Gov. Mark R. Warner has been slowly but steadily talking up his “Education of a Lifetime” initiative, a policy system emphasizing lifelong learning that he claims will revitalize the Commonwealth’s economic future by resculpting the state’s educational landscape. Warner is expected to unveil the fully fleshed out plan by mid-September.

“I want us to fundamentally change the way we think about education. I believe that we need to view education not as a series of disconnected phases of life, but as a continuous process that is the birthright of every Virginian,” Warner said in a June 23 speech to the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals.

Virginia’s school systems are long overdue for an overhaul, Warner said. “When you think about it, our system of high school education has not changed in 100 years,” he said.”We are looking at a major effort to reform high schools, particularly in the senior year.”

Under the “Senior Year Plus” plan, college-bound students would be encouraged to earn college credits in order to reduce the amount of time and money spent on higher education.

“We intend to dramatically increase opportunities for students to earn college or technical credit while in high school, particularly in that senior year,” Warner said, adding that shifting to a policy that favors technical education in lieu of a traditional college experience for some students will lighten the tuition load burdening many Virginians with college-age children.

Some critics, however, say that a policy which allows incoming college students to substitute high school work for university courses may be ill-advised, especially given the variable quality and content of such classes.

“I think this is an interesting concept but it might not be applicable to all universities because of the academic rigor of their curriculums,” University Spokesperson Carol Wood said.

Warner’s plan also encourages some Virginian’s to pursue technological rather than academic futures. To do so, Warner said, Virginians must reduce the stigma attached to choosing to pursue a trade.

“We need a system in Virginia that puts as much value on a plumber or an electrician as it does on a doctor or a lawyer,” Warner said.

Corporate participation in education can be a critical help in achieving this goal, he said.

To this end, the state has enlisted more than 160 businesses to serve in mentor capacities in individual school districts where students may be more interested in gaining technological expertise than in pursuing a traditional university education.

Beyond corporate participation, however, Warner said he envisions a statewide effort to refashion Virginia’s educational system.

For Warner, taking steps now to improve the Commonwealth’s educational system will dictate the course of the state’s future.

This is “our opportunity for Virginia to make these kinds of long-term investments that will pay dividends for years to come,” Warner said.

U.S. News and World Report has recognized 10 University Health Center specialties in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” issue, which hit newsstands July 28th.

Health Center specialties recognized in the magazine are: urology, which ranked 15th nationwide; hormonal disorders, which ranked 5th; ear, nose and throat, which ranked 17th; cancer, ranked 23rd; gynecology, ranked 24th; orthopedics, ranked 28th; respiratory disorders, also ranked 28th; digestive disorders, ranked 29th; neurology and neurosurgery, ranked 34th; and kidney disease, ranked 40th.

This year marks the second in a row that these 10 departments received the magazine’s attentions, up from the center’s 2001 showing, in which eight departments were lauded.

According to the magazine’s statement of methodology, ranked hospitals shared common traits.

At the chosen hospitals “doctors perform large numbers of tricky and risky procedures and … also tend to adhere more closely to advanced treatment guidelines, to incorporate new findings into patient care, and to conduct research that gives desperately ill patients additional options,” wrote the magazine’s editorial staff.

Of the nation’s 6,003 medical centers, 203 were featured in the issue, the magazine’s 14th such guide. Featured hospitals all were required either to be affiliated with a medical school, a member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals or to provide at least 9 of the 17 ranked specialties.

The magazine then looked at qualified hospitals to determine either that their physicians had performed a minimum number of specifically defined procedures or that they had been cited as favorable by at least one physician responding to U.S. News surveys distributed between 2001 and 2003.

Hospitals which met this criterion were then assessed based on reputation, mortality rates, and other care-related factors such as nursing, which all were given equal weight.

While inclusion in the magazine’s rankings is satisfying, the health center will continue to focus on meeting the needs of individual patients, said R. Edward Howell, University vice president and chief executive officer of the University Medical Center.

