VCU College of Engineering receives $1M anonymous gift
An anonymous donor has made a $1 million gift to the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering to provide funds for programming and support for international students, VCU announced Tuesday. Part of the gift will establish a global education and international student support fund (to be administered through VCU’s Global Education Office) and additional funding […]
More Virginia colleges scrap traditional spring break
RICHMOND, Va. — A growing number of Virginia colleges are announcing that spring break will be canceled or modified in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Virginia Tech, located in Blacksburg, announced plans Monday. The biggest change is that the university will not have a week-long spring break. It will instead[...]
Northam calls for VMI racism probe
Before the academic semester begins, new cadets at Virginia Military Institute must endure Hell Week, a punishing 10-day rite of passage that introduces students to the military discipline, drill and physical fitness expectations required of them. For one Black freshman in 2018, it meant a white sophomore telling him he’d “lynch” his body and use […]
Northam announces wind training alliance
Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday announced the formation of the Mid-Atlantic Wind Training Alliance, Virginia’s first workforce training collaborative for the offshore and onshore wind energy industries. The program will offer industry-required certifications for wind project operations and long-term maintenance. The New Coll[...]
CNU hires executive director of new fine arts center
Holly Koons has been named the inaugural executive director of the Christopher Newport University Fine Arts Center, which is scheduled to open next year, the Newport News-based university announced Wednesday. Koons was most recently executive director of the Arlington Arts Center and will start her new position Oct. 15. “I am [...]
VCU study: COVID-19 accounted for 67% of March-Aug. U.S. deaths
For every two deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S., a third American dies as a result of the pandemic, according to a study led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study shows that deaths between March 1 and Aug. 1 increased by 20% when compared […]
ODU Batten College dean appointed
Ben Stuart will be the eighth dean of Old Dominion University’s Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology, effective Oct. 25, the university announced Friday. Stuart has served as interim dean since June 2019, during which time the university conducted a national search. “Ben Stuart is a thoughtful leader an[...]
Va. to expand networking program to new regions
During the next two years Virginia will invest $1.7 million to expand the Network2Work workforce development initiative, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The commonwealth will partner with the Virginia Community College System to pilot the Network2Work model in the Shenandoah Valley, Hampton Roads and greater Richmond regions. Network2Work was established by Piedmont Virginia Community College […][...]
George Mason names new law school dean
George Mason University announced Thursday it has named Kenneth Randall as the new dean of its Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, effective Dec. 1, replacing Henry Butler. Randall previously served as dean of The University of Alabama’s law school for 20 years and as special counsel to UA President Robert Witt. During[...]
ODU launches School of Cybersecurity
Old Dominion University on Thursday became the first research university in the country to launch a cybersecurity school offering interdisciplinary degree programs for both undergraduate and graduate students. The university is expanding its existing Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research (CCSER) into the ODU School of Cybersecurity. The school will operate under ODU’s Office of […][...]
ODU will build tool for wind energy site planning
Old Dominion University will develop an online tool for the placement of wind-energy projects so they don’t interfere with military installations, with a Department of Defense grant of $775,000. The DoD’s Office of Economic Adjustment awarded the Military Installation Sustainability program grant to the state, according to a news release from Gov. Ralph Northam’s office […][...]
Liberty pays Falwell two years’ base salary in severance deal
Liberty University announced Tuesday that it has paid Jerry Falwell Jr., its embattled and controversial former president and chancellor, two years’ base salary as severance. Falwell resigned on Aug. 25 under a barrage of international media coverage of his alleged role in a sex scandal involving his wife’s admitted [...]