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CIRCA 


University  Student  Commons:  2009 


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Celebrating  its  25th  anniversary  in  2OO9,  the 
162,182-square-foot  University  Student  Commons 
serves  as  the  center  for  daily  activities,  meetings  and  events  on  the  Monroe 
Park  Campus  at  Virginia  Commonwealth  University.  Outside  the  classroom, 
an  ever-growing  student  population  gathers  in  the  facility's  indoor  and 
atdoor  areas  to  meet  friends,  study  and  grab  a  bite  to  eat. 


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Contents 


[FEATURES] 

8     >     Presidential  perspective 

Eugene  P.  Trani.  Ph.D.,  shares  his  thoughts  on 
Virginia  Commonwealth  University's  growth 
and  its  impact  on  the  region. 

12     >     Family  ties 

Families  with  multiple  VCU  graduates  reveal  how 
their  unique  link  strengthens  their  connection 
to  one  another. 

22     -^     Scholarly  pursuits 

Endowed  gifts  contribute  to  student  success  and 
ensure  that  VCU's  tradition  of  excellence  and 
accessible  education  continues. 


[DEPARTMENTS] 


'm 


>     Circa 

University  Student  Commons:  2009. 


5     ^     University  news 

Noteworthy  news  and  research  at  VCU. 

18  >     Face  to  face 

Karen  Videtic  talks  about  using  fashion 

as  a  service-learning  opportunity  for  students. 

19  -*     My  college  town 

James  River  Film  Festival  caters  to  Richmond-area 
cinema  lovers. 


20     ■*     The  big  picture 

Classroom  lessons  at  the  VCU  Rice  Center  expand 
to  the  water's  edge. 

26     ^    Alumni  connections 

The  latest  news  from  the  alumni  association. 


31      ^     Class  notes 

Updates  from  alumni,  faculty,  staff  and  friends. 

37  "*     Then  and  now 

Barnes  &  Noble  offers  a  new  textbook  definition 
of  campus  bookstores. 

38  >     Datebook 

Upcoming  university  and  alumni  events. 


39     >     Circa 

University  Student  Commons:  1984- 


Spring  2009  1  i 


Building  VCUs  legacy  through  alumni  engagement 

With  the  retirement  of  President  Eugene  P.  Trani, 
Ph.D.,  your  university  is  assessing  its  past,  present  and 
future,  in  preparation  for  writing  the  next  chapter  of  its 
history.  In  ig  years,  Dr.  Trani's  leadership  has  brought 
growth  and  change  to  campus  and  the  community,  and 
his  accomphshments  and  contributions  are  featured  in 
this  issue.  We  wish  him  the  very  best  and  thank  him  for 
his  stellar  service. 

Beckoning  to  all  of  us  is  the  opportunity  to  build 
on  the  legacy  of  Dr.  Trani  and  other  faculty,  students, 
alumni  and  staff  who've  come  before,  as  we  welcome  a  new 
president  and  refresh  our  dedication  to  and  support  for 
Virginia  Commonwealth  University, 

How  might  we  best  build  on  that  legacy?  1  believe  the 
path  requires  us  to  work  together  to  enhance  alumni 
engagement. 

WTiat  is  alumni  engagement?  It's  establishing  the 
alumni  association  as  a  primary  connection  for  alumni 
with  the  university,  so  that  you  can  capitalize  on  the 
university's  role  as  a  lifelong  educational  and  social 

resource.   It's  also  advancing  the  university  by  building  active  support,   commitment  and  involvement 
among  alumni,  students,  faculty  and  business  and  community  partners. 

How  will  we  build  alumni  engagement?  The  first  step  is  to  invite  you  and  all  alumni  to  join  the  alumni 
association  and  actively  engage  in  setting  our  goals  and  objectives.  We're  creating  several  opportunities 
to  allow  alumni  to  interact  with  the  association  and  the  university. 

We're  improving  our  Web  site,  www.vcu-mcvalumni,org,  and  expanding  the  networking  and  services 
available  for  all  alumni,  particularly  active,  dues-paying  members  who  provide  essential  financial  resources 
to  fund  student  and  alumni  outreach  and  support. 

We're  also  increasing  our  presence  on  social  networks  such  as  Facebook  and  Linkedin,  as  well  as 
expanding  our  activities  and  programs,  both  on-  and  off-campus,  to  engage  more  alumni  in  the  full  range 
of  intellectual,  service,  networking  and  Ram  spirit  opportunities  available. 

Please  review  the  reunion  information  and  other  programming  featured  in  this  issue  and  come  back 
to  campus  to  renew  friendships  with  fellow  alumni  and  meet  and  greet  the  faculty  members  and  students 
who  are  keeping  the  Ram  spirit  alive  and  well! 

VCU  is  achieving  recognition  for  its  high-quality  programs  and  facilities  and  has  a  lot  to  offer  alumni. 
Your  continuing  involvement  with  the  university  is  critical  to  building  and  maintaining  the  type  of  educa- 
tional environment  that  leads  to  sustained  excellence. 

Your  alumni  association  is  your  primary  connection  to  a  lifetime  of  learning  and  engagement.  We  need 
you  to  be  an  active  member  of  the  team! 


Yours  for  VCU, 


Gordon  A.  McDougall 

Assistant  Vice  President,  University  Alumni  Relations 

gamcdougall(5Vcu,edu 


P.S.   Help   us  keep   our  communications  streamlined  and  green.    Register  your  e-mail  address 
www.vcu-mcvalumni.org. 


On  the  cover 

Virginia  Commonwealth  University  President 
Eugene  P.  Trani.  Ph.D..  and  the  Pauley  Pavilion, 
home  to  the  da  Vinci  Center  for  Innovation 
in  Product  Design  and  Development. 


Spring  2009  •  Volume  14,  Number  2 
www.vcu-mcvalumni.org 


Assistant  Vice  President, 
University  Alumni  Relations 
Gordon  A.  McDougall 

Executive  Director, 

VCU  Alumni  Association 

Diane  Stout-Brown  (B.S.W,  '80/SW) 

Editorial 

Kristen  Caldwell  (B,S,  '94/MC) 

Design 
Trina  Lambert 

Photography 
Linda  George 

Production 
Jessica  Foster 

Contributors 

Editorial:  Kelli  Anderson.  Jennifer  Carmean 
(B,S,  '98/H&S),  Teri  Dunnivant,  Erin  Egan, 
Polly  Roberts,  Melanie  Irvin  Solaimani 
(B,S.  'ge/MC),  Kim  Witt 

Design:  Pamela  Arnold  (B.F.A.  '87/A),  Nathan 
Hanger  (B.S.  'oi/MC),  Haley  Hollenbach 
(B,F,A.  'Ol/A),  Katie  McBride  (B,F,A.  'oVA), 
Matthew  Phillips  (M,F.A.  'Sy/A).  Shannon 
Williams 

Photograph)':  VCU  Libraries  —  Special 
Collections  and  Archives,  Allen  Jones 
(B,F,A,  '82/A;  M,F,A,  'g2/A),  Tom  Kojcsich 

Shafer  Court  Connections  is  published 
semiannually  by  the  Office  of  Alumni  Relations 
and  VCU  Creative  Services  for  Virginia 
Commonwealth  University's  alumni,  faculty, 
staff  and  friends.  Opinions  expressed  in  this 
magazine  do  not  necessarily  represent  those 
of  the  university  or  magazine  staff. 

Send  address  changes  to  the  Office  of  Alumni 
Relations,  Virginia  Commonwealth  University, 
g24.W.  Franklin  St.,  P,0.  Box  84304.4, 
Richmond,  VA  23284-3044.;  telephone 
(804)  828-25861  vcu-alum@vcu,edu 
or  www,vcu-mcvalumni,org. 

Letters  to  the  editor  should  be  sent  to  Shafer 
Court  Connections,  Virginia  Commonwealth 
University,  827  W,  Franklin  St,.  P,0,  Box 
842041.  Richmond,  VA  23284-2041,  or 
e-mail  shafercourt@vcu,edu.  Please  include 
your  name,  address  and  a  daytime  phone 
number;  anonymous  letters  will  not  be 
published.  Letters  may  be  edited  for  clarity 
or  space. 

Contributions  of  articles,  photos  and 
artwork  are  welcome,  however,  Shafer  Court 
Connections  accepts  no  responsibility  for 
unsolicited  items, 

©  2009,  Virginia  Commonwealth  University. 

An  equal  opportunity,  affirmative  action  univeniity.  080923-02 


4  i  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


University  news 


Virginia  Commonwealth  University 
news  and  research.  For  the 
latest  updates,  visit  VCU  online 
at  www.news.vcu.edu 


VC "I ^es  Central  Michigan  hea-^  >-^:-i--"i  n-.„  „  ;.-.  auu  „,„.;,!„„i 

The  VCU  Board  of  Visitors  announced  in  late  Februai'y  that  Michael  Rao.  Ph.D.,  president  of 

Central  Michigan  University,  will  be  VCU's  next  president  and  president  of  the  VCU  Health  System. 

He  also  will  be  a  tenured  professor  in  the  School  of  Education. 

Rao,    42.    comes   to  VCU  with   a   broad   range   of  educational    experience,    including  sei'ving 

as  a  president  of  a  large  doctoral  research  university,  university  chancellor,  president  of  a  two-year 

college  and  a  college  dean. 

"Michael  Rao's  accomplishments  are  remarkable,"  says  VCU  Rector  Tom  Rosenthal.  "Members 

of  the  board,  the  presidential  search  committee  and  others  representing  university  groups  who  have 

met  Mike  are  excited  about  the  energy, 
enthusiasm  and  intelligence  he  will  bring  to 
VCU  as  its  fifth  president." 

The  board's  unanimous  decision  came 
alter  an  extensive  process  that  sought  input 
from  the  entire  university  community  about 
VCU's  future  and  the  type  of  person  who 
should  be  its  next  president.  A  17-niember, 
universitywide  committee  used  that  infor- 
mation as  it  conducted  a  national  search  and 
toi-warded  recommendations  to  the  VCU 
Board  of  Visitors. 

"1  am  truly  honored  to  be  appointed 
VCU's  next  president.  This  is  the  only  posi- 
tion I  have  pursued,  and  it  is  because  VCU  is 
a  dynamic  and  diverse  university  in  a  vibrant 
city.  "  Rao  says.  "It  is  very  clear  that  VCU  is 
an  institution  of  opportunity  with  great 
momentum.  I  am  excited  to  work  wdth  all  its 
stakeholders  to  carry  that  momentum  forward 
as  we  fulfill  an  important  mission  as  a  leading 
urban  research  university,  with  high-quality, 
well-integrated  academic  programs  and  a 
pre-eminent  academic  medical  center.  " 

Rao  vdll  officially  take  the  helm  of  the 
university  on  July  I  when  Eugene  P.  Trani, 

Ph.D.,  retires  from  the  positions  of  VCU  president  and  president  and  chair  of  the  VCU  Health 

System.  Trani  will  remain  at  VCU  as  university  distinguished  professor. 

Rao  has  served  as  president  and  professor  at  Central  Michigan  University  since  2000. 

CMU,  located  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Mich.,  is  a  public  doctoral  research  institution  wit 

28.000  students  and  an  operating  budget  of  more  than  $400  million. 

Acclaimed  debut  novelist  speaks  about  his  literary  journey 

In  November,  Travis  Holland  accepted  the  VCU  Cabell  First  Novelist  Award 
and  participated  in  a  forum  discussion  about  the  journey  of  his  critically  acclaimed 
debut  novel,  "The  Archivist's  Story,"  published  in  2007- 

Inspired  by  Isaac  Babel,  one  of  Russia's  greatest  short-story  writers,  who  was 
executed  by  the  Stalinist  regime,  Holland  captures  the  atmosphere  of  Moscow  at 
the  end  of  the  1930s.  The  novel  follows  the  ethical  and  moral  dilemmas  of  the  main 
character,  an  archivist  at  the  Lubyanka  Prison  who  is  charged  with  cataloging  (and 
ultimately  incinerating)  the  works  of  writers  who  have  been  denounced  and  arrested. 

The  VCU  Cabell  First  Novelist  Award  celebrates  the  VCU  M.F.A.   in  Creative 
Writing  Program's  yearlong  novel  workshop  —  the  first  in  the  nation  and  still  one 
of  the  few  in  existence. 


VCU  President-elect  Michael  ftao,  Ph.D.,  greets  Irene  Lubker, 
research  librarian  at  the  Tompkins-McCaw  Library,  and  her 
colleagues  (from  left)  Shannon  Jones,  head  of  Outreach 
Services,  and  Barbara  Wright,  reference  services  librarian, 
at  a  March  5  campus  forum. 


Electric  trucks  roll  across  carmous 

As  part  of  a  pilot  program  to  test  emissions 
and  cost-effectiveness,  VCU  purchased  two 
electric  trucks  that  reduce  greenhouse  gas 
emissions  by  99  percent  when  compared 
with  the  diesel-powered  Bobcat  Toolcats 
already  in  use  on  campus. 

The  trucks  —  used  for  collecting  trash, 
recycling  and  maintaining  the  grounds  on 
VCU's  campuses  —  place  VCU  among  the 
66  percent  of  universities  nationwide  that 
reported  using  hybrid  or  alternative-energy 
vehicles  in  2008.  according  to  the  College 
Sustainability  Report  Card. 

The  trucks  support  VCU's  sustainability 
initiatives  as  a  signatory  of  the  American 
College  and  University  Presidents  Climate 
Commitment.  TTie  commitment,  which  VCU 
signed  in  April  2008,  is  an  effort  among 
universities  to  address  global  warming  by 
conducting  a  greenhouse  gas  inventory  and 
establishing  a  timeline  for  achieving  carbon 
neutrality. 

"It  is  my  hope  that  sustainability  becomes 
an  integral  component  of  the  academic, 
administrative,  clinical,  operational  and 
research  activity  VCU  engages  in  every 
day,"  says  Jacek  Ghosh,  who  joined  VCU 
in  September  2008  as  director  of  sustain- 
ability. 'I  would  like  to  see  sustainability 
become  ingrained  in  VCU's  DNA  as  a  matter 

of  course." 

The  Vantage  Electric  TruckAll 
truck  supports  VCU's  pursuit 
of  a  sustainable  campus. 


(I 


Spring  2009  I  5 


[university  news] 

Bill  Cosbv  kick"^  off  lecfure  series 

Entertainer  Bill  Cosby  spoke  to  an  enthusi- 
astic VCU  audience  in  December  at  the  Alltel 
Pavilion  of  the  Stuart  C.  Siegel  Center.  The 
event  culminated  a  series  of  celebrations  this 
past  fall  recognizing  VCU's  40'^  anniversary 
and  was  the  first  presentation  in  the  newly  estab- 
lished L.  Douglas  Wilder  Lectureship  Series. 

Named  for  the  former  Richmond  mayor 
and  former  Virginia  governor,  and  made  pos* 
sible  by  a  gift  from  Dominion  Resources,  the 
Wilder  Lecture  will  be  presented  every  fall 
and  spring  semester.  Wilder,  who  also  is  a 
distinguished  professor  in  the  VCU  Center 
for  Public  Policy,  was  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing Cosby  to  VCU,  and  he  will  continue  to  help 
identify  speakers  for  future  series  lectures. 

Hospital  fills  a  critical  need  in  Va. 

Virginia's  only  hospital  devoted  solely 
to  critical  care  was  dedicated  in  October  2008 
at  the  VCU  Medical  Center. 


_.nticiji  '^fjn.:  Hospital  at  the  VCU  Medical  Center 


Designed  with  input  from  more  than  600 
doctors,  nurses,  staff  members  and  patients,  the 
15-level,  367,000-square-foot  Critical  Care 
Hospital  increases  the  medical  center's  capac- 
ity for  treating  seriously  ill  and  injured  patients 
and  includes  intensive  care  units  for  surgical 
trauma,  neonatal,  cardiac,  neuroscience  and 
oncology,  as  well  as  the  Evans-Haynes  Burn 
Center.  The  largest  capital  construction  project 
in  the  history  of  the  VCU  Medical  Center,  the 
$184  million  Critical  Care  Hospital  houses  232 
adult  patient  beds,  increasing  the  medical  cen- 
ter's ratio  of  private  to  semiprivate  beds  from  37 
percent  to  70  percent. 

Art  alumna  receives  'genius  grant' 

Sculptor  and  VCU  School  of  the  Arts  gradu- 
ate Tara  Donovan  (M.F.A.  '99/A)  won  the 
prestigious  MacArthur  Fellowship  in  2008, 
becoming  the  third  former  VCU  student  to  win 
the  award  in  the  past  five  years. 

Donovan  was  one  of  25  MacArthur  Fellows 
named  in  September.  Each  grant  winner  will 
receive  $500,000  over  the  course  of  five  years 
with  no  obligations  on  how  the  money  is  spent, 
providing  honorees  with  a  large  measure  of 
freedom  to  advance  their  work. 

The  John  D.  and  Catherine  T.  MacAi^thur 
Foundation  Fellowships  are  awarded  annually  to 
individuals  from  a  variety  of  fields  throughout 
the  U.S.  Fellows  are  selected  for  their  "creativ- 
ity, originality  and  potential."  The  award  is 
often  referred  to  as  the  "genius  grant.  " 

Donovan  was  the  subject  of  a  solo  exhibit  at  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  in  New  York  City 
last  year  and  recently  completed  a  major  exhibit 
at  the  Institute  of  Contemporary  Art  in  Boston. 

In  awarding  a  fellowship  to  Donovan,  the 
MacArthur  Foundation  noted  that  she  ""is  an 
inventive    young    sculptor    whose    installations 


m..--m^^^^ 

^^^ 

^^KfK^^^BmmSS^^ms^mam 

?>>  41 

'■%                .         ^ 

,  rom  Mylar  sheets  and  glue,  "Untitled 
(Mylar),  2008"  illustrates  what  the  MacArthur  Foundation 
calls  Tara  Donovan's  "dazzling  body  of  work  that  will  enrich 
the  fields  of  contemporary  sculpture  and  installation  for 
years  to  come." 

bring  wonder  to  the  most  common  objects  of 
everyday  life.  Donovan's  site-specific,  sculptural 
works  transform  ordinary  accumulated  materials 
into  intriguing  visual  and  physical  installations." 

VCU,  W&M  partner  on  life  sciences 

In  January,  The  College  of  William  &.  Mary 
and  VCU  announced  a  partnership  that  pools 
the  research  and  expertise  of  their  environmen- 
tal science  programs. 

Under  the  agreement.  William  &.  Mary's 
Center  for  Conservation  Biology,  best  known 
for  its  work  with  bald  eagles  and  ensuring  sus- 
tainability  of  bird  populations,  wdll  draw  on  its 
extensive  academic  programs  in  biology,  bio- 
science  and  computational  modeling,  while 
providing  a  close  connection  with  the  consider- 
able expertise  within  the  VCU  Inger  and  Walter 
Rice  Center  for  Environmental  Life  Sciences. 

The  collaboration  will  be  named  the  College 
of  William  &.  MaryA^irginia  Commonwealth 
University  Center  for  Conservation  Biology 
at  the  VCU  Rice  Center. 


Faculty  honors 


M.  Njeri  Jackson,  Ph.D.,  special  assistant  for  diversity  in  the  Office 
of  the  Provost  and  associate  professor  in  the  Department  of  African 
American  Studies  and  the  L.  Douglas  Wilder  School  of  Government 
and  Public  Affairs,  received  the  2008  Women  of  Color  Professional 
Achie.ernent  Recognition  Award  from  the  Women's  Caucus  for 
Political  Science. 

The  American  Physical  Society  elected  Alenka  Luzar,  Ph.D., 
professor  in  the  Department  of  Chemistry,  to  the  status  of  Fellow. 


The  Institute  of  Medicine  of  the  National  Academies  elected 
Joseph  Ornato,  M.D.,  professor  and  chair  of  the  Department 
of  Emergency  Medicine,  to  its  member  ranks. 

The  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science  named 
two  VCU  professors  as  Fellows:  Audrey  Smedley,  Ph.D.,  profes- 
sor emeritus  of  anthropology  with  a  joint  appointment  in  African 
American  Studies,  and  Sarah  Spiegel,  Ph.D.,  professor  and  chair 
of  the  Department  of  Biochemistry  and  Molecular  Biology. 


