FOR FACULTY & STAFF AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND Spring 2018
National Media Attention Highlights Academic Excellence
FEEDING THE SOUL Human Resources staff volunteered at FeedMore, Central Virginia’s core hunger-relief organization, in December, preparing food to be delivered to those in need. “It was a wonderful experience knowing that we were helping someone in our own community, especially during the holidays,” said Laura Dietrick, director of compensation and benefits (front row, left).
AROUND THE LAKE 4 Financial aid: Our commitment to affordability 5 Media mentions 6 New wayfinding system to improve campus navigation 8 SpiderBytes moves to dedicated faculty/staff webpage Revamping the performance management process 9 Campus soon to be abuzz with summer activity 10 Campus departments work together to make commencement a success 12 Leadership Studies professor Julian Hayter talks about his '60 Minutes' experience 14 Professor's research wakes up Sunday Morning 15 Spider Pride marks one year of celebrating our accomplishments Social buzz 16 New A&S strategic plan strengthens liberal arts identity 18 Accolades UR Better initiative to make work processes more efficient 19 Faculty inspired to issue giving challenge
PEOPLE 20 Bursting with Spider Pride 22 Our accomplishments 23 A voice for healing 25 Service awards recognize staff commitment and excellence 26 New hires 27 Moves Retirements
We welcome your input. Send your story ideas or comments to spiderinsider@richmond.edu. Vice president for University communications John M. Barry Assistant vice president for communications and digital engagement Phillip Gravely Assistant vice president for marketing and brand integration P. David Johnson Editor Cheryl Spain Design Samantha Tannich and Gordon Schmidt Photography Jamie Betts Staff contributors Andrea Johnson Almoite, Ashley Bentley, Sunni Brown, Lindsey Campbell, Sam Campbell, Catherine Amos Cribbs, Stacey Dec, '20, Chad Devers, Matthew Dewald, Joedy Felts, Pryor Green, Debbie Hardy, Kevin Heraldo, Suzanne Hofmann, Pamela Lee, Katie McBride, Joe Minick, Cynthia Price, and Chris Romero Spider Insider is printed on paper that is FSC® Certified, SFI® Certified Sourcing, and Rainforest Alliance Certified™, with 10% post-consumer recycled content and certified fiber.
SHOWCASING FACULTY EXPERTISE
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Spring 2018
with president's video series
In a new video series, Spider Talks, President Ronald A. Crutcher is engaging in conversation with University faculty scholars to highlight their achievements and showcase their expertise. Through an informal one-onone interview setting, the series gives faculty an opportunity to discuss their scholarly interests and share their ambition for creating new knowledge through innovative teaching, unique research, and collaborative academic experiences with students and faculty colleagues alike. Spider Talks is the latest example of the University as a place in which accomplished faculty from diverse backgrounds and fields of study flourish. Conversations cover a wide range of topics — Julian Hayter discussing civil rights and historical monuments, April Greenan explaining her research on the intersection of music and medicine, Jack Singal introducing us to the invisible universe, and many more. “Spider Talks allows viewers to peek behind the curtain and see a little bit of what students at the University of Richmond get to experience from our amazing faculty,” Crutcher says. “These interviews highlight their research and expertise in a way that is engaging and approachable to a wide audience. It is a delight for me to sit down to have these conversations. We have such an impressive faculty, and I always learn something from these interviews.” Produced by University Communications, Spider Talks will feature a new episode each month during the fall and spring academic semesters as President Crutcher continues to engage with faculty across campus. Current episodes are now available at president. richmond.edu/spidertalks.
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Cindy Deffenbaugh, assistant vice president and director of student financial aid, and her team prepare the offer packages for the next cohort of Spiders.
FINANCIAL AID: Our Commitment to Affordability Two significant benefits that alleviate college costs are available to full-time faculty and staff with dependents: tuition remission and tuition exchange. Tuition remission covers the cost of tuition at UR for dependents accepted through the admission process. Through tuition exchange, dependents are eligible to attend other institutions through a competitive scholarship process. For information about the programs, visit hr.richmond. edu/benefits.
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full need. This dual policy puts a Richmond The role of financial aid in recruiting each education within reach of qualified students, year’s incoming class of traditional undergradno matter their economic status. Pair this poluates is difficult to overstate. Each spring, the icy with a reputation for academic excellence, financial aid office assembles the offers that accepted students receive as they decide whether and you have a key reason why the University to become Spiders. Most often, the packages are is consistently ranked one of the nation’s best a combination of merit-based and need-based values in higher education. aid from University of Richmond, federal, state, “Need blind and meets full need” is a mouthand other external sources. The amount varies ful and — like the entire college financial aid based on each process — warrants student’s applicasome explainLess than one percent of college tion materials and ing. “Need-blind and universities nationwide offer financial circumadmission” means stances. Last year, Richmond’s powerful combination that Richmond the office prepared doesn’t consider of need-blind admission and a approximately students’ financial 2,000 packages for circumstances commitment to meet full need. admitted students. when it considers “My team is their admission really busy,” Cindy Deffenbaugh, assistant vice applications if they are U.S. citizens or perpresident and director of student financial aid, manent residents. “Meets full need” means said in February as her team of a dozen began that once admitted, every prospective student to hit its busiest stretch. “They’re digging in — regardless of citizenship — who applies for right now, but they’re awesome, and they are financial aid receives a package that fills the keeping up.” gap between Richmond’s costs and a family’s While all universities provide some degree of ability to pay, as determined by Richmond’s financial assistance to students and are happy need analysis formula. to talk about it, Richmond puts its money In financial aid terminology, this gap is where its mouth is. Less than one percent called “demonstrated need.” Richmond fills of colleges and universities nationwide offer the gap with aid packages made up of grants Richmond’s powerful combination of needand scholarships that do not have to be reblind admission and a commitment to meet paid, as well as a “self-help” portion that may
President RONALD A. CRUTCHER discusses his passion for higher education in “For College Presidents, Is 70 the New 50?” The article notes that when Crutcher became aware of the opportunity to become UR’s president, he was attracted by the chance to lead a university striving for a diverse community. “I saw that as a real opportunity to continue to do something I’m passionate about,” he said. GIL VILLANUEVA, associate vice president and dean of admission, discusses UR’s new early action option (EA) in “Popularity of Early Admissions Grows and Grows.” UR added EA this year to help students and stay current with top competitor institutions. Regarding why this option is so appealing to high schoolers, he said, “If their chance of gaining admission is higher and they can know well before the spring, then it’s a no-brainer for them.” Law professor HAYES HOLDERNESS authored “The Next Tax Reform: Internet Sales Tax.” “We should be concerned when sales and use taxes go uncollected,” he wrote. “As a result, the quality of state services such as roads and schools suffer, or other taxes go up to cover the losses.”
include loans or work-study. The self-help portion is capped at $5,000 for incoming firstyear students. “If you have a student with a $10,000 demonstrated need, they’re going to get the $5,000 self-help and $5,000 in grants,” Deffenbaugh said, describing a hypothetical scenario. “If you have a student with a $50,000 need, they’re going to get the $5,000 self-help and $45,000 in grants.” Deffenbaugh and her colleagues began getting their earliest financial aid data for this year’s applicants after the U.S. Department of Education released its annual mandatory financial aid form — called the FAFSA — on Oct. 1. Applications continue to come in until the final Feb. 1 financial aid deadline. The bulk of the offers to accepted students go out from mid-January through the beginning of April, depending on the admission program through which a student applies. Once notifications for traditional undergraduates go out, the office focuses its attention on returning undergraduates and students in law, graduate business programs, and SPCS. The department also continually looks ahead, adjusting for the next year based on changing federal policies and the University’s budget. For the current school year, the financial aid office packaged $80 million in grants and scholarships; $73 million of this came directly from University of Richmond sources. “Once July hits, we take a deep breath, but we’re rolling pretty much throughout the year,” Deffenbaugh said. “I’m already thinking about the next cycle. Last week, I had a meeting to talk about what our financial aid award notifications are going to look like for the Class of 2023.”
