The
Powerof Personal Philanthropy Summer 2014
V i r g i n i a
support.vcu.edu
C o m m o n w e a l t h
U n i v e r s i t y
The
Powerof Personal Philanthropy Summer 2014
support.vcu.edu
Inside this issue New library to transform research, campus center
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RPI Heritage Wall preserves, protects heritage
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Bequest creates scholarship in mentor’s memory
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Scholarship recognizes alumnus’s perseverance
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Travel fund encourages bonds, friendships
10
Planned gift celebrates School of Social Work
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Award recipients share gratitude with donors
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Surprise scholarship recognizes childhood friend
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Development team welcomes new members
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Investiture celebrates endowed professorships
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6
11
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On the cover
A rendering of the new James Branch Cabell Library shows the transformation of one of the busiest academic libraries in Virginia. All library renderings Shepley Bulfinch Architects Editor: Melanie Irvin Seiler (B.S. ’96), miseiler@vcu.edu, (804) 828-3975 Writer: Nan Johnson, nljohnson@vcu.edu
2 | The Power of Personal Philanthropy
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Construction continues on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus where the new James Branch Cabell Library will serve more students each day than any other library in the commonwealth.
New library to transform research, campus center When Virginia Commonwealth University’s James Branch Cabell Library opened in 1970, John Jay Schwartz (B.S. ’69), like many students at the time, watched the construction from the ground up. Today, an avid and loyal supporter of the university, Schwartz is playing a key role in the next stage of life of VCU’s library system as chair of the Friends of the Library fundraising committee. And he’s watching. Again. “We offer students less [library] space per person than any other university in the commonwealth, and we’re one of the biggest schools in the state,” he said. “That’s got to change.” That change is happening now. One of the busiest academic libraries in Virginia, a crowded Cabell serves about 32,000 students. The building was designed for 17,000. In late 2015, an expanded and revitalized library will open in the same location near the Compass in Shafer Court. Designed to meet the needs of today’s students and researchers, the new facility features 93,000 square feet of new construction and 63,000 square feet of improvements to the existing building. About 2 million people visit Cabell annually. That’s more visitors than the Library of Congress. Annual online use is also staggering: 9 million database searches, 3 million search box queries and 2.3 million journal downloads. Alumni such as Schwartz have seen the Monroe Park Campus grow up around Cabell. A revitalized library is long overdue, but the transformation won’t be complete without the help of private philanthropy. That’s where Schwartz and others like him come in. “I’m trying to get all of my alumni friends to join in the fundraising efforts,” he said. “The student body, faculty, staff — we can all make it something to be very proud of, and we’ll step back and say, ‘Why haven’t we done this before?’ We will all be mesmerized.” A private, $10 million fundraising campaign will augment the estimated construction budget of about $50.8 million, which is funded from public sources. The money raised will support three key areas of need: an endowment to ensure that furnishings
✫ see Library, continued on Page 7 Summer 2014 | 3
RPI Heritage Wall preserves, protects heritage Like so many students at Richmond Professional Institute, Joseph “Joe” Lowenthal (B.F.A. ’55) and Eugene H. “Gene” Hunt (B.S. ’59; M.S. ’61) often sat on the wall near Ginter House, 901 W. Franklin St., and “girl watched” between classes. It was a meeting place where cherished memories were made. But for Virginia Commonwealth University students today, RPI is becoming less of a memory and more of a missing piece in VCU’s rich history. Thanks to VCU Alumni’s RPI Alumni Council, that’s about to change. Under Hunt’s leadership as chair, the council is undertaking a special project to help preserve and protect the historical significance of RPI, which merged with the Medical College of Virginia in 1968 to Joe Lowenthal (left), chair of the RPI Heritage Wall Committee, and Gene Hunt, chair create VCU. of the RPI Alumni Council, want to share The project will transform two blank RPI’s history with today’s VCU students. walls in the University Student Commons into the RPI Heritage Wall, a series of informational panels depicting events in RPI’s history as well as interactive versions of the Wigwam and Cobblestone yearbooks. A stonelike wall, reminiscent of the original wall next to Ginter House, it will be a place where students and visitors can sit just as students did in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. “The heritage wall is dedicated to preserving