NEWS BRIEFS

‘Genius grant’ winner to speak at convocation
Janine Jagger, who recently received one of the so-called MacArthur Foundation “genius grants,” will be the keynote speaker Oct. 25 at Fall Convocation, which kicks off Family Weekend. The event will be held at University Hall at 2 p.m. Jagger, a U.Va. epidemiologist who directs the International Health Care Worker Safety Center, patented a safer design to prevent needle-stick injuries. Fall Convocation will also recognize students who receive intermediate honors. In addition, the Thomas Jefferson Award will be given to a distinguished member of the University community. Classes will remain in session.

Family Weekend packed with activities
Oct. 25-27 is Family Weekend at U.Va., a program coordinated by the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs. In addition to Fall Convocation, activities include library presentations, candlelit tours of the Lawn and the University forum, with remarks by President John T. Casteen III and a question-and-answer session. The forum will take place 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Oct. 26 in Old Cabell Hall. At 1 p.m., Edward Ayers, dean of Arts & Sciences, will discuss undergraduate education in the College, in Wilson Hall Auditorium, followed by a presentation by religious studies professor Benjamin C. Ray. A reception will follow in Garrett Hall Commons.

If you “cannot live without books”
Bag a deal at the University of Virginia Press’ annual warehouse book sale Oct. 25 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Oct. 26 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the press warehouse, 500 Edgemont Road (just off the intersection of Alderman and McCormick roads). Thousands of books on literature, history, the Civil War, African-American studies and Virginiana will be available for as little as $3 and $6.

U.Va. changes banks
The University has switched from Wachovia to the Bank of America. Employee pay continues to be deposited automatically in the bank of choice. Employees need take no action regarding automatic direct deposit. University checks will look the same except for the bank information.

Town-gown solutions forum
An upcoming forum will focus on Charlottesville’s downtown pedestrian mall as an example of how university research can help community projects. Co-sponsored by U.Va. and the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, the conference will be held at the Boar’s Head Inn Oct. 16-17. Roundtable discussions will focus on “Solutions for America,” a two-year initiative that paired researchers with nonprofit and government organizations to help them assess the results of their programs.
“Recent research … documents when town and gown work together, the whole community benefits,” said Suzanne Morse, executive director of the Pew Partnership.

Faculty invited to Minority Career Day talk
As part of Minority Career Day, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage will kick off the festivities at an opening reception 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 21, to which faculty are invited.

The University Career Services’ 19th annual minority career fair will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 22 at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville. U.Va. students, as well as students from more than 30 colleges in Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, will be able to talk with more than 100 employers from major companies, government agencies and non-profit organizations.

Board establishes professorships
At its Oct. 4 meeting, the Board of Visitors established three new professorships in the School of Medicine, bringing the number of endowed chairs to 412. The professorships are the Bayer Corp.-Gerald L. Mandell Professorship in Internal Medicine, the Cancer Center Distinguished Professorship and the Ruth E. Murdaugh Professorship in Family Practice. In addition, the board approved an endowed chair at U.Va.’s College at Wise, the Kenneth Asbury Professorship.

Board names buildings
In honor of its late director, the International Center will be renamed the Lorna Sundberg International Center, according to action taken by the Board of Visitors last week. The newest building at U.Va.’s Fontaine Research Park is being named for the late Gerald D. Aurbach, a U.Va. alumnus and internationally recognized endocrinologist. The Aurbach Medical Research Building will bring together the University’s various diabetes programs and other endocrinology research programs. The board also approved the naming of the Dr. Ralph and Marion Falk Medical Research Lab and the Food Lion Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

G’day, art lovers
Get a taste of Australia via New York City. U.Va.’s Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum is sponsoring a weekend bus trip with a down-under theme Nov. 8-10. See “The Native Born” exhibit, eat at Eight-Mile Creek restaurant and browse in the Australian Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery. Round trip is $450 and includes two nights’ stay at the Empire Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Call 244-0234.