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MEDIA MENTIONS
Law professor ANDY SPALDING, who has completed extensive research on anti-corruption law related to the Olympic games, was interviewed for two segments on the 2018 Olympics. “I think there is some reason to think that enthusiasm for the games in South Korea is not as high as the organizers would have liked or planned,” he said. “One reason for this is that the Games have been tainted by corruption scandals.” JESSICA FLANIGAN, professor of leadership studies and philosophy, politics, economics, and law, authored “The Feminist Case for a Universal Basic Income.” “Many social policies in the U.S. are influenced by extremely paternalistic thinking that perpetuates discriminatory stereotypes about women’s abilities to make informed and reasonable decisions for themselves,” she wrote. Management professor TOM MATTSON authored “The Net Neutrality Debate.” “The current regulatory environment in the U.S. has yielded a costly and slow internet, which is also not great for internet-based innovations,” he wrote. History professor ERIC YELLIN authored “The Corrupt, Racist Proposal from the State of the Union Address that Everyone Missed.” “Calls for government accountability have long merged racism and anti-government rhetoric but have traditionally stopped short of resurrecting the spoils system,” he wrote. In “The Fight Against ‘Toxic Masculinity,’” Richmond College Dean JOE BOEHMAN, an expert on issues impacting college men, discusses how the narrative to “be a man” or “be tough” can create challenges for male students. “When they run into a wall, whether that’s academics harder than they’ve ever experienced or an emotional or personal issue, it’s really hard for them to be vulnerable,” he said. Additional media mentions are available at news.richmond.edu/placements. For more information, please contact University Communications’ Media and Public Relations team: Cynthia Price, Sunni Brown, and Lindsey Campbell.
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VEHICULAR ENTRANCE PEDESTRIAN
BUILDING
NEW WAYFINDING SYSTEM TO IMPROVE CAMPUS NAVIGATION The University retained Corbin Design in 2016 to assist in assessing our exterior campus signage, developing exterior signage design standards, and determining location and messaging for all exterior signage. A campus group has worked closely with Corbin in a comprehensive effort over the course of two years. The installation of a new campus wayfinding system is the final phase of that project.
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Soon, finding your way around campus — or providing directions to someone else trying to navigate UR — will be much easier. Installation of a new “wayfinding” system will begin in May following commencement, with an expected completion date of early fall. “This is really a difficult place to get around,” said Andrew McBride, associate vice president for facilities and university architect. “Originally, addresses were set sequentially, but then we began doing infill [non-sequential] projects. The next thing you knew, building 35 was next to building 3. Although the logic is based on when the building was built, it makes no sense to anyone visiting the campus.” With the new wayfinding system, all buildings will be numbered sequentially with three digits organized around the four major roads on campus (100s along UR Drive, 200s around Richmond Way, 300s along College Road, and 400s around Westhampton Way). Even numbers will be on the North/ West side of a street and odds on the South/East side, following the city’s convention. Gaps in the numbers will allow for future projects. The University is working with the city and county to ensure that Google Maps will work accurately on campus. The existing campus signage will be replaced, and sign types will be complementary to one another using our blue and red University colors. The shield or spider will be incorporated into all of the vehicular, pedestrian, and entrance signs. All building signage will have the stylized arch/spider web similar to the one at Robins Stadium. “You won’t be able to miss them,” McBride said. Some street names also will change to adjust the points at which names begin and end, and to address the confusion often associated with roads that change names multiple times. Outdoor map kiosks will be placed throughout campus to help pedestrians navigate the University and identify the length of time it should take to get from one point to another. One concern raised has been what to do with collateral materials such as business cards or stationery with street addresses. McBride said departments should use what they have before ordering new materials. When ready to replenish supplies, McBride suggests ordering small quantities until the project is finished. “Mail is still going to get to you,” he said. “We will have some growing pains. We need to be patient,” McBride acknowledged. “Soon all anyone will know is how easy it is to navigate campus. I am excited that we are finally solving the wayfinding problem.”
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UPDATED UNIVERSITY ADDRESSES EFFECTIVE AUGUST 27, 2018 Boatwright Memorial Library..................... 261 Richmond Way Booker Hall................................................ 455 Westhampton Way Brunet Hall................................................ 206 Richmond Way Cannon Memorial Chapel.......................... 134 UR Drive Carole Weinstein International Center....... 211 Richmond Way Dennis Hall............................................... 244 Richmond Way Freeman Hall............................................. 248 Richmond Way Gateway Village........................................ 151–157 UR Drive Gottwald Center for the Sciences.............. 138 UR Drive Gray Court................................................. 416 Westhampton Way Heilman Center......................................... 410 Westhampton Way Jenkins Greek Theater............................... 422 Westhampton Way Jepson Alumni Center................................ 442 Westhampton Way Jepson Hall................................................ 221 Richmond Way Jeter Hall................................................... 242 Richmond Way Keller Hall................................................. 451 Westhampton Way Lakeview Hall............................................ 256 Richmond Way Lora Robins Court..................................... 403 Westhampton Way Marsh Hall................................................ 258 Richmond Way Maryland Hall............................................ 110 UR Drive Millhiser Gymnasium................................ 315 College Road Modlin Center for the Arts......................... 453 Westhampton Way Moore Hall................................................. 250 Richmond Way New Fraternity Row................................... 350–356 College Road North Court............................................... 421 Westhampton Way Old Fraternity Row..................................... 330–344 College Road Physical Plant........................................... 131 UR Drive Pitt Field................................................... 371 College Road Puryear Hall.............................................. 118 UR Drive
Queally Center........................................... 142 UR Drive Queally Hall............................................... 102 UR Drive Richmond Hall.......................................... 114 UR Drive Richmond Tennis Courts........................... 202 Richmond Way Robins Center........................................... 317 College Road Robins Hall............................................... 240 Richmond Way Robins School of Business........................ 102 UR Drive Robins Stadium........................................ 311 College Road Ryland Hall............................................... 106 UR Drive School of Law............................................ 203 Richmond Way Service Building (Print Shop).................... 133 UR Drive South Court............................................... 431 Westhampton Way Special Programs Building........................ 490 Westhampton Way Steam Plant.............................................. 122 UR Drive Student Activities Complex....................... 438 Westhampton Way Thomas Hall.............................................. 252 Richmond Way Tyler Haynes Commons.............................. 270 Richmond Way University Forest Apartments.................... 160–172 UR Drive, ................................................................. 191–193 UR Drive ................................................................. 470–483 Westhampton Way Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness........................... 321 College Road Weinstein Hall........................................... 231 Richmond Way Westhampton Center................................. 406 Westhampton Way Westhampton Hall..................................... 433 Westhampton Way Westhampton Tennis Courts...................... 426 Westhampton Way Whitehurst................................................ 246 Richmond Way Wilton Center............................................ 126 UR Drive Wood Hall.................................................. 254 Richmond Way
Visit facilities.richmond.edu/wayfinding for more information about the new wayfinding system.
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SPIDERBYTES MOVES TO DEDICATED FACULTY/ STAFF WEBPAGE For 15 years, the morning SpiderBytes email digest has posted announcements on upcoming academic and social events, dining specials, program deadlines, and more. Soon, that information will have a new home on the dedicated faculty/staff webpage: richmond.edu/faculty-staff. A similar destination site for students also is being created. The daily email digests will be phased out over the summer. Benefits of the move from email to a website include the ability to search past SpiderBytes content, a more user-friendly interface, and a location that also includes a wealth of additional information relevant to University faculty and staff. The faculty/staff webpage will complement the information that is now being provided through Spider Insider.
BENEFITS OF THE MOVE: • Ability to search past SpiderBytes • A more user-friendly interface • A location that also includes a wealth of additional information
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“We spoke with the University Staff Advisory Council and faculty representatives throughout the University and learned that while some readers find the digest format useful, for many others it is less than ideal,” said John M. Barry, vice president for communications. “There was also a hunger for more substantive information from the University, delivered on some regular basis, and thoughtfully organized resource material. Posting SpiderBytes-type announcements as part of a more robust suite of information tailored for faculty and staff came through as the preferred way to share this important but sometimes very specific information.” While the look of the digest and the way its content is accessed will change, the SpiderBytes submission process will remain familiar. SpiderBytes can still be submitted easily through the online form. The faculty/staff webpage that houses SpiderBytes offers a variety of information of special interest, including high-profile news and announcements, the latest faculty and staff accomplishments, and event and class information. There are also quick links to other official University communications channels, as well as some of the most commonly requested resource information. News and accomplishments on the page are updated frequently. “The response to our dedicated faculty/staff webpage has been very positive,” said Cheryl Spain, editor, internal communications. “We expect to see use increase as more and more faculty and staff bookmark the site and make it a home page in their browser.”