history for current students and faculty,” Hunt said. “When we’re long gone, the wall will still be there.” Fundraising for the $200,000 project has only scratched the surface, Hunt explained. He encourages all who are connected to the university in some way to contribute, while also thanking RPI Alumni Council members who have made lead gifts to the effort. “Thousands of people pass through the University Student Commons every day. What a perfect way to remind them there was something there before VCU,” he said. “If you care about the university, then you’ll care about preserving its history. That requires financial support. It’s going to be beautiful — a piece of art. Prospective students and their parents will want to know where we came from.” The idea came about during an RPI Alumni Council meeting a few years ago. “At the time, folks at the University [Student] Commons were discussing what to do with space just inside the Floyd Avenue entrance, and it reminded me of a similar project on the MCV Campus,” said Lowenthal, chair of the RPI Heritage Wall Committee. “We were able to put together enough funds to establish a vision for what we wanted to accomplish from a design and architectural point of view. Now, we’re ready to turn the idea into reality.” The RPI Heritage Wall is an opportunity to educate students, guests and visitors about the history of VCU’s predecessor. “It will pay tribute to important milestones in the life of RPI and celebrate VCU’s heritage with the hope that their legacy to this great university will live in perpetuity,” said Diane C. Stout-Brown (B.S.W. ’80), senior director of VCU Alumni. “That way, future generations will never forget the significance of the cobblestone campus.” To learn more about the RPI Heritage Wall and to see a rendering of the project, visit vcualumni.org/News/RPI-Heritage-Wall, or contact Diane C. Stout-Brown, senior director of VCU Alumni, at (804) 828-7020 or dstout@vcu.edu. 4 | The Power of Personal Philanthropy
Bequest creates scholarship in mentor’s memory
Photo Chris Gotshall Photography
Thomas R. Poole, M.D. (M.D. ’61), grew up in a small West Virginia community. He and his family washed their clothes and their bodies in the town’s namesake, Briar Creek, and pumped drinking water out of the ground. That was more than 80 years ago. From those humble beginnings, Poole’s path led him to medical school and to a fulfilling career as an obstetrician. Now retired and living in Palm Coast, Florida, with his wife, Kay, Poole recently alerted his alma mater that the couple has made provisions in their estate plan for a $1 million bequest. In doing so, they became members of the MCV Society. The planned gift memorializes Poole’s mentor and friend, Daniel T. Watts, Ph.D., with a scholarship fund that will support generations of students in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. In 1966, Watts, a nationally recognized pharmacologist, became dean of the School of Basic Health Sciences and Graduate Studies at the Medical College of Virginia. But Poole met him before that, when Watts was chair of pharmacology at West Virginia University. “He interviewed me as I applied for medical school at West Virginia,” Poole said. “He knew I was a poor fellow and wondered how I was going to finance my family while I was in medical school. He offered me a job in his lab that would pay $300 a month for a year. That was hard to refuse. I got to know him very well. He was a man of great integrity. I couldn’t have been luckier to have that opportunity to work with him.” Poole completed his first two years of medical school at West Virginia University before finishing his studies at MCV. Watts touched many lives throughout his career. Lou Harris, Ph.D., vice chair of the VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, was attracted to VCU in 1972 because of Watts’ leadership of the unique School of Basic Health Sciences, which is now a part of the VCU School of Medicine. “A School of Basic Health Sciences was completely unusual in medical schools across the country at the time,” Harris said. “As dean in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Watts put together a group of fantastic faculty and associate deans. He was a brilliant manager and very encouraging of our working in the community particularly in programs to increase minority students’ interest in science.” Under Watts’ deanship, Harris said, the school created a program that exposed high school students to on-campus lab instruction, and he Kay and Thomas Poole’s generosity makes them advocated for the development of the members of the MCV Society. Ph.D. program. “With Watts’ help and support, we built a very large graduate and postgraduate program that has consistently received high national rankings. He was a good friend,” Harris said. The Pooles feel fortunate to be in the position to memorialize Watts. “I’m getting into my twilight years and want to do what I think is best because I’ve been so fortunate,” Poole said. “I thought so much of Dr. Watts who once asked me if the shoes I was wearing were the best I had. I replied, ‘They’re not only the best shoes I have, they’re the only shoes I have.’ The next day he gave me a pair of his own.” To learn more about the School of Medicine, contact Tom Holland, associate dean for development, at (804) 828-4800 or teholland@vcu.edu.