June  Nicholson,  associate  director  and  associate  professor  in  the  David  Wojahn,  director  of  the  creative  writing  program  in  the 

School  of  Mass  Communications,  received  the  2008  Robert  P.  Knight  Department  of  English,  received  a  2009  Outstanding  Faculty  Award 

Multicultural  Reci  uii.ment  Award  from  the  Association  for  Education  from  the  State  Council  of  Higher  Education  for  Virginia  and  the 

in  Journalism  and  Mass  Communication.  Dominion  Foundation. 


6  i  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


"One  of  the  priorities  of  my  administration 
has  been  to  work  collaboratively  with  The  College 
of  William  &  Mary  and  this  agreement  brings 
together  two  very  strong  areas  of  expertise,"  says 
VCU  President  Eugene  P.  Trani,  Ph.D. 

Last  year,  VCU  and  William  &.  Mary  created 
the  VCU-William  &  Mary  Health  Policy  and 
Law  Initiative,  which  draws  on  faculty  from  the 
two  institutions  to  conduct  research,  provide 
public  service  and  offer  joint  degree  programs 
that  focus  on  solving  topical  problems  in  health 
policy,  law  and  bioethics. 


Research  repor: 


VCU  and  William  &  Mary  begin  a  partnership  in 
conservation  biology.  Pictured  clockwise  from  top 
left:  Leonard  Smock,  Ph.D..  director,  VCU  Rice  Center, 
Bryan  Watts.  Ph.D..  director.  William  &  Mary  Center 
for  Conservation  Biology;  Mitchell  Byrd,  Ph.D., 
chancellor  professor  emeritus  of  biology  at  William 
&  Mary;  Taylor  Reveley,  J.D.,  president,  William 
&  Mary;  and  Eugene  P.  Trani,  Ph.D.,  president,  VCU. 

Heart  center  uses  new  imaging  too 

The  VCU  Pauley  Heart  Center  is  the  first 
in  the  U.S.  to  use  the  Vivid  i  system,  a  new  type 
of  intracardiac  uhrasound  machine  that  pro- 
duces enhanced  imaging  of  the  heart,  allowing 
cardiac  electrophysiologists  to  better  diagnose 
and  treat  atrial  fibrillation. 

Affecting  more  than  2  million  Americans, 
atrial  fibrillation  interferes  with  the  heart's 
ability  to  efficiently  pump  blood,  which  can  lead 
to  clots  and  possibly  a  stroke. 

"It  gives  us  spectacular  images  of  the  heart, 
our  catheters  in  the  heart  and  the  structures 
in  the  heart  and  helps  us  do  an  even  better  job 
of  ablating  atrial  fibrillation  more  safely  and 
more  effectively."  says  Kenneth  Ellenbogen, 
M.D.,  professor  of  cardiology  and  director 
of  the  cardiac  electrophysiology  lab  at  the 
VCU  Medical  Center. 


neai-i 


Irogen 


Scientists  at  Penn  State  University  and  VCU  have  discov- 
ered a  way  to  produce  hydrogen  by  exposing  selected  clusters 
of  aluminum  atoms  to  water.  The  findings  demonstrate  that 
it  is  the  geometries  of  these  aluminum  clusters,  rather  than 
solely  their  electronic  properties,  that  govern  the  proximity  of 
the  clusters'  exposed  active  sites. 

Supported  by  the  Air  Force  Office  of  Scientific  Research, 
the  team,  which  includes  VCU  physics  professor  Shiv  Khanna, 
Ph.D.,  and  postdoctoral  associate  Arthur  Reber,  found  that  the 
aluminum  clusters  react  differently  when  exposed  to  water 
depending  on  their  sizes  and  their  unique  geometric  struc- 
tures. Three  of  the  aluminum  clusters  produced  hydrogen  Shiv  KInanna,  Ph.D. 
from  water  at  room  temperature. 

"Traditional  techniques  for  splitting  water  to  produce  hydrogen  generally  require  a  lot 
of  energy  at  the  time  the  hydrogen  is  generated.  But  our  method  allows  us  to  produce 
hydrogen  without  supplying  heat,  connecting  to  a  battery  or  adding  electricity.  Once  the 
aluminum  clusters  are  synthesized,  they  can  generate  hydrogen  on  demand  without  the 
need  to  store  it,"  Khanna  says. 

Gene  discovery  could  lead  to  new  cancer  therapies 

SARI,  a  new  anti-tumor  gene  identified  by  VCU  researchers,  suppresses  the  growth 
and  survival  of  tumor  cells  by  interfering  with  the  action  of  cancer  cell  molecules  that 
drive  cell  division  and  promote  survival. 

Supported  by  grants  from  the  National  Institutes  of  Health,  the  Samuel  Waxman  Cancer 
Research  Foundation  and  the  National  Foundation  for  Cancer  Research,  the  investigators 
delivered  SARI  to  cancer  cells  using  a  virus,  and  the  infected  cancer  cells  subsequently 
stopped  dividing  and  died.  As  90  percent  of  all  cancer  types  rely  on  a  similar  mechanism 
to  proliferate  and  evade  destruction,  researchers  noted  that  SARI  could  be  an  effective 
anti-cancer  treatment  for  many  tumors. 

"We  have  uncovered  a  new  way  by  which  interferon  can  induce  anti-tumor  activity. 
The  identification  of  SARI  also  provides  a  new  potential  reagent  for  the  selective  killing 
of  tumor  cells,"  says  lead  investigator  Paul  B.  Fisher,  M.Ph.,  Ph.D.,  professor  and  chair 
of  the  Department  of  Human  and  Molecular  Genetics  and  director  of  the  VCU  Institute 
of  Molecular  Medicine  in  the  VCU  School  of  Medicine.  Subtraction  hybridization,  a  pow- 
erful technique  pioneered  in  Fisher's  laboratory,  uncovered  SARI. 

Next,  the  team  plans  to  develop  improved  approaches  to  more  effectively  target  the 
delivery  of  SARI. 


contirms  power 


scan  as  an  imaginj 


A  nationwide  study  involving  VCU  researchers  confirmed  the  effectiveness  of  positron 
emission  tomography  (PET)  scans  in  monitoring  tumor  activity  across  a  range  of  cancers.  Thi 
results  could  lead  to  expanded  Medicare  coverage  for  PET  scans  in  diagnosing,  staging  and 
restaging  all  cancers. 

Researchers  reported  results  by  cancer  type  for  two  years  of  data  collected  from  nearly 
41,000  PET  studies  conducted  at  more  than  1,300  cancer  centers  nationwide  and  found 
the  impact  of  PET  did  not  vary  significantly  among  cancers. 

"As  a  result,  we  believe  that  coverage  for  PET  in  the  staging,  restaging  and  detec- 
tion of  recurrence  of  cancer  should  be  handled  the  same  across  the  board,"  says  Bruce 
E.  Hillner,  M.D.,  professor  of  medicine  at  the  VCU  Massey  Cancer  Center  and  lead 
author  of  the  article,  published  in  the  December  issue  of  The  Journal  of  Nuclear  Medi- 
cine. Hillner  serves  as  chair  of  the  National  Oncologic  PET  Registry,  which  ensures  access 
to  Medicare  reimbursement  for  certain  types  of  PET  scans.  ; 


wmm. 

.mm 

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/-^e^Lcii 


// 


enucL 


Eugene  P.  Trani 

reflects  on  his  19-year  tenure  as 
the  university's  visionary  leader 


ii 


eciwe 


and  autnor  woiiict 


a  no 
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ted  hidti 
he  nistori 


or  a  6  c  no  tar 

I 


umSe 


With  the  nation's  college  and  university  presidents  serving  on  average 
8.5  years,  according  to  the  American   Education  Council,  the 
19-year   presidency  of   Eugene   P.   Irani,   Ph.D.,   represents   one 
of  the    longest   tenures   of   any   university   system    president 
in  modern  times.  Virginia  Commonwealth  University  benefited 
from  Dr.  Trani's  longevity  as  he  led  VCU  through  a  strategic 
transformation,  building  the  university  into  a  major  urban 
research  institution  and  the  largest  university  in  Virginia. 

As  he  prepares  to  retire  as  president  of  VCU  and  president 
and  chair  of  the  VCU   Health  System,  Dr.  Irani  shares  his 
thoughts  on  the  university's  growth  and  its  impact  throughout 
the  region  since  he  arrived  on  campus  in  1990. 


(First  row,  from  left)  Francis  L.  Macrina,  Ph.D.,  VCU  vice  president  for  research,  Dr.  Irani 
and  Sheldon  Retchin,  M.D.,  M.S. P.M.,  VCU  Health  System  CEO  and  VCU  Health  Sciences 
vice  president  •  Virginia  General  Assembly  resolution  commending  Dr.  Trani's  leadership 
•Hibbs  Hall  •  Campaign  for  VCU  celebration  (Second  row,  from  left)  VCU  School  of  the 
Arts  in  Qatar  •  Monroe  Park  Campus  Addition  •  VCU  Commencement  •  Robert  T.  Skunda, 
president  and  CEO,  Virginia  BioTechnology  Research  Park,  and  Dr.  Irani  (Third  row,  from  left) 
Dr.  Irani  on  C-SPAN2's  Book  IV-  Novelist  loni  Morrison  and  Dr.  Irani  •  Dr.  Irani's  "retired"  jersey 
in  the  Alltel  Pavilion  at  the  Siegel  Center  •  VCU  Critical  Care  Hospital  (Fourth  row,  from  left) 
Dr.  Irani's  inaugural  address  •  Linden  Court  •  VCU  Inger  and  Walter  Rice  Center  for  Environmental 
Life  Sciences  •  Dr.  Irani  and  his  wife,  Lois,  with  former  President  Bill  Clinton 


Dr.  Irani  at  VCU's  40th  Anniversary  in  fall  2008  (center)  celebrates  the  growth  of  the  university,  v^hich  includes  more  than  $2.2 
billion  in  capital  construction  and  renovation  projects  on  the  Monroe  Park  Campus  (far  left)  and  MCV  Campus  since  1990- 


44 


During  your  presidency,  VCU  set 
many  enrollment  records,  and  VCU 
became  Virginia's  largest  public  uni- 
versity. How  has  a  growing  student 
population  been  an  asset  to  VCU,  and 
has  a  larger  student  body  changed 
the  VCU  experience? 

It  clearly  has  given  us  a  critical  mass  to  do 
different  things  —  for  example,  a  critical  mass 
of  life  science  students  and  a  critical  mass  of 
engineering  students.  I  think  it  has  helped 
our  prestige  within  the  commonwealth  since 
so  many  of  our  students  are  from  Virginia. 
We  have  almost  600  freshmen  from  Fairfax 
County  this  year  and,  therefore,  I  can  go  into 
the  office  of  almost  any  legislator  from  Fairfax 
County  and  they  know  all  about  VCU.  They 
didn't  used  to  know  about  VCU. 

If  you  were  advising  parents  of  a  17-year- 
old  student  weighing  college  choices, 
what  would  you  tell  them  about  VCU? 

I  would  tell  them  it  would  be  a  real-world 
experience.  It's  not  isolated  physically  or 
psychologically.  We  are  in  a  great  metro- 
politan area  with  a  diverse  student  body 
that  reflects  what  the  United  States  looks 
like  —  what  the  world  looks  like.  And  we 
prepare  our  students  for  the  world  of  work 
—  and  we're  very  good  at  that.  This  is  no 
ivy-covered  isolated  place.  VCU  represents 
the  real  world,  and  I  think  our  students  are 
ready  to  go  out  into  that  world  when  they 
graduate. 

10  1  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


When  I  met  Dr.  Trani  in  1999,  he  ignited  my  passion  to 
become  involved  with  my  alma  mater.  Gene  has  trans- 
formed VCU  ...  to  the  world-class  healing,  teaching, 
research  and  residential  university  that  we  are  today. 
When  I  think  about  all  the  positive  change  that  has  taken 
place,  I  realize  that  Dr  Trani  not  only  has  reinvented  VCU, 
but  he  has  also  had  a  material  impact  on  changing  the  face 

of  the  city  of  Richmond.    -  Richard  J.  "Dick"  Robertson  (B.S.  '67/MC)      9k  Wi 


Raising  institutional  pride  has  been  a  pri- 
ority for  your  administration.  What  do 
you  think  it  means  to  be  a  Ram  today? 

I  think  it's  much  more  meaningful.  Certainly, 
the  only  identification  is  not  athletics,  but 


if  you  were  at  the  VCU-George  Mason  game, 
which  was  on  ESPN2,  you  really  got  a  sense 
for  what  it  means  to  be  a  Ram.  They're  proud. 
They're  boisterous,  but  they're  respectful. 
There's  just  a  great  feeling.  Our  students 
have  clearly  rallied  around  our  athletic  teams 


and  the  concept  of  VCU,  and  our  faculty 
and  staff  and  many  of  our  alumni  have  really 
become  very  supportive.  So  it  means  some- 
thing special. 

The  connection  between  the  city  and 
VCU  became  increasingly  important 
during  your  tenure,  with  major  campus 
construction  projects,  partnerships 
and  revitalization.  How  do  you  see  that 
continuing? 

I'm  sure  it  will  continue.  I  think  it's  part  of 
who  we  are.  It  certainly  was  not  new  with 
me  —  maybe  a  little  more  focused  than  it 
had  been  in  the  past.  We  are  an  urban  insti- 
tution —  proud  to  be  an  urban  institution  — 
and  our  students  and  faculty  benefit  all  the 
time  from  close  interactions  with  the  city 
in  terms  of  their  research,  in  terms  of  their 
community  service  and  in  terms  of  their 
teaching  opportunities.  It  is  at  the  core  of 
what  VCU  is. 

What  spots  on  VCU's  campuses  are 
most  special  to  you? 

I  love  the  Egyptian  Medical  Sciences 
Courtyard  —  that's  a  special  place.  The 
courtyard  in  the  Life  Sciences  building  is  a 
special  place,  as  is  the  walk  from  my  office 
to  the  library,  passing  the  dining  facility  and 
Hibbs  Hall.  And  what  I  especially  like  is  that 
there  is  a  real  sense  of  the  two  campuses 
more  now  than  we  ever  had  before.  Our 
physical  facilities  people  do  a  wonderful 


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J 


unini  conimen 
rUJr.  ^ixuii  J  leadership 

About  200  current  and  former  alumni 
leaders  attended  a  Feb.  19  reception 
at  the  VCU  Scott  House  honoring 
President  Irani.  The  VCU  Alumni 
Association  and  the  MCV  Alumni 
Association  of  VCU  commended  Dr. 
Trani  and  his  wife,  Lois,  with  a  resolu- 
tion in  their  honor  Dan  Massey  (B.S. 
'92/B),  (center)  VCUAA  president, 
and  Mary  S.  Shall,  Ph.D.  (Ph.D.  '91/M), 
(far  left)  MCVAA  president,  presented 
Dr.  Trani  with  a  the  resolution. 


job  in  terms  of  keeping  VCU  up  and  clean 
and  modernized.  It's  a  great  place  to  walk 
around. 


What  favorite  memories  do  you  have 
of  your  early  years  at  VCU? 

I  think  it  was  the  establishment  of  the 
Virginia  BioTechnology  Research  Park  and  the 
establishment  of  the  School  of  Engineering. 
These  were  certainly  early  signals  as  to  what 
VCU  was  going  to  become. 

What  are  you  most  proud  of  about 
your  tenure  here  at  VCU? 

I  think  VCU  has  become  one  university  — 
we  didn't  start  as  a  university.  University  of 
Virginia  and  William  &  Mary  started  as  universi- 
ties and  then  things  grew  out  from  there.  We 
didn't  have  a  corpus.  We  have  a  corpus  now  — 
and  it's  strong,  vital  and  growing. 

When  you  came  to  VCU  in  1990,  did 
you  envision  leading  the  university  for 
nearly  two  decades? 

No.  I  thought  eight  to  10  years,  but  it's  gone 
quickly.  With  my  physical  difficulties  of  the 
past  year,  it's  time.  I'm  ready.  I'm  also  69  years 
old. 


What's  next  for  you,  President  Trani? 

I  have  three  books  under  way  -  one  coming 
out  in  May  on  American-Russian-Chinese 
relations  in  the  20th  century.  It's  being 
published  in  English,  Russian,  Chinese  and 
Spanish.  And  I  have  one  that  is  due  to  pub- 
lishers in  July  on  universities  and  economic 
development.  My  co-author  on  foreign 
policy  and  I  have  started  a  biography  of 
Harrison  Salisbury.  And  since  there  are  675 
boxes  of  papers  that  we're  going  through, 
I  think  it'll  be  a  long  process.  I'm  also 
going  to  teach  modules  here  in  the  Honors 
College. 


What  does  the  future  hold  for  VCU? 

It's  very  bright.  I  think  the  infrastructure  is 
here.  I  am  very  pleased  with  the  appoint- 
ment of  Michael  Rao  to  be  my  successor.  The 
board  and  the  search  committee  have  found 
the  right  person  to  continue  VCU's  transfor- 
mation as  a  world-class  university  and  aca- 
demic medical  center. 


1990   to   present 

•  VCU's  enrollment  has  increased  from 
21,764  in  1990  to  32,077  in  2008,  a  47 
percent  increase.  VCU  now  has  the 
largest  student  body  of  any  university 
in  Virginia.  The  growth  in  VCU's  enroll- 
ment has  been  in  full-time  students,  the 
number  of  which  has  increased  more 
than  60  percent  over  the  past  lO  years. 
In  addition,  the  size  of  the  freshman 
class  has  increased  from  1,612  to  3,756, 
more  than  doubling. 

■  VCU  remains  a  diverse  university  — 
minority  students  make  up  more  than 
one-third  of  our  student  body.  VCU's  inter- 
national student  enrollments  increased 
by  170  percent  over  the  past  nine  years 
to  more  than  1,500  students.  In  addition, 
60  percent  of  VCU  students  are  female. 

•  From  1990  through  the  present,  VCU 
and  the  medical  center  have  undertaken 
or  been  authorized  to  undertake  more 
than  $2.2  billion  in  capital  construction 
and  renovation  projects.  More  than  half 
of  the  total  has  been  funded  with  private 
gifts,  university  resources  or  hospital  rev- 
enues. Another  $930  million  in  projects 
are  planned. 

•  VCU's  sponsored  research  program 
awards  increased  218  percent,  from  $71 
million  in  awards  and  contracts  in  1990 
to  more  than  $223  million  in  2008. 

•  Annual  private  giving  to  VCU  has  grown 
from  an  average  of  $11  million  a  year  dur- 
ing the  1990s  to  an  average  $58  million  a 
year  during  the  past  seven  years.  VCU's 
endowment  and  unrestricted  invest- 
ments have  risen  from  $63.8  million  in 
1990  to  nearly  $427  million  in  the  first 
quarter  of  2008. 

•  VCU  continues  innovative  efforts  to  inter- 
nationalize its  campuses  by  establishing 
universitywide  international  partnerships 
with  universities  from  around  the  world, 
including  10  non-European  partners. 
During  his  presidency.  Dr.  Trani  has  estab- 
lished significant  linkages  in  the  Middle 
East,  Europe,  Africa,  Central  and  South 
America  and  Asia.  Currently,  VCU  has 
developed  partnerships  with  14  universi- 
ties, most  with  academic  medical  centers. 


Spring  2009  1 11 


^^'■^"■^^ 


Family 


Legacy  families  link 

the  past,  present  and  future 

of  Virginia  Commonwealth  University 


By  Erin  Egan 


As  members  of  an  exclusive  club,  Virginia  Commonwealth  University  families 
with  multiple  graduates  share  a  special  bond.  These  family  members 
appreciate  the  educational  excellence  of  a  VCU  degree  as  they 
reminisce  about  their  days  as  students,  continue  campus  rituals 
and  nurture  Ram  pride. 

The  number  of  legacy  families  at  VCU  continues  to  grow, 
as  students  with  alumni  parents,  grandparents,  aunts,  uncles, 
cousins,  brothers  or  sisters  carry  on  a  family  tradition. 

Shafer  Court  Connections  recently  spoke  to  four 
legacy  families  who  reveal  how  their  unique  VCU 
link  strengthens  their  connection  to  one  another. 


