Colonnade Club returns to newly restored pavilion

By Jane Ford

The Colonnade Club, U.Va.’s faculty club, celebrates its return to Pavilion VII with a host of new programs and activities for its members, making a special effort to reach out to the University community with initiatives that support the academic mission.

“We are very happy to be returning in Pavilion VII, the Colonnade Club’s home for more than 90 years,” said Ida Lee Wootten, interim community relations director, who is club president. “With the club’s new commitment to supporting the University’s academic mission, we are excited about opening Pavilion VII to more diverse groups in the University community this year. For example, the club will host weekly ‘Coffees and Conversations’ in which Arts & Sciences faculty will hold discussions with students. The club is also inviting departments to hold graduate student thesis presentations in Pavilion VII.”

To recognize new and newly tenured faculty and provide an opportunity for senior faculty to meet younger faculty, the club will host a reception Sept. 20. New faculty members will also receive a complimentary club membership during their first year at U.Va.

A new initiative, the Faculty Author Series, will give members and their guests an opportunity to interact with some of the University’s foremost scholars. At the series’ inaugural event Oct. 9, Peter Onuf, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History, will discuss his recent book, Jefferson’s Empire: The Language of American Nationhood.

Another new program for members is a series of day trips to numerous Virginia cultural attractions. The first will be the “Virginia Heritage Tour” to Jamestown, where head archeologist William Kelso, internationally recognized for his discovery of the original fort, will lead a tour of the dig.

In response to a faculty-wide survey, the club will hold “happy hours” during the fall semester. The gatherings, to be held on the third Thursday of most months, are open to all University faculty. The first happy hour will take place Sept. 27.

Other scheduled events for members include family picnics, tailgate parties prior to U.Va. athletic events, a banquet, a holiday formal and a children’s holiday party.

For more information visit the Colonnade Club Web site, http://www.virginia.edu/~colonnad, or call 243-9710 or send e-mail to info@colonnade club.org.