Laura Dietrick, director of compensation and benefits, and Carl Sorensen, senior associate vice president for human resources
RECOGNITION OF AN IMPORTANT COMMITMENT University of Richmond was recognized by the Richmond Living Wage Certification Program for going beyond the $7.25 minimum wage requirement and providing a living wage to employees.
REVAMPING THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROCESS In the “Great Colleges to Work For” surveys, staff consistently report that they want a better employee evaluation system, one that more accurately measures and rewards outstanding job performance and addresses low-performance issues. Human Resources recently launched an effort to design a system that will do just that. “The main goal of the initiative is to help the organization identify the objectives it wants in a performance management system and create a process that will meet those objectives,” said Bernadette Costello, “The main goal of the initiative is director of talent and orgato help the organization identify nizational effectiveness. the objectives it wants in a perforA 17-person steering committee held its first mance management system and meeting in February to set create a process that will meet direction for the project. those objectives.” The committee also led a series of focus groups with University employees in February and March to gather valuable feedback on what they want and need in a performance management system. The input garnered from those meetings will help the committee identify themes, guiding principles, and next steps. A draft of a proposed new performance management process is anticipated by this summer. Implementation is expected to begin sometime in 2019. Costello says she began the process of revising the performance management system without any preconceived notions of what it should look like. She knows that similar open-mindedness and buy-in among her colleagues across campus is equally important. “It’s so hard to not have your past experience bleed over into the next thing,” Costello said. “I hope people will give the process a chance to work — and give it the time and effort it will take to be successful.” To learn more about the performance management initiative, visit hr.richmond.edu/learning/career-initiatives.
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CAMPUS SOON TO BE ABUZZ with summer activity Once seniors walk across the stage and the mavenue and hospitality,” he added. jority of undergraduates leave for the summer, The School of Professional and Continumany may guess our campus would become ing Studies engages the campus and greater quiet for the summer months. But as we know, community in a variety of summer options, that’s just not the case. Instead, our campus including an au pair enrichment program and springs to life in a whole new way, as hundreds the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which of guests pour in for camps, conferences, classoperate all year. SPCS has a longstanding partes, programs, and more. These events allow us nership with the Institute of Reading Developto not only be a part of the greater community, ment, and staff will be on campus throughout but also provide a great opportunity for us to the summer helping K–12 students with their showcase the UR experience. reading skills. Additional summer programs When guests arrive, operated through SPCS they find countless UR These events allow us to not include summer youth staff and faculty here enrichment programs only be a part of the greater to welcome them and for rising kindergarten ensure their experithrough eighth-grade community, but also provide ence is a good one. students and STEPS a great opportunity for us to The Events, Conto Success, a program ferences, and Support showcase the UR experience. focusing on entrance Services Division will exams and college prep host roughly 60 groups for teenagers. for sports camps and conferences. “They meet “We are delighted to have a large percentage here, eat here, and sleep here,” said David of faculty, staff, and their families participate Donaldson, operations and summer programs in these programs each summer,” said Mary coordinator. Catherine Raymond, senior program manager Donaldson said these groups are on campus for non-credit. starting the week after graduation until Aug. 1, Recreation and Wellness staff make sure with the busiest times being mid-June, beginemployees and their families can take advanning of July, and the 2nd to last week of July. tage of a wide variety of programming and fun “That’s when people will see the most outside activities in the summer months, including visitors to campus and an especially increased the annual UR fishing tournament, held the volume in the dining hall,” Donaldson said. Saturday of Father’s Day weekend. The Food Conference groups returning to campus this for Thought health education and financial summer include Jostens Yearbook Camp for wellness series continues in the summer, and high school students and the Virginia Educathe annual session on retirement is hosted in tion Association. New groups include Welsh July. Heritage and the Faison Center: School and “We also want all employees to remember Center for Autism. One highlight each year is that the Weinstein Center is open all year, and hosting the Virginia Special Olympics Summer we continue to offer massage therapy, personal Games. “That’s a longstanding partnership we training, and group fitness options throughout are really proud of,” Donaldson said. the summer,” said Heather Sadowski, assistant “Our main goal is for visitors to have a posidirector of wellness. tive experience and keep coming back for the
For more information on the summer programming available for faculty and staff through the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, visit spcs.richmond.edu/ summer.
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Campus departments WORK TOGETHER
For information about this year’s commencement ceremonies, including speaker bios and event dates and times, visit commencement.richmond.edu.
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From their first move-in day until the last final of their last finals week, commencement on Sunday, May 13, is the one day every student in the Class of 2018 has in mind for four years. Behind the scenes, departments across campus have been thinking about it for even longer. Commencement touches most faculty and staff in some way. The registrar’s office plans commencement dates years in advance. With those dates in hand, the events staff manages countless details for celebrating graduates and their families year after year. “[Planning] really begins with a wrap-up of the previous commencement,” said Liz McCann, assistant director of events. “We are following up as soon as it ends, learning what we can do better.” Alicia Engels joined McCann as the events manager and commencement coordinator this year. “Commencement is really the cherry on top of everyone’s Richmond experience,” Engels said. “All the details have to have a home
and plan before we get there.” Commencement weekend comprises seven ceremonies and more than 20 celebrations and receptions hosted by academic departments. Each event requires its own management, and the commencement committee and the day-of logistical team work to make the entire weekend seamless. Catering director Joe Wolff said he is able to begin planning menus for each reception in February. Allison Steele, manager of custodial and environmental services, however, said she must wait until the commencement agenda is finalized in April to coordinate the additional staff from her department who will work that weekend. Advance planning goes only so far. There is no way of getting around the myriad details that have to be tended at the last minute as everything involved in commencement converges. “What makes it very tricky for us is that we have a rule for ourselves that hot food is delivered only 30 minutes before it’s to be plated,”
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to make commencement a success Wolff said. “To facilitate that, we have two catering trucks, a catering van, and when those are all busy we throw stuff in our cars. Outside of the Heilman Dining Center, we are serving more than 2,000 meals.” As commencement week arrives, teams from facilities build risers and bring in more than 900 chairs for graduates and others. A contractor with specialized equipment and training even spiffs up the windows of the Robins Center and Tyler Haynes Commons. “They’re four full days of getting everything ready,” said events technician Rich McDonald, who has worked commencement for 34 years. “On graduation day, we have people from each team — electrical, mechanical, plumbing — just in case something goes wrong.” The custodial staff is equally hard at work, cleaning every row in the Robins Center and keeping all campus spaces inviting throughout the weekend. David Donaldson spends the weekend thinking about waste. As operations and summer programs coordinator, he oversees the Rethink Waste commencement initiative,
ensuring that the compost waste streams are not contaminated, providing reusable water bottles for each speaker, recycling caps and gowns, and more to minimize the amount of waste commencement sends to the landfill. “It’s challenging to get all the parts working together,” Engels said. She has trouble putting a firm total on the number of people involved in making commencement run smoothly. “It’s like a pendulum: If one thing changes, a lot of things are affected.” If the many different teams involved throughout commencement are successful, their work is visible only in how smoothly the weekend runs for Richmond’s freshest alumni and their families. “We work together because we’re all one team,” said Bettie Clarke, executive director of campus dining. “It’s just that we [each] have to do something different to get the job accomplished.”
“We’re all one team. It’s just that we [each] have to do something different to get the job accomplished.”
