News briefs and announcements

Middle Eastern minor funded
The University will receive a two-year grant of $157,436 from the U.S. Department of Education to develop an interdisciplinary minor in Middle Eastern studies. The new program will reflect the cultural, political, philosophical and religious aspects of the Middle East and North African regions.

Kathrin Bower, associate professor of German studies and chair of the Department of Modern Literatures and Cultures, said the grant will support course development, faculty seminars, guest scholars, language expansion and related activities.

“Students enrolled in Arabic language classes have expressed interest in continuing beyond the intermediate level, so courses in advanced Arabic will be added, along with a series of self-directed study courses in Persian/Farsi, Modern Hebrew and Turkish,” she said.

The expanded language offerings will complement and enhance new and existing courses that deal with the history, culture and politics of the Middle East and international relations, said Bower. The program also will include study abroad opportunities in Jordan.

Internet will enhance language skills
Richmond students studying Spanish will be able to learn the language from students in Spain while helping those students learn English, and the Internet makes it all possible.

Catherine Simpson, interim assistant director of intensive Spanish, received an Andrew W. Mellon Faculty Renewal Grant from the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) to create the curriculum of English-Spanish online instruction. Simpson will travel to Spain and collaborate with professors there about the online technologies, such as blog sites and MySpace, to be utilized.

The online exchange will begin with pen-pal assignments between Richmond students and students at two schools in Spain—the University of Malaga and Pablo de Olavide University of Seville.

Erin Brady wins Luce Scholarship
Erin Brady, ’10, from Kennett Square, Pa., double-majoring in math and computer science, has been named the University’s 2008 Clare Boothe Luce Scholarship winner. The scholarship covers two years’ tuition, room and board, plus funding of a summer undergraduate research experience.

Richmond received funding last year from the Henry Luce Foundation to award a Luce scholarship annually from 2007–09. Eligible students must be female American citizens majoring in math, computer science or physics and interested in pursuing a graduate degree in the sciences. The program’s goal is to promote the advancement of American women in higher education.

Josh Davis selected for ODK leadership program
Josh Davis, ’08, represented the University’s ODK chapter at a June conference, Campus Leaders Today, Community Leaders Tomorrow, in Washington. The program brought together nearly 40 college leaders and helped prepare them for service as nonprofit board members. The group participated in a series of lectures and discussions and met with board representatives and staff of nonprofit organizations.

Christopher Florio named a Gilder Lehrman History Scholar
Christopher Florio, ’09, was one of 15 students selected from 166 colleges as a 2008 Gilder Lehrman History Scholar. He studied for five weeks over the summer in New York City in a program that combined historical research, seminars with eminent historians and behind-the-scenes tours of historical archives. Each scholar produced original research resulting from the program. The 2008 class worked with primary source documents from the Revolutionary Era in the Gilder Lehrman collection.

Blog addresses career-family balance
A blog for professors who are trying to balance their work in the lab or classroom with parenting and family responsibilities is running on Inside Higher Ed, an international source for news, opinion and jobs in academe.

Two Richmond faculty members—Della Fenster and Libby Gruner—are among seven women writing on the blog about their experiences fulfilling family and workplace obligations. Named “Mama PhD,” the blog can be found at www.insidehighered.com.

“The struggle of life-work balance is hardly unique to academe, but special pressures on professors make these issues intense and illuminating,” said Scott Jaschik, editor of Inside Higher Ed.

“Mama PhD” bloggers also contributed to a book by the same name that was published over the summer.

UR receives Habitat Partnership Award
The University received the 2008 Partnership Award from Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity at a luncheon in June. The award recognized the University’s Build It effort, which last year provided funds and nearly 300 volunteers to construct an affordable home in the Highland Park neighborhood. The University partnered with Habitat, Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and Boaz and Ruth to build the house.

Hispanic students attend symposium
More than 200 Hispanic high school students from greater Richmond, Petersburg, Virginia Beach and Harrisonburg attended Central Virginia’s first Hispanic Youth Symposium at the University in July.