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Scholarship recognizes alumnus’s perseverance “I’m still in awe that it exists,” Ted Burdett (M.S. ’08) said of the scholarship created in his name at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. Burdett, an alumnus of Tulane University and of the Brandcenter’s second creative brand management class, is now an account supervisor on the Google Fiber account at San Francisco’s Venables Bell and Partners. Claire (left) and Ed (right) Burdett celebrate the marriage of His road to Venables, though, their son Ted to Alisa in May 2013. wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. “During a Tulane reunion, I met up with a few friends at the New Orleans Jazz Festival,” he said. “We started talking about what we were doing and a few of them were Brandcenter students. I remembered that my favorite undergraduate courses were in advertising.” But instead of applying to the Brandcenter at his friends’ recommendation, he traveled to Thailand to teach English with the intention of bouncing from country to country to see the world and to experience different cultures. “I got homesick in Thailand. It was hard to reach out to family and friends, and I started thinking about those conversations I had at jazzfest with my Brandcenter friends,” he said. A quick review of the Brandcenter’s website rekindled his interest in advertising, and soon he was off on his next adventure as a member of the Class of 2008. During his second year of the program, he was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma, from which he completely recovered. “It was a place where I grew into my own a little bit and it was also one of the hardest times of my life. As I went through treatment for Hodgkin’s, my entire class and the school rallied behind me. It was very inspirational and very tough at the same time.” Brad Armstrong, a family friend and partner at Richmond, Virginia-based Martin Agency, got to know Burdett when he arrived in the River City. “Ted persevered through a really difficult time and he hung in there,” Armstrong said. “His story was inspirational. What better way to honor Ted than to create a scholarship in his name that could be given to students who had overcome difficulty.” Burdett’s parents, Ed and Claire, agreed. “Brad raised the idea with us, and we reached out to colleagues and friends to get it off the ground,” Ed Burdett said. The Ted Burdett Scholarship is merit-based and has been awarded to six students. “It honors Ted and his effort to keep going,” Claire Burdett said. “And it also honors students with talents and skills who need financial help.” The Burdetts contribute to the scholarship every year. “The Ted Burdett Scholarship is a particularly special one to us because it is currently the only scholarship fund we have that honors an alumnus of the program,” said Brandcenter Director Helayne Spivak. “Ted is active in reviewing the scholarship applications himself, which is meaningful because he has been through this rigorous program and knows what it takes to succeed. We are lucky to have the Burdett family’s support.” To learn more about the VCU Brandcenter, contact Emily Hale, director of development, at (804) 827-8868 or ehale3@vcu.edu. 6 | The Power of Personal Philanthropy
Library,
continued from Page 3
and equipment for the new building can be adapted to the different ways VCU students will learn and study 40 years from now; an endowment to create first-in-class physical and technology capabilities for today’s students; and an endowment to further develop VCU’s collections of rare and unique materials in the expanded special collections area and archives. More than 90 percent of the building will be dedicated to usable square footage for students and faculty, with an emphasis on technology-enabled space instead of space for storage of books and materials. It also provides more room for graduate- and professional-level study as well as university and community events. “As an undergraduate student, I underutilized my time in the library,” said David Dennier (B.S. ’75), a member of the Friends of the Library board. “I used it for research and quiet study space. I really didn’t realize the immense treasures that exist in the library. “The new library will not only ensure that the university has the premier library in the commonwealth but that it’s also one of the nation’s best urban, public research universities. Let’s take VCU to the next level.” Plenty of treasures will await in this new academic hub — a large-scale display wall visible both inside and out, multiple gallery spaces, a 300-seat auditorium, an outdoor study terrace and event area, expanded special collections and archive spaces and much more. “Our new library on the Monroe Park Campus will serve more students each day than any other library in the commonwealth,” said University Librarian John E. Ulmschneider. “I cannot imagine a building anywhere in Virginia that will be more visible to students, faculty and visitors, affect more students or have a greater impact on student success. A gift to help build our new library will help more students, every single day, than any other gift you can give.” To request a copy of “Moving Forward,” a brochure about the new library, or to join the mailing list for construction updates and library news, contact Kimberly R. Separ (M.A. ’97), director of development and community relations, at (804) 827-1163 or ksepar@vcu.edu.
Plans for the new library boast multiple gallery spaces, a 300-seat auditorium, an outdoor study terrace and event area and expanded special collections and archive spaces.
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James Branch Cabell Library at a glance ...
In 2012-13
ty w
68%
of donations came from community members
25%
increase in giving to Friends of the Library
45%
increase in average annual gift
Volunteers logged more than
200,000 hours of service at various library events and initiatives
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n C
In a ypical week
The new Cabell
63,580 visitors through the door (4,376 from midnight to 7 a.m.)