-r  Court  Connections 


e  :      ■■,.fl^:         ■'- 


Building  a 


The  Chesterfield-based  Robinson 
family,  from  left:  Maurice  Robinson, 
Catharine  Robinson  Anderson,  Ellen 
Robinson  Sheehy,  Spencer  Robinson, 
Norman  Robinson  and  Joan  Lemieux 
Robinson 


The  Robinson  clan  boasts  nine  members  who  attended  VCU  —  and  its 
predecessors  —  through  the  years.  The  eldest  member  of  the  Chesterfield 
County-based   family,    Everett   Robinson,   attended   the   university   when 
it  was  the  Richmond  Division  of  The  College  of  William  &  Mary.  Another 
brother,  Maurice  Robinson   (B.S.   '65/B),   worked   his   way  through   the 
Richmond  Professional  Institute.  Younger  siblings  Ellen  Robinson  Sheehy 
(B.S.  '72/SW)  and  Norman  Robinson  (B.S.  '72/B)  followed  their  older  broth- 
ers to  VCU  several  years  later. 

"I  think  I  influenced  them  to  go,"  says  Maurice,  a  retired  accountant  for  CSX  Railroad. 
"I  really  did  like  VCU  and  thought  I  got  a  good  education.  My  siblings  enjoyed  the  school 
and  it  had  what  they  wanted." 

Norman,  president  of  the  nonprofit  EastPay,  earned  his  degree  and  met  his  future  wife,  Joan  Lemieux  Robinson  (B.S.  '73/E), 
at  VCU.  The  two  married  in  1974.  Twenty  years  later,  the  next  generation  of  Robinsons,  Maurice's  children  Catharine  Robinson 
Anderson  (B.S.  '94/E)  and  Maurice  "Joey"  Robinson  Jr.  (B.S.  '98/I-I&S),  and,  then  later,  Norman's  son  Spencer  Robinson 
(B.S.  'Ol/B)  and  son-in-law  Walter  C.  Crenshaw  V  (B.S.  '04/B;  M.A.  ■07/B)  continued  the  family's  VCU  tradition. 

"It  was  a  great  fit,"  says  Joey  of  VCU.  He  started  at  the  university  after  high  school  but  put  his  education 
on  hold  to  get  married  and  start  a  family.  He  now  works  as  a  project  manager  with  the  New  York  engineering 
firm  Clough  Harbour  and  Associates. 

"I  actually  went  back  and  got  my  degree  after  I  had  three  kids  and  while  I  was  working 
full  time,"  he  says.  "I  did  it  the  hard  way.  I  can  tell  you  I  appreciated  it  a  lot  more.  It  was  quite 
an  accomplishment." 

Talk  at  Robinson  family  gatherings  often  gravitates  toward  VCU  and  the  latest 
campus  news.  "I  wear  my  class  ring  religiously  and  that  seems  to  always  spark 
conversation  about  VCU  and  how  it's  changed,"  Joey  says. 

The  family  knows  their  household  of  VCU  diplomas  makes  them  unique.  "It's 

really  kind  of  interesting  that  we  all  went  there,"  Norman  says.  "We  have  a  neat 

common  bond  among  us.  It's  just  an  awesome  school.  We're  all  very  proud  of  it." 

The  third  generation  of  Robinsons  might  soon  be  headed  to  VCU,  thus 

turning  this  family's  legacy  into  a  dynasty.  VCU  ranks  high  on  the  list  of  possible 

schools  for  two  of  Joey's  kids.  "We'll  get  one  down  there  eventually,"  he  says. 

"We're  going  to  get  that  third  generation." 


V'kV. 


,P^:jr 


Celebrating  a 


Kathleen  Barrett  with  daughter  Catie 
Besenfelder  McConnell  in  1971  at 
Barrett's  VCU  graduation  (top)  and 
20  years  later  at  McConnell's  VCU 
Commencement 


Catie  Besenfelder  McConnell  (B.S.  91/B)  and  Elizabeth  White  Baker  (Ph.D.  b6/B) 
practically  bleed  black  and  gold.  Their  mother,  Kathleen  Barrett  (B.S.  '71/B;  M.S.  '73/B), 
gave  birth  to  the  two  sisters  while  she  attended  the  university.  As  one  of  just  four 
women  in  the  business  school  at  the  time,  Kathleen  received  flowers  from  her  dean 
with  a  note  saying  he'd  never  had  a  graduate  student  give  birth  before.  "That's  how  rare 
it  was  for  a  woman  to  be  in  the  business  school,"  she  says. 

When  it  came  time  for  her  daughter  to  go  to  college,  Kathleen  was  thrilled  with 
Catie's  choice.  "It  really  meant  a  lot  when  she  decided  to  come  to  VCU,"  Kathleen 
says.  "And  then  when  her  little  boys  were  born,  we  started  bringing  them." 

Kathleen  passes  down  her  excitement  for  VCU  to  her  grandsons.  They  attended 

the  opening  of  the  Stuart   C.  Siegel   Center  and  frequently  accompany  their 

grandmother  to  Rams  basketball  games.  Kathleen,  who  can  walk  to  games  from 

her  Fan  District  home,  is  a  fixture  in  the  stands.  "Taking  mom  to  games  is  like  taking 

the  belle  of  the  ball,"  Elizabeth  says.  "She  knows  everyone!" 

In  October  2008,  mother  and  daughter  also  attended  the  outdoor  Monroe 
Park  Festival,  one  of  several  community  events  that  celebrated  VCU's  40th 
anniversary.  "We  came  down  in  the  pouring  rain,"  Kathleen  says,  "but  those 
traditions  mean  a  lot." 

When  Elizabeth,  now  an  assistant  dean  at  the  Virginia  Military  Institute, 
moved  from  Arizona  to  Richmond  to  pursue  her  doctorate  at  VCU,  her  mother 
couldn't  have  been  happier.  "For  her  to  be  in  the  business  school  where  I  had 
gone,  I  just  thought  that  was  so  much  fun,"  Kathleen  says. 
i  Elizabeth    endured    some   good-natured    ribbing   from    her    Ram   family 

/  members.  "My  mom  and  sister  were  like,  'We  knew  it  would  get  you  in  the 

end,'  "  she  jokes  about  her  enrollment  in  VCU.  Her  family  also  made  sure 
to  outfit  her  in  appropriate  VCU  gear  and  teased  her  by  saying  she  was  not 
a  real  VCU  student  until  she  could  parallel  park. 
Kathleen,  CEO  of  St.  Joseph's  Villa,  keeps  up  with  VCU   happenings  as 
a  member  of  the  business  school  alumni  organization  and  as  former  president 
of  both  the  VCU  Alumni  Association  and  Friends  of  the  Library  boards.  Because 
her  two  daughters  know  how  much  VCU  and  the  School  of  Business  mean  to  their 
mother,  they  made  a  donation  to  the  school,  which  named  a  faculty  office  for  her 
in  Snead  Hall. 
"It  seemed  like  the  natural  thing  to  do,"  says  Catie,  a  nurse  at  the  VCU  Medical 
Center.  "Our  mother  is  well-deserving.  She  spent  a  huge  chunk  of  her  life  there." 
The  gift   not  only  touched  their  mother,   but   it  also   reaffirmed  the  family's 
continuous  VCU  connection.  "We  felt  like  we  were  part  of  the  business  building, 
that  we  had  a  stake  in  it,"  Elizabeth  says. 

Kathleen  beams  at  the  thought  of  the  lasting  reminder  of  her  VCU  experience  and 
appreciates  her  daughters'  thoughtfulness. 
"That  will  go  on  forever,  I  hope,"  she  says  of  the  office.  "It  was  just  a  beautiful  thing 
for  them  to  do." 


■  I  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


.:*^^^:- 


w 


Daughter  and  father  duo  Becky  Gregory 
and  Jim  Gregory 


Comparing  a  similar 


Becky  Gregory  (B.F.A.  '04/A)  totes  around  a  couple  of 
souvenirs  that  remind  her  of  VCU.  The  owner  and  creative 
director  at  Protege  Design,  Becky  keeps  her  VCU  ID  and  that 
of  her  father,  Jim  Gregory  (B.F.A.  '71/A),  with  her  at  all  times. 
"He  looks  like  a  hippie,"  she  says  of  her  dad's  picture.  "It's  funny 
because  he  doesn't  look  like  that  anymore.  He  looks  like  a  clean- 
cut  businessman." 

Today,  Jim  serves  as  CEO  of  CoreBrand,  a  global  brand 
consulting  firm.  His  and  his  daughter's  similar  career  paths 
included  a  first  stop  at  VCU.  Jim's  high  school  guidance 
counselor  recommended  VCU  as  a  school  that  nurtured  its 
art  students. 

"I  came  down  for  a  visit  and  totally  fell  in  love  with  VCU 
right  from  the  beginning,"  he  says.  "The  Art  Foundation 
Program  was  just  outstanding  and  allowed  me  to  find  what 
I  really  wanted  to  do." 

When  his  daughter,  a  budding  artist,  began  her  college 
search,  Jim  threw  out  a  suggestion.  "I  just  knew  she  had 
to  experience  VCU,"  he  says.  "When  we  came  down  from 
Connecticut  for  a  visit,  we  actually  met  some  of  my  old  profes- 
sors who  were  still  here.  The  vibe  was  just  fantastic.  We  had 
a  great  time." 


Becky  headed  south  to  VCU  and  whenever  she  called 
home  her  dad  understood  completely  about  her  experiences 
with  classes,  professors  and  workload.  "I  think  that  my  dad 
really  connected  with  that,"  she  says.  "He  just  thought  it  was 
the  coolest  thing." 

As  one  of  the  most  recognized  experts  in  corporate  brand- 
ing, who  speaks  widely  to  business  and  academic  audiences, 
Jim  occasionally  returns  to  VCU  to  lecture  art  students.  "It 
is  just  so  gratifying  to  see  how  the  spirit  of  the  school  has 
remained  the  same  over  these  many  years,"  he  says.  "I  gradu- 
ated in  1971.  Becky  graduated  in  2004.  But  that  same  energy 
and  excitement  about  art  and  design  and  the  spirit  of  the 
school  hasn't  changed  one  bit.  That's  just  really  cool." 

The  Gregorys  work  together  on  many  projects  but  live  on 
separate  coasts  —  Becky  in  California  and  Jim  in  Connecticut. 
The  two  communicate  constantly  on  everything  from  art  to 
advertising.  Not  even  a  distance  of  3,000  miles  can  belie  their 
closeness. 

"We  have  a  real  bond  because  of  our  background,  what  we've 
done,  our  interest  in  art,  having  gone  to  the  same  school  with  the 
same  major  and  developing  our  same  business  plan,"  Jim  says. 
"It's  really  very  unusual.  It's  very  rewarding  and  a  lot  of  fun." 


I  just  knew  she  had  to  experience  VCU.  r        ■        ■  • 

The  vibe  was  just  TdflldSHC* 


-  Jim  Gregory  (B.F.A.  '7l/A) 


Felix  Sarfo-Kantanka  and 
Felix  Sarfo-Kantanka  Jr.  at 
VCU's  Gary  Street  Field 


Foil 


owing  a 


fath 


ers 


As  a  3-year-old,  Felix  Sarfo-Kantanka  Jr.  (M.P.A.  'oi/H&S) 
watched  his  father,  Felix  Sarfo-Kantanka  (B.S.  '77/B;  M.P.A. 
'80/I-I&S),  receive  his  master's  diploma  at  VCU's  commence- 
ment. It  was  the  first  of  many  father-son  VCU  experiences. 

Originally  from  Ghana  in  West  Africa,  Felix  lived  in  New  York 
where  he  worked  for  the  Institute  of  Public  Administration. 
Wanting  to  continue  his  education,  he  applied  to  three  Virginia 
schools:  VCU,  the  University  of  Richmond  and  the  University 
of  Virginia.  VCU  accepted  Felix  first,  and  he  scheduled  a  visit. 
"I  wastreated  very  well  when  I  cameto  VCU,"hesays.  "I  decided 
after  the  visit  that  I  wouldn't  wait  for  the  two  other  schools." 

In  quick  succession,  Felix  earned  his  bachelor's  and  master's 
degrees  and  joined  the  Virginia  Department  of  Social  Services, 
where  he  still  works  today. 

When  Felix  Jr.  began  looking  at  schools  for  his  master's 
studies,  he  applied  to  Virginia  Tech  and  VCU.  "A  lot  of  the 
choice  had  to  do  with  my  father  graduating  from  VCU's  M.P.A. 
program,"  he  says.  "I  thought  it  would  be  a  unique  experience 
to  follow  him." 

His  son's  decision  to  enroll  at  VCU  pleased  the  elder 
Sarfo-Kantanka.  "It  meant  a  lot  to  me  in  terms  of  family  tradi- 
tion," he  says.  "Back  home,  most  parents  want  their  kids  to  go 
to  the  high  school  or  college  that  they  went  to.  It  was  a  great 
joy  for  the  entire  family  when  he  was  accepted  into  the  same 
program." 


At  Felix  Jr.'s  graduation,  his  father  proudly  watched  his 
son  at  the  Richmond  Coliseum  commencement  ceremony. 
The  uniqueness  of  the  event  hit  home.  "Just  the  fact  that 
I  was  doing  the  same  thing  my  father  had  done  was  really,  really 
neat,"  Felix  Jr.  says. 

They  both  keep  close  VCU  ties  through  soccer.  Felix  often 
took  his  son  to  VCU  games  when  he  was  growing  up.  In  fact, 
Felix  Jr.  served  as  the  ball  boy  when  the  team  played  at  Cary 
Street  Field.  Felix,  a  referee  who  calls  games  up  to  the  college 
level,  assists  VCU  men's  soccer  coach  Tim  O'Sullivan  by  acting 
as  a  surrogate  father  to  soccer  players  recruited  from  Ghana. 

"VCU  is  very  much  a  part  of  our  lives,"  Felix  Jr.  says. 

The  Sarfo-Kantankas  became  the  first  father  and  son  to 
graduate  from  the  Master  of  Public  Administration  program  at 
VCU,  an  accomplishment  they  both  consider  "a  great  honor" 
and  one  that  primed  them  for  the  workplace. 

"VCU  prepared  my  son  well  to  meet  his  future  challenges, 
and  he  has  answered  the  call  very  well,"  Felix  says.  "He  is  highly 
motivated,  hard  working,  very  focused  and,  above  all,  a  very 
caring  individual." 

Felix  Jr.,  an  assistant  vice  president  with  McGuireWoods 
Consulting,  says  his  father  set  a  high  standard.  "My  dad 
was  working  full  time  and  going  to  school  full  time  when  he 
graduated,"  he  says.  "He  showed  me  that  hard  work  goes 
a  long  way.  I  just  try  to  follow  in  his  footsteps." 


Erin  Egan  is  a  contributing  writer  for  Shafer  Court  Connections. 


'C    V.Z 


Legacy  scholarships  benefit  freshman  family  members  of  alumni 


In  2006,  the  VCU  Alumni  Association  and  the  MCV 
Alumni  Association  of  VCU  created  a  Legacy  Scholarship 
to  recognize  the  importance  of  multi-generation  families 
to  the  university.  Legacy  scholarships  are  awarded  to 
freshman  children  or  grandchildren  of  dues-paying 
members  of  the  alumni  association. 

VCU  Alumni  Association  President  Dan  Massey 
(B.S.  '92/B)  sees  the  Legacy  Scholarship  program  as  a 
vital  component  to  the  future  success  of  the  association. 
"Awarding  Legacy  Scholarships  helps  the  VCUAA  meet 
a  core  objective  by  creating  lifelong  connections  with 


students  as  they  become  alumni,"  he  says.  "This  schol- 
arship program  supports  students  financially,  supports 
the  university  in  attracting  and  retaining  top  students 
and  helps  to  grow  the  influence  and  impact  of  the  VCU 
alumni  community." 

The  scholarship  awards  of  $1,000  each  are  made 
possible  through  the  generosity  of  donors  and  dues- 
paying  members  of  the  association.  For  an  application, 
additional  information  about  the  Legacy  Scholarship 

program  or  to  support  it,  visit  ^ , 

www.vcu-mcvalumni.org.         ■ 


.p  or  sieniftcant  other 
Please  contact  us  at  shat 


>«c.; 


m^. 


•^ 


Just  the  fact  that  I  was  doing 

the  same  thing  my  father  had  done 

was  really,  really  neat. 


■  Fe/ix  Sarfo-Kantanka  Jr.  (M.P.A.  WH&S) 


[face  to  face] 


Dress  it  up:  .Z 


PROFESSOR  EXPLAINS  HOW 
HION  HELPS  KIDS  WITH  CANCER 


Karen  Videtic  knows  how  to  put  on  a  fashion  show.  So  it  was  a  natural  fit  for  Videtic,  chair  of  the  Department  of  Fashion  Design 
and  Merchandising  at  Virginia  Commonwealth  University,  to  help  organize  a  fashion  show  fundraiser  for  the  Association  for 
the  Support  of  Children  with  Cancer,  known  as  ASK.  Videtic  liked  the  idea  of  using  fashion  to  raise  funds  for  ASK,  an  orga- 
nization that  supports  the  VCU  Children's  Medical  Center  hematology/oncology  unit,  but  proposed  taking  it  a  step  further. 
"How  about  if  we  come  up  with  something  else,"  she  suggested,  "something  that  would  benefit  the  kids  and  raise  money?" 

She  enlisted  students  and  faculty  to  design  youthful  fabrics  and  a  line  of  loungewear  for  children  and  young  adults  with 
cancer  being  treated  at  VCU  Medical  Center  and  then  invited  patients  to  model  the  apparel  in  a  fashion  show  during 
ASK's  Kourageous  Kids  Week  last  fall.  "They  wanted  to  be  fun  and  in  fashion,"  Videtic  says  of  the  patients  they  worked 
with.  The  ASK  for  Comfort  garments  feature  port-friendly  access  for  chemotherapy  treatment  in  stylish  designs,  including 
capri  pants,  board  shorts,  hoodies,  T-shirts  and  swing  and  wrap  tops. 

Videtic  recently  sat  down  to  talk  about  the  unique  apparel. 


What  was  the  design  process  like?  In  this 
kind  of  project,  you  have  to  understand  your 
customer  and  what  their  needs  are,  so  the 
design  process  began  with  researching  the 
needs  of  kids  with  cancer.  From  there,  we 
started  to  look  at  silhouettes  and  functional- 
ity, where  the  accessible  seams  are  going  to  be 
and  how  are  they  going  to  get  to  their  ports. 

Then  the  garment  is  fit  to  a  real  body  so 
you  can  see  how  it  moves  and  fits.  And  there's 
a  really  important  reason  why;  Dress  forms 
are  not  totally  anatomically  correct  and  every 
body's  slightly  different.  There's  probably 
nothing  funnier  to  see  than  a  garment  that's 
been  made  poorly  put  on  a  child,  because  kids 
will  wiggle,  squirm  and  pull  on  them  to  tell 
you  right  off  that  it's  not  comfortable. 

How  do  the  garments  differ  from  standard 
loungewear?  They  look  pretty  much  like 
pajamas  or  loungewear,  but  all  of  them  have 
an  easy-access  opening  to  the  typical  port 
areas.  Most  of  the  port  areas  are  on  either  side 
of  the  chest.  So  the  seams  would  either  be  a 
shoulder  seam  or  a  seam  that  came  across  the 


front  of  the  chest  that  is  held  together  by 
small,  plastic  snaps  that  are  easily  opened  and 
re-closed.  We  can  custom  make  other  things, 
like  breakaway  pants  for  a  child  who  needs  to 
remove  their  pants. 

What  was  the  response  to  the  loungewear? 

We  held  a  fashion  show  in  September,  and  we 
had  about  a  hundred  people  at  the  Children's 
Museum  of  Richmond  —  people  who  were 
supporters  of  ASK  and  friends  and  family 
of  kids  who  are  cancer  survivors.  The  models 
were  kids  who  were  in  treatment,  as  well  as 
their  siblings  —  we  tried  to  make  all  of  them 
feel  special.  One  of  the  best  parts  was  to  see 
how  e.xcited  the  kids  were.  I  think  that  was  a 
really  good  feeling  for  me  and  the  faculty  and 
students  who  had  participated,  to  know  how 
much  they  were  appreciated  and  how  special 
they  were  to  the  kids  receiving  treatment. 