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“Great @60Minutes segment tonight featuring Richmond VA on topic of Confederate monuments. Richmond’s mayor @ LevarStoney and UR Professor Dr. Julian Hayter @JepsonSchool voiced important and thoughtful viewpoints. Well done.” —@Mumfords via Twitter “Excellent interview! Julian Hayter has some brilliant ideas and made me want to sign up for one of his classes. Smart man.” —Kimberly Johnson Rutledge via Facebook “Excellent piece and my new favorite academic term: “historical jujitsu” in recommending adding major historical context to Confederate monuments. —@Amelia_Vogler via Twitter
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Leadership Studies professor Julian Hayter talks about his ‘60 MINUTES’ experience Julian Hayter grew up watching 60 Minutes, describing it as part of his “growth process.” Just last month Hayter, a historian and an associate professor in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, appeared on the show to talk about Confederate monuments. Hayter, who is sought after for his expertise in modern U.S. history and civil rights, also was appointed to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s Monument Avenue Commission. The segment, titled “The History and Future of Confederate Monuments,” focused on the future of Confederate monuments in the wake of the Unite the Right rally and violence that broke out in Charlottesville last August. “To be able to talk about my work was a dream come true in some ways,” Hayter said. “It was fascinating to talk about Richmond and the monuments. I see Richmond through the lens of an expert — a deeply historical lens. It was nice to be acknowledged for being an expert in this area.” Hayter and Anderson Cooper also strolled along Monument Avenue looking at the monuments. “All these years later, the Civil War, in many ways, is still contested ground,” Hayter told Cooper. “Monument Avenue is not just a national tourist attraction, but an international tourist attraction.” Hayter was interested to speak with 60 Minutes because he knew the show would give the story the gravitas it deserved. “We’re all victims of the sound bite,” Hayter says. “But 60 Minutes had been here long before the events in Charlottesville, and they have stayed long after. Their brand of journalism is
commensurate with the types of hard-hitting, research-based journalism that harkens back to the news media of old.” The 60 Minutes segment, though, was long in the making. 60 Minutes’ research included several preparatory phone calls with Hayter, numerous in-person conversations with the producers, and a visit to one of his classes, in addition to the interview. The day of the interview, Hayter admitted to a few butterflies, which didn’t last long. “The lights and camera were intimidating,” he said. “I walked in and was like, ‘Whoa!’ ” He said Cooper made the interview easy. “He was so laid-back,” Hayter said. “We started off just chatting, and then we transitioned into the interview with relative ease.” They spoke for almost 90 minutes. “I really enjoyed it,” Hayter said. “I was talking with someone who was curious. Cooper was interested in my expertise on the monuments, and he brought those curiosities to bear on the interview.” Hayter is among many UR faculty and staff who are sought by national and international media to share their understanding and perspectives of issues in the news. The media and public relations team in University Communications works with faculty every week to secure opportunities for them to share their insights on timely topics of interest and importance. For the full interview, visit news.richmond.edu.
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A SPIDER INSIDER VIEW BEHIND THE SCENES OF 60 MINUTES When a faculty member shares their expertise with reporters, the story enters the editorial calendar of the news source. Sometimes a story will appear within a few days. Sometimes it can take weeks. The 60 Minutes segment featuring Julian Hayter aired after a six–month process. What happened in those six months? SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2017 Hayter caught the attention of 60 Minutes producers after several other media placements and being appointed to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s Monument Avenue Commission. A producer called him several times to discuss his expertise, and he was selected as an interviewee for the segment. Cynthia Price, director of media and public relations in University Communications, coordinated the segment with the producer and encouraged the show to film on campus. “They originally said they would like to interview Julian on Monument Avenue,” said Price. “I suggested they also come to campus because it’s beautiful, and we could provide a quiet, academic setting for the interview.” Price sent several photos of possible locations on campus, before the producer decided to film the interview in the Jepson Alumni Center library. After many emails, phone calls, and schedule changes from the network, a filming date was selected for December. DECEMBER 2017 The day before the film shoot, the film crew and producers arrived and conducted a walk-through of the space. The next morning a snowstorm descended, blanketing the campus and the Eastern Seaboard. As
the snow slowed, facilities staff cleared the parking lot and sidewalks at the Jepson Alumni Center, enabling the crew to safely transport equipment inside for the filming. Correspondent Anderson Cooper arrived midmorning, and Hayter entered the library a short time later. Setup took a few hours; filming lasted about 90 minutes; and another hour was needed to pack up. Photos commemorated the interview, but University Communications agreed not to promote the forthcoming segment until 60 Minutes had showcased the piece itself. The crew and Hayter later headed to Monument Avenue for additional footage.
Viewership for the 60 Minutes segment was reported to be 16 million.
JANUARY 2018 The film crew returned to campus to get shots of Hayter in his classroom. SEPTEMBER 2017–MARCH 2018 The few people aware of the segment worked hard to keep the information under wraps. Because the information was embargoed (secret) until CBS News began promoting the segment, the communications team paid close attention to what CBS was (and was not) communicating on a regular basis. MARCH 2018 Thursday afternoon, March 8, CBS issued a press release announcing the 60 Minutes lineup for the weekend broadcast. Its lead read, “The History and Future of Confederate Monuments.” We knew then that our segment was to air and we began to communicate the exciting news.
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Kelly Lambert and CBS News correspondent Tony Dokoupil in her lab for the filming of CBS Sunday Morning.
PROFESSOR’S RESEARCH WAKES UP SUNDAY MORNING The viewership for CBS News programs is reported as 16 million.
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Kelly Lambert, professor of behavioral neuroscience, is well-known for her research related to how working with our hands can impact our brains in a positive way. Her work in this area recently caught the attention of two national media outlets. CBS Sunday Morning devoted an entire episode to feature stories about the mysteries of the brain. A crew traveled to the University of Richmond in February to interview Lambert for a segment called “How busy hands can alter our brain chemistry.” “When we engage in activities, we change the neurochemistry of our brain in ways that a drug can change the neurochemistry of our brain," says Lambert in the segment, which aired March 18. Lambert uses rodents to study hand-brain connections to show that activities that use both of our hands, especially in creative ways, are more en-
gaging for our brains. She discovered rats that had to dig for rewards showed higher signs of mental health compared to “trustfund” rats that didn’t have to participate in physical work. “They outsmart me every day,” Lambert says about rats. She knows these animals might not be a favorite for most people, but she says she’s constantly in awe of how much they can tell us about ourselves. Lambert also is quoted about hand-brain connection in the article “Make Time for Painting” in the April issue of Family Circle magazine. “The movement of our hands when working on crafts such as painting activates large areas of our brain involved with action, planning, and — when we like what we’ve created — satisfaction and pleasure. It can also help lower stress,” she said.
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Spider Pride marks ONE YEAR OF CELEBRATING our accomplishments If you’re noticing an increase in Spider pride assistant vice president for communications within the UR community, you’re not alone. and digital engagement. “It is an avenue for all For the past year, faculty, staff, students, alumof us already within the Spider family to share ni, parents, and others have been getting a and celebrate our many accomplishments. It regular dose of it thanks to a new website and also equips us all, as University ambassadors, complementary email with a lot of good designed to be an unnews we can share.” “Spider Pride is not intended abashed celebration of The website, spito be an unbiased news source derpride.richmond. the things that make us proud to be Spiders. edu, is updated ... It is an avenue for all of us Since its launch in multiple times per already within the Spider March 2017, Spider week and serves as a family to share and celebrate Pride has shared more home for stories that than 260 stories about our many accomplishments.” are shared widely rankings, student and throughout the alumni successes, University’s commufaculty and staff achievements, traditions, nication channels, including the more than and many more topics that are distinctively 90,000 followers across UR’s social media Richmond. platforms. The email delivers fresh content to “Spider Pride is not intended to be an our entire Spider community approximately unbiased news source,” says Phillip Gravely, every 10 days.
Want to share what’s making you proud to be a Spider? Visit spiderpride.richmond.edu/submit and fill out the short form.