Virginia gets ‘B’ in nat’l report
Virginia is doing well compared with other states in preparing students for college, according to “Measuring Up 2002,” the second in a series of biennial, state-by-state report cards for higher education produced by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The report grades states on their performance in five categories: preparation, participation, affordability, completion and benefits. David Breneman, dean of the Curry School of Education and an expert on higher education finance, chairs the center’s National Advisory Panel for the Report Card. Curry professor Margaret “Peg” Miller is the project director of the National Forum on College-Level Learning.

See with a writer’s eye
This year’s Writer’s Eye, organized by the U.Va. Art Museum docents, has opened. The 16th annual competition encourages writers to think about and to view the works of art in the museum’s collection in a fresh way. The museum invites area students from grades 3 to 12, as well as University students and adults, to write an original poem or short story in response to one of the pieces. This year’s art will be selected from two exhibitions – “The Orchid Pavilion Gathering” and “Imagination on Edge” – and from the permanent collection.
All entries must be received by Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. Community and university educators will serve as elementary and middle school judges. For details, call 924-7458.

For he’s a jolly good fellow
Who’s the most likely professor to be roasted by Virginia politicians on his 50th birthday? Larry J. Sabato, of course. The director of the Center for Politics turned the big 5-0 a few months ago. Gov. Mark R. Warner, Lt. Gov. Timothy Kaine, Attorney General Jerry Kilgore and U.S. senators John Warner and George Allen will help Sabato, one of the nation’s most quoted political analysts, celebrate in Richmond Oct. 21 at a benefit dinner for the center, which Sabato founded in 1998.

Enrollment open in benefit plan
Enrollment in the Virginia Sickness & Disability Program for full-time classified employees is open until Nov. 30 for workers in the previous plan who would like to join VSDP. Employees will be automatically switched to the VSDP unless they opt out.

Another bridge over technology divide
From rural outposts to poor inner-city streets, students who show great promise and fit the criteria for “gifted and talented” will get a boost from a new Curry School program that allows them to pursue higher academic levels via distance learning. Armed with a new $1 million federal grant, Education School graduate students and technology staffers, along with five faculty members, will train teachers for the project in Charlottesville. Dubbed “LOGgED On,” which stands for “Learning Opportunities for the Gifted Economically Disadvantaged Online,” the project will set up an interactive distance learning program that includes video, audio and online equipment, giving students access to teachers and resources from remote locations.

Back to his roots
As next year’s artist in residence at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, Chris Cornelius, a lecturer in the Architecture School, will use the fellowship to work on a cultural center for his tribe, the Oneida Indians of Wisconsin.

In his master’s thesis, Cornelius generated design ideas based on the Oneida creation myth. The native arts fellowship will enable him to continue visually translating these ideas — to make Oneida cosmology visible in the architecture of the building. The Architecture School hopes to exhibit his work in the fall of 2003.

‘Brain Food:’ Students serve up a most excellent lunch
If you want something substantial to munch on during Wednesday lunches, join a bunch of undergraduates who will share their research with classmates and the community in a new series of brown bag presentations tagged “Brain Food,” from noon to 2 p.m. in Jefferson Hall. The new program is sponsored by the Center of Undergraduate Excellence, which acts as a clearinghouse for information about undergraduate research, fellowships and interdisciplinary majors.
Fueled by private money, the center is an example of the University’s goal to protect academic services during the budget crisis, said Nicole Hurd, center director. Student response to the “Brain Food” series has been so strong that Wednesdays are almost booked for the year, Hurd added.

Who’s minding Grandma?
For middle-age employees who find themselves sandwiched between caring for their parents and their children, the Faculty and Employee Assistance Program can help plan and deal with current situations. FEAP’s free ElderCare services include assessing needs for physical care and providing information about financial and legal resources, as well as short-term counseling. For details, call 924-5483.

Your right to safety
With the safety and security of the University community in mind, the U.Va. Police Dept. publishes an annual report with statistics of reported crimes on Grounds and nearby locales. It also features policies concerning issues such as crime prevention and sexual assault, as well as instructions on how to report crimes. To get a copy, contact police@virginia.edu or call 924-7166.

Hot link: Faculty experts guide
A searchable database at http://uva.category4.com/uvaexperts/ features more than 500 University experts online. The resource is intended to help media and others identify experts in the humanities, arts, sciences, law, government, education and health, and covers more than 1,500 topics ranging from abortion to youth violence.