What's  in  store  for  the  program's  future? 
We're  going  to  initially  meet  the  needs  of  the 
kids  right  here,  but  people  can  also  order  the 
garments  from  our  Web  site  — www.askweb.org 


—  and  they  will  be  custom-made.  What  we 
hope  is  that  we  can  copyright  the  textiles  and 
sell  them  to  a  fabric  company  and  they  sell  that 
fabric  during  Pediatric  Cancer  Month  with 
a  percentage  going  to  ASK.  Maybe  if  we 
got  really  lucky,  someone  would  actually  buy 
the  production  and  make  these  accessible 
garments,  and  they  could  sell  them  and  give  a 
percentage,  again,  to  ASK.  We  would  also  like 
our  team  to  design  once  a  year  both  the  textiles 
and  the  garments. 

How  has  the  program  benefited  VCU  fash- 
ion students?  Our  key  goal  all  along  has  been 
that  students  get  to  understand  that  fashion 
isn't  all  7th  Avenue  and  5th  Avenue  and 
runway  and  exotic,  crazy  garments.  It's  very 
functional  —  it  helps  people  and  it's  some- 
times function  over  form.  We  really  want 
them  to  understand  fashion  —  that  there  are 
lots  of  things  you  can  do  with  fashion  that 
serve  the  community. 


Interview  conducted  by  Kim  Witt,  a  contributing 
writer  for  Sbafer  Court  Connections. 


18  I  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


[my  college  town] 

INOEPENDENT-MINDED 

FESTIVAL 


Richmond-area  cinema  lovers  need 
look  no  further  than  the  annual 
James  River  Film  Festival  for  an 
impressive  lineup  of  independent  film,  video 
and  animation.  Since  April  1994-  the  festival 
has  welcomed  nationally  and  internationally 
knovvn  filmmakers  to  town  to  screen  and 
discuss  their  works. 

The  brainchild  of  Mike  Jones  (B.S.  'y^/MC; 
M.F.A.  '86/A),  an  adjunct  instructor 
in  the  Virginia  Commonwealth  University 
Department  of  yVrt  History,  the  festival  began 
to  fill  a  community  void  after  the  demise 
of  the  Biograph  Theater,  a  popular  repertory 
cinema  located  a  block  from  campus  on  Grace 
Street.  Jones  and  other  community  members 
lamented  newly  released  films  with  nowhere 
to  go.  "We  started  talking  to  see  if  we  could 
pull  off  a  festival  that  VCU  would  host," 
he  remembers. 

Support  from  Bruce  Koplin  (B.F.A. 
'61/A),  then  chair  of  VCU's  art  history 
department,  and  numerous  other  VCU 
alumni,  including  Harrison  Trent  Nicholas 


(B.F.A.  '74  /A),  an  adjunct  instructor 
in  the  department,  and  Ashley  Kistler 
(M.A.  '85/A),  the  current  director  of  the 
Anderson  Gallery,  got  the  inaugural  festival 
off  the  ground.  The  initial  program  featured 
William  Wegman,  the  New  York-based 
artist  famous  for  his  videos  and  photographs 
of  WeiiTiaraners.  After  Jones  and  his  troupe 
of  unpaid  volunteers  pulled  off  the  event 
successfully,  "we  thought  we'd  keep  on  keeping 
on  for  years,"  he  says. 

The  festival  did  just  that,  and  since  then 
luminaries  of  the  independent  film  world 
have  descended  upon  Richmond.  Among 
them  were  prolific  filmmaker  Stan  Brakhage, 
Albert  Maysles,  director  of  "Gimme  Shelter, " 
and  Scott  MacDonald,  a  well-known  avant-garde 
film  critic. 

Various  venues  throughout  the  city, 
including  many  VCU  building  auditoriums 
and  theaters,  the  Byrd  Theatre  and  local 
art  galleries,  host  screenings.  Festival  orga- 
nizers take  great  pains  to  pick  the  right  venue 
for  each  film.   "We  look  for  spaces  that  are 


appropriate  for  the  artist,"  says  James  Parrish, 
director  of  development  at  the  VCU  School 
of  Nursing,  who  joined  the  festival  organizing 
committee  in  199^- 

One  perfect  match  of  artist  and  location 
featured  guitarist  Gary  Lucas  at  the  Virginia 
Holocaust  Museum  in  2003,  when  he  accom- 
panied "The  Golem,"  a  1920s  silent-era  film 
about  the  Jewish  myth. 

The  festival  relies  heavily  on  dedicated 
volunteers  to  plan  and  e.xecute  the  week- 
long  event,  as  well  as  attend  the  programs. 
"Richmond  is  the  kind  oi  creative  community 
that  comes  out  and  supports  this  kind 
of  thing,"  Parrish  says.  "Lots  of  artists, 
photographers,  musicians  and  painters 
come  to  be  inspired  in  what  they  do  by  this 
medium." 

In  1999.  Jones  and  Parrish  set  up 
a  nonprofit  for  the  growing  festival,  and 
the  Richmond  Moving  Image  Co-op  will 
turn  10  this  year.  Today,  the  co-op  runs  the 
festival,  which  includes  a  juried  competition 
with  $2,000  in  prize  money,  and  supports 
independent  media  artists  with  screenings, 
classes  and  workshops. 

Jones  and  Parrish  delight  in  the  unique 
festival  that  brings  together  established  and 
emerging  artists  and  feel  satisfied  that  the  fun- 
damental purpose  remains. 

"Our  original  mission  was  to  use  local 
talent  to  put  on  programs  and  get  these  guest 
artists  face  to  face  with  potential  young  film- 
makers," says  Jones  proudly.  "I'm  just  hoping 
for  another  15  years." 

For  more  information  about  the  James 
River  Film  Festival,  visit  www.rmicweb.org. 


Erin  Egan  is  a  contributing  writer  for 
Shafer  Court  Connections. 


THE 


PICTURE 


LIVING  LABORATORY  >  On  Virginia  Commonwealth  University's  Monroe 
Park  Campus,  students  study,  learn  and  conduct  research  in  state-of-the-art 
facilities  with  Richmond's  bustling  Fan  District  as  their  backdrop.  But 
only  23  miles  east  of  the  city  in  Charles  City  County  sits  the  VCU  Inger 
and  Walter  Rice  Center  for  Environmental  Life  Sciences,  a  342 -acre  field 
station,  including  a  70-acre  wetland  restoration  site,  that  promotes 
Y       '1  hands-on  learning  along  the  banks  of  the  James  River.   Here,   classroom 

lessons  expand  to  the  water's  edge  and  beyond,  providing  faculty  with  a  bevy  of 
natural  resources  and  wildlife  at  their  fingertips  and  the  opportunity  to  share 
their  research  and  teaching  with  students  and  the  community.  The  center's 
5,100-square-foot  Raymond  Lee  Gordon  Jr.  Research  Pier  accommodates 
boats  and  offers  space  for  easy  loading  of  research  equipment,  while  the  new 
Walter  L.  Rice  Education  Building  —  a  $2.6  million,  4.900-square-foot 
facility  designed  with  a  goal  of  the  highest  national  certification  level  for  sus- 
tainability  —  houses  classrooms  overlooking  a  bluff  on  the  James  River,  an 
uncommon  setting  for  the  most  comprehensive  urban  university  in  the  state. 


^ 


i 


Gifts  support,  contribute  to  student  success 


B\  Melanie  Irvin  Solaimani 


To  freshman  engineering  student  Afton  Trent,  ig.  earning  a 
scholarship  drastically  altered  her  college  experience. 

She  was  accepted  to  several  schools,  including  one  with  a  nationally 
ranked  engineering  program. 

"The  interdisciplinai-y  nature  of  VCU's  program  really  appealed 
to  me.  At  other  schools.  1  would  have  had  to  piece  together  my  own 
interdisciplinary  program.  "  she  says.  "Also,  having  this  scholarship  is 
the  only  way  1  was  able  to  live  on  campus." 

Living  in  Gladding  Residence  Center  puts  her  in  close  pro.ximity 
to  the  School  oi  Engineering,  allowing  her  the  convenience  of  ineeting 
with  students  in  the  computer  lab  to  work  on  projects  and  giving  her 
easy  access  to  visit  professors  for  extra  help.  Trent  says. 

Trent  is  one  of  lO  Trani  Scholars,  who  were  selected  by  a  blue-ribbon 
committee  to  be  awarded  the  universitys  highest  student  honor.  The 
Trani  Scholars  program  was  created  in  2006  by  an  initial  $1  million  gift 
from  longtime  benefactors  Dianne  and  C.  Kenneth  Wright. 

The  Wrights  wanted  to  honor  the  vision,  leadership  and  accomplisliments 
of  VCU  President  Eugene  P.  Trani,  Ph.D.,  as  he  neared  retirement. 

'"Dr.  Trani  is  the  most  confident  and  professional  person  I  have  ever 
known  in  the  academic  field,  "  Ken  Wright  says. 

Funding  scholarships,  the  couple  decided,  provided  the  perfect 
source  of  recognition  for  Dr.  Trani  as  a  symbol  of  his  devotion  to  mak- 
ing a  college  education  accessible  to  everyone. 

The  scholarships  given  to  the  Trani  Scholars  represent  just  some  of 
the  more  than  250  scholarships  that  donors  have  endowed. 

""Over  70  percent  of  our  students  require  some  form  of  finan- 
cial assistance  in  order  to  continue  their  education,"  says  Reuban 
Rodriguez,  Ed.D.,  associate  vice  provost  and  dean  of  student  affairs. 
'Scholarships  provide  an  excellent  source  of  support  for  our  stu- 
dents as  well  as  an  important  con- 
nection to  our  generous  VCU 
community.  " 

Scholarships  make  it  pos- 
sible for  many  deserving  students 
to  attend  VCU,  as  well  as  help 
attract  the  brightest,  most  meri- 
torious students  to  the  university. 
Endowed  scholarships  are  created 
with  a  minimum  $I0,000  gift  (see 
"Starting  an  endowed  scholar- 
ship"). The  principal  is  invested 
and  the   interest   of  5   percent   is 


Starting  an  endowed  scholarship 

Fund  minimum 
Partial  scholarship  $10,000 

Tuition  and  fees  scholarship $100,000 

Full  scholarship*  $200,000 

Graduate  fellowship     $200,000 

Full  out-of-state  scholarship** $400,000 

*   Covers  In-state  tuition,  fees,  room  and  board  and  provides  funding  for  books. 
**  Covers  out-of-state  tuition,  fees,  room  and  board  and  provides  funding  for  books. 


used  each  year  for  student  support.  These  named,  endowed  scholarships 
last  in  perpetuity. 

For  Yusufu  Bampia  Kamara,  a  sophomore  chemistry  major,  win- 
ning the  Trani  Scholars  award  kept  him  in  school  and  on  the  path 
to  becoming  a  doctor. 

But  his  journey  began  long  before  he  enrolled  at  VCU.  Kamara  fled 
his  native  Sierra  Leone,  a  tiny  nation  along  the  west  coast  of  Africa, 
during  a  bloody  civil  war  in  the  countiy,  which  claimed  the  life  of  his 
father.  He  spent  several  years  as  a  refugee  in  the  Republic  of  Guinea 
while  waiting  for  permission  to  move  to  the  U.S. 

Ai'riving  in  Northern  Virginia  in  20o6,  he  adjusted  to  living  with- 
out his  father  as  well  as  learning  a  new  culture  and  language.  He  allowed 
himself  to  imagine  life  on  a  college  campus. 

"A  Western-style  education  is  the  dream  of  most  undei'privileged  and 
disenfranchised  soitls  around  the  world.  Sierra  Leone  is  an  underpopu- 
lated nation  rich  in  mineral  resources.  But  the  biggest  irony  about  that 
African  nation  is  that  it  is  still  one  of  the  poorest  nations  on  Earth,  v^dth 
an  average  individual  income  of  less  than  a  $1  per  day. '"  he  says.  "Given 
these  facts,  the  chances  that  1  could  have  afforded  a  college  education  in 
Sierra  Leone  are  almost  zero.  Attending  college  in  the  U.S.  is  the  greatest 
thing  that  ever  happened  to  me.  Hard  work  pays  off  here. '" 

But  once  at  VCU,  his  bdls  started  to  mount  and  he  considered  drop- 
ping out.  Thats  when  he  learned  he  had  been  chosen  as  a  Trani  Scholar. 
"Growing  up  in  a  family  whose  only  flag  bearer  (my  mom)  is 
disabled,  there  is  no  way  1  could  have  afforded  to  stay  in  college  if  it 
wasnt  for  the  Trani  Scholarship.""  Kamara  says.  "Though  1  sometimes 
see  myself  as  a  deserving  recipient  of  the  Trani  Scholarship,  1  must 
confess  that  the  news  of  being  awarded  the  Trani  Scholarship  was  a 
miracle  to  me  since  1  was  almost  on  the  verge  of  dropping  out  of  col- 
lege due  to  lack  of  finance.  I  shall 
be  ever  grateful! 

Dr.  Trani  is  a  leader  in  the 
push  for  creating  more  schol- 
arships for  VCU  students  and 
recognizes  that  aid  truly  makes  a 
difference  in  many  lives.  As  VCU 
and  other  state  institutions  cope 
with  dramatic  budget  downturns, 
he  sees  a  bright  future. 

"As  difficult  as  these  condi- 
tions are  for  VCU  and  for  other 
institutions  of  hio^her  education. 


Spring  2009 


Legacy  fund  honors  presidential  leadership 


Scholarship  support  allows  Sierra  Leone  native 
Yusufu  Bampia  Kamara,  a  sophomore  chemistry 
major,  to  pursue  his  dream  of  becoming  a  doctor. 

I  remain  confident  that  we  are  well  positioned  to 
survive  and  prosper  in  this  uncertain  time .  VCU 
remains  affordable,  with  tuition  and  required 
fees  which  remain  below  those  charged  at  all 
Virginia  doctoral  institutions  and  James 
Madison  University,"  Dr.  Trani  says.  "This 
has  been  the  case  for  at  least  the  last  lO  years, 
and  we  remain  sensitive  to  our  standing  as 
Virginia's  university  of  opportunity. 

"Our  devoted  donors  who  have  established 
generous  student  scholarships  have  helped 
position  our  university  to  continue  to  provide 
an  outstanding  education  to  all  deserving  stu- 
dents. Establishing  a  scholarship  is  one  of  the 
most  meaningful  ways  of  ensuring  that  VCU's 
tradition  of  excellence  and  accessible  education 
will  continue  to  be  available  to  the  most  talented 
students,  whatever  their  family  circumstances." 

Melame  Irvin  Solaimam  (B.S.  'g6/MC)  is  a  contributing 
writer  for  Shafer  Court  Connections. 


Donors  C.  Kenneth  and  Dianne  Wright  with  the  2008- 
09  class  of  Trani  Scholars:  (front  row,  second  from  left) 
Yusufu  Bampia  Kamara,  Katharina  Rienks,  Ranya 
Abi-Falah,  (back  row,  from  left)  Parth  Patel, 
and  Jonathan  Hundley 


A  $1  million  gift  from  Dianne  and  C. 
Kenneth  Wright  to  the  VCU  Rector  and 
Visitors  Presidential  Legacy  Fund  made  the 
Trani  Scholars  program  possible. 

The  VCU  Board  ofVisitors  established  this 
new  fund  as  a  way  to  honor  President  Eugene 
P.  Trani,  Ph.D.,  and  all  future  presidents 
by  providing  a  source  of  funding  to  support 
the  university's  mission  of  research,  teaching 
and  service.  To  accomplish  this  goal,  the 
board  designated  four  areas  of  need  that  the 
money  from  this  fund  would  support :  student 
scholarships,  faculty  achievement,  community 
outreach  and  university  initiatives. 


"We  are  extremely  grateful  to  Dianne 
and  Ken  Wright  for  making  the  initial  gift 
to  the  VCU  Rector  and  Visitors  Presidential 
Legacy  Fund,  "  says  Anne  D.  Jacobson,  asso- 
ciate vice  president  for  advancement.  "I  am 
certain  many  donors  will  wish  to  honor  Dr. 
Trani  upon  his  retirement  and  this  fund  is 
the  perfect  vehicle  to  do  so.  We  hope  to  cre- 
ate a  means  for  his  successors  to  carry  on  his 
legacy  of  great  leadership." 

To  make  a  gift  to  the  VCU  Rector  and  Visitors 
Presidential  Legacy  Fund,  contact  Anne  D.  Jacobson, 
associate  vice  president  for  advancement,  at  (804,) 
828-1223  or  adjacobson@vcu.edu. 


VCU  office  aids  alumni  in  scholarship  search 


Interested  in  exploring  postgraduate 
educational  opportunities  abroad?  The 
Fulbright  Student  Scholarship  Program  — 
the  largest  U.S.  international  exchange 
program  —  offers  grants  for  graduate  study, 
advanced  research  or  English  teaching  assis- 
tantships  in  more  than  140  countries.  In  the 
past  three  years,  four  VCU  alumni  received 
Fulbright  awards,  with  the  help  of  VCU's 
National  Scholarship  Office. 

Created  in  2005,  the  NSO  assists  VCU 
students  and  alumni  in  competing  for 
a  number  of  national  and  international 
scholarships,  such  as  the  Fulbright. 

"We  work  with  alumni  just  like  we  work 
with  students  on  campus,"  says  Jeff  Wing, 
national  scholarship  coordinator  in  the 
VCU  Honors  College.  At  no  cost,  the  NSO 
provides  support  and  resources  throughout 
the  application  process,  including  helping 
alumni  develop  their  project,  make  connec- 
tions in  their  country  of  choice  and  secure 
recommendation  letters.  The  office  also 
prepares  candidates  for  interviews  by  orga- 
nizing faculty  panel  reviews. 

"1  would  not  have  received  the  Fulbright 
Scholarship  to  Dubai  for  the  2007-08  year 
without  Jeff  Wing's  support  and  patience," 
says  Hanan  A.  Abed  (B.S.  •04/H&S; 
M.S.W.  '07/SW).  "The  NSO  assisted  me  at 
every  step  of  the  application  process,  from 
narrowing  down  a  research  topic  to  mailing 
in  my  application.  " 

Abed  spent  10  months  at  Zayed  University 
studying   the    perspectives    university-aged 


women  have  of  their  roles  in  the  United  Arab 
Emirates.  Other  VCU  Fulbright  scholars  have 
studied  Alzheimer's  disease  and  water-pipe 
smoking  injordan  and  pursued  artistic  inter- 
ests in  Iceland. 

The  Fulbright  program  annually  awards 
approximately  1,500  grants.  Wing  says. 
His  goal  is  to  submit  25  to  35  applications 
from  VCU  each  year.  He's  already  halfway 
there,  with  15  applications  submitted  for  the 
2009-10  grant  cycle. 

"I  don't  think  students  and  alumni  real- 
ize how  many  grants  and  scholarships  are 
available  for  all  different  kinds  of  work  and 
in  all  types  of  disciplines,  "  Abed  says.  "The 
NSO  helps  find  funding  to  study  topics  of 
the  student's  or  alumnus's  own  interest  and 
in  places  all  over  the  world.  It's  a  wonderful 
resource  that  is  not  available  at  all  universi- 
ties, and  more  alumni  and  students  should 
take  advantage  of  it." 


ULBRIGH 


^)^ 


The  application  process  for  20I0-II 
Fulbright  scholarships  begins  in  May.  To 
get  started,  call  (804)  828-1803  or  visit 
the  NSO  Web  site  www.honors.vcu.edu 
/nationalscholar. 


24  I  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


lumni  Association 


The  VCU  Alumni  Association,  AHI  Travel  and 
Gohagan  and  Co.  have  teamed  up  to  develop  an 
extensive  program  of  adventures  abroad  for 
2009.  Whether  observing  unique  wildlife  while 
cruising  down  the  Amazon,  experiencing  the 
stunning  coastal  scenery  of  Italian  villages  or 
exploring  the  Gothic  cathedrals  and  medieval 
castles  of  Europe,  the  VCU  Alumni  Association 
offers  a  multitude  of  adventures  for  the  avid 
traveler.  For  more  information  on  these  exciting 
opportunities,  visit  www.vcu-mcvalumni.org. 

