Administrators are charged with overseeing and improving various facets of the University. Many of these people work behind the scenes in roles that are not clearly defined to outsiders. Meet a few of the people who devote their lives to improving and strengthening our community every day.
Chief Diversity Officer: William Harvey
If you don't know precisely what Bill Harvey's job entails, you are not alone. As one of the first chief diversity officers for an institute of higher education, Harvey said his job is constantly evolving.
"It's a work in progress," Harvey said reflecting on his many projects relating to improving diversity at the University.
Harvey began working at the University last November after having served as the vice president and director for racial and ethnic equity at the American Council of Education. During his time working for ACE, Harvey became familiar with diversity-related issues, concerns and progress nationwide in the higher education community. When the position of chief diversity officer at the University became available, Harvey had the chance to put his knowledge to use in helping the University community embrace diversity and move forward.
Now that Harvey has been at work for nearly a year, one thing is clear: Harvey is striving to enhance the University community by promoting diversity in every aspect of life. He attends as many as six to eight meetings daily on topics ranging from interaction among student groups, faculty recruitment, University curriculum and more.
"A lot of my days are taken up with meeting with people both on and off Grounds who can help us move forward," Harvey noted.
Outside of his many meetings, Harvey is currently working on several major projects. One of his responsibilities is the organization of the upcoming first annual University Symposium on Race and Society, which will occur in early November. This year's symposium will attract people from all over the country to discuss social, policy and engineering aspects of Hurricane Katrina. Harvey said in the future, the symposium will be hosted by a different school within the University each year and will focus on a topic of interest to the host school.
Another project that Harvey has undertaken this year is the planning of a January Term course in Ghana, which will allow students to experience a completely different part of the world.
"I wanted to take folks to Africa because so few Americans travel to Africa," Harvey said, noting that he chose Ghana because of its political stability, English-speaking population and relatively short travel time, compared to destinations such as South Africa.
Harvey said the possibilities for progress excite him most about his position as Chief Diversity Officer. He said he credits these possibilities in part to the Board of Visitors' interest in improving diversity in every aspect of the University community.
Waiting to see these possibilities become reality, however, can be frustrating.
"You can't get things done immediately, Harvey said. "That's not the way things happen in an academic environment."
Dean of Students: Penny Rue
Penny Rue enjoyed her undergraduate days at Duke so much that she couldn't bring herself to leave college.
"The second I got on a college campus, I just thought, 'Wow, this is the greatest place,'" Rue said.
Instead of pursuing her original goal of becoming a high school teacher, her experience as an undergraduate led her to pursue an advanced degree in student affairs.
After spending time at a few other universities, both as a student and as an employee, Rue found herself at the University.
Rue said she was drawn to the University by its sense of community, noting that it "managed to be a pretty large institution with a distinctive sense of community."
Rue's description of her job at the University is simple:
"I solve problems," Rue said, explaining that her job can range from counseling individual students to advising larger groups on how to achieve their goals.
Not only does Rue solve problems, her goal is to teach others to solve them for themselves.
"You gain resiliency by handling challenges," Rue said. "We don't expect students to do it alone, but we do expect students to do it."
If resiliency is gained by dealing with problems, then Rue is arguably one of the most resilient people at the University, given the amount of time she spends working on the community's problems.
She is currently trying to improve a few major problems faced by members of the University community, primarily depression, which Rue said is prevalent in the community. Rue and her colleagues also battle the less common, yet still dangerous, problems of eating disorders, self-mutilation and alcohol abuse in the University community.
"The truth is, all these things can be helped -- the issue is not to struggle alone," Rue said. "I'd like students to leave here knowing how to ask for the help they need."
Problem-solving is a time-consuming task: Rue's day begins with meetings around 8 a.m. and often does not end until after attending evening events on Grounds.
Though her schedule is full, Rue said she appreciates the opportunities for conversations with students throughout her busy days.
"I love hearing their ups and downs, what they like and don't like," Rue said.
Alumni Affairs Director: Wayne Cozart
If you think Wayne Cozart's job only impacts alumni of the University, you are wrong. Chances are that if you are reading this, Cozart is already working to ensure that you feel a strong tie to the University community that will last long after you walk down the Lawn during commencement ceremonies.
Though Cozart's job focuses on keeping alumni connected to the University, the process of retaining alumni as community members begins well before graduation.
Cozart said his office is active in building class identity within each undergraduate class so that class unity will develop while students are still active members of the University community.
After graduation, Cozart's office works with each class to maintain its ties to the University through a quinquennial reunion system.
Cozart said his role in the process of maintaining alumni interest in the University has many aspects.
"I'm the jack-of-all-trades troubleshooter for the Alumni Association," Cozart said, noting that his work can range from planning Homecomings to talking with student groups about communicating with their alumni.
Cozart's role as director of alumni affairs extends into his personal life as well: He and his wife, Patricia Lampkin, vice president for student affairs, regularly entertain guests -- including alumni -- at their home on the Lawn.
Despite the seemingly never-ending work associated with his position, Cozart said it's hard to picture his life away from the University.
"The reason I am at the University of Virginia is its strength and excitement," Cozart said. "It has kept my wife and I here for a good 25 years, and I expect it will keep us going because the nature of our alumni is so wonderful that it's hard to imagine not being around and with them"
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