“It is gratifying to be recognized as being one of America’s best hospitals in each of these specialties,” Howell said. “However, the real measure of our success is how well we serve each patient every day. We continue to strive to provide the best care possible for all those we serve.”

Student Health will refund the monthly fee they charged graduate students not enrolled in summer classes, largely as a result of the efforts of the Graduate Labor Union and Graduate Student Council.

This year, Student Health began charging a summer use fee of $32.00 a month because of a change in the health insurance offered to graduate students, according to Dr. James Turner, executive director of the department of student health.

During previous years, the health insurance the University offered to graduate students prohibited Student Health from charging summer fees. The current health insurance plan through the Chickering Group, adopted last year, does not carry that restriction.

The graduate student groups objected to fact that Student Health did not inform students about these fees.

“There were sudden fees that no one had been told about,” GLU Vice President Brian Glover said.

Student Health announced the fees in an e-mail sent on June 9, after many students already had complained about being charged unexpectedly.

The GLU, which originally formed during the effort to make health insurance available to all graduate students, began a campaign to have the fees refunded. In addition to writing multiple letters, representatives of the GLU and GSC met with Student Health officials.

“The most convincing reason we gave them was that the fee was unannounced,” Graduate Student Council President Ken Wilbur said.

On July 23, Student Health officials decided to refund the fees.

Turner acknowledged that many students would have taken care of routine physical examinations and other non-pressing medical concerns prior to the start of the summer had they known of the fees.

“Out of fairness to the Chickering enrollees, we are refunding these fees immediately,” Turner said.

Refunding the fees does not indicate a change in policy, Turner noted. Student Health relies on these fees to help cover costs during the summer months.

“We can’t operate for free in the summer,” Turner said.

Although they may be necessary for the operation of Student Health, some graduate students claim that the fees are prohibiting them from attending to their medical problems.

Dave Richardson, an Environmental Sciences graduate student teaching a summer session course, said that he has not seen a doctor about injuries sustained during a recent bike accident due to the fees.

“I would probably go right away if I knew I didn’t have to pay the fee,” Richardson said.

While Student Health cannot waive the fees in future summers, a committee will form this fall to consider how to best deal with summer use fees for graduate students, according to Wilbur. One goal is to find a way to satisfy Student Health’s financial needs while still addressing the medical concerns of graduate students.

The start of school may find some University students without a permanent home. In addition to usual beginning-of-the-semester stress, residents of Eagles Landing will have to cope with an additional move, as the new apartment complex will not open as scheduled.

Students were to start moving in to their one-to-four-bedroom apartments by August 15, said a representative at the company’s leasing office.

Due to inclimate weather, the students’ housing will not be ready by August 15; instead, the students will be given temporary housing as early as next week until the new apartments are ready. Temporary housing will be provided in another apartment complex, which will provide students the same amenities, minus a washer and dryer, the representative said.

To compensate for any inconvenience, Eagles Landing is offering students three entire months free rent. No rent will be due until November 1.

Eagles Landing is located on 100 Yellowstone Drive, a mile from Grounds.

Collegiate Hall, builders of Eagles Landing, reportedly considered offering to pay the difference in rent between Jefferson Ridge and Eagles Landing, but have now decided to allow students to live rent-free for the first three months.

Students also will be offered assistance moving for a second time in the semester.

Russ Davis, president of the South-Carolina based Collegiate Hall Properties, was not available for comment.

Camden Plaza apartments, located on 14th Street Northwest, is having similar problems, although builders still believe completion by August 22 is possible.

Construction workers are working long days to complete the apartments in time for classes. Students will be contacted in August if the apartments will not be available in time for move in.

Woodard Properties is building the Camden Plaza apartments.

If Camden Plaza is unable to open, students could be housed temporarily in local hotels. This solution has been used at other universities when student housing has been completed behind schedule.

Several hotels near Grounds will not be available for Camden Plaza residents as they house football players during the University’s pre-session.