The  Great  Journey  Through  Europe 
Scotland 


Swiss  Alps  and  the  Italian  Lakes 


Budapest,  Vienna  and  Prague  Discovery 


Best  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Greek  Isles 


Italian  Riviera 


Austrian  Holiday  Markets  Discovery 


"Everyone  should  have  the  oppor- 
tunity to  visit  Tuscany  in  the  fall.  The 
highlight  of  our  trip  was  our  visit  to 
Florence.  It  was  filled  with  incredible 
art  galleries,  Gothic  cathedrals,  great 
restaurants,  fountains  and  wonderful 
shops.  Our  guide  and  bus  driver  were 
extremely  knowledgeable,  spoke 
English  and  planned  little  surprises 
for  us  throughout  the  trip.  It  was  par- 
ticularly nice  to  spend  time  in  this 
incredible  setting  with  other  members 
of  the  VCU  family" 

-  Jo  Lynne  DeMary  (M.Ed.  '72/E), 
reminiscing  about  her  2006  trip  to  Italy 


I 


,X^ 


rr 


f. 


C      Alumni       i  • 
onnections 


News,  highlights  and  event  photos  from  the 
Virginia  Commonwealth  University  Alumni  Association 
and  the  African-American  Alumni  Council. 


VCU  Business  Society  elects  new  board  members 

The  VCU  School  of  Business  alumni  organization  adopted  a  new 
moniker,  the  VCU  Business  Society,  and  welcomed  five  new  board 
members. 


Rhonda  L.  Bishop  (B.S.  '02/B;  M.B.A.  '06/B), 

university  compliance  officer.  VCU 

Vernon  M.  Danielsen  (M.B.A.  '07/B), 
consultant.  Prism  Innovative  Solutions 

Michael  Malinsky  (B.S.  '89/B;  M.B.A.  '96/B), 

vice  president,  funds  manager,  Genworth  Financial 

Regina  Nguyen  (B.S.  '03/B), 

marketing  and  research  coordinator,  GVAAdvantis 

David  J.  Stirrup  (M.B.A.  '99/B), 

Principal  Financial  Group 

The  society's  board  consists  of  33  members,  up  from  14  last 
year.  The  society  s  goal  is  to  help  further  the  educational  and 
career  goals  of  School  of  Business  students  and  graduates.  Anyone 
holding  a  degree  or  postgraduate  certificate  from  the  VCU  School 
of  Business  is  a  member.  Online  networking  sites  for  the  VCU 
Business  Society  have  been  initiated  on  Linkedin  and  Facebook. 


Benefit  spotlight 

Long-term  care  insurance 

Your  alumni  association  membership  provides  access  to  a  variety 
of  essential  services.  One  important  option  available  to  all  alumni  is 
long-term  care  insurance,  which  provides  help  to  those  who  are  no 
longer  able  to  function  independently,  such  as  during  an  extended  ill- 
ness or  disability. 

According  to  the  Administration  on  Aging,  roughly  70  percent  of 
people  older  than  65  will  need  some  type  of  long-term  care  service. 
For  more  information  about  this  issue,  visit  www.longtermcare.gov. 

To  find  out  more  about  the  insurance  option  offered  by  the  VCU 
Alumni  Association,  please  visit  www.vcu-mcvalumni.org.  This  insur- 
ance program  is  offered  by  one  of  the  industry's  leading  carriers.  VCU 
alumni  receive  a  special  group  discount. 


Reunion  Weekend  salutes  classes  of  1984  and  1959 

VCU  welcomes  alumni  back  to  campus  for  the  annual  Reunion 
Weekend,  AprO  24~26.  This  year,  the  association  honors  the  Class 
of  1984.  celebrating  its  25th  anniversary.  Alumni  from  classes  1982- 
86  also  are  invited  to  come  back  to  campus  to  relive  fond  memories 
and  see  the  many  changes  that  have  occurred  since  graduation. 

For  Richmond  Professional  Institute  alumni  returning  to 
campus,  the  annual  RPl  Alumni  Reunion  will  honor  the  Class 
of  1959  with  an  induction  into  the  50  Year  Golden  Circle 
Alumni  Club. 

Weekend  events  include  campus  tours,  a  concert  on  Shafer 
Court  and  a  casino  night.  For  a  complete  schedule  of  events,  visit 
www.vcu-mcvalumni  .org. 


New  membership  director  joins  Alumni  Relations 

Rob  Brodsky  has  joined  the  VCU 
Office  of  Alumni  Relations  as  the  director 
of  membership  and  marketing.  Brodsky, 
former  president  of  Sabre  Marketing 
in  Houston,  led  the  Houston  Area  Yale 
Club  for  his  alma  mater  before  moving 
to  Richmond.  He  will  work  with  the 
VCU  Alumni  Association  and  the  MCV 
Alumni  Association  of  VCU  to  increase 
awareness  and  membership. 

Contact  Brodsky  at  rebrodsky@vcu.edu. 


26  I  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


[AL.UMNI   connections] 


Commencement  breakfast  recognizes  newest  alumni 

More  than  2,400  students  received  professional,  graduate  and 
undergraduate  degrees  during  VCU's  December  2008  Commencement 
exercises. 

The  VCU  Alumni  Association  and  the  MCV  Alumni  Association 
of  VCU  welcomed  these  new  graduates  into  the  alumni  fold  at  the 
associations'  annual  Commencement  Breakfast. 

About  130  graduates  and  their  families  enjoyed  breakfast  at  the 
Sports  Medicine  Building  before  the  Commencement  program  at  the 
Stuart  C.  Siege!  Center. 


■''V^^i^^&fi^rAffWMstiS  'fi^y^^Aa^ 


New  graduates  celebrate  at  the  annual  Commencement  Breakfast,  sponsoreis 
by  the  VCU  Alumni  Association  and  the  MCV  Alumni  Association  of  VCU. 


Online  resume  database  aids  job-seeking  alumni 

In  response  to  the  recent  upturn  in  unemployment,  the  VCU 
Business  and  Engineering  Career  Center  has  launched  an  online 
resume  database,  which  allows  VCU  business  and  engineering  alumni 
to  post  their  resumes  for  employers  to  view. 

Available  online  at  www.business.vcu.edu/alumniresume,  the 
resume  database  gives  employers  a  convenient  way  of  searching  for 
job  seekers.  The  VCU  Alumni  Association  sponsored  the  database, 
which  could  be  expanded  to  all  VCU  alumni. 

Likewise,  the  University  Career  Center,  which  serves  all  VCU 
students,  can  share  resources  with  alumni  related  to  resume  writing, 
interviewing  skills  and  professional  networking. 

For  more  information,  contact  the  VCU  University  Career 
Center,  (804)  828-1645  or  vnvw. students. vcu.edu/careers,  or  the 
VCU  Business  and  Engineering  Career  Center,  (804)  827-1801 
or  www.business.vcu.edu/career. 


Homecoming  2009  events  draw  alumni,  students 

Homecoming  2009  at  VCU  kicked  off  Jan.  28,  offering  current 
students  and  returning  alumni  a  variety  of  festive  events  to  attend, 
including  concerts,  tailgate  parties,  service  projects,  dances,  pep  ral- 
lies and  the  crowning  of  the  homecoming  king  and  queen. 

An  eight-member  student  organizing  committee  developed  this 
year's  theme  "Go  Gold."  Alana Johnson,  a  senior  fashion  merchan- 
dising major  and  the  committee's  co-director,  said  the  theme  plays 
off  "Go  Green,"  a  popular  topic  in  the  news. 

"Everyone  is  into  saving  the  environment,"  she  says.  "We  came 
up  with  a  spin  on  that  with  'Go  Gold'  to  continue  to  build  spirit 
at  VCU." 

During  the  weeklong  event,  the  VCU  Alumni  Association  spon- 
sored Hoops,  a  basketball  game  social  at  the  Siegel  Center.  In  its 
second  year,  the  event  features  a  pre-game  pep  rally,  best-dressed  fan 
contest,  and  fun  and  food  for  alumni  families. 

The  association  also  partnered  with  VCU  Residential  Life  and 
Housing  to  sponsor  an  RA  reunion,  held  at  and  co-sponsored  by  the 
new  Chili's  restaurant  on  the  Monroe  Park  Campus  Addition.  Past 
and  current  RAs  mingled  before  touring  the  new  Gary  and  Belvidere 
Residential  College  atop  the  restaurant. 


Above:  Alumni  and  friends  joined 
the  VCU  Greater  Richmond 
Alumni  Chapter  at  the  second 
annual  VCUAA  Hoops  event  Feb. 
7.  before  watching  the  Rams  defeat 
in-state  rival  Williams  &  Mary, 
76-54.  The  event  marks  the  con- 
clusion of  the  Homecoming  week 
at  VCU.  Right;  Past  and  current 
resident  assistants  mingle  at  the  RA 
reumon.  held  at  the  VCU  Chili's. 


Spring  2009  I  27 


[alumni  connections] 


Atlanta  alumni  cheer  on  Rams,  organize  chapter 

Alumni  and  their  guests  turned  out  to  cheer  on  the  men's 
basketball  team  at  a  VCU  Alumni  Association-sponsored  social 
held  Jan.  21  in  Atlanta.  The  event  at  Georgia  State  drew  about 
20  alumni  who  enjoyed  refreshments  and  fellowship  before  the 
Rams'  win. 

Dalentina  Robertson  (B.S.  '87/H&S)  is  spearheading  an 
effort  to  organize  an  Atlanta  chapter  of  the  association.  About 

1,100  VCU  alumni  live  in  the  area. 
If  you  are  interested  in  learning 
^^^  ^ S  X  7  W^^H^  more  or  joining  the  chap- 

L^ \^^^^^^^^ ^-^^^^^        '^'''  ^"rnad  'he  association 

at  vcu-alumCSVcu.edu. 


Dalentina  Robertson  (left)  chats  with  Carla  Shands  and  Lee  Shands  in  Atlanta. 


RPI  Report 


New  RPI  Alui 


.hcil  forms  and  sets  next  project 


The  VCU  Alumni  Association  is  looking  for  alunnni  of  Richmond 
Professional  Institute  interested  in  joining  a  new  affiliated  organization, 
the  RPI  Alumni  Council  of  the  VCU  Alumni  Association.  The  council  is 
organizing  a  Book  of  Honor,  v^hich  will  represent  memories  from  RPI 
alumni  who  contributed  to  the  RPI  sculpture  project. 

You  can  help  carry  the  RPI  heritage  in  other  ways,  such  as  purchas- 
ing tickets  to  be  entered  into  a  drawing  to  win  one  of  two  free  rounds 
of  golf  at  Birkdale  Country  Club  and  Stonehenge  Country  Club.  Funds 
raised  will  help  support  initiatives  to  keep  the  history  of  RPI  alive  at 
VCU.  Tickets  are  $5  each  or  five  for  $20. 

After  a  successful  fundraising  effort  to  erect  the  RPI  commemora- 
tive sculpture  "Tableith,"  the  council  now  plans  to  raise  funds  for  a 
cobblestone  terrace  to  complete  landscaping  around  the  sculpture. 

If  you  are  an  RPI  graduate  and  would  like  to  serve  on  the  council 
or  would  like  to  purchase  tickets  for  the  drawing,  contact  Diane 
Stout-Brown,  executive  director  of  the  VCU  Alumni  Association,  at 
(804)  828-7020  or  dstout@vcu.edu. 


T 


RPI  alumna  recounts  her  travels  to  New  York  paper 

A  two-page  feature  in  the  December  2008  Chatham  Press,  a  monthly 
newspaper  reporting  on  the  village  of  Chatham,  N.Y.,  and  surrounding 
towns,  focused  on  the  worldly  travels  of  RPI  alumna  Molly  Harding 
(B.S.  'A^/^)■  In  the  article,  Harding,  a  Chatham  native,  talked  about  her 
love  for  travel  and  how  it  took  her  to  Japan  after  World  War  II. 

The  article  notes,  "Harding  girdled  the  globe  on  a  trip  from  1946-1948 
that  was,  for  a  young  woman  of  27  years,  alone  in  that  post-war  era, 
quite  an  accomplishment.  She  did  it  on  cargo  ships  and  ocean  liners. 
She  walked  the  gaunt  streets  of  post-apocalyptic  Hiroshima.  And  she 
ushered  in  a  new  era  of  commerce  in  Japan  in  the  textile  industry." 

Harding  sailed  home  from  Japan  on  a  three-month  tour  that  took  her 
to  exotic  ports  around  the  Arabian  Peninsula,  Tangiers  and  Ireland. 

"This  trip,  overall,  gave  me  an  appreciation  of  and  insight  into 
the  habits,  customs  and  way  of  life  of  different  nationalities.  It  was 
a  great  education,"  Harding  told  the  paper 

Back  in  the  States,  she  became  a  successful  educator,  including 
serving  as  a  college  dean  before  retiring. 


■«  i 


.-J*'  ■• 


.u>-.' 


-  -  with  the  alumni  association  -  —  ■■ 


The  VCU  Alumni  Association  is  your  lifelong  connection  to 
Virginia  Commonwealth  University.  Your  continuing  involvement 
with  the  university  is  critical  to  its  sustained  excellence. 

When  you  become  a  member,  you're  not  only  supporting  the 
alumni  program  but  also  your  school  and  student  scholarships. 

ENJOY  THE  REWARDS. 

As  an  ACTIVE  MEMBER,  you  receive  special  association 

benefits  including: 

■  Access  to  a  new  online  alumni  directory  where  you 
can  connect  with  classmates 

■  Discounts  on  international  travel  programs 

■  Discounts  on  Internet  access  and  computer  repairs 

■  Discounts  on  athletic  events  and  invitations  to  exclusive 
watch  parties 

■  Discounts  on  VCU  merchandise  online  and  from 
the  campus  bookstores 

■  Discounts  on  Recreational  Sports  memberships 

■  Invitations  to  members-only  events 

■  Scholarship  opportunities  for  your  children  and  grandchildren 

■  Hotel  and  car  rental  discounts 

Register  on  our  recharged  Web  site,  www.vcu-mcvalumni.org, 
to  learn  more  and  to  CONNECT  to  the  new  online  directory 
and  other  exciting  members-only  features. 

To  JOIN  or  RENEW  your  membership,  visit  www.vcu-mcvalumni.org, 
e-mail  vcu-alum@vcu.edu  or  call  (804)  828-2586.  ^^ 

VCU 

wv^w.vcu-mcvalumni.org 


oppprtupitii 


3fKm 


updates    , 

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www.vcuaaupdate.vcu-mcvalumni.org 


Save  time!  Visit  the  VCUAA  Web  site  to  update  your  contact,  employment  and  personal  information. 

3       Name Maiden  name  (if  applicable)  


Class  year 


H 
3 

(Q       Street  address    

< 

City     State 

Home  phone       Cell  phone 

Home  e-mail  address 


ZIP 


H  Job  title 

Ul 

i  Company     

^  Street  address 

J. 

W  City     


Start  date 


State 


Work  phone         

Work  e-mail  address 


Retirement  date  (if  applicable) 


ZIP 


UJ       Spouse's  name   

If  VCU  alumnus/alumna,  class  year 


a 
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2       Wedding  date      Spouses  employer  . 


>]       □  Boy  □  Girl 

■<       Name Date  of  birth/arrival 

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Spouse/partner's  name      

If  VCU  alumnus/alumna,  class  year  


To  report  a  death,  please  also  provide  a  news  clipping  of  the  death  notice. 

Name  of  deceased  Class  year       

Date  of  death   Relationship  to  deceased 


Please  note:  News  for  publication  must  be  no  more  than  one  year  old  because  of  space  constraints. 
If  you  do  not  wish  to  publish  this  information,  please  check  the  box  at  right. 

Mail  your  update  to:  Office  of  Alumni  Relations,  Virginia  Commonwealth  University,  924  W.  Franklin  St., 
P.O.  Box  845044,  Richmond,  VA  25284-3044:  or  fax  (804)  828-8197:  or  e-mail  vcu-alum@vcu.edu;  or  visit 
www.vcuaaupdate.vcu-mcvalumni.org. 


I  am  submitting  information 
on  the  following: 

Q  Promotion 

□  New  job 

Q  Address  change 

□  Wedding 

□  Family  addition 
Q  Death  notice 

□  Other  (Please  attach 
separate  sheet  to  report 
awards,  etc.) 

Ql  Do  not  publish  this 

information,  t  am  submitting 
for  record  purposes  only. 


Class  notes 


Send  information  about  your  professional  and  personal 
accomplisfiments  to  shafercourt@vcu.edu.  Or,  mail  your  news 
to  Shiafer  Court  Connections,  Virginia  Commonwealtfn  University, 
924  W.  Franklin  St.,  P.O.  Box  843044,  Richimond,  VA  23284-3044. 


1950s 

Malcolm  D.  Farmer  (B.S,  'se/M&S:  M.S.  bO/AHP)  provides 
counseling  and  case  management  services  to  disabled 
veterans  on  campus  at  Marshall  University. 

1960s 

David  EddJeman's  (MM,  64^)  new  song  cycle  to  texts 
of  Hal  Sirowitz's  "My  Therapist  Said"  premiered  at 
Symphony  Space  in  New  York  City. 

Patricia  Morris*  (B  F.A.  '69/A;  M.P.A.  ■02/H&S)  was  promoted 
to  vice  president  of  philanthropy  for  Feed  More, 
a  nonprofit  organization  that  brings  together  the 
Central  Virginia  Foodbank  and  Meals  on  Wheels. 

David  Norris*  (B  S  63/B)  is  a  contributing  writer  for 
USA  Deep  South  online,  which  features  stories  of  spe- 
cial interest  to  Southerners.  Visit  http://usads.msll.net. 

Ernest  Clayton  Wright  {B.M,  WA-  MM.  'iilt\)  has 
released  several  jazz  piano  trio  albums,  including 
"Serenade  in  Blue,"  "Jazz  Escapades'  and  "Jazz  Voyages." 

Willie  Anne  Wright  (MP  A  m/A}*,  Anne  Savedge 
(M.A.E.  '78/A),  Marsha  Polier  Grossman  (B  F.A.  yz/A) 


and  Barbara  Ames  (M.A  '69/A:  M.F.A,  '91/A)  were  part 
of  a  "Wondrous  Women  from  VCU"  exhibit  at  Avenue 
Arts  Studio  Gallei-y  in  Lynchburg,  Va. 

1970s 

H.  Cary  Adams*  (B.S.  '79/MC.  M.S.  87/6;  Cert,  "99/B)  is  a 
senior  automation  analyst  with  Chesterfield  County's 
Department  of  Utilities. 

Nancy  Burks*  (B  M  ^s/A)  is  the  organist  and  choir  direc- 
tor at  Lakeside  Presbyterian  Church  in  Richmond,  Va. 

Robert  Davis*  (B  S.  '76/B)  received  a  Doctor  of  Management 
degree  from  the  University  of  Maryland  University 
College  in  May  2008. 

Peter  S.  Eckert,  ORE,  MAI  (B  S,  ^s/MC)  was  elected 
president  of  the  Hampton  Roads  Association  for 
Commercial  Real  Estate. 

Ellen  Flint  (B.M  Ve/A)  has  been  promoted  to  director 
for  undergraduate  education  at  Wilkes  University 
in  Wilkes-Barre.  Pa. 

Margaret  "Kathy"  Hite  Hollar  (B  S  '71/H&S)  retired 
after  33  years  at  the  University  of  Virginia  Health 
System  and  four  years  at  the  VCU  Medical  Center. 


John  M.  Krolak.  Ph.D.  (B.S  ^b/H&S;  M  S,  WM&S)  earned 
his  Ph.D.  and  i-s  a  supemsory  health  scientist  at  the  Centers 
for  Disease  Control  and  Prevention  in  Atlanta. 

Stanly  B.  Mitchell  Jr.  (B.S.  ^a/B)  is  a  buyer  with  Univar  USA. 

Patricia  Rowell  (B.S.  ■70/H&S;  B.S,  'yVN:  Ph.D.  Po/AHP) 
is  employed  as  a  scientific  program  manager  at  the 
Department  of  Veterans  Affairs. 

Jackie  Taylor  Thornton  (B  S  '77/B;  M.S.  '78/B)  serves 
as  director  of  human  resources  for  Kelly  Aerospace 
in  Montgomery,  Ala. 

1980s 

Rhonda  L.  Bishop  (A  S  sa/AMP;  B.I.S  ra/H&S;  M.B.A. 

06/B)  IS  university  compliance  officer  for  VCU.  She 
recently  joined  the  board  of  the  School  of  Business 
alumni  organization.  VCU  Business  Society. 

Keven  LaVerdad  Casey  (B  S  '89/MC)  is  an  anchor  and 
reporter  for  Clear  Channel  Houston's  NewsRadio  74^ 
KTRH  in  Texas. 

