Headlines @ U.Va.

Jones names arena for ‘great’ father Ground broken for new arena May 30

John Paul Jones, middle left, and his son Paul Tudor Jones II show off their new jerseys, presented at the May 30 groundbreaking ceremony. Applauding are athletics director Craig Littlepage, left, and U.Va. President John T. Casteen III, far right.

Staff Report

For Paul Tudor Jones II, the decision to name the University of Virginia’s arena in honor of his father, John Paul Jones, was a simple act of love.

“It’s payback time for his being a great father,” said Jones, 48, a 1976 graduate of the University who has committed $35 million to the building project. He also believes that the naming is a fitting tribute for a man whose life has been dedicated primarily to four things: his faith, his family, the University of Virginia and basketball.

Jones senior, who goes by Jack, is a 1948 graduate of the University’s School of Law and a devoted student of Thomas Jefferson who refers to Jefferson as “one of the most interesting icons who ever lived.” When young Paul was considering colleges, his father told him he could “go anywhere as long as it was in Albemarle County, Virginia.”

While his son predicted his father would be “on the moon” when he heard news of the naming, John Paul Jones, 83, likened it more to “walking on air.” On May 30, at a meeting of the University’s Board of Visitors, it became official. The 15,000-seat special-events center now under construction will be called the John Paul Jones Arena. Full story.

Board funds raises, seeks more for faculty

The University’s budget for the coming fiscal year contains some good news for state employees, and members of the Board of Visitors are looking for ways to provide even better news for teaching faculty.

On May 31, the board approved a spending plan of $1.58 billion for 2003-04 that includes pay increases of 2.25 percent for state employees. The raises go into effect Nov. 25.

The increases became a political tetherball in the last session of the General Assembly. Legislators initially floated the raises but made them subject to meeting state targets. Gov. Mark Warner criticized the contingency as election-year politicking and guaranteed the increases regardless of revenues. Full story.

Child prodigy now U.Va. grad student

By Lee Graves

Gregory R. Smith completed one goal May 31 when he received his bachelor’s degree from Randolph-Macon College at the age of 13. Now the child prodigy is aiming at another by jumping into the University’s graduate studies program.

Smith started the first of two summer classes Tuesday, the day after his 14th birthday. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics, the first of several doctoral degrees he plans to obtain. Full story.