SOCIAL BUZZ Bill Myers was almost entirely responsible for my becoming a Spider, and he and Michelle Hamm are my perpetual role models. … So grateful for their service and example! —Karen Lewis via Facebook Rick Mayes was my academic mentor and the reason I chose PLSC [political science] as my major, and I
am still interested in education policy and healthcare policy to this day! Thanks Dr. Mayes! —Abby Emerson Ward via Facebook [Elisabeth] Wray is awesome! No nonsense, no excuses learning. Loved her straightforward approach and passion. —Dan Faries via Facebook
Best professor I ever had, hands down. I still remember and use things I learned in his classes daily. He pushed me to take a shot at a Poynter Institute post-grad newspaper design
seminar, which set me on 30-year career in graphic design. Thanks for everything, Mike [Spear], and enjoy that well-deserved retirement!! —Rick Whiteman via Facebook
Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @urichmond.
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Patrice Rankine, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, talks with faculty colleagues.
NEW A&S STRATEGIC PLAN
strengthens liberal arts identity
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As the School of Arts & Sciences approaches its 30th anniversary, it is celebrating the milestone by looking to the future. After a thorough self-assessment involving faculty, staff, and students, A&S has launched a strategic plan called Concept 30. It’s an ambitious blueprint that charts the course for reaching ambitious goals. The development of Concept 30 was the first wide-ranging strategic planning process in A&S’s history. The plan identifies four goals — community, curriculum, creativity, and conscience — for which A&S is developing initiatives to strengthen a cohesive identity for the school, enhance the University’s liberal arts curriculum, support creativity and the production of knowledge, and develop programming that deepens conscience and self-awareness. “The planning process presents us with an opportunity to affirm what we are today,
what we value, and what we aspire to be,” said Patrice Rankine, dean. “Through Concept 30, we are defining and pursuing our common direction as an academic community.” A&S is the academic home for the majority of undergraduates, including the entire first-year class. It was organized as a formal administrative unit in 1991, but many of its disciplinary areas date back to the University’s founding. Throughout the University’s nearly 200-year history, study of the arts and sciences has been a foundational experience for all students, no matter which major or majors they eventually pursue. But while a student studying business or leadership studies tends to feel a strong affiliation with the Robins and Jepson schools, A&S’s shared identity has been less apparent. “Students have expressed a desire for an articulation of the uniqueness of an Arts &
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According to Dean Patrice Rankine, Concept 30 identifies four goals: COMMUNITY Building a shared identity that recognizes and values the contributions of all of our members CURRICULUM Developing intellectual dexterity that encourages curiosity and challenges preconceived ideas CREATIVITY Promoting free and innovative inquiry and expression
Sciences experience,” Rankine said. “From ly belong to a community of learners, akin the time students arrive at UR, the majority to their peers in Robins and Jepson. These of their classroom experiences occur in A&S. moves should also help with recruiting excepThese include first-year seminars, living-learntional faculty and staff to A&S, Rankine said. ing communities, and the majority of their Concept 30 also focuses on continuing to community-based learning activities.” support and expand undergraduate programs With the launch of Concept 30, the School focused on research, cohort-building, and hopes to strengthen integrated and interdisits identity as a liberal ciplinary approaches “Through Concept 30, we arts community within to learning. Among the are defining and pursuing the broader University. standards that will guide The establishment of Concept 30 are reaffirmour common direction as Rankine’s annual State ing interdisciplinary colan academic community.” of the School address laboration and students’ was one step in this ability to build research direction. Another step was the creation of a communities throughout the year, including dean’s student advisory board, where students the summer. share their experiences and perspectives “Liberal arts is essential to the University’s about life in Arts & Sciences, inside and outidentity, and A&S is at the heart of that idenside of the classroom. tity,” Rankine said. “We look forward to living Rankine anticipates the development of more fully into our values as a community many more initiatives designed to further all committed to the liberal arts, in partnership four of Concept 30’s goals. For those students with our colleagues across campus.” who choose an A&S major, new rituals and programs will affirm their desire to more clear-
CONSCIENCE Exemplifying our shared values by how we support intellectual production, community engagement, and ecological responsibility The goals complement each other. Many of the initiatives that arise from the plan will advance more than one.
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ACCOLADES The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named UR among the U.S. colleges and universities that
PRODUCED THE MOST 2017– 18 FULBRIGHT U.S. SCHOLARS. Three scholars from the University of Richmond were awarded Fulbright grants, the top number in the Bachelor’s institutions category. The University of Richmond has had 16 faculty members awarded Fulbrights in the past five years.
The Princeton Review ranked UR No. 3 among the
TOP 25 BEST SCHOOLS FOR INTERNSHIPS AND NO. 39 AMONG THE TOP 50 COLLEGES THAT PAY YOU BACK — up from No. 18 and No. 48 last year, respectively — in the 2018 edition of “Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck.” Colleges included are considered the nation’s best for academics, affordability, and career prospects.
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named UR to its list of the
“300 BEST COLLEGE VALUES FOR 2018,” ranking Richmond No. 18 out of the 100 best values in private liberal arts colleges.
Poets&Quants for Undergrads, a leading online publication for undergraduate business education news, ranked the Robins School of Business
NO. 21 ON ITS 2017 LIST OF THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS, up six spots from last year. The ranking is based on a representative survey of more than 6,000 recent graduates and school-reported data. Students across 82 schools were surveyed on aspects of admissions standards, academic experience, and employment placement.
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UR BETTER initiative to make work processes more efficient
The Stewardship pillar of the strategic plan calls for the University to “work aggressively to achieve the University’s goals while moving away from an additive model that places stress on the human, environmental, and financial resources of the University.” This spring, the University is launching a campus-wide effort, UR Better, to reduce the burden of inefficient administrative processes for faculty and staff and, as a result, enable them to better utilize their talents and skills on behalf of the educational mission of the University. UR Better will reimagine and redesign our work processes to be simpler, smarter, and more effective while also embracing technologies that improve accuracy and compliance and reduce the need for manual and/or duplicative work. The success of UR Better is dependent upon participation and input from the campus community. Faculty and staff will be encouraged to not only look within their own areas for process improvement opportunities, but also to look at work holistically since many of our day-to-day tasks are interwoven or connected with those of our colleagues. “We’re asking people to consider the way they do things,” said David Hale, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We are looking for opportunities to make people’s work more productive and fulfilling." Lori Schuyler, vice president for planning and policy, echoed the sentiment. “We want to make sure that University processes are as simple and as smart as they can be so that faculty and staff at the University can focus their time and expertise on our educational mission.” Existing resources have been reallocated to provide support for UR Better. Sybil Fellin, former data analyst in the planning and budget office, will take the project lead. An analyst position will be created from an existing financial offices’ position, and a search will be launched this spring to fill that position. In addition, the initiative’s executive sponsors — Hale; Schuyler; Stephanie Dupaul, vice president for enrollment management; Jeffrey Legro, executive vice president and provost; Keith “Mac” McIntosh, vice president for information services and chief information officer; and Patrice Rankine, School of Arts & Sciences dean — have invited representatives from every division on campus to participate on the project steering committee, which held its first meeting in April. Schuyler says the team is actively searching for opportunities for process improvements and all community members can participate by offering suggestions via urbetter.richmond.edu. Suggestions will be prioritized through Steering Committee work, and process improvement efforts will begin this summer. “We have an opportunity and responsibility to improve our processes,” McIntosh said. “When we are successful, we’ll be able to better focus on our core mission of educating our students … and helping people do their jobs more effectively.”
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Math professors Kathy and Chip Hoke, fourth and seventh from left, with A&S colleagues who are also alumni or Spider parents, issued a giving challenge that resulted in more than 620 donations for the School.