Clelia  Amari  Fry  (B.M.E,  '83/A)  received  her  license  to 
practice  law  in  North  Carolina  and  joined  Kincaid 
and  Associates,  a  general  practice  law  firm. 


Spotligh': 


Former  Commonwealth  Singers  reunite  for  VCU  Music  benefit  concert 


When  a  group  of  former  Commonwealth  Singers  first  met  in  July 
2008  to  discuss  the  idea  of  a  reunion  concert,  they  wanted  it  to  be 
more  than  an  opportunity  for  them  to  perform  together  again. 

They  also  wanted  to  make  a  difference  in  the  education  of  current 
Virginia  Commonwealth  University  Department  of  Music  students. 

"We  really  had  two  goals,"  says  B.J.  Barlow  (B.A.  '05/A),  reunion 
concert  committee  member  and  minister  of  music  at  St.  Matthew's 
Episcopal  Church  in  Richmond,  Va.  "One,  just  to  get  together  and 
sing  again,  remember  the  old  days,  and  experience  wonderful  music 
as  a  group.  Second,  we  wanted  to  give  back  to  VCU  Music." 

After  weeks  of  rehearsal,  both  goals  came  to  fruition.  About  30 
of  the  choral  group's  alumni  —  including  one  member  who  traveled 
from  New  York  -  performed  in  a  Feb.  8  concert  at  the  W.E.  Singleton 
Center  for  the  Performing  Arts.  The  400-member  audience  helped 
raise  nearly  $3,000  for  the  Friends  of  VCU  Music  Scholarship  Fund. 

"It  was  a  very  emotional,  wonderful  evening,"  says  Kimberly  Shepherd 
Hassmer  (B.M.  '06/A),  reunion  concert  committee  member  and  music 
specialist  at  Salem  Church  Elementary  School  in  Chesterfield  County,  Va. 
She  joined  the  stage  with  her  husband,  David  Hassmer  (B.A.  '06/A). 

"The  Commonwealth  Singers  is  where  we  met,  so  it  was  nice  to 
go  back  and  sing  on  the  stage  with  him  and  remember  that  part  of 
us  being  together,"  she  says. 

Another  familiar  face  on  stage  was  John  Guthmiller,  Ph.D.,  Department 
of  Music  chair  and  director  of  choral  activities.  Guthmiller  says  he 


Jm 


found  the  alumni's  commitrhent  to 
the  performance  and  the  music 
department  inspiring. 

"That's  the  kind  of  thing  you  hope 
for  when  you're  teaching  them  at 
age  18, 19  —  to  see  that  growth  and 
development  for  them,"  he  says. 

Guthmiller  helped  the  committee 
select  11  songs  for  the  concert,  which 
also  included  three  pieces  by  the 
current  Commonwealth  Singers 
and  a  powerful  performance  of 
"Virginia"  presented  by  both  groups.        ^^^^^^  ^.^^^  ^^^  .^^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^ 

The  concert  reminded  the  alumni  ^^^^^^  ^^^^j^  (g.M.  W/A)  sing  with 
of  what  they  loved  most  about  their  alumni  at  the  February  performance. 
time  at  VCU. 

"Dr.  Guthmiller's  way  of  directing,  pulling  the  group  together,  rehearsing 
—  he  drew  out  more  than  notes  on  a  page  but  created  a  family," 
Barlow  says. 

For  Hassmer,  the  performance  reinforced  her  desire  to  stay  involved 
with  her  alma  mater.  She  recently  became  a  member  of  the  VCU  Music 
Alumni  Board  and  hopes  the  first-time  concert  event  becomes  a  tradition. 

"I  love  VCU  and  I'm  very  proud  to  be  a  Ram,"  she  says.  "After  the 
concert,  we  all  said  'When  can  we  do  this  again?'" 


Spring  2009  ! 


Recently  published  alumni  and  faculty  members 


19 

LiliingOur  \'oKf. 

1 

^HP- 

4 

Determining 
Sample  Size 


Carl  F.  Ameringer,  Ph.D..  professor  of  health  policy  and  politics  at  the  L.  Douglas 
Wilder  School  of  Government  and  Public  Affairs,  is  the  author  of  a  new  book. 
"The  Health  Care  Revolution!  From  Medical  Monopoly  to  Market  Competition." 

Joyce  O.  Beckett,  Ph.D.,  published  a  new  book,  "Lifting  Our  Voices:  TTie  Journeys 
Into  Family  Caregiving  of  Professional  Social  Workers."  in  August. 

Mary  Boyes,  an  instructor  in  Focused  Inquiry  in  the  VCU  University  College,  devel- 
oped a  literary  anthology  focused  on  work  experiences  with  co-editor  Peter  Scheckner, 
a  literature  professor  at  Ramapo  College.  "The  Way  We  Work:  Contemporary  Writings 
from  the  American  Workplace"  features  a  number  of  contributors  that  have  a  VCU 
connection,  including  Larry  Levis,  late  VCU  English  professor  and  poet.  Nathan 
Long  (M.F.A.  WH&S).  Paula  Champa  (M.F.A.  w/H&S),  Clay  Blancett  (B.F.A.  '97^) 
and  Darren  Morris  (M.FA.  pa/M&S). 

Christopher  Brooks,  professor  of  anthropology  and  African-American  studies, 
collaborated  with  Joe  Evans,  an  alto  saxophonist,  on  a  book  about  Evans'  life  and 
30-year  career  in  the  music  industry.  "FollowYour  Heart:  Moving  With  the  Giants 
of  Jazz,  Swing,  and  Rhythm  and  Blues." 

Doug  Burford*  (B.S.  65/I^C)  recently  published  the  book  "Agency  Reveals  All"  about 
the  advertising  industry. 

Susann  Cokal,  assistant  professor  in  the  Department  of  English,  published  "Breath 
and  Bones,"  a  novel  about  an  elusive  19th-century  artist  and  the  young  woman  who 
follows  him  from  Europe  to  the  American  Southwest. 

Patrick  Dattalo  (M.S.W.  'so/SW;  PkD.  WM&S),  associate  professor  in  the  School  of 
Social  Work,  wrote  a  book  about  sample-size  determination  in  research,  "Determining 
Sample  Size  -  Balancing  Power,  Precision,  and  Practicality." 

Brian  J.  Daugherity,  M.A.,  instructor  and  assistant  to  the  chair  in  the  Department 
of  History,  is  lead  editor  of  a  new  book  examining  and  evaluating  the  implementation 
of  the  Brown  v.  Board  of  Education  U.S.  Supreme  Coxirt  decision  in  1954  ^^^^  ended 
school  segregation,  "With  All  Deliberate  Speed:  Implementing  Brown  v.  Board  of 
Education." 


George  Davis  (B.S.  '71/B)  published  his  first  novel,  "Arizona  Son  Rise,"  that  tells  the 
story  of  a  young  Native  American  boy  who  uses  the  game  of  baseball  to  find  his  destiny. 

Robert  Deigh*  (B.S.  '77/MC)  is  the  owner  of  RDC  Communications/PR  in  Fairfax,  Va. 
He  recently  published  the  book  "How  Come  No  One  Knows  About  Us?" 

Clint  McCown,  associate  professor  of  English,  recently  published  his  third  collection 
of  poetry,  "Dead  Languages,"  including  25  poems  previously  published  in  journals 
such  as  the  Sewanee  Review,  the  Southern  Review,  the  Southern  Poetry  Review  and 
the  North  American  Review. 

Maike  I.  Philipsen,  Ph.D.,  professor  in  the  School  of  Education's  Department  of 
Foundations  of  Education,  published  "Challenges  of  the  Faculty  Career  for  Women: 
Success  and  Sacrifice."  The  book  offers  recommendations  for  reform  and  advice  for 
female  faculty  members  coping  with  issues  such  as  balancing  work  and  famdy  and 
working  in  a  historically  male-dominated  field. 

Maurice  Robinson  (B.S. '65/B)  wrote  "PonteVedra  Beach,  Florida:  A  History,"  published 
by  the  History  Press  in  Charleston,  S.C. 

Paul  Steucke*  (B.F.A.  '62/A)  has  been  an  author,  graphic  designer  and  fine  artist  for 
more  than  35  years.  He  recently  published  his  memoir,  "Burbia  Boy,"  about  growing 
up  in  the  early  suburbia  days  of  Northern  Virginia,  as  well  as  his  time  as  a  student  at 
Richmond  Professional  Institute. 

Charles  West,  coordinator  of  winds  and  percussion  in  the  Department  of  Music, 
was  the  lead  author  and  compiler  for  "The  Woodwind  Player's  Cookbook:  Creative 
Recipes  for  a  Successful  Performance,"  published  by  Meredith  Music  Publication. 
The  book  includes  articles  by  VCU  faculty  members,  including  West,  Bruce  Hammel 
and  Albert  Regni,  as  well  as  alumnus  Victor  Goines  (M.M.  'PO/A). 

Nelson  Wikstrom,  Ph.D.,  professor  of  political  science  and  public  administration,  is 
a  contributing  vo-iter  for  "Urban  and  Regional  Policies  for  Metropolitan  Livability," 
a  new  book  that  examines  the  importance  of  a  regional  approach  in  solving  issues 
such  as  transportation,  the  environment,  affordable  housing,  crime,  employment, 
poverty  and  education. 


Kevin  L.  Goodwyn  (B.S.  86/6)  is  a  database  administrator 

with  Chesterfield  County  Public  Schools. 
Andy  Hulcher*  (B.S. 'S-i/B),  owner  of  Richmond-based 

Partnership  Staffing,  ran  the  coat-check  operations  at 

six  of  the  10  inaugural  balls  in  Washington  celebrating 

President  Barack  Obama'sjan.  20  swearing-in. 
Lora  J.  Katz  (B  F  A.  so/A)  is  director  of  architecture 

at  the  Roanoke,  Va..  office  of  Clark  Nexsen. 
Kristina  "Tina"  Kendall  (B.S  '84/B)  is  a  Sarbanes-Oxley 

manager  for  Hilb,  Rogal  and  Hobbs. 
Cynthia  McMullen  (MA.  SP/H&S)  is  director  of 

public  relations  and  communications  for  the  VCU 

School  of  Pharmacy. 
Rosetta  Rolan  (B.S. '89/MC)  is  the  director  of  diversity 

at  KIN  Television  Corp. 
Charles  H.  Smith  Jr.  (MP.A,  ^&^/^&S)  completed  his  first 

tour  with  the  U.S.  Navy's  Military  Sealift  Command  on 

the  USNS  Rainier. 
Patricia  I.  Wright*  (M.Ed.  WE)  was  appointed  to  the 

Education  Commission  of  the  States  by  Virginia  Gov. 

Timothy  M.  Kaine.  She  also  has  been  named  to  a  task 

force  of  the  Council  of  Chief  State  School  Officers 

that  will  advise  the  Obama  administration. 

1990s 

Paul  Lancaster  Adams  (B.S. '90/I-I&S)  joined  Microsoft 

Corp.  as  associate  general  counsel  to  head  its  labor  and 

employment  litigation. 
Tom  Bailey  (B.M.'9l/A)  moved  to  Long  Island.  N.Y., 

and  serves  as  organist  and  choirmaster  at  St.  Peter's 

by-the-Sea  Episcopal  Church. 


Lisa  L.  Brock  (B  S  '97/B)  is  a  director  with  McGladrey 

and  Pullen, 
Kelly  Hundley  Brooks  (BA  ■97/H&S;  Ceri.  '06/H&S: 

M  PA,  'O6/GPA)  is  the  director  of  operations  of  the 

Mid-Atlantic  Renal  Coalition. 
Hudson  "Rusty"  Byrd*  (B.S.  '9l/B)  is  deputy  budget 

officer  for  the  Bureau  of  Consular  Affairs  and  serves 

on  the  board  of  directors  for  the  Foreign  Affairs 

Recreation  Association  at  the  U.S.  Department  of  State. 
Kelly  Conner  (BA.  '99/I-I&S)  is  employed  at  the  University 

of  Virginia's  Darden  School  of  Business  as  a  client 

services  manager. 
Gabe  Corbett  (B.S. '95/B)  is  a  Realtor  with  Keller  Williams 

in  Richmond,  Va. 
Heather  Eades*  (B  S.  '97/B)  is  an  emissions  specialist 

for  Dominion  Resources. 
Terry  G.  Ferguson  (B.S,  '98/B)  is  employed  by  Charles  Schwab. 
Clarence  A.  Forman  Jr.  (B.S.  ^O/H&S)  is  an  investigator 

and  attorney  at  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 

Department  of  Mental  Health's  Office  of  Investigations. 
Kilian  James  Garvey,  Ph.D.  (B  A,  '91/H&S)  was  named 

to  the  editorial  boards  of  the  Journal  of  Social. 

Evolutionary,  and  Cultural  Psychology  and  the 

Journal  of  Evolutionary  Studies.  Garvey  is  an  assistant 

professor  of  psychology  at  the  University  of  New 

England  in  Biddeford.  Maine. 
Matthew  W.  Greene  (B.S.  '95/MC)  is  employed  by  JetBlue 

Airways  as  a  pilot. 
Mary  Heller  (B.S  '99/l-i&S)  recently  graduated  from 

George  Mason  University  with  an  M.A.  in  Teaching 

Literature  and  Writing. 


Shawn  Henry  (M.S.  '97/H&S)  was  named  assistant  director 

of  the  FBI's  Cyber  Division. 
Ronette  Jacobs*  (BA,  po/I-I&S)  is  the  CEO  of  Tools 

for  Life. 
Charlotte  Jensen*  (B.A,  WH&S:  M.T  ^VE)  serves 

as  president  of  Cole  James  Associates. 
Kanishka  Kapil*  (B.S.  '91/B)  is  employed  as  an  executive 

marketing  specialist  at  \TLUX  America. 
Marty  Kline*  (MP.A,  ■97/I-I&S)  is  the  assistant  director 

of  Eastern  State  Hospital  in  Williamsburg.  Va. ,  and 

a  practicing  licensed  nursing  home  administrator. 
Diamond  H.  Lassiter  (B.S.  '97/B)  is  a  systems  engineer 

for  Verizon  Communications. 
Nancy  McAtee  (M.S.  96/H&S)  is  a  fire  and  explosion 

investigator  with  the  National  Transportation  Safety 

Board. 
Melanie  C.  Morgan  (BA.  '90/H&S)  is  a  freelance  busi- 
ness writer. 
Elizabeth  (Karle)  Pierce  (B.S.  93/6)  earned  a 

degree  in  biology  and  a  doctorate  in  immunology. 

She  is  a  research  associate  at  Case  Western  Reserve 

University,  where  she  is  researching  bone  marrow 

transplants. 
Svetlana  C.  Ross  (B.S.  '97/E)  was  recognized  by  Guiness 

World  Records  for  having  the  longest  legs  of  any 

woman  in  the  world.  Standing  at  6  feet  and  5  inches, 

Ross'  legs  measure  almost  4  feet  and  4  inches. 
Alika  Rosser  (M.S.  '99/MC)  is  a  reporter  and  photographer 

for  the  [ones  County  News. 
Rhonda  Scott  (B.S.  '93/B)  is  a  real  estate  coordinator 

for  the  city  of  Norfolk,  Va. 


32  I  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


[class  notes] 


Nealiette  "Terri"  Murphy  Simpson  (B  M  w/A)  was 
recognized  in  the  vocalist  category  of  the  2008  Theresa 
Pollak  Prizes  for  Excellence  in  the  Arts. 

Dwityo  Akoro  Soeranto  (M  U  R,P.  py/M&S)  Uves  in 
Jakarta,  Indonesia,  and  works  as  the  subdireclor  of  data 
and  information  at  the  Ministry  of  PubUc  Works. 

Robb  Spewak  {B.S.  PJ/MC)  is  co-host  and  in-studio  pro- 
ducer for  the  nationally  syndicated  "Mike  O'Meara  Show." 

Matthew  Sullivan  (BS  Vo/H&S).  an  attorney  with  White 
&  Allen,  P.A. ,  has  been  elected  to  the  Lenoir  Committee 
of  lOO's  board  of  directors,  which  provides  funding  for 
economic  development  projects  in  Lenoir  County,  N.C. 

Wendy  Vick-Wjilis  (B.A,  'ps/H&S)  was  appointed  organ 
donation  awareness  spokesperson  in  conjunction  with 
Methodist  Hospital  and  Multi-Organ  Transplant  Center. 

Denise  Walters*  (8  S  ss/H&S;  PhD  pi/P)  is  a  principal 
research  scientist  in  nutritional  product  development 
at  Wyeth  and  has  won  two  Global  Pride  Awards. 

Jacquelyn  White  {B.S.  WH&S;  M.S.W.  ■02/SW)  is  a 
prevention  specialist  at  Henrico  Area  Mental  Health. 

2000s 

Taylor  Barnelt  (B.M.  oi/A;  MM.  oVA)  and  Bryan  Hooten 
(M.M.  'O6/A)  are  members  of  the  No  BS  Brass  Band. 


which  was  honored  in  the  ensemble  category  of  the 
2008  Theresa  PoUak  Prizes  for  Excellence  in  the  Arts. 

Mary  Bergman  (B  M   Ol/A).  a  member  of  the  Virginia 
Ai-my  National  Guard,  was  accepted  into  the  Interservice 
Physician  Assistant  Program,  where  she  will  earn  a 
master's  degi-ee  from  the  University  of  Nebraska. 

Kitty  J.  Boitnott  (Ph.D.  ot/E)  was  appointed  to  the  P-l6 
Education  Council  by  Virginia's  governor. 

John  Comstock  (B  S  '04/B)  is  a  senior  account  executive 
with  UPS. 

Ryan  Corbitt  (B.M  '04*)  and  Trey  Pollard  (BM  'os/A) 

composed  the  score  for  "Border  Town,"  directed  by 

Chris  Williams  of  Studio  108  in  Richmond,  Va. 
Aftab  Datta  (MS  '02/H&S)  worked  as  a  synthetic  chemist 

at  the  Naval  Lab  before  earning  his  M.B.A.  He  currently 

works  as  a  management  consultant. 
Ryan  Davis  (BS  '01/B)  is  a  network  software  engineer 

for  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank  of  Richmond. 
Darin  A.  Duehl  (B.A.  'O6/MC)  is  an  account  manager 

at  Benedict  Advertising  in  South  Daytona.  Fla. 
Jaroa  A.  Favilla*  (B  S,  'oa/H&S:  MT  'os/E)  is  employed  as 

a  Spanish  teacher  for  Henrico  County  Public  Schools. 
Erin  Fitzpalrick  (B  S,  '07/B)  is  employed  by  Saatchi  and 

Saatchi  in  New  York. 


Katherine  Lynn  Gallagher*  (BS  '07/MC) works  in  oper- 
ations al  the  Barber  Martin  Agency  in  Richmond.  Va. 

Jesus  A.  Garcia  (B.A  'os/H&S)  completed  U.S.  Navy 
basic  training  with  honors  at  Recruit  Training 
Command  in  Great  Lakes,  lU. 

Rebecca  E.  Haase  (B.S.  'oe/B)  is  a  human  resources  stu- 
dent program  manager  with  the  Defense  Commissary 
Agency  at  Fort  Lee,  Va. 

Robert  C.  Hedman  (B  S,  '04/B)  is  a  police  officer  with 
the  city  of  Richmond,  Va. 

Gayland  Hethcoat*  (BS,  '07/MC)  is  a  student  at  the 
University  of  Miami  School  of  Law. 

Ji  Kim*  (B.S.  bs/B)  is  the  controller  for  Lutheran  Family 
Services  in  the  Carolinas.  a  social  services  agency  oper- 
ating in  North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina. 

Angela  Kirk  (MB  A   OO/B)  is  one  of  31  residents  in  the 
Broad  Residency  in  Urban  Education  program  with  the 
Broad  Center  for  the  Management  of  School  Systems. 

Greg  Loewer  (B  M   os/A)  performed  with  CaL\rts 
Percussion  Ensemble  at  the  Percussive  Arts  Society 
International  Convention  in  November. 

Angela  Mack  (B.S  '04/MC)  moved  back  to  Virginia  to 
become  an  elementary  school  teacher  after  spending 
three  years  as  a  print  journalist  in  Wilmington,  N.C. 