1,148 laptops checked out
1,731
reservations for study rooms
2,718 hours study rooms in use
156,000
square-foot project
93,000
$50.8 million budget (state funds)
square feet of new construction
$10 million
additional funds needed (private)
To learn more about the new library, visit library.vcu.edu/newlibrary. If you’d like construction updates or want to keep an eye on the development yourself via webcam, go to http://ramcam.vcu.edu/hibbs. Summer 2014 | 9
Travel fund encourages bonds, friendships Through shared experiences and classes and spending many hours together, Virginia Commonwealth University students often build lasting friendships with their classmates. Jay “Tommy” Thompson III (B.S. ’80) and Jonathan “Jon” Roberts (B.S. ’79) developed a friendship in pharmacy school that continues today. Thompson is the owner and pharmacist in charge at Mechanicsville Drug Store, an independent community pharmacy in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Roberts serves as president of CVS Caremark Pharmacy Services, the largest pharmacy health care provider in the U.S. The two recently made gifts to the Roberts-Thompson Travel Fund, which encourages students to forge bonds with their classmates and to learn more about their profession. The fund, originally established by Thompson in 2006, provides financial assistance for Pharm.D. students who attend conferences and conventions to gain experience in the field. “I had really great experiences at these national conventions,” Thompson said. “It’s an opportunity you shouldn’t miss and when you don’t have the money, it can be impossible.” Traveling and bonding with classmates, Roberts added, is just as valuable as the conferences. “The travel fund is a great way to support students,” he said. “I put myself through pharmacy school, and any help you can get is always appreciated. College days are the most formative years of your life, and you may not be able to afford those opportunities to support your career development. I feel very fortunate to be in a position to give back and help others.” The Roberts-Thompson Travel Fund annually provides 20 travel awards of $250 each, which are available to Pharm.D. students through VCU chapters of five national pharmacy organizations and the Kappa Psi pharmaceutical fraternity. “The award is intended to promote camaraderie,” Thompson said. “When we were students, we’d get three or four people together to share costs and to share the experience.” Sharing the travel and conference experience leads to valuable career networking, said Victor Yanchick, Ph.D., former dean of the VCU School of Pharmacy. “When students see [at national meetings] what’s happening in their professions, they are preparing themselves for a career, not just a job, and in order to have a career that’s successful, they must have a network of professionals who can mentor and guide them along the way,” he said. “For Tommy and Jon to give back like this is tremendous. I admire them for what they’ve done and for what they’ve accomplished in their own careers.” To learn more about the VCU School of Pharmacy, contact Ellen Carfagno, director of development, at (804) 828-3016 or emcarfagno@vcu.edu.
The Robert-Thompson Travel Fund provides financial assistance to Pharm.D. students attending conferences and conventions to gain experience in the field.
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If it weren’t for a love of history, Ira Colby, Ph.D. (M.S.W. ’75), an internationally known social work educator, might have found his career taking a different path. When his supervisor at the Worcester, Massachusetts, YMCA suggested he pursue an advanced degree, Colby and his wife, Deborah (M.S.W. ’80), made the trip to Virginia. “I was enamored with the South, and I love history. I’m intrigued with how we got to where we are today as a society,” Ira said. “I read about Virginia Commonwealth University’s rich history and thought the school must be doing something right.” Deborah and Ira Colby, Ph.D., commemorate their positive experience at the VCU School of The Colbys both pursued graduate Social Work with a planned gift establishing two studies in social work at VCU and the endowed scholarships at the school. experience proved invaluable to their careers. In appreciation of their time at VCU, the couple made provisions in their will to provide financial support for the VCU School of Social Work. The Deborah and Ira Colby Fund will create endowed scholarships for a graduate student pursuing a career working with children and families in the public sector and a Ph.D. student pursuing a career in higher education with a specialization in social welfare policy. “Faculty members at VCU were amazing individuals,” Ira said. “They pushed and prodded and encouraged you to think differently. It was a vibrant place for students, and it gave me a chance to think about who I wanted to be and the best way for me to get there.” After Ira received his master’s degree, the couple moved to Ferrum, Virginia, where Ira developed the B.S.W. program at Ferrum College and Deborah worked as a juvenile probation officer in Rocky Mount, Virginia. Following Ira’s example, Deborah completed her master’s degree in social work after learning of a part-time program offered by VCU with course work in Richmond and field work in Roanoke, Virginia. “It was innovative and ingeniously set up,” she said. “I would drive to Richmond Monday morning for classes — after withdrawing $10 from my bank account for the week — and I would stay with friends overnight, go to classes Tuesday during the day and be home that night.” Withdrawing money every week, she said, was significant. “I couldn’t have gotten through it without my scholarship money.” The couple’s generous planned gift is a percentage of their estate, which at this time would be the largest individual commitment in the school’s history. “Ira and Deborah both developed a sense of and a passion for social work education when they were here at VCU,” said James E. Hinterlong, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Social Work. “Their generous gift reflects their commitment to the future of the profession and to VCU.” The Colbys are grateful for the foundation that VCU provided. “We both recognize that VCU was very important to our professional lives,” Ira said. “If it weren’t for VCU having a program in social work education, I know I wouldn’t be here today.” To learn more about planned giving, contact Tom Burke (B.S. ’79; M.P.A. ’95), executive director of the VCU Foundation, at (804) 828-3958 or tcburke@vcu.edu.