FACULTY INSPIRED TO ISSUE GIVING CHALLENGE Math professors Kathy and Chip Hoke have been teaching at the University of Richmond for more than 20 years and have always been proud Spiders. Son Harry, ’17, double-majored in theatre and political science, and as they watched him take advantage of all that UR has to offer, from undergraduate research to performing and directing opportunities, they saw the University through fresh eyes. When they attended the School of Arts & Sciences (A&S) State of the School address in August 2017 and heard that earlier that year, Dean Patrice Rankine issued a matching gift to challenge A&S alumni, the Hokes were inspired to do something similar. Partnering with colleagues in Advancement, the Hokes organized a group of A&S faculty colleagues who are also UR alumni or Spider parents to issue a giving challenge. “Our hope was to state in a very specific and clear way to alumni and parents how much we, as faculty, believe in the mission of A&S,” Kathy Hoke said. The group included 16 colleagues from 11 departments within A&S, and collectively, they pledged $9,000 to the School. “When we speak with alumni, they love to talk about the professors they remember best — professors who shaped their lives, made them dig deeper, and saw potential others hadn’t yet,” said Kim Lebar, director of annual giving. “We thought UR alumni could be really motivated by a faculty challenge.” Alumni and parents were invited to give to A&S or to an A&S department of their choice during
December 2017, and if 500 donations came in, the faculty gifts would be activated. The response from alumni and parents was swift. “It was heartening to see pictures of my professors in my inbox and exciting to hear their kids are attending UR,” said Lisa Pfefferle, ’07. “I loved this challenge, and I immediately reached for my credit card between conference calls and emails.” At the conclusion of the campaign, the School had received gifts from 483 alumni and 138 parents/families, exceeding the number of gifts needed to unlock the faculty match. It was thrilling for all involved. “I saw it as affirmation that other people felt the same way I did about UR,” Hoke said. “When my colleagues and fellow Spider parents and alumni step up, and they value the same things that I do, the personal relationships that are built here at UR, that’s a pretty wonderful thing to realize.” And for Rankine, whose initial gift to the School spurred the Hokes to organize the faculty challenge, it was proof in the power of the UR community. “Giving, for me, meant providing evidence for my belief in A&S,” Rankine said. “And look what it spawned: staff, alumni, and faculty gave, in turn. Belief is contagious. We can do great things together.”
“Our hope was to state in a very specific and clear way to alumni and parents how much we, as faculty, believe in the mission of A&S.”
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Photography by Jamie Betts
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PEOPLE BURSTING WITH SPIDER PRIDE UR employees Karen Kourkoulis, Pietra Balsamo, and Cathy Caselli show off their limited-edition “Spider Proud” T-shirts on National Spider Day, held annually on March 14. The event featured a social media campaign for which faculty, staff, students, and alumni were encouraged to don their Spider gear and share the many reasons they’re proud to be part of the web. “My favorite part of being a member of UR’s Spider community is working with our staff and students each day,” Kourkoulis said. “There is a real sense of family here.”
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OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS We celebrate the accomplishments of our talented faculty and staff. See more accomplishments and submit your own grant, publication, or honor at richmond.edu/ faculty-staff.
EDWARD AYERS, Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and president emeritus, will receive the 2018 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize for his book The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America. Associate professor of rhetoric and communications studies TIM BARNEY's paper “Citizen Cartography, North Korea, and the Visual Economy of Satellite Imagery” was named Top Paper in Rhetoric & Public Address for the 2018 Eastern Communication Association Convention. KRISTIN BEZIO, associate professor of leadership studies, co-edited Leadership, Popular Culture and Social Change, published by Edward Elgar Publishing. BOB BLACK, “Voice of the Spiders” and director of broadcast and news content for the athletic department, is the co-host of a new ESPN Richmond morning show, The Black and Drew Sports Huddle. The two-hour call-in show airs weekdays from 8 to 10 a.m. on 99.5/102.7 FM and 950/1240 AM. JORY BRINKERHOFF, associate professor of biology, received a $30,000 (approximate) Fulbright award for travel to Japan for his project “Analysis of Bacterial Communities in Japanese Macaque Parasites.” ELENA CALVILLO, associate professor of art history, contributed a chapter, “‘No Stranger in Foreign Lands’: Francisco de Hollanda and the Translation of Italian Art and Art Theory,” to Trust and Proof. JAMES CAMPBELL, director of marketing and communications for the School of Professional and Continuing Studies (SPCS), Daniel Hocutt, web manager and adjunct professor of liberal arts in SPCS, and Phil Melita, communications coordinator for SPCS, presented “When Inquiries Are Up but Web Visits Are Down: Discovering Different Ways to Report Good News” at the 26th annual University Professional and Continuing Education Association Marketing and Enrollment Management Seminar in Washington, D.C.
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Reflective Practice Among In-Service Teachers” in the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education. KRISTEN DAY, staff psychologist, became a dual member of the National Center for Crisis Management and the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. Members are awarded this certification based upon demonstrated commitment and experience assisting victims and fellow professionals before, during, and in the aftermath of traumatic events and crisis situations. MARIAMA REBELLO DE SOUSA DIAS, assistant professor of physics, with collaborators at the University of Maryland, published "Lithography-Free, Omnidirectional, CMOS-Compatible AlCu Alloys for Thin-Film Superabsorbers" in Advanced Optical Materials. The article was chosen for the inside front cover of the journal. KELLING DONALD, associate professor of chemistry, and two undergraduate co-authors, published "Coordination and Insertion: Competitive Channels for Borylene Reactions” in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. Donald was appointed to a three-year term as a councilor for the Council on Undergraduate Research. WADE DOWNEY, professor of chemistry, received an $8,000 grant from Organic Syntheses Inc. for his project “Rapid Construction of Furans from 3-Silylated Propargyl Carboxylates.” AL GOETHALS, who holds the E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professorship in Leadership Studies, and Julian Hayter, assistant professor of leadership studies, co-edited Reconstruction and the Arc of Racial (in)Justice, Edward Elgar Publishing. KRISTINE GRAYSON, assistant professor of biology, received a $6,000 grant from the Gypsy Moth Slow the Spread Foundation for her project "Variation in Developmental Traits among Invasion Front Gypsy Moth Populations." ERIC GROLLMAN, assistant professor of sociology, published “Sexual Orientation Differences in Whites’ Racial Attitudes,” in Sociological Forum and “Americans’ Gender Attitudes at the Intersection of Sexual Orientation and Gender” in the Journal of Homosexuality.
MICKIE CAMPOS, administrative coordinator in career services, Carrie Hawes, associate director of employer relations, and Leslie Stevenson, director of the Career Development Center, received an $11,000 grant from Altria to support student programming such as career fair preparation, brand management education, national sales competitions, student mentoring, diversity initiatives, and leadership development within Alumni and Career Services.
CARRIE HAWES, associate director of employer relations, Mickie Campos, administrative coordinator in career services, and Leslie Stevenson, director of the Career Development Center, received an $11,000 grant from Altria to support student programming such as career fair preparation, brand management education, national sales competitions, student mentoring, diversity initiatives, and leadership development within Alumni and Career Services.
KATE CASSADA, assistant professor of education, and Laura Kassner, adjunct assistant professor of education, published “Chat It Up: Backchanneling to Promote
JULIAN HAYTER, assistant professor of leadership studies, was a speaker for the 2018 Virginia Festival of the Book. He discussed his book The Dream is Lost: Voting Rights and the Politics of Race in Richmond, Virginia at the
PEOPLE
festival in Charlottesville, Virginia., in March. Hayter and Al Goethals, who holds the E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professorship in Leadership Studies, co-edited Reconstruction and the Arc of Racial (in)Justice, Edward Elgar Publishing. DANIEL HOCUTT, web manager and adjunct professor of liberal arts in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, published “Algorithms as Information Brokers: Visualizing Rhetorical Agency in Platform Activities” in Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society. Hocutt, James Campbell, director of marketing and communications for SPCS, and Phil Melita, communications coordinator for SPCS, presented “When Inquiries Are Up but Web Visits Are Down: Discovering Different Ways to Report Good News” at the 26th annual University Professional and Continuing Education Association Marketing and Enrollment Management Seminar in Washington, D.C. ANN HODGES, professor of law emerita, was elected a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, the highest recognition of outstanding performance in the profession. SANDRA JOIREMAN, Weinstein Chair of International Studies and professor of political science, published “Protecting Future Rights for Future Citizens: Children’s Property Rights in Fragile Environments” in Oxford Development Studies and “Intergenerational Land Conflict in Northern Uganda: Children, Customary Law and Return Migration,” in the journal Africa. LAURA KASSNER, adjunct assistant professor of education, and Kate Cassada, assistant professor of education, published “Chat It Up: Backchanneling to Promote Reflective Practice Among In-Service Teachers” in the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education. LAURA KNOUSE, associate professor of psychology, with collaborators from Davidson University and Trinity University, received a $2,500 grant from the Associated Colleges of the South for their project “Blended Inclusion: Innovative Pedagogy in Clinical Psychology Research Methods and Statistics for Diverse Students.” SARA KREHBIEL, assistant professor of computer science, and her collaborator at the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech received a research grant from Mozilla for their work on the project “Differentially Private Analysis of Growing Datasets.” LAURA KUTI, assistant professor of education, assistant chair of graduate education – curriculum and instruction, and interim assistant chair of graduate education – teacher licensure preparation, received a $25,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Education to offer a fully online, statewide ESOL Praxis training module.
