationalism and cooperate with one another. Reves was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. His wife, Wendy Reves, was a well-known model, socialite, art collector and philanthropist. 

Reves initially donated 7 million dollars worth of art to the Dallas Museum in her husband’s memory, but she felt that it was not enough. She later met with William & Mary administration on the suggestion of a friend, Frank Shatz, to see how they could work together to simultaneously memorialize Emery Reves and help fund development for William & Mary. A rare moment of controversy arose between Wendy Reves and the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) concerning her strict conditions of management and display of the art collection she donated. The conflict was exacerbated when when Reves’ son from her first marriage, Al Schroeder, claimed the DMA took advantage of his widowed mother to obtain her valuable art collection. In this situation, the courts ruled that the claim was false, and that the DMA possessed rightful ownership of the art.

Wendy Reves had a deep personal connection to Willaim & Mary, and often referred to the Reves Center as “her building.” Her love for William & Mary led the then admin to accept her request to be buried in the College Cemetery, which was was established for the use of professors, their families, and students. She would become the latest to be buried there after nearly a century. Wendy Reves was buried in the cemetery in 2007, and although Emery Reves’ name appears on the tombstone, he remains buried in Europe. 

The Reves Center and Hall embody their namesake’s commitment to internationalism considering that the center seeks to “promote the internationalization of learning, teaching, research, and community involvement…through programs for study abroad programs, international students and scholars, and global engagement,“ and that Reves Hall houses international and domestic students who are interested in international affairs

Burns, Charlotte, and Helen Stoilas. “Wendy Reves’s Son Claims That His Mother Was Taken Advantage Of.” March 31, 2011. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2011/04/01/wendy-revess-son-claims-that-his-mother-was-taken-advantage-of.

Di Vincenzo, Mark. “W&M Opens Global Center With Gift.” Daily Press, April 15, 1989. https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19890415-1989-04-15-8904150085-story.html.

Freedland, Seth. “W&M Benefactor Reves Dies. Daily Press, March 12, 2007.

“Reves First to Be Buried in College Cemetery since 1894,” The Flat Hat. March 23, 2007. https://flathatnews.com/2007/03/23/reves-first-be-buried-college-cemetery-1894/.

Shatz, Frank. “Tapes Left by Philanthropist Could Offer Look at How Reves Center for International Studies Endowment Came to Be.” Daily Press. November 23, 2021. https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/opinion/va-vg-ed-shatz-wendy-reves-1124-20211123-z6f22egjcfe2ze2ozwybibdmxe-story.html.

Special Collections Knowledgebase. “College Cemetery,” September 9, 2019. https://scrc-kb.libraries.wm.edu/college-cemetery.

Special Collections Research Center, William, and Mary Libraries. “Reves Center, Constructed 1916.” TribeTrek. Accessed October 11, 2022. https://tribetrek.wm.edu/items/show/52?tour=1&index=49.

William & Mary. “History.” Accessed October 11, 2022. https://www.wm.edu/offices/revescenter/about/history/index.php.

William & Mary. “Reves Center for International Studies.” Accessed October 11, 2022. https://www.wm.edu/offices/revescenter/.

William & Mary. “Visit Us.” Accessed October 11, 2022. https://www.wm.edu/offices/revescenter/about/visit_us/index.php.