Exhibits highlight Chinese, European art
Two exhibits at the U.Va. Art Museum take viewers back in time and to distant parts of the world. “The Orchid Pavilion Gathering: Chinese Painting from the University of Michigan Museum of Art” and “The Imagination on Edge: European Prints from the Mid-18th to the Early 20th Century,” which come from the museum’s permanent collection, are on display through Dec. 22. Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

College goes to ‘Net for advising, registration processes
For years, we have been told how computers will make our lives easier and save paper and money. In some cases, this has actually proven true. Take, for instance, the College of Arts & Sciences’ recent decision to put its entire course registration and academic advising program online. The move is expected to save hundreds of person-hours and nearly $60,000 — particularly valuable in this time of budget cuts and hiring freezes.

New INS rules snare international students
New Immigration and Naturalization Service rules meant to better track foreign students studying in the U.S. — passed in the wake of last year’s 9-11 attacks — are delaying some students’ education, according to U.Va. officials. Several students have experienced delays and denials of their visa applications and will be allowed to begin their school years in the spring semester. Three students who arrived on tourist visas were sent home at their own expense until they secured a student visa.

‘The Secret Museum’ to explore pornography
John R. Clarke, a fine arts professor from the University of Texas Austin, will talk about pornography in ancient Roman art and how it relates to present perceptions of the obscene in a lecture Tuesday. Clarke will discuss "The 'Secret Museum' from Pompeii to Brooklyn: Pornography, Patriarchy and the Obscene" at 6 p.m. in Campbell Hall, Room 160. By examining obscene objects from ancient Herculaneum and Pompeii, Clarke will explore the way the ancient people viewed the art, the role these objects played in the creation of the word “pornography” and controversies over recent censorship attempts. Clarke, a specialist in ancient Roman art and architecture, is the author of two books, “The Houses of Roman Italy, 100 B.C. -A.D. 250: Ritual Space and Decoration,” and “Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art, 100 B.C.- A.D. 250.” His third book, “Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans,” is forthcoming. For details, contact Maurie D. McInnis at (434) 243-8651 or McInnis@virginia.edu.

Non-profit fair set for Nov. 13
The Community Relations Office will hold a fair on Nov. 13 for non-profit organizations from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Newcomb Hall ballroom. The fair is a way for non-profits to display their services and programs during the Commonwealth of Virginia campaign, and it will provide an opportunity for U.Va. employees to gain information that might be helpful in caring for their families. The event is free to U.Va. employees.

Student-faculty dinners begin Oct. 17
The first in the Student Faculty Dinner Series will be held Oct. 17 with professors Brian Balogh, Brad Brown, Breyette Lorntz and Daphne Spain. The professors represent disciplines including history, commerce, international health and architecture. The dinners are open to first- and second-year students, who can e-mail alederer@
virginia.edu for a full invitation or for additional details.

Michelango’s art explored on Oct. 24
Paul Barolsky, U.Va. professor of art history, will explore the close relationship between Michelangelo's art and his poetry, theology, biography and aesthetics in a lecture on Oct. 24. The lecture, “Michelangelo and the Creation of Adam," is based on Barolsky’s latest book, “Michelangelo and the Finger of God,” due out in 2003. He has written two other books on Michelangelo, “Michelangelo's Nose” and “The Faun in the Garden.” The lecture will be held at 6 p.m. in Room 160 of Campbell Hall. For details, contact Maurie D. McInnis at (434) 243-8651 or McInnis@virginia.edu.

In memoriam
• Marvin Lang Power, 71, of Charlottesville, died Sept. 11. He retired as an electrician with the department of Facilities Management.

• Gerald L. Trett, 71, of Charlottesville, died, Sept. 17. A U.Va. alumnus, he was an editor of the University Press of Virginia.

• Theodore Roy “Ted” Turner, 80, of Charlottesville, died Sept. 26. He was an artist and retired professor. After teaching medieval architecture at Dartmouth for several years, he moved to Charlottesville in 1952. At U.Va., he taught printmaking, watercolors, sculpture, art history and photography for 33 years until he retired in 1985.