A Voice for HEALING Dr. Betty Neal Crutcher recently shared her insights on racial reconciliation and healing in Vital Speeches of the Day, the venerable speechwriting journal founded in 1934. In her remarks, Crutcher spoke about the lingering effects of medical mistrust among ethnic minorities as a result of the U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study on black men in Tuskegee, Alabama. Crutcher was born and raised in Tuskegee and graduated from Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University). Her parents worked on the Tuskegee campus, and three of her male relatives participated in the study.
“In moving forward, we all have a choice: to perpetuate hatred and distrust, or serve as vessels for greater understanding and healing.” In 1972, as the Associated Press began publishing information on the discriminatory study, Crutcher was pursuing a master’s degree in public health at the University of Michigan. She leveraged her academic training to author a personal account that warranted inclusion in the January 2018 issue of VSOTD. “In moving forward, we all have a choice: to perpetuate hatred and distrust, or serve as vessels for greater understanding and healing,” Crutcher said in her speech. “Past wounds cannot be completely healed, but current and new generations can take part in the healing.” For the full essay, visit president.richmond.edu/ crutcher/betty-crutcher.
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DANA LASCU, professor of marketing, co-chaired the Academy for Global Business Advancement conference. The three-day intensive conference was held in Kenya with attendees from across the world. ERIK LAURSEN, adjunct associate professor of education, is the 2018 recipient of the SPCS Innovations in Teaching Award, which honors an adjunct professor for creativity and innovation in the classroom. LAURANETT LEE, adjunct assistant professor of liberal arts, was awarded the John Jasper Trailblazer Award by Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in Richmond. The award is presented to those who have made significant contributions to the African-American community. ANGELA LEEPER, director of the Curriculum Materials Center, was named by the American Library Association to the Children's Book Council Joint Committee for a two-year term through June 2019. The committee fosters collaboration and communication on the content, format, distribution, and promotion of materials for children and young adults.
MANUELLA MEYER, associate professor of history, received a $30,000 (approximate) Fulbright award for travel to Brazil to research her book project Making Brazilian Children: Child Welfare and the Psychiatry of Childhood, 1922–1954. BRITTANY NELSON, assistant professor of photography, published Monuments to the Conquerors of Space, a book based on her art installation of the same name. ERIK NIELSON, assistant chair and associate professor of liberal arts, recently testified as an expert witness on rap lyrics in the trial of three men accused and later convicted of killing Zaevion Dobson. UR’s OFFICE FOR SUSTAINABILITY won a gold certificate for the Rethink Waste campaign in the Collegiate Advertising Awards category “Total Advertising Campaigns.” Cassandra Collins, sustainability communications coordinator, designed the program. CAROL PARISH, professor of chemistry, received the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s 2018 Outstanding Faculty Award.
DAVID LEARY, university professor emeritus and dean of arts and sciences emeritus, published The Routledge Guidebook to James's Principles of Psychology.
WENDY PERDUE, dean of the University of Richmond School of Law, was named president of the Association of American Law Schools. The AALS is a nonprofit association that works to uphold and advance excellence in legal education.
PETER LEVINESS, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, was appointed to the national board of the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors and serves as the organization’s survey coordinator. He also joined the advisory board for the Center for Collegiate Mental Health.
KIMBERLY ROBINSON, Austin E. Owen Research Scholar and professor of law, was named a senior research fellow at the Learning Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.
KEITH “MAC” MCINTOSH, vice president for information services and chief information officer, presented “Enlisted to Executive — How a Senior NCO Became CIO” at a professional development session for approximately 300 airmen at Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. PHIL MELITA, communications coordinator for the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, James Campbell, director of marketing and communications for SPCS, and Daniel Hocutt, web manager and adjunct professor of liberal arts in SPCS, presented “When Inquiries Are Up but Web Visits Are Down: Discovering Different Ways to Report Good News” at the 26th annual University Professional and Continuing Education Association Marketing and Enrollment Management Seminar in Washington, D.C.
Assistant professor of mathematics HEATHER RUSSELL published "Equivalence of Edge Bicolored Graphs on Surfaces" in The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics. BILL ROSS, professor of mathematics and chair of the math and computer science department, with an alumnus, published “The Range and Valence of a Real Smirnov Function” in Analysis and Mathematical Physics. MATT SALSBERRY, UR catering sous chef, received a Certified Executive Chef certification from the American Culinary Federation. JACK SINGAL, assistant professor of physics, and colleagues published “The Radio Synchrotron Background: Conference Summary and Report” in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. CHARLYNN SMALL, staff psychologist in Counseling and Psychological Services, was appointed to the advisory board of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.
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Thirty-five years is almost twice the average age of members of the University’s incoming class of 2022. At the 2018 Outstanding Service Awards Ceremony held March 19, the University didn’t just recognize one employee with 35 years of service, but three — Joyce Manna Janto, Jermaine Massenburg, and Francine Reynolds. Each year, the Outstanding Service Awards Ceremony brings together employees from across the University to celebrate and honor staff members’ milestone years of service. This year, the University honored 188 employees marking milestones between five and 35 dedicated years of service. Collectively, that tallies up to 2,400 years of dedication to the University.
“Each year, the University celebrates the people who make UR such an outstanding place to live, learn, and work.” “Each year, the University celebrates the people who make UR such an outstanding place to live, learn, and work by recognizing sustained service and outstanding achievements,” said Carl Sorensen, senior associate vice president for human resources. “Recognizing and rewarding the outstanding contributions of our employees is a critical component of our thriving and inclusive community. It is an important part of our culture and a demonstration of our values.” In addition to those recognized for their years of service, five staff members received Outstanding Service Awards for their exemplary dedication and service in their role at the University of Richmond. Each of the five award winners were joined by their family members as they accepted their award in front of a packed Camp Concert Hall. “It is so moving to see the number of families that come out to support our award winners,” said President Ronald A. Crutcher. “This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate not only the support of our immediate families, but the support of our UR community here on campus as well.” To learn more about the service awards and those honored this year, visit hr.richmond.edu/ benefits/employee-appreciation/service-awards.
2018 OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD WINNERS
These awards, given annually, honor staff members recognized for their exemplary commitment and service to the University in one of the following categories: clerical support, dining services, administrative, service and maintenance, and new this year, sustainability. Outstanding Service Award winners are nominated by their colleagues and supervisors and selected from a pool of candidates to receive $1,000 and a personalized plaque. This year’s winners were honored at the Outstanding Service Awards Ceremony on March 19.