Photo AlexandersPortraits.com
Planned gift celebrates School of Social Work
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Award recipients share gratitude with donors More than 350 Virginia Commonwealth University scholarship donors and student recipients gathered in February for the 15th annual Monroe Park Campus Endowed Scholarship Dinner at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. Hosted by the VCU Foundation, the School of Business Foundation and the School of Engineering Foundation, the event brought students and donors together in an atmosphere of gratitude and celebration. Guests enjoyed dinner and remarks from VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., who thanked donors for their continued investment in the success of VCU students. Students Dan Metz (B.S. ’14), recipient of the Altria Scholarship, and Kellie Masters (B.S. ’14), recipient of the Charles G. Thalhimer Family Endowment Scholarship, also expressed their gratitude. “Receiving the Thalhimer Family Scholarship for my senior year was hugely impactful for me,” Masters said. “Instead of worrying about paying the bills and putting food on the table, I was able to pursue my passions, find a job in my industry for the experience and get involved in the School of Business by taking a leadership role in a student organization. In short, the Thalhimer family’s investment in me has allowed me to invest in my future in ways I could Scholarship recipients celebrate at The Jefferson Hotel with VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. (left) and his wife, Monica (right). never have before.”
VCU institutes new endowment minimums Virginia Commonwealth University implemented new minimum endowment levels Aug. 1. “The existing endowment levels do not generate sufficient spendable income to have the impact intended by these gifts. This change means our deserving scholarship students and endowed faculty members will receive more philanthropic support in the future,” said Chris Ritrievi, senior associate vice president for campaign leadership and constituency relations.
New minimums Scholarship $25,000 General endowment $25,000 Lectureship $100,000 Fellowship $250,000 Junior faculty endowment $250,000 Departmental professorship $500,000
University professorship $750,000 Distinguished professorship $1 million Chair $1.5 million Distinguished chair $2 million Deanship $2.5 million
Note: All previously established endowments below these minimum levels will be grandfathered and will function as they have in the past. Any new gift conversations will be focused on the new minimum levels.
For more information, visit support.vcu.edu/donors/waystogive or email supportvcu@vcu.edu. 12 | The Power of Personal Philanthropy
Surprise scholarship recognizes childhood friend George “Steve” Loder (B.S. ’71) and Richard T. “Dick” Robertson (B.S. ’67; H.L.D. ’05) have been friends for more than 50 years. From their high school days in Norfolk, Virginia, the two have remained close and communicate often. But Loder didn’t communicate one thing with his friend until May 6, when Virginia Commonwealth University dedicated the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture. Loder recently established a scholarship in the newly renamed school. Steve Loder (left) and his wife, Linda, surprise Dick In recognition of Robertson’s Robertson with their establishment of a merit-based scholarship in the VCU Richard T. Robertson School contributions to VCU as well to of Media and Culture. commemorate their longtime friendship, Loder and his wife, Linda, established the George S. Loder Scholarship, to be awarded for the first time in 2018. The merit-based scholarship will be available to students in the school in good academic standing. “This was the perfect time to do something like this,” Loder said. “Everything in life is about timing, and this was the right time.” Robertson began his 40-year television career in 1965 as a salesman for Richmond, Virginia-based WRVA-TV while earning a bachelor’s degree in advertising from VCU. Today, he is considered one of the architects of the syndicated barter television business and a powerful and innovative industry executive.
