Jobs, spending help power regional
economy
U.Va. ‘exerts stabilizing effect’ |
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Photos
by Andrew Shurtleff
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| These
four know firsthand how vital the University is to Central Virginia’s
economy. They are (l-r): George Kasidiaris of the White Spot,
a Corner area restaurant; Robert De Mauri, executive director
of the Thomas Jefferson Regional Economic Development Partnership;
John Knapp, director of business and economic research for U.Va.’s
Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service; and Klara Ferro, manager
of Café Europa, also on the Corner. |
By Charlotte Crystal
“Without
U.Va., we don’t have a business,” says Klara Ferro, manager
of Café Europa.
The
cash register at the popular Greek restaurant on University Avenue
may be more tuned to the rhythms of the University than those of
other businesses in Central Virginia, yet it is not alone in benefiting
from the presence of the University.
U.Va.
is an engine that helps power the economy of Central Virginia.
Traditionally
a Southern school that featured Thomas Jefferson’s historical
architecture, U.Va. more recently has gained a national reputation
as a mid-Atlantic powerhouse generating research to reckon with
as much in the sciences as in the humanities. Full
story.
U.S. News ranks U.Va. No. 1 public
By Carol Wood
The
University has regained its No. 1 ranking among public universities,
U.S. News & World Report announced last week.
Since
U.S. News began ranking public schools in 1998, U.Va. has never
been lower than No. 2, and this is the fourth time in seven years
it has claimed the No. 1 spot.
In
its 2004 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” U.S.
News also ranked U.Va. as No. 21 in its Top National Universities
category, which includes public and private institutions. In both
rankings, U.Va. tied with the University of California-Berkeley.
In the 17-year history of the rankings, U.Va. has never dropped
out of the top 25 listing. Full story.
William Pease to lead U.Va.’s
marching band
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| New
band director William Pease will begin his duties later this
semester. |
By Jane Ford
William
Pease gets a lot of ribbing from his Michigan friends. He still
sports Virginia plates on his car even though he has been associate
director of bands at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo since
1998.
For
Pease, the drive from Michigan to Charlottesville, where he has
just been named U.Va.’s new band director, will be longer than
the mental trip. When talking about U.Va., he already uses the pronoun
“we.”
Pease,
a native of Virginia Beach, will begin his official duties at the
close of this year’s football season.
“This
is a great moment for music at the University of Virginia,”
said Craig Littlepage, director of athletics. “Bill Pease will
be a wonderful director of bands based on the work he has done at
Western Michigan.” Full story.
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