No formal arrangements have been made as of yet, however.

“They have not spoken to us at all as far as I know,” said Chris O’Shea, manager at the Courtyard Marriott.

Once a gaping hole outside of Alderman Library, the site of the new Special ºCollections Library already is back to ground level.

President John T. Casteen announced Wednesday that Alice Handy, who has been with the University for almost 30 years, will step down as treasurer once a replacement can be found.

Handy’s management of the Universities endowment has brought it from a low of $60 million to its current $1.8 billion. The Universities endowment is one of the largest in the country among public universities and top-25 among all universities.

Handy will pursue private business interests after leaving the University, although she intends to remain active in the University community.

The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced yesterday that it will give the University $7,500 for alcohol prevention during the 2003-2004 school year.

ABC earmarked Operation Undergrad grants for eight Virginia colleges. In addition to the University, George Mason, JMU, Shenandoah University, University of Richmond, VCU, Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee received the grants.

The objective of Operation Undergrad, is to help colleges reduce underage and excessive drinking by providing extra money during a lean economic time and encouraging collaboration among law enforcement departments in order to increase police presence, ABC Education Coordinator Ashley Lombard said in an ABC release.

Once the big man on campus, former Virginia basketball standout Roger Mason Jr. has taken his game to the next level with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. The Lawn, Little Johns and finals have been replaced with the Sears Tower, meal money and the pressure to prove that he belongs.

“It’s a big adjustment to life in the NBA,” Mason said. “It’s a whole different ballgame. I’m enjoying it, I’m living my dream, I’m happy.”

The latest chapter in Mason’s dream took him to the Rocky Mountain Revue earlier this month. The Revue, one of the NBA’s several summer leagues, allows players to showcase their skills to their respective teams. Mason and the Bulls won the revue with a 5-1 record over the week-long span. The 6-5 guard finished the revue averaging 9.2 points, 3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game; numbers slightly better than those put up by highly touted draft pick Krik Hinrich out of Kansas.

“I think it went really well,” Mason said. “I didn’t shoot as well as I wanted to shoot. But I played really well. The team knows that I’m a great shooter.”

Mason certainly proved that fact in a game against the Phoenix Suns. With the game knotted at 68 apiece, the Bulls ran their final play for Mason. The Silver-Spring native rose to the challenge, drilling a 27-foot three pointer for the win. Offensive exploits aside, Mason has been making a name for himself on the other end of the court as well, holding Joe Johnson, the Suns’ regular season backup guard, to just 3-13 shooting. However, Mason’s biggest accomplishment may have been just being able to be on the court. The Revue represented the first time Mason took the court without any pain since his days in orange and blue.

“It was good to finally be out on the court and be healthy, and get the shoulder injury behind me,” Mason said.

Mason’s shoulder problems began his junior year with the Cavaliers when he took a bad fall in a home game against Wake Forest. Although Mason returned to action in the game, the dislocated shoulder he suffered loomed over his career. Question marks about his shoulder caused his draft stock to fall to the second round, where he was taken by the Bulls with the 31st pick of the 2002 NBA Draft. During a workout last summer in Chicago, Mason aggravated the shoulder to the point where it needed surgery. The surgery ensured that Mason would be spending the bulk of his rookie season watching from the sidelines.

“That was one of the toughest things that I’ve ever had to deal with,” Mason said. “To be living my dream but be hurt and have to watch was really tough. But I learned a lot and I had good people teaching me while I was on the sidelines and I turned a negative into a positive.”

The former Cavalier standout is doing just that. Applying the knowledge learned from sidelines in hopes of cracking the Bulls rotation.

“The challenge is there,” Mason said. “I just need to outplay guys and compete. When I came to Virginia nothing was given to me and I had to earn my position.”

Mason did just that. Rising to All-ACC Second Team his junior season, averaging 18.6 points and 4.1 assists per game his senior season. A resume that once may have earned him a first round draft spot, Mason is hungry to show critics what he can do on the basketball court.

