NEWS BRIEFS

Legislative forum to be held Jan. 3

A panel of local legislators will speak at U.Va. on Jan. 3 in a forum that will include U.Va. President John T. Casteen III. Sen. Creigh Deeds, Del. Mitch Van Yahres, Del. Rob B. Bell III and Del. R. Steven Landes will share viewpoints on issues facing the 2003 General Assembly, including those that affect the future of higher education and the Health System. The forum, sponsored by U.Va.’s Office of State Governmental Relations, will begin at noon in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom.

Al Groh voted ACC coach of the year

U.Va. football coach Al Groh was voted Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the year Nov. 26 by a panel of media representatives. Groh, in his second year, was named on 49 ballots, easily outdistancing Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen, second among the five coaches who received votes. Predicted to finish eighth in the ACC in a preseason poll, Groh’s Cavaliers tied for second with a 6-2 conference record (8-5 overall). The Cavaliers’ post-season bowl plans were still undetermined as of midweek when Inside UVA went to press.

In case of snow

Call 924-SNOW or 243-SNOW for information on work schedules due to inclement weather.

Medical Center cuts 200 positions

A realignment plan to eliminate 200 positions at the Medical Center has been completed with no layoffs, hospital officials say. Although six employees resigned voluntarily and one retired, 61 found new jobs elsewhere within the Medical Center.

Another 132 vacant positions were left unfilled. Non-managerial employees who were reassigned were guaranteed at least their previous salary, and some got raises.

The Medical Center’s human resources department compared U.Va. staffing levels with benchmarks at other academic medical centers to formulate the plan.

Provost resumes searches for two posts

Gene Block, vice president and provost, has resumed searches for two of three vice provost jobs open to U.Va. faculty: vice provost for academic programs and vice provost for faculty advancement. The vice provost for academic programs serves as the provost’s representative in academic matters related to curriculum and the vitality of the academic units. The vice provost for faculty advancement oversees University-wide recruitment and retention strategies and practices and develops initiatives to promote diversity among faculty.

The positions have been two-thirds time to allow the faculty member to continue some teaching, but that aspect is negotiable. Application review will begin Dec. 20 and continue until the position is filled. Interested faculty should send a copy of their curriculum vitae and a letter of interest, detailing any special qualifications they have with regard to the position, to: Laura F. Hawthorne, Office of the Vice President and Provost, Madison Hall, P.O. Box 400226.

See http://www.virginia.edu/provost/viceprovosts.html for more information.

Honor Committee completes plagiarism trials

The Honor Committee on Nov. 23 completed the last of 158 trials on plagiarism cases initiated by physics professor Louis Bloomfield.

Bloomfield initiated the cases in 2001 after a computer program he used to review class papers identified strings of identical words. Of the cases, 59 students were formally accused of an honor offense. In total, 48 students left the University: 20 students who were found guilty at trial and 28 students who chose to leave U.Va. admitting guilt.

Two lawsuits filed in federal court challenged the jurisdiction of the Honor Committee, but both were dismissed on summary judgment. A federal court again affirmed Honor Committee procedures by stating, “the University provides in all Honor Committee cases an extensive procedural system designed to guarantee that no individual is wrongly punished.”

Equity policy amended

An addition has been made to the University’s nondiscrimination policy to include pregnancy. It reads as follows:

“Consistent with federal and state law, the University does not discriminate in any of its programs, procedures or practices on the basis of age, color, disability, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation or veteran status. The University operates equal opportunity and affirmative action programs for faculty, staff and students, including discriminatory harassment policies and procedures. The University of Virginia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.”

The Office of Equal Opportunity Programs enforces the University’s non-discrimination obligation. A faculty member, staff employee or student having a complaint of prohibited discrimination may file a discrimination complaint with the office subject to the appropriate standards and procedures.

Committee on the Arts to further 2020 goals

Vice President and Provost Gene Block recently appointed 20 members of the University community to the newly formed University Committee on the Arts. The group, chaired by Block, includes deans, chairs, administrators and student leaders in the arts who will advise the provost on implementing initiatives identified by the 2020 Commission on the Fine and Performing Arts. The committee will look at issues that will shape the future of the arts at U.Va. — funding, scholarships, programs, strategy and infrastructure — and set priorities for sustaining a thriving environment for the arts.