Biology  alumnus  concocts  'Cirrusly'  great  vodka 

Virginia  Commonwealth  University  alumnus  Paul  McCann  (B.S. 
'92/H&S)  always  imagined  running  his  own  business  but  never 
expected  that  dream  would  stem  from  a  night  out. 

In  2004,  McCann  was  out  with  a  friend  in  Richmond  and  noticed 
all  the  available  vodkas  were  imported.  He  started  doing  some 
research  and  testing  on  his  own  and  found  he  could  make  a  good 
natural,  additive-free,  potato-based  vodka.  The  majority  of  vodkas 
are  made  from  grains,  but  McCann  says,  to  him,  potatoes  make  the 
best  and  smoothest  vodka. 

From  there,  McCann  grew  Parched  Group  Distillery,  best  known 
:  for  its  Cirrus  brand  vodka  -  a  spirit  that's  received  numerous  acco- 
lades and  awards  in  the  past  four  years,  including  earning  in  2007  the 
"Virginia's  Finest"  seal  from  the  Virginia  Department  of  Agriculture 
and  Consumer  Services. 

"A  lot  of  folks  tend  to  think  that  to  have  a  quality  product  you  have 
to  have  something  imported,"  McCann  says.  "I  think  that  the  'Virginia's 
^  Finest'  designation  helps  give  added  recognition  to  products  that  are 
'  made  here  in  Virginia." 

Confident  that  Cirrus  vodka  could  stand  up  against  the  imported 
brands,  McCann  started  entering  it  into  national  competitions  in 
2005.  The  label  earned  its  first  silver  medal  at  the  San  Francisco  World 
Spirits  Competition  just  six  months  after  the  distillery  opened.  A  year 
later.  Cirrus  vodka  took  home  the  gold  at  the  same  competition.  That's 
when  McCann  decided  to  distribute  the  product  commercially,  begin- 
ning in  his  home  state. 

"We  really  wanted  to  enter  a  couple  competitions  and  see  how 
competitive  Cirrus  is  with  other  top  brands  that  are  well-established," 
McCann  says.  "We  got  it  to  where  we  really  wanted  it,  and  once  we 
received  the  gold,  we  decided  to  get  it  out  on  the  market." 


Paul  McCann  creates  Cirrus  vodka  at  his  dov^ntown  distillery  -  Parched  Group  Distillery 

More  than  170  Virginia  ABC  stores  carry  Cirrus  vodka  With  an  equal 
number  of  bars,  restaurants  and  hotels  serving  the  brand.  McCann 
has  already  expanded  into  the  Washington,  D.C.,  and  Tennessee  mar- 
kets and  is  looking  to  capture  additional  market  share  in  Maryland, 
South  Carolina  and  Georgia  this  year. 

"When  you  are  working  for  yourself,  you  are  constantly  growing  the 
brand,"  McCann  says.  "You  get  a  lot  of  satisfaction  out  of  being  able 
to  start,  build  and  achieve  your  goals." 


Spring  2009 


Alumni  Association 


Did  you  know? 


VCUAA  officers 

C.  Dandridge  Massey  (B.S.  '92/B),  president 
Donna  M.  Dalton  (M.Ed.  bo/E),  president-elect 
Patricia  E.  Green  (M.S.W.  '74/SW),  secretary 
Kenneth  "Ken"  A.  Thomas  (B.S.  '91/B),  treasurer 
Thomas  H.  Beatty  (B.A.  WH&S),  officer-at-large 


Since  1990,  VCU's  international  student  population  has  increased  nearly  fivefold, 
ing  to  the  diverse  nnakeup  of  the  university's  student  body  A  record  1,612  internat 
students,  representing  111  countries,  enrolled  in  VCU  this  year.  Students  from  India  (293) 
constitute  the  highest  number  of  international  students  on  campus,  followed  by  Sau^ 
Arabia  (211),  China  (182)  and  South  Korea  (l57).  j 


Board  of  directors 

Term  expiring  2009 

Peter  A.  Bial<e  (B.A.  'So/H&S;  M.S.  'aS/MC) 

Suzette  R  Denslow  (B.S.  '79/H&S) 

Irvin  "Jack"  Farmer  (B.S.  '69/B),  presidential 

appointment 
William  R.  O'Connell  Jr  (B.M.E.  ss/A) 
Thomas  A.  Silvestri  (M.B.A.  'Sb/B) 
Patricia  I.  Wright  (M.Ed.  WE) 

Term  expiring  2010 

Rejena  G.  Carreras  (B.F.A.  'yo/A;  M.A.E.  '80/A) 
William  L.  Davis  (B.S.  '74/H&S;  M.S.  ■79/H&S) 
David  R.  Dennier  (B.S.  WB) 
Gary  M.  Inman  (M.A.  '93/A) 
Stephen  H.  Jones  (B.S.  '75/B) 
Shirley  R.  McDaniel  (B.G.S.  WH&S) 
Mary  E.  Perkinson  (B.F.A.  '91/Ai  B.S.  'os/En) 
John  J.  Schwartz  (B.S.  '69/8) 
Vickie  M.  Snead  (B.S.  '76/8) 

Term  expiring  20n 

Leah  L.E.  Bush  (M.S.  ■79/I-I&S;  M.D  •84/M) 
Gregory  B.  Fairchild  (B.S.  'SS/MC) 
Aaron  R.  Gilchrist  Jr.  (B.S.  '03/MC) 
Christopher  R.  Jones  (B.S.  bl/En) 
Paul  D.  McWhinney  (B.S.  ■74/SW;  M.S.W.  '79/SW) 
Elizabeth  J.  Moran  (M.RA.  '92/H&S) 
Jacqueline  Tunstall-Bynum  (B.S.  'Sz/H&S) 
John  S.  Phillips  (M.S.  ^S/B),  presidential 
appointment 

Alumni  group  representatives 

School  alumni  board  chairs 

Steven  B.  Brincefield,  C.RM.,  (M.S.  '74/8), 

School  of  Business 
Stephanie  L.  Holt  (B.S.  WH&S),  School 

of  Education 
Julia  M.  Cain  (B.S.  'Ol/En),  School  of  Engineering 

African-American  Alumni  Council 

Faith  Wilkerson  (B.S.  'os/MC;  M.Ed.  bs/E), 
president 

Young  Alumni  Council 

Gaurav  "G"  Shrestha  (B.S.  bs/B),  president 


Mark  Steven  Miles  Jr.  (B.A.  te/H&S)  recently  published. 

along  with  his  colleague  Emily  Kate  Snyder,  a  featured 

article  in  The  Spire,  the  theological  magazine  of 

Vanderbilt  Divinity  School.  "Strangers  No  Longer: 

Faithful  Voices  for  Solidarity"  portrays  their  experiences 

founding  a  nonprofit  organization. 
Yuqi  Shi*  (B.S.  'OS/B}  is  an  analyst  for  the  Federal  Resei-ve 

Bank  of  Richmond. 
Nathan  Smith  {B.A.  OS/M&S)  is  enrolled  in  the  Librai-y 

and  Information  Sciences  master's  progi-am  at  the 

Catholic  University  of  America. 
Garry  Spriggs  (B  S.  ■03/H&S)  works  in  the  Department 

of  Prosthetics  of  Loma  Linda  Healthcare  System  in 

Loma  Linda,  Calif. 
Dale  Stuart  (B.S,  'OS/H&S)  is  working  toward  a  Ph.D. 

in  chemistry  at  VCU  under  Everett  Carpenter,  Ph.D. 
Stephanie  R.  Summers  (M.S.  Ob/MC)  lives  in  Chicago 

and  works  as  the  art  director  of  Energy  BBDO. 
Amanda  Burton  Winger  {M.M,  '04/A)  is  the  executive 

director  of  the  Conductors  Guild,  an  international 

nonprofit  organization  for  music  conductors.  She's 

also  a  board  member  of  the  National  Music  Council. 
Sara  Zavik  (B  A.  '08/H&S)  works  in  Spain  as  a  language 

and  conversation  assistant  at  an  elementai-y  school. 


Faculty  and  staff 


Darryl  Harper,  assistant  professor  in  the  Department 
of  Music,  toured  the  Western  Caribbean  with  the 
Reffina  Carter  Quintet  and  led  his  own  Onus  Trio 
on  a  tour  to  Madison,  Wis.,  in  November. 

Kris  Keeton,  assistant  professor  in  the  Department 
of  Music,  was  awarded  a  Dean's  Exploratoiy  Research 
Grant  to  study  ragtime  xylophone  music  with  Bob 
Becker,  the  foremost  practitioner  in  the  field. 

Rex  Richardson,  associate  professor  in  the  Department 
of  Music,  gave  a  solo  performance  in  Chicago's 
Millennium  Park  and  a  master  class  at  the  Manhattan 
School  of  Music. 

Michael  Schutz,  percussion  instructor,  presented 
a  clinic  at  the  Percussive  Arts  Society  International 
Convention  in  Austin,  Texas. 

Sonia  Vlahcevic.  professor  in  the  Department  of 
Music,  will  give  a  lecture  recital  at  the  International 
Conference  of  the  College  Music  Society  in  Zagreb, 
Croatia,  in  June  2OO9.  She  will  present  on  the  solo 
piano  music  of  Andrzej  Dutliewicz.  composer  and 
director  of  contemporaiy  music  at  the  Chopin 
Institute  in  Warsaw.  Poland. 


In  memoriam 
1930S 

Dorothy  T  Efta  (B.S  '38/H&S),  of  Punta  Gorda,  Fla., 
Sept.  26,  2008. 

1940s 

Anne  E.  Harris  (B.S,  ^s/H&S;  M.EJ.  'ti/E),  of  Richmond, 

Va.,  Dec.  30,  2008,  at  age  87. 
Douglas  C.  Houchens  (B.F.A,  ■40/A:  M. FA. '52^), 

of  Davidson,  N.C..  Aug.  ig,  2008.  at  age  92. 


Sara  M.  Jessee  ('44/SW),  of  Richmond,  Va.,  Oct.  23, 

2008,  at  age  85. 
Roberta  T.  Luce  (B.S.  ■44/H&S).  of  Richmond.  Va.,  Jan. 

I,  2009,  at  age  86. 
Mary  C.  Rowan  (48/A),  of  Banks.  Ore.,  Aug.  10,  2008, 

at  age  81. 
Hannah  B.  Tucker  (B.S.'47/B),  of  Tallahassee,  Fla.,  Nov. 

3.  2008.  at  age  82. 
Charlotte  Williams  (^s/SW),  of  Greenville.  Va.,  Sept. 

3.  2008.  at  age  82. 

1950s 

Mary  M.  Barker  (B.S 'so/E),  of  Midlothian,  Va.,  Oct. 

17,  2008,  at  age  79. 
Robert  L.  Bov/ers  (B.M.E. '54/A).  of  Richmond,  Va., 

Sept.  24,  2008. 
Grace  Dorey  Gallagher*  (B.S.  '52),  of  "Virginia  Beach. 

Va.,  Sept.  5,  2008. 
Frances  W.  Johns  (M.S.W. 'ss/SW),  of  Hampton.  Va., 

Sept,  13,  2008. 
Suzanne  R.  Levet  Csp/B),  of  Glen  Allen,  Va..  Dec.  6, 

2008,  at  age  67. 
John  R.  Melia  (B.S. 'SP/B).  of  Richmond,  Va..  July  30. 

2008.  at  age  76. 
Charles  P.  Nash  III  (B.FA  ss/A).  of  Charlottesville.  Va.. 

Oct.  21.  2008. 
Rev.  Morgan  Shelton  Smart  (B.M.E  '52^),  of 

Mechanicsville,  Va.,  Sept.  15,  2008,  at  age  70. 
William  Allen  Steinbach  Cso/B),  of  Midlothian,  Va., 

Sept.  30,  2008. 
Barrington  E.  Wash  (B.S. 'ss/E),  of  Mechanicsville,  Va., 

July  8,  2008.  at  age  76. 

1960s 

Edith  Abbot  (B.S  'ds/E),  of  Salem.  Mass..  Sept.  25, 

2008,  at  age  85. 
Carolyn  A.  Hammond  Ball  (B.S  bS/E).  ofTappahannock, 

Va.,  July  I,  2008. 
Mary  Jennie  Bates  (B.S. 'by/E),  of  Chester,  Va.,  July  17, 

2008,  at  age  65, 
Katherine  T.  Branner  (MEd. 'bP/E).  of  Hanover.  Va.. 

Sept.  27,  2008. 
Betty  O.  Brov^n  (B.S,  ■69/E).  of  Midlothian,  Va.,  Oct. 

14,  2008. 

Jean  G.  Comess  (B.S.  '65/SW),  of  Virginia  Beach,  Va., 

Dec.  15,  2008,  at  age  66. 
Charlotte  M.  Crayton  (B.S,  'dO/H&S;  M.Ed.  m/E). 

of  Kenbridge,  Va.,  Sept.  5,  2008.  at  age  82. 
Bernard  L.  Harlov/ (B.S. '67/B),  of  Mechanicsville,  Va.. 

Oct  I,  2008,  at  age  77. 
E.Fred  Kahwajy  (B.S  62/H&S),  of  Richmond,  Va.,  July 

27.  2008. 
Byron  J.  Kirkman"  (B.S. 'bO/B).  of  Richmond,  Va.,July 

19,  2008,  at  age  92. 
Joseph  J.  Markow  Jr.  (B.S. '67/8).  of  Hanover,  Va,. 

Sept.  12.  2008,  at  age  66. 
Joel  C.  McGurk  (MS  bT/E).  of  Richmond.  Va..  Aug. 

25,  2008. 
Jack  S.  Mettee  (AS  'bO/En),  of  Sandston,  Va.,  Jan.  30.  2008. 


34  I  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


[class  notes] 


N 


ew 


ifet 


ime  memDers 


b( 


John  R.  Abram 

Sara  E.  Anderson 

Fran  Avery 

William  C.  Baber 

Connie  A.  Beard 

Robert  A.  Beard 

Joseph  E.  Becht  Jr. 

Michael  A.  Bell 

Melissa  V.  Berent 

Paul  R.  Bethel 

Marie  T.  Bliss 

Jan  Bolger 

Nancy  C.  Boutchyard 

Jefferson  L.  Buruss 

Henryetta  C.  Callahan,  L.C.S.W. 

Shirley  E.  Carney 

Elizabeth  Anne  Carter,  Ph.D. 

Daniel  E.  Clark 

Gianna  C.  Clark 

Joice  E.  Conyers,  Ph.D. 

Jessica  S.  Cope 

Lynn  A.  Cowles 

Carol  A.  Cox,  Ph.D. 

Edward  W.  Dadez,  Ph.D. 

Kristen  N.  Davis 

Holly  S.  Delano 

Michael  R.  Dickinson 

Lana  I.  Digges 

Philip  G.  Disharoon 

James  H.  Dudley 

Carol  V.  Dunlap 

Letitia  M.  Edv/ards 

Alan  J.  Enjetti 

John  E.  Farrell 

Rebekah  A.  Felty 

Anita  H.  Garland 

Randolph  D.  Glasscock 

Martha  Lou  Green,  Ed.D. 

Robert  J.  Grey  Jr. 

Gwendolyn  J.  Gunderson 

Felicia  Anderson  Hatch 

Jane  A.  Hatcher 

Linda  S.  Heath 

Laura  Q.  Heinle 

Joseph  M.  Heppert 

Judy  Heppert 

Sharon  Stark  Hooper 

Jennifer  A.  Huffman 

Michael  C.  Huffman 

Malinda  H.  Johnson 

Kanishka  Kapil 

Nancy  S.  Kesler 

JohnG.  Klokell 


Bruce  E.  Lasswell 
TrangT.  Le,  D.D.S. 
Dean  L.  Lewis 
Heather  Kyle  Lewis 
Christopher  G.  Loftin 
Matilda  Bradshaw  Loftin 
Robert  P.  Malyska 
James  J.  McDonough,  Ph.D. 
Elizabeth  W.  Meggs 
Thomas  P.  Michelli 
Gwen  E.  Miller 
Keith  H.  Miller 
Joanne  K.  Mudd 
Channing  M.  Nuckols 
Carol  Olson 
Catherine  L.  Porter 
Laura  D.  Rexroad,  Pharm.D. 
John  D.  Roberts 
Marcia  Ann  Robertson 
Merle  E.  Robertson  III 
Susan  B.  Robertson 
Carrie  P.  Rose 
Rodney  L.  Rose 
Gregory  E.  Salyers 
Michael  A.  Scruggs 
Cassandra  A.  Sermons 
Nikki  A.  Sheridan 
Amar  Shrivastava 
Cathaleen  B.  Skinner 
JoAnn  R.  Spiegel,  Ph.D. 
John  J.  Stenger 
Katrina  H.  Stephens 
Michael  J.  Stephens 
Andrea  M.  Stewart 
Sarah  Werner  Swope 
Shing  Yue  Tang 
Marvin  R.  Tart  Sr. 
Alice  Gaskill  Taylor 
Jessica  M.  Thies 
Jeffrey  R.  Thompson 
Lisa  K.  Thompson 
Thomas  R.  Thompson 
James  D.  Thurman  Jr. 
F.H.  Wakefield 
Paul  D.  Ward 
Ruth  H.  Watkins 
Byron  L.  Whitted 
Cristy  Whitted 
Sandra  Bell  Wilkins 
Grace  L.  Williams 
Timothy  O.  Williams 
James  P.  Zook 


List  includes  individuals  who  joined  the  VCU  Alumni  Association  as  lifetime  members 
between  July  1,  2008,  and  Dec.  31  2008. 


Louis  A.  Michaux(B.S.<59/MC).  of  Ford  City.  Pa..  Oct. 

21,  2008,  at  age  74. 

Preston  E.  Morris*  (BS. '69/B),  of  Charlottesville,  Va., 

July  14,  2008,  at  age  63. 
James  E.  Prof f itt  (BS  '62/6),  of  Powhatan.  Va..  Aug. 

8.  2008. 

Martha  C.  Puree!!  (MS  M/H&S).  of  Richmond,  Va., 

July  5.  2008.  at  age  91. 
Neida  B.  Roehm  (BS  ■60/H&S;M,S.6i/AHP).  of  Hot 

Springs  National  Park.  Ariz..  Dec.  28,  20o8. 
Judith  T.  Rotella  (B  S /di/B.  M  Ed  85/E).  of  Richmond, 

Va..  July  8.  2008.  at  age  69. 
John  M.  Syria  (M.SW67/SW).  of  Raleigh,  N.CJuly 

20,  2008,  at  age  71. 
Sophia  P.  Teel  (MS /bS/H&S).  of  Bluffton.  S.C.June 

10,  2008. 

1970s 

William  G.  Bell  III  (BFA  WA).  of  Roanoke.  Va.,  May 

27,  2008,  at  age  54. 
William  R.  Bowers  (B.F.A.  72/A),  of  Americus.  Ga., 

Oct.  12.  2008,  at  age  59. 
Joseph  M.  Browning  Jr.  (MBA  77/B),  of  Richmond, 

Va.,  Aug.  31,  2008,  at  age  83. 
Claudine  G.  Bryant  (MEd  .^VE).  of  Richmond,  Va., 

July  8,  2008,  at  age  82. 
Carolyn  H.  Cromwell  (BS  '79/8).  of  Midlothian.  Va., 

Dec.  12.  2008.  at  age  61. 
William  F.  Cumbo  Jr.  (M.Ed  .^VE).  of  Richmond.  Va., 

Jan.  I,  2009,  at  age  72. 
John  O.  Dolan(B.S.>i/E;MS-82/E).  of  Powhatan.  Va., 

July  4.  2008,  at  age  60. 
Rebecca  H.  Duncan  (BS  72/E;  M  Ed  Ty/E),  of  .Atlanta.  Ga. 
Ricky  A.  Griffith*  (BS   79/B),  of  Richmond,  Va..July 

16,  2008,  at  age  52. 
Linda  A.  Heacock  (B.S.'75/I-I&S;  M.Ed.  77/E).  of  Ashland, 

Va..  Sept.  12.  2008,  at  age  64. 

Kenneth  J.  Herndon*  (BS  70/B),  of  Palm  Harbor. 

Fla..  Dec.  7.  2008. 
Alfred  B.  Houghton  (M.S.  ^s/H&S),  of  Richmond.  Va.. 

Dec.  4.  2008.  at  age  65. 
Mildred  W.  Jenkins  (MEd, '7e/E).  ofTempe,  Ariz.,  July 

22.  2008,  at  age  86. 

