Research funding at the University, already under strain, stands imperiled by looming federal budget cuts.
A short-term language program set in motion by the University’s International Center aims to provide students with a jumpstart in the basic phonetics, grammar and conversational phrases of a foreign language, according to a University statement released Monday. The program, open to anyone in the University and Charlottesville communities, will require participants to take two three-hour courses, followed by small group practice with native speakers.
The City of Charlottesville hosted its first ever gay pride festival Saturday afternoon in Lee Park to show support for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer communities. The festival, which was held at the site of last year’s Occupy Charlottesville protests, drew hundreds of individuals and featured live entertainment, food from local vendors and activities for children.
A desire for innovation lingered in the small auditorium of the Harrison Institute Friday as the Board of Visitors convened its inaugural meeting of the special committee on strategic planning.
The Mead Endowment Advisory Board recognized 10 professors’ commitment to honoring a tradition of mentorship and off-campus learning.
The Board of Visitors appointed attorney George Keith Martin as its new vice rector Thursday evening following the June resignation of former Vice Rector Mark Kington.
The Charlottesville Human Rights Task Force held its second open forum Thursday night to hear community members’ ideas about the possible creation of a more permanent commission to study discrimination within the City. City Council launched the task force in February in response to a request from the Dialogue on Race, a local group that advocates discussions on racism and diversity. The committee, if created, would investigate instances of bias or injustice in Charlottesville. About 60 community members attended the event, hosted in First Baptist Church.
The understated elegance of the room the Board of Visitors met in Thursday disguised the tensions underlying many of its discussions. Two days after the University found it had escaped the June ouster of President Teresa A.
Students, faculty and Charlottesville residents met Thursday afternoon to hear Jeffrey Walker, the former CEO of JPMorgan Chase and current chairman of the University’s Council of Foundations, discuss collaborative leadership and reflect on the leadership lessons learned from the June ouster and reinstatement of University President Teresa Sullivan. Batten School Dean Harry Harding moderated the panel, which took place in Garrett Hall.
The storm may have dissipated, but a few clouds still linger from University President Teresa Sullivan’s botched ouster as the Board of Visitors convenes on Grounds Thursday for the first time since June. A disconnect remains between the University’s attempts to move forward from the events of the summer and its desire to learn from them.
Community representatives invested in the events that occurred during the summer around University President Teresa Sullivan’s forced resignation sat in front of an eager audience Wednesday afternoon.
In a Board of Visitors committee meeting Wednesday afternoon, University Architect David Neuman presented strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from the University’s 2009 levels.
The Board of Visitors may find itself with a voting student member, if some members of Student Council have their way. But the proposal’s supporters face significant obstacles, not least of which is the legal requirement in Virginia that Board members be approved by the State Senate, House of Delegates and governor. Fourth-year Engineering student Alex Reber, chair of Council’s representative body, is leading an effort to add a student position with voting power to the Board, which is the University’s governing body.
The University maintained its position as the second best public university in the nation in the U.S.
Rector Helen Dragas’ history with firing presidents runs deeper than her botched ouster of President Teresa Sullivan this June. While serving on the Old Dominion Board of Visitors in 1988, her father George Dragas helped force the resignation of President Joseph Marchello citing poor communication with the Board and a general unease with the executive’s management style, according to news reports at the time. Marchello, an accomplished fundraiser, drew praise for his ideas but did not have a positive relationship with the state’s legislators.
The Honor Committee hosted a panel of roundtable speakers in Old Cabell Hall Tuesday to discuss the current state of the University and the honor system.
Student Council introduced its 2012-2013 budget Tuesday evening, appropriating about $90,000 for initiatives this year.
A study released Tuesday by the University’s Law School Clinic showed that more than 7,000 students in Virginia were exempted from attending primary or secondary school on religious grounds last year. Virginia law requires a school board to excuse students who hold a religious belief that conflicts with the principle of classroom education.
Three Olympic athletes had a message for University students assembled Tuesday evening at John Paul Jones arena: Don’t be afraid of failure. Gymnast Jonathan Horton knows what defeat feels like.
As the 2012 presidential election approaches, pundits are speculating about whether young voters will turn out in large numbers, as they did four years ago.
