News briefs and announcements

75 countries represented by international students

Two hundred and two international students from 75 countries are studying at Richmond this semester. Countries represented for the first time include Iran, Indonesia, El Salvador, Tunisia and Rwanda.

Krittika Onsanit, international student and intern advisor in the Office of International Education, said that 105 international students have returned to Richmond this year. There are 31 new degree-seeking students from 26 countries. Fifty-six students are new exchange students from 18 countries and 27 partner institutions, representing a 40 percent increase over last year. Seven are graduate students.

Three teaching assistants, from Egypt, Tunisia and Japan, are teaching Arabic and Japanese.

Richmond named tenth fittest college

Men’s Fitness magazine has named University of Richmond the tenth fittest college in the nation. The second annual ranking of the 25 fittest colleges appeared in the magazine’s October issue.

To find the fittest colleges, Men’s Fitness consulted with The Princeton Review, surveying nearly 12,500 students from 115 colleges and universities. The rankings were based on student responses to questions about their diet, physical activity, sedentary time (other than studying), how much fast-food was available on campus, whether the college offered extended gym hours and nutritionists, and how fit individuals considered their own campuses to be.

Richmond was the highest-ranking Virginia institution on the list, just ahead of No. 11 University of Virginia. Other Virginia colleges on the list include Roanoke College, Virginia Tech and University of Mary Washington. Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College ranked No. 1.

Men’s Fitness editor-in-chief Neal Boulton said the schools on the list offer a range of nutrition and exercise choices, rather than forcing students into a strict regimen.

Richmond is currently constructing the 59,000 sq. ft. Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness, scheduled to open in January with a three-court gym, running track and state-of-the-art fitness center. Total cost of the new facility is $13.5 million.

“I have always believed we have outstanding and comprehensive recreation and wellness programs at the University,” said Tom Roberts, director of recreation and wellness. “With the opening of the Weinstein Center, we will have even greater programs and facilities. The construction of this facility will communicate clearly that the University is as committed to students’ health and wellness as it is to their intellectual development.”

Connect Network changing hands

The board of The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia (TCF) has assumed ownership and long-term support of Connect Richmond, an online network and information clearinghouse for nonprofits, and its sister network, Connect Rappahannock, previously operated by University of Richmond.

TCF’s board renewed the foundation’s long-term financial support of Connect Network from 2007–11. Trustees of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, based in Jacksonville, Fla., also agreed to provide $250,000 in continued support.

The networks provide information about the respective communities, their people and the nonprofit organizations that serve them. The Web sites include searchable databases of nonprofits, event calendars, jobs and volunteer opportunities. They provide tools and resources to help nonprofit leaders build stronger organizations, and they offer subscription e-mail that provides users with daily news.

“These networks are important tools for our communities,” said Darcy Oman, president and CEO of TCF. “They help individuals and organizations gain knowledge and build relationships that are critical to community health and well-being. We are pleased to have the opportunity to broaden their impact and visibility in Richmond, the Northern Neck and beyond.”

The Connect Network was created and launched at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies in 2001, with the support of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, The Community Foundation, the University and other foundations and corporations.

In 2004, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund made a second investment to create Connect Rappahannock.
“The networks have proven to be an extremely popular resource for nonprofits. The need for expansion to meet growing demand can be best managed now in a base that is embedded in the nonprofit community,” said June Aprille, Richmond’s provost. “We look forward to watching the networks’ further growth under The Community Foundation in a setting where their potential can be fully realized.”

The operations of the network will continue under the leadership of Nancy Stutts through a grant contract with Virginia Commonwealth University. The transition is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
The networks are located online at www.connectnetwork.org/richmond and www.connectnetwork.org/rappahannock.

56 assistant principals receiving leadership education at Richmond

University of Richmond’s Center for Leadership in Education kicked off a third year of providing leadership education to local school administrators with a luncheon Oct. 5 featuring JoLynne DeMary, state superintendent of public instruction under former Gov. Mark Warner. DeMary, who now heads the Center for School Improvement at Virginia Commonwealth University, spoke on “Make a Difference: Lead.”

Fifty-six assistant principals from Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfield and Richmond public school districts are enrolled in the nine-month “Next Generation Leadership Academy,” which will include six more sessions ending in June.

Tom Shields, director of the center, said “the school districts were so impressed with last year’s program that they decided to continue with it this year.”

Subsequent sessions will feature University faculty and outside speakers on such topics as group dynamics and leadership, ethics and leadership, equity and race in schools, and communication and leadership. Participants will spend mornings hearing faculty presentations and then meet in the afternoons to discuss how to apply those lessons to their school districts.

The center is a partnership between the Jepson School of Leadership Studies and the School of Continuing Studies.

“The academy is integral to developing educational administrators who can take on future leadership roles,” said Shields. “The school districts are looking for this type of program to help them prepare for smooth succession within their schools.”

Center sponsoring breakfast series on leadership

Top school administrators from Chesterfield County will learn about “Issues in Leadership” during a series of seven breakfast programs hosted by the Center for Leadership in Education.

Speakers will include: Rod Smolla, dean of the University of Richmond School of Law; Thomas R. Morris, Virginia secretary of education; and Billy K. Cannaday Jr., superintendent of public instruction. Other speakers will come from higher education and corporate consulting organizations. Topics will include equal protection in a school setting, legislative issues in education, employment law and sexual harassment in the educational workplace, and leadership and stress.

Issues in Leadership is one component of Chesterfield County Public Schools’ leadership and professional development programs.

Now in its third year, “the series has been designed to be reflective and to engage participants in a discussion of the issues,” said Tom Shields, center director.

For more information call (804) 717-6911.

Alumni honored with annual awards

The Alumni Association presented four awards during Homecoming weekend, honoring recipients for their volunteer work, fundraising ability, distinguished careers and chapter leadership.

Steve Buckingham , ’71 (pictured left), of Nashville, accepted the Alumni of the University of Richmond Award for Distinguished Service. Buckingham is senior vice president and producer at Vanguard and Sugar Hill Records. He has won numerous Grammy awards and has more than 150 albums to his credit, many of them platinum and gold.

Josh Abramson, ’03, of New York, is this year’s Distinguished Young Graduate. The award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement by a young graduate in business, service to community and/or alumni service to the University.

Alec Smith, ’06, of Charlotte, N.C., received the Educational Fundraising award, which recognizes an individual or group that has provided the greatest impact on the University’s fundraising program in the preceding year.

Brandon Cox, ’99, of Washington, D.C., who could not attend the ceremony, was named recipient of the Spinning the Spider Web award. It is presented to the individual who has provided the greatest impact on the alumni association’s efforts to engage alumni outside of the Richmond area through the chapter program.

Karen and Bryan Perry, of Dallas, received the Volunteer of the Year award, which recognizes an individual or group that has provided the greatest impact on the University in the preceding year by assisting in efforts to engage alumni and the wider community.

The Chronicle of Higher Education available online

The libraries have acquired a campus-wide site license to The Chronicle of Higher Education Web site. All campus computers can access The Chronicle’s Web pages without a username or password, including access to both current articles and archives back to 1989. Bookmark chronicle.com or connect through Journal Locator on the library’s Web site. Campus computers can also receive Chronicle RSS news feeds.

Update on Boatwright Library renovations

Basement levels 1 and 2 of Boatwright Library are now open for study and computer use. New group study rooms also are available, and keys to the rooms may be checked out at the main service desk. Basement level 1 has been designated as quiet study, and basement level 2 is for group study. A final bank of book stacks was installed in late October. The new faculty study will be available by mid-November.