Rebecca Rimel, president of Pew Charitable Trusts, urged an audience of about 90 people gathered in the Rotunda Dome Room yesterday to fulfill their civic duties through community activism.
"People need to answer the call to civic leadership with humility and grace," Rimel said.
Rimel is the recipient of this year's Distinguished Alumna Award, given by the University's Women's Center.
Rimel was a '73 graduate of the Nursing school. In 1983, she began working at Pew Charitable Trusts, which is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the country.
During her speech, Rimel concentrated on issues that she feels need attention in today's society.
In the last presidential election, only about half of those with voting eligibility voted, she said.
That statistic "is a travesty and a symptom of an ailing and diseased public life," she added.
The distressingly low voter turnout particularly is troubling in the case of young adults, Rimel said.
"Many youths have written off involvement because they feel their voices can't make a difference," she said.
Through Pew Charitable Trusts, Rimel is helping to fund programs that promote the distribution of political knowledge to youths.
Rimel also touched on the necessity of incorporating aspects of religion into politics.
"Politics should be formed by principles of moral reason. Spirituality and faith should be brought into discussions," she said.
She also discussed the importance of education to help foster political awareness.
Rimel praised the University as "an institution that can nurture as well as educate.
"The commitment U.Va. has made [to pursue racial diversity] is extraordinary," she said.
She added that the honor code had a lasting impact on her and urged a "continuation [of building] a great University with diversity, a strong student body and a strong honor code."
Students who attended the talk said they found the experience fulfilling.
"She's a leader for the School of Nursing that represents us," first-year Nursing student Jessica Mercer said.
"She inspired me to become more interactive in the political arena," first-year Nursing student Jenny Linkous said.
Dan Jerdon, who heads the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, said, "Rimel was characteristically articulate, passionate and forward-looking"
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