MBU program makes college more affordable
Entering her senior year at Waynesboro High School last fall, Emma Clark did not know whether higher education was in her future. The youngest of eight children, she was mindful that her father’s mechanic business had to provide for all her siblings. “I don’t have the access to money like other people would,” she says. […]
Money machine
In 2009, Donald Hart found himself in an enviable position. Leading up to his graduation from Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Hart had been accepted to a slew of the state’s public, four-year universities: Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, George Mason University and James Madison University. Attracted by the […]
Reaching the majors
Reaching the “major league” in academic research boosts Old Dominion University’s clout in attracting top talent and grants, emphasizes the university’s vice president for research. Achieving the R1 research classification “enhances the reputation of the university,” says Morris Foster, and “helps in the talent [recruitment] area … [because] some students will only go to an [&helli[...]
Great expectations
In the mid-1990s, Diane and Paul Manning were thinking about moving from New Jersey with their three children. Like many families, they took many factors into consideration. “One of the kids was really big-time into swimming, so we needed a place that had a good swim team,” Diane says. Also, “I always prefer a college […]
UR alumni couple donates $25M for student learning center
Carole and Marcus Weinstein, alumni of the University of Richmond, have donated $25 million — the second-largest single gift in the Richmond university’s history — to support a center focused on student learning, UR announced Wednesday. The Carole and Marcus Weinstein Learning Center will be located in the Boatwright Memorial Library. The gift will enable […]
The big freeze
Given pandemic-caused interruptions, college students have been through a lot so far this decade, but one silver lining at many Virginia schools has been frozen tuition. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin made it a priority to keep costs flat this academic year, and he succeeded in getting all 15 of the state’s public colleges and universities […]
Angela and Carl Reddix donate $1.1M to JMU
James Madison University alumni Angela and Carl Reddix have made a $1.1 million commitment to their alma mater to support first-generation college students, JMU announced Friday. Founder, president and CEO of Norfolk-based ARDX, a health care management and IT consulting firm, Angela Reddix studied marketing at JMU and graduated in 1990. Her husband, Carl, studied […]
Va. Tech names College of Architecture, Arts and Design dean
Virginia Tech has named a new dean to lead its College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD) following an international search. Tsai Lu Liu will start July 1. He has led the Department of Graphic Design and Industrial Design at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, since 2012 and has a background in industry and […]
Head of the class
Donald Alexander Jr. considered multiple schools, as well as the Air Force, before he landed at Norfolk State University in 2019. The Chesapeake native grew up with strong ties to the university, one of Virginia’s two public historically Black colleges and universities. As an elementary schooler, Alexander went to summer camp on Norfolk State’s campus, […]
Mary Washington hires admin/finance VP
The University of Mary Washington has hired Craig Erwin as vice president for administration and finance, effective Jan. 10. Erwin replaces Paul Messplay, who retires on Jan. 20. Erwin comes to UMW from Southwestern University, a private liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas, where he was vice president for finance and administration and chief financial […]
Getting down to business
In the late 1990s, Jennifer E. Clift was working as a secretary when her supervisor encouraged her to continue her education. She began taking business classes at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. “I wasn’t in a settled place,” she says. “I was not a traditional student. I was working full time, plus pretty […]
GMU launches College of Public Health
George Mason University has rebranded its College of Health and Human Services as the College of Public Health in a move to address a critical need for skilled health professionals and research across the state. GMU announced the renaming Tuesday, following approval in late October by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and […]