Benjamin Spencer, dean of the William & Mary Law School, talks to Raven Peter, a second-year law student while she’s preparing for an exam at the school in Williamsburg, Virginia, Dec. 1, 2020. Spencer said it’s rare to see students and faculty in person since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and he longs to see the hallways and classrooms full of people someday in the future. Spencer is the first African-American dean hired by the oldest law school in the country and a U.S. Army Reserve captain and lawyer who works for the Government Appellate Division. Spencer graduated from Harvard Law School and joined the Army when he was almost 41 because he felt a calling to serve people and serve his nation. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret)