Rebecca Arrington

Rick Turner, with his wife, Tamyra

Turner wins Sullivan Award

Staff Report

"Integrity and commitment to others are words often used to describe Rick Turner,” said Nursing School professor Sharon Utz in presenting U.Va.’s Dean of African-American Affairs with this year’s Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award at Valediction Exercises May 19. “Students note that his unwavering belief in them is a source of never-ending strength,” Utz said. “A moral conscience for us all … he challenges the status quo and enriches the University community.

One of the longest-serving deans at U.Va., Turner heads the Office of African-American Affairs, charged with “the creation of a community supportive of African-American students’ full participation in University life,” according to its mission statement. Its services include personal counseling and peer advising, collaboration with black student organizations, encouragement of communication among students, faculty and administration and programming that involves African-American alumni and parents.

Turner also serves as special adviser on minority affairs to U.Va. President John T. Casteen III. Full story.

Students look back before moving on

By Rebecca Arrington

Fourth-year Class President M. Andrew Davis stepped up to the lecturn at Valediction May 19 in the light blue parking & transportation shirt he wore as a U.Va. bus driver during his time here and welcomed the crowd of some 4,000. But by the end of the ceremony, he had fulfilled a promise to his parents by trading his uniform in for a suit jacket when he graduated.

“In the words of Bon Jovi, ‘You’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got,’” Davis told his classmates, gathered with family and others in University Hall instead of on the Lawn due to heavy rain. “The lyrics probably aren’t the best choice,” he said, “but we do need to hold onto the memories we’ve shared here.”

Reeling off a number of historic events that occurred during their time on Grounds — the deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana, beating Duke in a home basketball game, witnessing the most controversial presidential election in history, the Dave Matthews Band concert — Davis threw several questions to his fellow students, including: “Has U.Va. challenged us to take on the real world? Will Bodos Bagels ever open?

“The answer to all of these questions is ‘yes,’” he said. “Life beyond the Grounds does exist, but it starts on Monday,” he said, congratulating his fellow graduates.

Along with the presentation of student awards and the class gift, Timothy A. Koogle, vice chair of Yahoo! Inc. gave the keynote address.

“Don’t compromise your values. Be passionate. And do things to make the world a better place,” he said. Before leaving home for college, Koogle said his father, a machinist and mechanic, told him to figure out what he felt passionate about, because “if you’re passionate you’ll be successful. And don’t let money guide your decision.

“I’ve lived and done business according to this advice,” said Koogle, who was born and raised in Virginia and earned his engineering degree from U.Va. in 1973.

Fourth-year student Kevin Neher presented U.Va. President John T. Casteen III with the class gift of nearly $54,000, the largest amount ever raised by a graduating class and with the highest rate of participation, 36 percent. The gift, earmarked for dozens of purposes, honors four female members of the class who died of cancer.

Casteen thanked the class for its generosity and then invited the students and their guests to his home at Carr’s Hill to “celebrate what you’ve been at U.Va. and what you will become.”