Nearly 300 Virginia Commonwealth University donors enjoyed an up-close-andpersonal view of the men’s basketball team in action this past season from the comfort of the university suite in the Stuart C. Siegel Center. At the invitation of VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., and Marti K.S. Heil, vice president for development and alumni relations, universitywide supporters were welcomed to the suite, where they witnessed 15 winning sellout games. Hosting donors in the suite during home games gives them an opportunity to see the university from a unique vantage point, Heil said. “The suite is a special place for us to applaud the efforts of our supportive donors,” she said. “It gives us a chance to say thank you for all you do and gives our friends a chance to bond over the shared support of our Rams.” VCU School of Medicine alumni Kathy Mika, M.D. (M.D. ’83), and David Mika, M.D. (M.D. ’83), catch up with Rodney the Ram in the university suite.
Photo Mitchell L. Moore
Donors enjoy bird’s-eye view in university suite
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Development team welcomes new members Chnoic Adams Clarke Development and alumni relations manager VCU College of Humanities and Sciences (804) 827-1306 ctadamsclark@vcu.edu Formerly: Assistant director of development, VCU School of Pharmacy
Caitlin Smith Hanbury (M.A. ’12) Stewardship manager VCU College of Humanities and Sciences (804) 827-0862 cshanbury@vcu.edu Formerly: Development associate, Maymont Foundation
Emily Hale Director of development VCU Brandcenter (804) 827-8868 ehale3@vcu.edu Formerly: Associate regional director of major gifts, Virginia Tech
Tamara N. Jones (B.A. ’04) Director of membership and business development VCU Alumni (804) 828-5658 tnjones2@vcu.edu Formerly: Annual giving manager, Rappahannock United Way
Maggie Keenan, Ed.D. (B.G.S. ’90; M.I.S. ’92) Director of development events and cause marketing VCU Massey Cancer Center (804) 828-0883 mfkeenan@vcu.edu
Chris Ritrievi Senior associate vice president for campaign leadership and constituency relations VCU Office of Development and Alumni Relations (804) 828-4205 critrievi@vcu.edu Formerly: Vice president for development, Bloomington at the Indiana University Foundation
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Investiture celebrates endowed professorships Sixty-one Virginia Commonwealth University faculty members were invested in endowed professorship and chair positions at a May ceremony at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. About 300 guests including donors, faculty, friends and family gathered to recognize the faculty members’ accomplishments and to thank generous donors for their support. “This is the first time since 2008 that we have gathered collectively to honor the faculty members who hold an endowed chair or professorship,” said Marti K.S. Heil, vice president for development and alumni relations. “We offer hearty congratulations to our distinguished faculty and our deepest gratitude to those who created these critical faculty support endowments.” The May investiture brings the total number of endowed faculty at VCU to 135.
Brunch honors MCV Campus scholarship donors The MCV Foundation hosted the ninth annual MCV Campus Endowed Scholarship brunch in February at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. More than 365 donors, scholarship recipients and guests heard from students Daniel Tiesworth and Danielle Viggiani, who provided perspectives on the impact that scholarships have had in their lives and careers. Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao, Ph.D., and MCV Foundation President Bill Kotti, Ph.D., spoke about the important role scholarships play in attracting and supporting the leading health care providers of the future. Nine years ago there were fewer than 80 endowed scholarships on the MCV Campus. That number has grown to 269 for the 2013-14 academic year.
Couples earn service awards at Commencement Thomas G. Snead Jr. (B.S. ’76; H.L.D. ’12), his wife, Vickie (B.S. ’76), and John C. Doswell II, D.D.S. (D.D.S. ’79) and his wife, Mary, received the Edward A. Wayne Medal at the May 10 Commencement ceremony held at the Richmond Coliseum. The Edward A. Wayne Medal was established in 1971 to honor individuals who provide exemplary service to the university. John Doswell has served on the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors, including as rector from 2013-14, and on the board of the MCV Alumni Association of VCU, where he served as president from 1997-99. He joined the MCV Foundation board of trustees in 1998 and became its chair in July 2008. Mary Doswell is president of the VCU School of Engineering Foundation board of trustees and serves on the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park Authority. Tom and Vickie Snead served as co-chairs for the Campaign for VCU, the most extensive capital campaign in VCU’s history. Vickie Snead is a former member of the VCU Alumni board, the Massey Cancer Center Advisory Board and the VCU Athletics Advisory Board. Tom Snead is a founding trustee of the VCU School of Business Foundation and served on the VCU Board of Visitors, including terms as vice rector and rector. In 2007, the Board of Visitors named the new VCU School of Business building in their honor as recognition of their service and philanthropy.
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