“In this time of tight money,” said Block, “I am committed to working with this committee to expand the cultural resources for the University and the community.”
What would you do with Morven Farm?

If you had a farm in Albemarle, what kinds of educational and other programs would you house there? Members of the University community can suggest how Morven Farm, the core property donated to U.Va. by longtime benefactor John W. Kluge, is used by the University.

Preliminary plans for Morven Farm have focused on — but are not limited to — four primary areas: environmental and landscape studies, performing and creative arts, international activities, and public service and outreach. Emphasis will be placed on activities related directly to priorities identified in the Virginia 2020 plans and on establishing centers of global pre-eminence.

Faculty and staff may submit suggestions by Jan. 3; students have until Jan. 15. For details, call the provost’s office at 924-3728, or visit http://www.virginia.edu/uvafoundation/morvenfarms/.

New borders about to open on Grounds

A new venture in intercultural experience, the Passport Program, aims to provide U.Va. students a fun and educational way to learn about “crossing borders” into new cultural experiences. Passports will be issued in January for the spring program. Participants are expected to attend at least five cultural, academic or social events that represent “crossing a border” for them (race, gender, ethnicity, religion, gender, ideology, etc.).

The Passport Program is a collaborative project of the offices of the Dean of Students, African American Affairs and International Studies and U.Va. student groups. For details, contact Amy Kang, amykang@virginia.edu, or Pablo Davis, pablo@virginia.edu, 924-7438, or visit www.virginia.edu/deanofstudents/passport.

Teaching+ Technology applications due Feb. 3

Faculty who have innovative ideas about integrating teaching and technology might consider applying for a Teaching+Technology Initiative Fellowship for 2003-04. The program promotes interdisciplinary discussions of effective teaching and developing methods for teaching with technology that can be adapted by other faculty. It is open to faculty members in any school at U.Va.

Application information is available from deans, chairs and the Teaching Resource Center. Also see http://tti.itc.virginia.edu/. Applicants are encouraged to consult with a TTI instructional technology adviser on their proposals.

Applications should be sent to the Provost’s Office, c/o TTI Fellowship Program, by Feb. 3. Fellows will be announced in late March.

Check out technology resources

A Technology Resource Open House for U.Va. faculty will be held Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Wilson Hall. Sponsored by ITC Training Services, the event will feature software demonstrations, faculty poster sessions, tours of the Research Computing Support Center and ITC Help Desk, and a presentation on the faculty toolkit. Participants can register to win a new Dell handheld computer.

For information, contact Nancy Rogers, ITC Training Services, nfr3f@virginia.edu or 982-2991.

CVC extends donation deadline

The Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, the annual charity drive of state employees, has extended the deadline for receipt of pledge donations to Dec. 13.
As of Nov. 20, U.Va. had collected $103,550 of its $400,000 goal, and the participation rate was 6.8 percent. Gifts are tax-deductible, and all of designated funds go to the charity or charities employees choose. For information, call 924-3165 or e-mail danarivera@virginia.edu, or check the Web site for updates at http://www.virginia.edu/cvc/.

Health System launches KnowledgeLink

There’s a new way to get answers to frequently asked questions on Health System topics, from where to park on game days to knowing who to call when locked out of the office. The Health System recently launched an Intranet Web site, Know-ledgeLink, to further communications and provide information to employees. The site includes information ranging from employee benefits to booking rooms for meetings. Log on to knowledgelink.healthsystem.virginia.edu. Employees will be asked to login using the same user identification as for their e-mail accounts.

Continuing studies

Almost 1,000 Charlottesville community members enrolled in more than 30 noncredit courses offered this fall by the University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, topping all previous enrollment numbers.

Registration for spring classes begins Jan. 2 and continues until a class begins or is filled. Class starting dates vary, beginning the last week in January. Call 982-5313 to get a catalog or visit http://www.uvacharlottesvillecenter.info for the full listing of courses.