“The Hispanic population is a rapidly growing, economically viable force in our community,” said Jorge Haddock, dean of the Robins School of Business. “Hispanic students are eager for the opportunity to go to college, and this symposium is an essential step in reaching out to them.” Haddock participated in “Hispanic Heroes,” a workshop to connect students with leaders in the community.

Women’s leadership program visits campus
Women from around the world visited campus in August as part of the 6th Annual Law and Leadership Summer Program, sponsored by Karamah, an organization committed to supporting human rights founded by Azizah al-Hibri, professor of law. The two-week program was held primarily in Washington, D.C., and included a selective group of highly motivated women who have a shared commitment to Muslim women’s rights and seek to advance them from within their religion and culture. While on campus, the women attended a program about “Talking to the Media,” presented by Roberta Oster Sachs, interim assistant vice president for communications.

Strategic plan updates
The University’s Strategic Plan Web site now includes several updates and important new information. Among other updates, the site has information on the working groups, including lists of members and their charge, as well as a repository of working documents for review by the University community. In the coming weeks, this repository will grow to include a wealth of information on the groups’ progress. Visit strategicplan.richmond. edu/ to learn more.

Melvin serving as leader-in-residence
Leland Melvin, R’86, a NASA astronaut and first Spider in space, will serve as leader-in-residence this year for the Jepson School of Leadership Studies.

Leaders-in-residence are selected for professional accomplishments and demonstrated leadership. The scholars spend time on campus interacting with Jepson School faculty and students in discussions, lectures and activities. Previous leaders-in-residence include Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and former Virginia Attorney General Mary Sue Terry.

Soccer balls for Iraq
Dolores MacNeilly in the Office of Admission is collecting soccer balls and air pumps to send to her son Matthew, who is stationed with the 1st Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. The balls are distributed to Iraqi children. According to Matthew, “Everywhere we go, the kids mob us asking for them...they don’t have anything, so the ball is the coolest thing going. To donate, contact MacNeilly at dmacneil@richmond.edu.

D-Hall wins grand prize
The Heilman Dining Center won first place for the second year in a row and the grand prize in the National Association of College and University Food Services’ Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards.  The competition is held annually with colleges nationwide submitting scrapbooks of their menus, photos and programs. Colleges compete by size for first, second and third prizes and then compete as a whole for the grand prize. Scrapbooks and awards will be on display in the Heilman Center lobby. 

Peer tutoring available
The Academic Skills Center will begin peer tutoring Sept. 10; however, on-call tutors will be available starting Aug. 25. The center provides tutoring in accounting, calculus, chemistry, foreign languages, logic, physics and many other disciplines. Students seeking help in academic skills (information processing, test preparation, note-taking, etc.), time and stress management, and related areas can contact the director of academic skills at 289-8626 or hwalton@richmond.edu. Subject tutorial support will be provided Monday-Thursday from 4-9 p.m. and Sunday from 6-9 p.m.

Students can now schedule tutoring appointments online. Online tutoring also will be available this fall in several subjects. Visit asc.richmond.edu for details.

Participants and staff sought for Allies Institute
The Allies Institute (formerly known as Collegetown) is seeking participants and staff for the January 2009 session. The Allies Institute is a four-day retreat filled with honest, no-holds-barred dialogue about tough issues like ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, class and religion. Designed in collaboration with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, the institute includes interactive workshops, intense small group discussions and experiential exercises. The next institute will be Jan. 7-10. See oncampus.richmond.edu/allies for more information on the institute, staff positions and applications.

One Book, One Campus
The 2008-09 One Book, One Campus book selection is Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights by Kenji Yoshino. Be a part of this annual campus-wide effort, which encourages students, staff and faculty to read and discuss a selected book on a social justice issue. Hour-long book discussions are offered each semester, and participants may attend one, a few or all of them. A limited number of free books are available. For more information, contact Camisha Jones at cjones2@richmond.edu or 289-8630. Online registration is available at chaplaincy. richmond.edu/onebook.htm.