“I definitely have something to prove. I have a chip on my shoulder for a lot of different reasons,” Mason said. “I got injured and slipped to the 31st pick and that was really tough to deal with. I’m just going to prove that I belong and that I can be a good player in this league.”

Mason is eager to show that his game has grown since his run-and-gun days at U-Hall.

“I think my game has matured, especially at the point guard position,” Mason explained. “I’m learning to be more patient, and listen to what Coach Cartwright and the rest of the coaches want me to do.”

The work is paying off as Bulls coach Bill Cartwright has high expectations for his second year guard.

“The thing I like about Roger is that people don’t know him. They don’t know that he’s a good shooter, he’s tough, he’s a defender first, he’s smart and he’s another kid whose best basketball we haven’t seen,” Cartwright said to Bulls.com. “Obviously, he was hurt to start the year and couldn’t play at all. But this kid’s potential is pretty darn good.”

While Mason looks to brighter days ahead, thoughts of what he left behind remain with him. He has made recent trips to Charlottesville to go over his academic progress with his teachers as well as to see his classmates, Travis Watson, Majestic Mapp and Jason Rogers, graduate.

“Looking back at my career at Virginia I wish we could have gone further in the tournament,” Mason admitted. “When you’re done with school, that’s it. It really doesn’t sink in until you leave. That’s the one thing that I really regret.”

I will admit, I was worried. Landing a sports journalism job from June through July seemed like my ultimate irony. I’d kill for the opportunity, but once this year’s ho-hum NBA Finals ended there wasn’t much to cover besides summer baseball. Baseball!?

Besides the World Series, baseball has never held my interest. It’s not nearly as glamorous as the other pro sports. When was the last time you heard the Neptunes lay down a beat for a baseball commercial? Why do so many players’ waistlines rival those of the guy in Section 14 guzzling his fifth beer? And why on earth do the games take so long?

In the dregs of a 162-game regular season, I decided, baseball was hardly worth getting excited about.

After this summer, I will admit, I was wrong.

Summer baseball, in so many ways, is exactly what my life as a sports fan was missing. I spend fall with the crunch of the leaves and the linebackers, winter with shoes squeaking on hardwood and tires squealing on ice, but only now do I realize that sizzling grills and the hiss of a just-opened cold one belong not just to the summer barbeque, but also to the ballpark.

Perhaps my conversion was inevitable. I spent the summer in New York, baseball’s Mecca if it ever had one. On a Wednesday night with nothing to do, one of my coworkers mentioned that the Yankees had cheap student seats. A short subway ride and five dollars later, I was having an emotional crisis: my thorough dislike for the Yankees running right up against my sense of awe at being in Yankee Stadium. I could practically feel “Babe was here” etched into the back of my uncomfortable blue seat.

That night, I watched the Astros no-hit the Yankees with six different pitchers. An unbelievable sight, and though the home crowd certainly wasn’t happy, those of us who don’t subscribe to Steinbrenner were ecstatic.

At the time, I didn’t see our joy as more than vindicated jealousy, but when I put in a gleeful call to a hardcore Houston fan, his first words struck me:

“So, how does it feel to watch history?”

This is where baseball embarrasses other pro sports — history and tradition. There’s no chicken-and-the egg dilemma here; baseball came first and has lasted longest, and for that reason alone the game deserves more credit than I ever gave it. No-hitters are the stuff of sports legend, and can happen as easily in June as in September. This one in particular was worth every pitch to see.

The cherry on my summer baseball sundae wasn’t even in the major leagues. Strapped for cash and tired of nosebleeds, I took my sister to a Brooklyn Cyclones game. The Cyclones are one of the Mets’ single-A affiliates and barring the no-hitter, they put on the best baseball I saw in New York. Perhaps because we could actually see the ball. Eleven dollars got us seats right behind home plate, so close that when we discussed a player’s–ahem–stance, he would turn around and look at us.

