Youngkin names secretary of health and human resources
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin announced Monday former Magellan of Virginia President John Littel as his state secretary of health and human resources. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on Virginians across the commonwealth, and John will play a pivotal role in overseeing our efforts in protecting Virginians’ lives and livelihoods,” Youngkin said in a statement. [&hel[...]
Youngkin announces transportation secretary
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin announced Friday W. Sheppard “Shep” Miller III, former chairman of Virginia Beach-based defense contractor KITCO Fiber Optics, as his state secretary of transportation. “Shep will be an invaluable leader as secretary of transportation as we fulfill our promises to all Virginians to invest in roads, highways and transportation infrastructure in every corner […[...]
Applied research
History and academic prestige spring to mind when people mention William & Mary, the second-oldest university in the United States, created when its British monarch namesakes signed its charter nearly 329 years ago. However, “research” is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when people think about the public ivy in historic Williamsburg, […]
43 Va. schools make U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 list
Forty-three Virginia schools ranked on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 best lists of more than 600 universities and liberal arts colleges in the country, released Monday. The University of Virginia ranked No. 25 in national universities, tying with Carnegie Mellon University and moving one spot up from its rank in 2021. U.Va. ranked […]
Education
MAKOLA M. ABDULLAH PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, ETTRICK While many college presidents enjoy basketball, few have Abdullah’s moves. In March, a video of him tying up an opponent went viral, receiving millions of views and appearing on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” Abdullah has overseen dramatic turnarounds at Virginia State University since he became its 14th president in [&hellip[...]
Law
FARHAD AGHDAMI MANAGING PARTNER, RICHMOND OFFICE, WILLIAMS MULLEN, RICHMOND In his 22-year career with Williams Mullen, the state’s third-largest law firm, Aghdami has focused on high-net-worth individuals and families, middle-market business owners, institutional fiduciaries and charitable entities. An expert in wealth transfer tax and business succession, he has published numerous articles[...]
Virginia public colleges can mandate COVID vaccines, Va. AG says
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia colleges are beginning to announce mandatory fall COVID-19 vaccine policies following the state attorney general’s opinion that higher education institutes can require the vaccine. Virginia public colleges and universities can mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for faculty and students returning to campus this fall, Attorney General Mark Herring stated in late April.[...]
Course corrections
Can an old college learn new tricks? William & Mary, the second-oldest institution of higher education in the country by virtue of its establishment in February 1693, is proving that it can. It has had little choice. The pandemic pushed the faculty into a steep learning curve to master online teaching, with 2,000 courses moving […]
Commonwealth Cyber Initiative funds $1M for student cybersecurity projects
The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative has allocated $1 million toward experiential cybersecurity projects for students at universities across the state, the organization announced Thursday. The seven projects involve student researchers from George Mason University, Longwood University, Marymount University, Old Dominion University, Radford University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wil[...]
Arguing the case for diversity
Like many industries, law firms are taking a fresh look at hiring and retaining a new generation of employees who better reflect the racial, ethnic and gender diversity of today’s society at large. This move toward diversity and inclusion has been more pronounced since The Coca-Cola Co. announced in January a new policy mandating that […]
Virginia Tech announces new foundation CEO
Virginia Tech announced Monday that Elizabeth McClanahan, a former Supreme Court of Virginia justice, has been named CEO of the Virginia Tech Foundation, which manages the university‘s endowment. She succeeds John Dooley, who announced his retirement in August. “The foundation is deeply involved in realizing the university’s mission and vision,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands [&[...]
Education
MAKOLA M. ABDULLAH PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, PETERSBURG One of the state’s two land-grant universities, Virginia State was originally chartered in 1882 as the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. From an initial class of 126, the Petersburg campus now has 4,385 undergraduate and graduate students. Since arriving in 2016 from his role as provost and […]

