Michael  H.  Kostinsky  (B  S  ■77/E).  of  EUicott  City.  Md.. 

Aug.  28.  2008. 
Denny  R.  Lambert  (B.S.'78/H&S),  of  Abmgdon.  Va., 

July  15.  2008,  at  age  53. 
Julian  C.  Morris  (BS. '73/8).  of  Richmond.  Va.,  July  26, 

2008.  at  age  61. 
Steven  H.  Mott  (BE  A-'7i/A),  of  Middletown  Springs. 

Vt..  June  17.  2008. 
Carl  W.  Murdock  Jr.  (BS.  74/H&S).  of  Glen.Mlen.  Va.. 

Dec.  28,  2008.  at  age  68. 
Russell  E.  Naumann  III  (AS  'yo/En),  of  MoUusk.  Va.. 

Aug.  3,  2008. 
C.A.  Rhudy  Sr.  (B.S.72/B),  of  Lynchburg.  Va..  .Aug.  4. 

2008. 

Kirk  Ring  (B.S.74/B;  MBA.  75/6).  of  Richmond.  Va.. 

Nov.  I,  2008,  at  age  64. 
Aubrey  L.  Sawyer  (M.M.E. '77/A).  ofVirginia  Beach.  Va.. 

Aug.  7.  2008.  at  age  73. 
Tom  Skinner*  (B.A, '77/I-I&S),  of  Kannapolis.  N.CJuly 

9,  2008. 

John  J.  Vavala  (MB A. ■79/B).  of  Rockledge.  Ra..  May 

27.  2008.  at  age  55. 
Cortez  Howard  Williams  (B.A  72/H&S).  of  Richmond. 

Va..  July  12.  2008. 
Linda  Stoner  Winslett  (MEd,  '71/E).  of  Georgetown, 

S.C.  Sept.  3.  2008.  at  age  71. 
Frances  P.  Wright  (B.S,  ^s/E).  of  Kinsale.  Va..  Oct.  16. 

2008.  at  age  90. 


Spring  2009  [  j5 


n  memoriam 


Martha  Elisabeth  Riis  Moore,  oldest  alumna,  passes  at  94 

Alumna  Martha  Elisabeth  Riis  Moore  (iiSsfi^i  , 
'37/H&S)  died  Dec.  6,  2008,  in  Richmond,^ 
She   attended   Westhampton   College  and   in 
1937  graduated  from  The  Richmond  Division  of 
the  College  of  William  &  Mary,  a  predecessor 
to  Virginia  Commonwealth  University.  Moore 
worked  for  more  than  30  years  as  a  social  worker 
in    Hanover,    Henrico    and    Richmond    before 
retiring  in  1978.  She  also  worked  in  the  1950s       !'     " 
as  a  part-time  newspaper  correspondent  for  / 

the  city's  evening  paper,  The  Richmond  News 
Leader,    and    the    Hanover-Herald    Progress,  / 

which  published  her  articles  and  photographs  /    ,   , 

documenting    black    schools    in   the   county. 

To  read  more  about  Moore's  storied  life  and  her  professional  and  civic  contributions, 
visit  the  Richmond  Times-Dispatch  online  at  www.timesdispatch.com  and  search  the 
site  for  "Martha  Riis  Moore." 


James  N.  Yerby  (B.S  Ts/E),  of  Richmond,  Va..  July  23. 
2008.  at  age  55. 

1980s 

MiloS.  Bidou(BA,'85/H&S).  ofGlenAllen,  Va..Aug.  7. 

2008,  at  age  4.6. 
Franklin  D.  Collins  (B,G.S.'88/H&S).  of  Richmond.  Va., 

Dec.  II.  2008.  at  age  74. 
Elaine  M.  Fauth  (B.S,'82/B),  of  Chesterfield,  Va.,  Aug. 

18,  2008,  at  age  49. 
Jonathan  S.  Gilbert  (B.S.  ^o/M&S),  of  Rooseveh,  N.Y., 

Nov.  20,  2008.  at  age  49. 
Scott  J.  Grow  (BS, '86/6).  of  Richmond,  Va..  Dec.  24, 

2008.  at  age  46. 
Dianne  N.  Hoppes  (BA. '87/H&S),  of  Manakin-Sabot, 

Va.,  July  18,  2008,  at  age  62. 
Marshall  Knox*  (BS,  Bi/B),  of  Richmond,  Va.,  Oct.  4, 

2008,  at  age  52. 
Karen  V.  Laf  ley  (B.S.W  'st/SW,  M.S.W  'se/SW),  of 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  July  8,  2008,  at  age  65. 
Patricia  T.  Moore  (B.FA.'ao/A),  of  Richmond,  Va.,  Oct. 

14.  2008,  at  age  66. 
A.  Carl  Shelton  III  (BA/80/H&S),  of  Chesterfield,  Va., 

Aug.  7,  2008,  at  age  51, 
Jennifer  K.  Sweeney  (B  S  so/E),  of  Midlothian,  Va., 

July  2.  2008,  at  age  58. 
Edward  O.  Tate  (B,S,  eo/H&S),  of  Rents  Store,  Va., 

Sept.  5,  2008,  at  age  69. 
William  G.  Trout  (Bf.A.'bi/A).  of  Richmond,  Va. 
John  C.  Turner  (M.B.A,  ■52/8),  of  Richmond,  Va..  Oct. 

17,  2008,  at  age  73. 


Correction 

The  fall  2008  issue  of  Shafer  Court  Connections 
listed  incorrect  degree  information  for  Leah 
Bush,  a  member  of  the  VCU  Alumni  Association 
board  of  directors.  She  earned  an  M.S.  in  biology 
in  1979  and  an  M.D.  in  1984.  Shafer  Court 
Connections  regrets  the  error 


Cindy  Woods  (B  FA,  as/A),  ofRichmond,  Va.,  Nov,  21, 

2008,  at  age  52. 
Thomas  L,  Wright  (BS.  84/8; M J  w/E, Ced. os/E), 

of  Richmond.  Va.,  Oct,  6,  2008,  at  age  48. 

1990s 

Carl  B.  Atkins  (BS.  Va/En).  ofRichmond,  Va.,  Dec.  9. 

2008,  at  age  57. 
Aloma  L.  Harris  (B.S,  WH&S),  of  State  College,  Pa., 

Sept,  9,  2008,  at  age  36. 
Mendy  A.  Malhena  (B.A.'96/H&S:  MI  WE).  ofEasley. 

S.C.,  Sept,  20,  2008,  at  age  35, 
William  C.  Seay  (BA,  WH&S:  MX  WE),  ofRichmond, 

Va..  Jan.  I.,  2009,  at  age  36. 
Robert  R.  Stutzman  (MEd.  WE),  of  Fredericksburg, 

Va.,  June  30,  2008,  at  age  46. 

2000s 

Jeffrey  C.  Andrick  (B  FA,  b3/A),  ofRichmond,  Va., 

Sept.  13.  2008,  at  age  27. 
Josephine  A.  Artis  (M  Ed.  os/E).  ofRichmond,  Va., 

July  15,  2008,  at  age  37. 
Shandi  S.  Sutton  (B  A.08/H&S),  ofRichmond,  Va., 

Dec,  9,  2008,  at  age  27, 

Faculty  and  staff 

David  French  Sauer  (B.F.A.  so/A),  a  professor  in 
the  VCU  School  of  the  Arts,  died  Jan.  12.  2009. 
Sauer  received  the  distinction  of  being  the  youngest 
exhibitor  to  be  admitted  to  a  national  art  exhibit 
—  at  the  age  of  16  —  with  his  painting  "Still  Life 
Number  14.,'"  which  was  included  in  the  Fifth 
Biennial  of  Contemporary  American  Painting  at 
the  Virginia  Museum  of  Fine  Arts.  During  his  60 
years  as  a  painter,  he  exhibited  in  numerous  cities 
including  New  York,  Atlanta  and  San  Francisco, 
and  a  number  of  his  works  were  included  in  the 
Duncan  Phillips  collection  in  Washington.  D.C. 

John  Sutherland,  Ph.D.,  a  professor  of  information 
systems  who  taught  at  VCU  for  28  years,  died  Dec.  26, 
2008.  Sutherland  came  to  VCU  in  1980  and  served 
as  the  department's  lead  Ph.D.  adviser  for  several  years 
in  the  1980s  and  1990s. 


Abbreviation  key 


Alumni  are  identified  by  degree,  year  and 

college  or  school.  An  asterisk  (*)  identifies 
members  of  the  VCU  Alumni  Association. 

College  and  schools 

H&S  College  of  Humanities  and  Sciences 

A  School  of  the  Arts 

AHP  School  of  Allied  Health  Professions 

B  School  of  Business 

D  School  of  Dentistry 

E  School  of  Education 

En  School  of  Engineering 

GPA  L.  Douglas  Wilder  School 

of  Government  and  Public  Affairs 

GS  Graduate  School 

LS  VCU  Life  Sciences 

M  School  of  Medicine 

MC  School  of  Mass  Communications 

N  School  of  Nursing 

P  School  of  Pharmacy 

SW  School  of  Social  Work 

WS  School  of  World  Studies 

Degrees 

A.S.  Associate  Degree 

Cert.  Certificate 

B.F.A,  Bachelor  of  Fine  Arts 

B.G.S.  Bachelor  of  Genera!  Studies 

B.I.S.  Bachelor  of  Interdisciplinary  Studies 

B.M.  Bachelor  of  Music 

B.M,E.  Bachelor  of  Music  Education 

B.S.  Bachelor  of  Science 

B.S.W.  Bachelor  of  Social  Work 

D.D.S.  Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery 

D.N. A. P.  Doctor  of  Nurse  Anesthesia  Practice 

D.P.A.  Doctor  of  Public  Administration 

D.P.T.  Doctor  of  Physical  Therapy 

M.A.  Master  of  Arts 

M.Acc.  Master  of  Accountancy 

M.A.E.  Master  of  Art  Education 

M.B.A.  Master  of  Business  Administration 

M.Bin.  Master  of  Bioinformatics 

M.D.  Doctor  of  Medicine 

M.Ed.  Master  of  Education 

M.Env.  Master  of  Environmental  Studies 

M.F.A.  Master  of  Fine  Arts 

M.H.A.  Master  of  Health  Administration 

M.I.S.  Master  of  Interdisciplinary  Studies 

M.M,  Master  of  Music 

M,M.E.  Master  of  Music  Education 

M.P.A.  Master  of  Public  Administration 

M.RH.  Master  of  Public  Health 

M.P.S.  Master  of  Pharmaceutical  Sciences 

M.S.  Master  of  Science 

M.S.A.T.  Master  of  Science  in  Athletic  Training 

M.S.D.  Master  of  Science  in  Dentistry 

M.S.H.A,  Master  of  Science  in  Health 

Administration 

M,S.N.A.  Master  of  Science  in  Nurse  Anesthesia 

M.S.O.T.  Master  of  Science  in  Occupational  Therapy 

M.S.W.  Master  of  Social  Work 

M.T.  Master  of  Teaching 

M.Tax.  Master  of  Taxation 

M.U.R.P.  Master  of  Urban  and  Regional  Planning 

O.T.D.  Post-professional  Occupational 

Therapy  Doctorate 

Pharm.D.  Doctor  of  Pharmacy 

Ph.D.  Doctor  of  Philosophy 


36  I  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


bookstore 


Campus 

redefines  the  college  shopping  experience 

By  Kelli  Anderson 

Large,  gold-and-black  banners  line  West  Broad  Street  drawing  the  attention  of 
passers-by  to  Virginia  Commonwealth  University's  newly  renovated  Monroe  Park  Campus 
bookstore.  Opened  in  spring  2008.  Barnes  &.  Noble  @  VCU  serves  students  as  well  as 
community  members  living  and  working  near  campus  with  textbooks  and  an  array  of 
traditional  Barnes  &  Noble  products.  In  addition,  the  store  carries  an  expanded  selection 
of  Rams  apparel  —  another  eye-catching  draw. 

"One  of  the  first  things  we  wanted  to  do  was  bring  all  our 
general  and  VCU  merchandise  to  the  windows  so  students 
and  Richmonders  could  see  it  from  the  street  front, "  says 
Amy  Randolph,  Barnes  &  Noble  @  VCU  general  manager. 

Once  inside  the  30.000-square-foot  store,  customers 
can  browse  the  best-sellers,  pick  up  school  and  art  supplies 
or  settle  into  one  of  several  seating  areas  to  chat  with  friends 
or  to  study. 

In  the  mid-1980s,  space  was  much  more  limited  in  the 
6,000-square-foot  Hibbs  Hall  bookstore,  then  operated  by 
the  university,  as  stacks  of  books  lined  the  interior. 

The  bookstore  gained  more  breathing  room  10  years  later, 
in  1998,  when  VCU  opened  e"  Bookstore  on  the  ground  floor 
of  the  West  Broad  Street  Parking  Deck.  The  store's  technol- 
ogy- and  energy-oriented  design  reflected  the  e-commerce 
trend  popular  at  the  time. 

"The  store  had  a  harder  and  edgier  feel,"  says  Dan 
McDonald,  VCU  Business  Services  assistant  director. 

In  contrast,  Barnes  &  Noble  @  VCU  offers  a  more  com- 
fortable atmosphere,  with  a  mix  of  dark  hardwood  floors 
and  carpeting,  warmer  colors,  and  comfy  seating.  Students 
now  visit  the  store  to  hang  out  with  friends,  grab  lunch  at 
Quiznos  or  attend  one  of  the  many  book  signings,  with 
appearances  by  alumni  authors  such  as  David  Baldacci  (B.  A. 
'83/HS:S)  and  Doug  Burford  (B.S.    65/MC). 

'"My  favorite  thing  about  the  store  is  seeing  students  sitting  at  the  study  tables  reading 
or  talking  with  friends,  "  Randolph  says.   "1  think  it  s  a  place  where  students  feel  very  welcome. 

Campus  and  student  snapshots  appear  throughout  the  store  on  posters  and  murals,  promot- 
ing VCU  pride  in  the  community.  Alongside  VCU  gear,  customers  can  easily  find  all  the  things 
they've  come  to  expect  from  Barnes  &  Noble. 

"They  made  a  real  commitment  to  sell  books  you  would  find  in  a  regular  Barnes  &  Noble.' 
McDonald  says.  "They've  been  more  aggressive  in  reaching  out  as  a  neighborhood  resource, 
adding  community  activities  on  the  weekends  to  encourage  people  to  coiue  in  and  shop.  " 

The  bookseller  worked  closely  with  the  university  to  marry  VCU's  unique  character  with 
the  larger  brand,  creating  an  opportunity  to  cater  to  students  as  well  as  to  the  community. 

"We  had  a  vision  of  this  bookstore  being  part  of  the  downtown  Richmond  community 
as  well  as  serving  as  the  VCU  bookstore,  "  Randolph  says. 

Kelli  Anderson  is  a  contributing  writer  for  Shafer  Court  Connections. 


[then    and    now] 


The  VCU  bookstore  evolves  in  sync 
v/ith  the  growing  student  population  and 
societal  trends,  while  integrating  the  down- 
town Richmond  community. 

[then]  In  the  1960s  through  the  mid- 
1980s,  the  VCU  bookstore  -  located  in 
Hibbs  Hall  —  supplied  students  with  uni- 
versity materials,  such  as  used  textbooks 
and  art  supplies. 

[now]  Barnes  &  Noble  @  VCU  on  the 
Monroe  Park  Campus  welcomes  students 
and  shoppers  into  a  comfortable  environ- 
ment to  read  a  best-selling  novel,  study 
for  a  test,  or  meet  friends  over  coffee. 


Spring  2009  I ; 


Datebook 


Mark  your  calendars  for  these  Virginia  Commonwealth  University 
and  VCU  Alumni  Association  events.  For  more  alumni  activities, 
go  to  www.vcu-mcvalumni.org,  www.vcu-aaac.org  or  visit 
http://events.vcu.edu  for  campus  happenings. 


APRIL 

April  9-2l 

Theatre  VCU  -  "Chicago" 

W.E.  Singleton  Center  for  the  Performing  Arts 
(804,)  828-6026 

Ap 

Juried  Student  Fine  Art  Exhibition 

Anderson  Gallery 
{804)828-1522 


Outdoor  Adventure  Program:  Canoeing 
Under  the  Stars 

(804)828-6004 


Reunion  Weekend* 

Various  events/locations 


(804)828-2586 


Outdoor  Adventure  Program 

Af 

Outdoor  Adventure  Program:  New  River 
Rafting  Trip 

(804)828-6004 


M.F.A.  Thesis  Exhibition,  Round  I 

Anderson  Gallery 

(804)828-1522 


Opera  Theatre  VCU  —  "Suor  Angelica" 
and  "Gianni  Schicchi" 

W.E.  Singleton  Center  for  the  Performing  Arts 
(804)828-1169 


MAY 

May  8-17 

M.F.A.  Thesis  Exhibition,  Round  2 

Anderson  Gallery 
(804)  828-1522 


Spring  Commencement 

May  13 

Graduates  Reception  Gala* 

"Your  Passport  to  the  World!" 

Science  Museum  of  Virginia 
(804)828-2586 

May  IJ 

Graduating  Student  Scholars  Reception* 

VCU  Scott  House 
(804)828-2586 

May  16 

Spring  Commencement 

Richmond  Coliseum 
(804)828-1917 

May  17-26 

Outdoor  Adventure  Program:  Costa  Rica 

Adventure 

(804)828-6004 

May  21 

VCUAA  Board  of  Directors  Meeting* 

University  Student  Commons 
(804)828-2586 


JULY 

JulylC' 

Maggie  Sansone's  Celtic  Trio 

W.E.  Singleton  Center  for  the  Performing  Arts 
(804)828-1166 


^cpiiun  Bennett 


Stephen  Bennett 

W.E.  Singleton  Center  for  the  Performing  Arts 
(804)828-1166 

July  24 

Quatro  na  Bossa 

W.E.  Singleton  Center  for  the  Performing  Arts 
(804)  828-1166 

July  26 

VCU  Community  Guitar  Ensemble 

W.E.  Singleton  Center  for  the  Performing  Arts 
(804)828-1166 

OCTOBER 

O't.io 

Chestnut  Brass  Company 

W.E.  Singleton  Center  for  the  Performing  Arts 
(804)828-1166 

Oct.  19-23 

Friends  of  the  Library  Annual  Book  Sale 

James  Branch  Cabell  Library 
(804)828-1105 

*  VCUAA  event 


38  I  VCU  Shafer  Court  Connections 


(m 


fTJU^ 


CIRCA 


University  Student  Commons:  1984 


Catering  to  a  student  population  nearing  17.OOO 
in  1977,  the  Virginia  Commonwealth  University 
Office  of  Student  Activities,  desperately  needs  more  room.  A  proposal  for  a 
new  student  commons  building  gains  approval,  and  after  years  of  planning 
and  lobbying  by  students,  faculty  and  administrators,  the  University  Student 
Commons  opens  its  doors  Jan.  17,  1984.  Offering  indoor  and  outdoor 
spaces  where  students  congregate  and  relax,  the  69,135-square-foot  facility 
features  a  large  staircase,  glass  atrium  and  35'-'-seat  theater. 


vcu 


Virginia  Commonwealtin  University 

Office  of  Alumni  Relations 

924  West  Franklin  Street 

PO,  Box  843044 

Richmond,  Virginia  23284-3044 


Non-profit  Organization 

U.S.  Postage  Paid 

Permit  No.  869 

RICHMOND,  VA 


y 


Connect  online 

www.vcu-mcvalumni.org 

The  updated  VCU  Alumni  Association  Web  site 
offers  new  features  to  keep  you  plugged  in. 


NEW  Personal  Web  pages  and  social  networking 

NEW  Searchable  alumni  directory 

NCW  Career  center 

NEW  Calendar  of  events  and  online  event  and  membership  registration       ' 

NEW  Easy  access  to  association  partners 

Easy  access  to  VCU  links 

Alumni  magazines  —  current  and  previous  issues 

University  and  alumni  association  news  and  information 

Visit  the  site  today  for  a  test  drive! 

For  more  information  and  to  join  your  VCU  Alumni  Association,  please  visit  the  Web  site  and  select  "Become  a  Member." 


IT'S    A    GREAT    TIME    TO    BE    A    MEMBER!