Radiothon to benefit CMC

A two-day live program will be broadcast Dec. 6 and 7 from Fashion Square Mall to benefit the U.Va. Children’s Medical Center. The radio show will feature the center’s patients, families and doctors sharing their stories. Listeners can call in and make a pledge or stop by at the mall. Four stations will air the program: Country 99.7, Hot 101.9, Fox 102.3, and Mix 107.5

Go Scandinavian

The Lorna Sundberg International Center at U.Va. will feature a Nordic Lands Christmas Celebration on Dec. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the International Residential College. The festive celebration of Christmas traditions in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Demark and Finland will include caroling, creating ornaments and smorgasbord-style food tasting. The Charlottesville Scandinavian Group is co-sponsoring the Nordic celebration.

Each month of the academic year, a different country or region is featured during First Friday receptions. The events introduce students to various cultures through samples of foods, native dances and other cultural and educational activities. The next gathering is scheduled for Feb. 7.

Novel contest

A Great American Novel Competition will be held in the spring in conjunction with the Virginia Festival of the Book. Co-sponsors include the U.Va. Creative Writing Program journal, Meridian and Tupelo Press. Three winning entries will be chosen to receive a consultation with Tupelo Press editor-in-chief Jeffrey Levine and possible subsequent publication of their manuscript. Entrants should submit a one-page summary, sample chapter and entry form and fee by Jan. 31. Details about where to send submissions are on the Web site, www.vabook.org/contest. Any M.F.A. graduate student interested in serving as a reader can contact Jeb Livingood, jsl9z@virginia.edu. The reading period will be mid- to late February.

Notables

• U.Va. English professor Jerome McGann is one of five U.S. scholars to be honored with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s second annual Distinguished Achievement Award in the humanities. The award, for significant contributions to teaching and research, is for up to $1.5 million to strengthen the University’s humanities scholarship and teaching through programs with which McGann is affiliated. In addition, McGann has been awarded the Modern Language Association’s 33rd annual James Russell Lowell Prize for his book, “Radiant Textuality: Literature after the World Wide Web,” published by Palgrave Press. McGann will receive the MLA award Dec. 28 at the association’s annual convention in New York.

• Vice President for Finance Yoke San Reynolds was elected vice president of the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers at the annual meeting in October.

• Architecture professor Edward Ford and landscape architecture professor Warren Byrd received awards from the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects at the fourth annual Visions for Architecture ceremonies, held Nov. 8 in Richmond.

Ford won one of five Honor Awards for a house in Charlottesville he designed for his family. Byrd, along with Susan Nelson of Nelson-Byrd Landscape Architects, was cited for work that inspires and complements the work of the architectural profession. They received one of three Virginia Society Awards.

• Professors from several colleges and universities led a special seminar in honor of Nathan Scott, U.Va. Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies and English. The seminar was held at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association’s convention last month in Baltimore.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently presented the WasteWise Award to U.Va. for the Facilities Management recycling division’s innovative approaches to waste reduction. The University’s Division of Recoverable and Disposable Resources also won the Virginia Recycling Award for colleges and universities. The U.Va. recycling program was recognized for amounts of materials recycled and diverted from the landfill, income generated from the sale of recyclables, and overall organization and operation.

• Erik Elvgren, senior producer/director for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies educational technologies center, was listed as one of AV Video Multimedia Producer magazine’s top 100 producers in its November issue.

In Memoriam

• Lewis S. Feuer, who retired as professor emeritus of sociology and government in 1983, died Nov. 24 in Newton, Mass. His late wife, Kathryn Feuer, was a professor of Slavic languages and literatures at U.Va. and died in 1992.

• Wendell Melville Lewis, 79, of Suggets Point in Richmond County, died Nov.
20. An educator for most of his professional life, he was associate dean of continuing education at the University when he retired in 1985.

• Charles “Chick” Moran, former head of the University’s Printing Services, died Nov. 17 at 89.

• Dr. William Parson, a former professor and chairman of internal medicine at the School of Medicine, died Nov. 25 of a heart attack. He was 89. He worked at U.Va. from 1949 to 1966 and was living in Seattle when he died.