Staff & Faculty

Jeff Seeman, visiting research scholar, was awarded the 2023 Distinguished Research Award from the Virginia Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award is given to a member of the Virginia Section whose research has made significant contributions to advancing knowledge in their field, and for publications and presentations in national and international scientific communities.

G.M. Keaton, adjunct lecturer of art and art history, was awarded a fellowship for New and Emerging Media from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Visual Arts Fellowship Program.

Brian Henry, professor of English and creative writing, published translations of poems by Tomaž Šalamun in The Nation, A Public Space, and Bennington Review, among other journals.

David Wilkins, professor of leadership studies, co-edited with Shelly Hulse Wilkins, "Of Living Stone: Perspectives on Continuous Knowledge and the Work of Vine Deloria, Jr.," published by Fulcrum Publishing.

David Wilkins, professor of leadership studies, published "Indigenous Governance: Clans, Constitutions, and Consent" with Oxford University Press. 

The History of Economics Society awarded Sandra J. Peart, dean of the Jepson School, its 2024 Distinguished Fellow Prize for her lifetime contributions to the study of the history of economics.

Peter Kaufman, professor of leadership studies, published "What Might Agamben Learn from Augustine" in New Blackfriars.

Tom Shields, associate dean and chair of graduate education, with Emmy Ready, visiting lecturer of Latin American, Latino & Iberian studies, co-authored an A&S Next case study titled “Multilingual Student Success in Public Schools” examining issues of Latinx students’ graduation and retention rates in Richmond Public Schools. Alums Lyons Sanchezconcha, GC’23, Victoria Case Gochez, GC’22, and Jonathan Zur, ’03, collaborated on the project.

Kudos to Michael Smyth (Cellar), Cathy Smyth (Tyler's Grill), Devon Slough (Controller), Lyndsi Smith (Payroll), Liz Imsick (Concessions), and Mason Manley (Student Lead) for their help in Concessions with working the Spring Football game. When a last minute staffing issue occurred these Spiders rose up at the opportunity to help out and make another Spring Game successful! They know the meaning of teamwork and have excelled at their duties at the Spring Game. - Submitted by Rich Thomas in Concessions

Kudos to Mary Fichtel in Catering for working with Physics, Biology, and Chemistry to plan and implement a successful 2023 Sciences Graduation Reception. Mary worked with us to create an appealing menu and a workable floor plan. Mary was on hand on the event day before, during, and after to ensure the event went smoothly. She thought of every detail. The students, families, faculty, and staff enjoyed celebrating accomplishments in a relaxed and festive atmosphere. Thank you to Mary and the Catering team! - Submitted by Stacy Hull in the Physics Department

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the Big Yard Sale in May! We almost tripled attendance from 2022 and the fundraiser was very successful. We were most excited about the amount of support from the UR community! We doubled, and then some, the UR Presale attendance from 2022. We didn't know what to expect, but we were heartened to see an amazing line up before the gates even opened on Friday night (from the entrance gate, down the length of the concourse, and then out to the road).Thank you to our longtime partners, Sierra Club Falls of the James Group, for throwing another great event. A HUGE thank you to Mauricio Lopez, Slavi Milev, Damyan Damyanov, James Campbell, Joseph Farag, Sayed Hussaini, Julio Valencia, Jonathan LaPrade, Rob Thomas, and Tina Lowman for physically moving all of the clothing, mini fridges, furniture, and more from around campus to the sale. To anyone whose name was left out, we are grateful to you too. There wouldn't have been a sale without these efforts! We look forward to bringing you another excellent event in 2024! - Submitted by David Donaldson in University Facilities/Custodial and Environmental Services/Rethink Waste

Connor Wilson in Advancement Systems is a true lifesaver when you're in a pinch. I manage the university's quarterly donor e-newsletter, Within the Web, and issues sometimes arise when drafting/preparing the newsletter to send in Blackbaud Internet Solutions (BBIS). Most recently, I was having trouble getting the format of the newsletter to appear consistently across multiple screen types. Connor immediately looked into the issue and not only re-formatted the newsletter in a much more streamlined, visually appealing way, but she also took time to test the new format with her teammates to ensure that the email looked ok on both their desktops and mobile devices. Connor offered to work with me on the next iteration of the newsletter to ensure it looks just as good as this one. She took a ton of stress off of me during this challenging project, and has set me up for success moving forward. Thanks for being such a great colleague, Connor! You are appreciated. - Submitted by Kyra Molinaro in Advancement