SUSTAINABILITY DAVID DONALDSON Operations & Summer Programs Coordinator Events Conferences and Support Services
CLERICAL SUPPORT VESSELA STEFANOVA Administrative Assistant University Facilities and Support Services
DINING SERVICES CURT HOECKELE Truck Driver Catering Department, Heilman Dining Center
ADMINISTRATIVE BRYN BAGBY TAYLOR Associate University Chaplain University Chaplaincy
PEOPLE
Service awards recognize staff COMMITMENT AND EXCELLENCE
SERVICE/MAINTENANCE DAVID LEONARD Groundskeeper University Facilities and Landscape
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TANJA SOFTIC, professor of art, had work included in “Unmoored Geographies,” an exhibition at Wichita State University's Ulrich Museum of Art. DEBORAH SOMMERS received a $676 grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s Jazz Touring Network, made possible through the support of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program. Funds covered travel to the annual meeting with the consortium of jazz presenters where a number of jazz tours were created for 2018–19 throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. GARRETT STERN, senior program manager for noncredit professional development in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, was a panelist at the 2017 Learning Resources Network (LERN) annual conference in a session featuring top UGotClass partner institutions. LERN provides online learning opportunities for SPCS students through its UGotClass platform. LESLIE STEVENSON, director of the Career Development Center, Mickie Campos, administrative coordinator in career services, and Carrie Hawes, associate director of employer relations, received an $11,000 grant from Altria to support student programming such as career fair preparation, brand management education, national sales competitions, student mentoring, diversity initiatives, and leadership development within Alumni and Career Services. LINDA FISHER THORNTON, adjunct associate professor of human resource management, was named one of the Top 100 Leadership Speakers for 2018 in an Inc. magazine list curated by Kevin Kruse, founder of LEADx and producer of the LEADx Leadership podcast. PEGGY WATSON, director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, received a second $25,000 capacity-building grant on behalf of UR’s Osher Institute from the Bernard Osher Foundation. The award supports local membership and fundraising development efforts. Associate professor of religious studies and American studies DOUG WINIARSKI’s book, Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England, was named one of seven finalists for the 2018 George Washington Prize. The winner will be announced at a black-tie gala in May at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
We offer a warm welcome to our new colleagues and congratulations to colleagues taking their next steps. The following includes full- and part-time faculty and staff from Nov. 16, 2017, to Feb. 15, 2018.
NEW HIRES FACULTY
SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES ENGLISH
Debra Bergoffen Tucker Boatwright Visiting Lecturer HISTORY
Richard Evans Freeman Professor of History
Jasmine Jackson Assistant Director, Career Services Meredith Martin Assistant Director, Annual Giving
Laura Nost Gift Processing and Records Coordinator, Advancement Data Services
PSYCHOLOGY
Rachel Rodney Assistant Director, Career Services
ROBINS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Jose Torres Gift Processing and Records Coordinator, Advancement Systems
Edwin Burns Trawick Research Fellow
ACCOUNTING Timothy Hayes
Visiting Instructor ECONOMICS
Angela VanDerwerken Visiting Instructor of Economics MANAGEMENT
Lindsey Sullivan Visiting Lecturer STAFF
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES
Deatrice Cleaton Administrative Coordinator, Biology Jennifer Lo Prete Marketing Associate and Editor, Art Center SCHOOL OF LAW
Leigh Deignan Budget Coordinator Elizabeth Schiller Reference and Research Services Librarian SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL AND CONTINUING STUDIES
Natisha Harper Librarian PROVOST
Nabeel Siddiqui Academic Technology Consultant, Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology Jalesa Taylor Library Resource Sharing Specialist, Boatwright Memorial Library
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ADVANCEMENT
ATHLETICS
Marty Beall Head Women’s Soccer Coach Justin Clift Director, Athletic Equipment Operations; Head Football Equipment Manager Kelly Grant Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach John Hardt Director of Athletics Keir Wenham-Flatt Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
BUSINESS AFFAIRS CAMPUS SERVICES
Orlanda Boyd Cook II, Heilman Dining Center
Eric Preston Cook II, The Cellar Vincent Savage Assistant Director of Residential Dining, Heilman Dining Center David Taylor Catering Cook I Julio Valencia Truck Driver, Catering Jordan Wheeler Utility Associate, Heilman Dining Center
Kenordo McFarlane Auxiliary Custodian; Custodian Rayon McFarlane Auxiliary Custodian; Custodian Elena Mileva Team Leader, Custodial Allison Moyer Horticulturist/ Landscape Manager Wayne Robinson Auxiliary Custodian; Custodian Abram Sanson Food Service Mechanic, HVAC Charles White Custodial Floor Technician HUMAN RESOURCES
Ashelle Brown Learning and Development Specialist Rodney Cogbill HR Business Partner SECURITY
Kay Whesu Security Officer, Campus Safety
INFORMATION SERVICES
Shana Bumpas Director of Information Security, Network Services Wilbert Thacker Technical Support Analyst, User Services
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Laura Fitrer Administrative Assistant, Academic Skills Kristen Phelps Administrative Specialist/ Coordinator of Services, Center for Student Involvement
MOVES FACULTY
ROBINS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ACCOUNTING
Timothy Hayes Visiting Instructor MANAGEMENT
Lindsey Sullivan Visiting Lecturer STAFF
ATHLETICS
Justin Clift Director, Athletic Equipment Operations CAMPUS SERVICES
Luis Gonzalez Café Associate, Tyler’s Grill Stu Harrison Events and Projects Technician, Events, Conferences, and Support Services Sean McBride Cook I, Heilman Dining Center
Lakiesha Cheatham Director of Budgeting and Operations
Juan Smith Utility Associate, Heilman Dining Center
SCHOOL OF LAW
FACILITIES
Courtney Curry Assistant Dean, Development and Alumni Relations SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL AND CONTINUING STUDIES
Miriam Blackmon Admissions Coordinator, Teacher Licensure Preparation PROVOST
Gina Flanagan Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President and Provost
ADVANCEMENT Amy Gallagher Assistant Director, Annual Giving
Brendan Halligan Associate Director, Experiential Learning and Assessment, Career Services
28 YEARS OF SERVICE 33 YEARS OF SERVICE
22 YEARS OF SERVICE
Kenordo McFarlane Custodian Rayon McFarlane Custodian Elena Mileva Team Leader, Custodial
Margaret Denton Art and Art History faculty
Steve Glass University Facilities – Landscape
Adam Bartlett HVAC Mechanic II
Peter Albright Women’s Soccer
33 YEARS OF SERVICE
Scott Phillips University Facilities – HVAC
Wayne Robinson Custodian HR
Kim Harris Temporary HR Representative
20 YEARS OF SERVICE
John Pagan Law School faculty
Tracy Kitt HR Business Partner
COMMUNICATIONS
Pryor Green Digital Content Specialist
PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
Anne Martin Major Gift Officer
Kristine Henderson Director of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
Becky McKinney Assistant Director, Annual Giving
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Rebecca Oleszycki Annual Giving Operations Coordinator
RETIREMENTS
BUSINESS AFFAIRS
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS ROBINS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
PEOPLE
FACILITIES
29 YEARS OF SERVICE
Ann Hodges Law School faculty
15 YEARS OF SERVICE
Lydia Gayle Bookstore Operations
10 YEARS OF SERVICE
Elbert Dickens University Facilities – Custodial
Wendy Sheppard Assistant Director, Sports and Risk Management, Recreation and Wellness
Caroline Steadman Leadership Gift Officer, Annual Giving Emily White Leadership Gift Officer, Annual Giving
27
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
MAY
JUNE
May 12–13 COMMENCEMENT
June 1–3 REUNION WEEKEND
May 14, 9–10:30 a.m. UNIVERSITY FACULTY MEETING Queally Hall, Ukrop Auditorium
JULY
Aug. 31 PREVIEW RICHMOND Open house for prospective students and their families
July 4 INDEPENDENCE DAY
SEPTEMBER
AUGUST
May 24, 8:15–10:30 a.m. SPIDERS IN THE KNOW Modlin Center for the Arts, Alice Jepson Theatre
Aug. 3 BUSCH GARDENS EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY The University will close at noon.
May 28 MEMORIAL DAY
Aug. 22 COLLOQUY
May 30, noon–2 p.m. SPRINGFEST Westhampton Lake
Aug. 27 FIRST DAY OF UNDERGRADUATE FALL CLASSES
Sept. 3 LABOR DAY Sept. 14–16 FAMILY WEEKEND
USAC
FACULTY SENATE
The University Staff Advisory Council represents the needs of staff to senior administration and works proactively to make the University of Richmond an employer of choice.
The University of Richmond Faculty Senate is the body authorized by both the University Faculty and the Board of Trustees to represent the faculty in the University’s governance process on matters that impact the University or affect more than one school.
MEETINGS* May 8 June 12 July 10 Aug. 14 Sept. 11 1–3 p.m. Visit usac.richmond. edu for meeting locations. * Unless otherwise noted, meetings are open to all faculty and staff.
Visit facultysenate. richmond.edu for meeting times and locations.