We heard the yelling and felt the frustration as the Cyclones struggled with their pitching, but they put on a fielding show to remember. Then, tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Cyclones catcher Tony Piazza (no relation to another New York catcher named Piazza) cracked the game-winning home run over the bleachers. The 5,000-something fans made as much noise as any decent major league crowd. Here, baseball in July felt right.

My anti-baseball sentiment struck out against the Mets, who need every K they can get this season.

It was the second game of July’s Mets-Braves series in Shea Stadium, and the game was almost totally irrelevant to October, but it still mattered to every one of those Mets fans. You could feel the emotional connection when thousands simultaneously groaned at the name “Armando Benitez.” Even the most intoxicated New Yorkers looked a little down as we left the stadium after a 5-3 defeat.

A week later, I saw the same crowd look bewildered but happy after the Mets beat the Phillies at Shea. The mood swings weren’t the do-or-die of the playoffs, they were just the ups and downs of team loyalty. For me, it drove the lesson home: Summer baseball’s greatest feat is offering fandom at its purest.

With that said, it’s time for me to come clean. In years past, when the playoffs rolled around I called myself a Cubs fan and casually rooted for them if they happened to be on. This summer, however, I have earned my true fan stripes by following every game, feeling every decision and, most importantly, finally accepting that summer is probably the best time to watch Chicago play. Then again, this could be our year. That’s the beauty of baseball.

Barbeques, mosquitoes, muggy summer nights mean more than just nine innings of the national pastime. It signals that football season is less than one month away. Virginia fans can be forgiven for counting down the less than 30 remaining days until kickoff, as much is expected of the 2003 Cavaliers.

One year ago: Virginia was coming off its first sub-.500 record in 14 years in Al Groh’s first season at his alma mater. Then-junior quarterback Matt Schaub had a tenuous hold on the quarterback job after platooning with departed Bryson Spinner his sophomore year.

Oh what a difference a year makes. After struggling out of the gate, to a point where Schaub was benched in favor of the athletic Marques Hagans, Virginia won 9 of its last 12 games, including a six-game spurt. The Cavaliers finished ranked No. 22 in the nation after a 48-22 rout of No. 14 West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl.

Matt Schaub now has a Web site touting his Heisman candidacy after throwing for an ACC-leading and school-record 28 touchdown season. He set nine other single-season Virginia records, finished second in the nation in completion percentage and became a household name across the ACC en route to winning Player of the Year honors.

With so much youth on last year’s team — 17 starters are back — ESPN ranked the Cavaliers eighth in the country in its post-spring Top 25.

The crown jewels of the best recruiting class in school history, Groh’s first incoming class in 2002, have yet to play in a real game. Virginia will only start five seniors this year — Schaub, receivers Ryan Sawyer and Michael McGrew and cornerbacks “Muffin” Curry and Jamaine Winborne — so there is plenty of reason for excitement in Charlottesville.

As promising as this year’s Virginia team is, the competition will be tough in the ACC, where there are four teams ranked among the top 15 in the country. And the conference has changed to where no team is a pushover.

“Everybody in the ACC has really stepped up their game, from the lower end of the ACC to they guys who have always been the top dogs,” UNC senior safety Dexter Reid said.

Not much has changed at the top yet though, as Florida State was picked yet again to finish atop the conference. The Seminoles have won the ACC 10 of the 11 years they have been in the conference and return the conference’s best running back, two star linebackers, a talented quarterback and a wealth of speed and athleticism.

“You’ve got to knock them off,” Maryland senior running back and 2001 ACC Player of the Year Bruce Perry said. “Our conference is on the rise, but Florida State is still king of the hill. They deserve it. They’re coming out as defending ACC champions.”

Of the three other ACC contenders, Virginia might have the best chance to beat the Seminoles head-to-head because the Terps and Wolfpack both play in Tallahassee. With four teams with a legitimate shot at winning the conference, one thing is certain: Every week will be a test for the Cavaliers.Put the baseball glove away; an exciting football season is just around the corner.