News Briefs

New diversity center invites participation
A new diversity center is scheduled to open in Newcomb Hall in February. The center is intended to be a place where the University community can learn about, examine and come to appreciate diversity in all its forms. To build community spirit around the center, the planning committee invites faculty, staff and students to submit ideas for a name for the new center as well as share their paintings or drawings, sculpture, photography, poetry, prose, drama and short films. Both performance and visual art will be featured in the new space. To learn more and to submit ideas, see www.virginia.edu/newcombhall or e-mail powerinplace@virginia.edu.

Legislative forum will be Jan. 9
The University’s Office of State Governmental Relations will host its annual community forum Jan. 9 at noon in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom. Local legislators Sen. Creigh Deeds, Del. Mitch Van Yahres, Del. Rob B. Bell III and Del. R. Steven Landes, plus University President John T. Casteen III, will share viewpoints about the issues facing the 2004 General Assembly, including those that impact the future of higher education, the Health System and other state and local community matters. Time will be reserved for questions from the audience. Contact Brian Prescott at 924-3349 if you have questions.

End-of-semester dates
• Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov. 27 and 28

• Classes end
Dec. 5

• Final exams
Dec. 8-15

• Christmas Holiday
Dec. 24-26

• New Year’s Holiday
Dec. 31-Jan. 1

The last edition of Inside UVA this semester will be delivered Dec. 5. The deadline for that issue is Nov. 25. The newsletter will resume its regular schedule with the Jan. 16 issue.

U.Va. doctors and cardiac care make the list
The U.Va. Health System’s cardiology and heart surgery program has been selected as one of the nation’s 100 best, according to “100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success Study for 2003” by Solucient.

In addition, 46 U.Va. doctors are listed in the 2003 edition of “America’s Top Doctors.” More than 250,000 physicians were surveyed and asked to nominate the top people in their specialties and in related fields. Extensive research of the nominees resulted in a highly selective list of the nation’s top specialists.

Laws to head surgeons’ group
Dr. Edward R. Laws, professor of neurosurgery, internal medicine and pediatrics at the Health System, has been elected by the American College of Surgeons to be president-elect of the association, founded in 1913 to improve the care of surgical patients. He takes office as president in October 2004. Laws will be the third U.Va. physician to head the ACS, following in the footsteps of Dr. R. Scott Jones and Dr. William H. Muller Jr.

Darden appoints head of NoVa initiative
John May, founder of New Vantage Group, has been appointed director of Darden’s Northern Virginia Initiative, effective Jan. 1. The part-time faculty appointment broadens his existing association with the Darden School. An Arlington native, May currently serves as a Batten Fellow, lecturing, conducting research and consulting on angel investing at Darden and the Law School. His new role encompasses responsibility for Northern Virginia activities throughout the school.

“John’s background and experience in Northern Virginia over the last two decades will be a great advantage as we pursue educational programs … and other ways to help broaden Darden’s reach and influence in the area,” said Robert Harris, dean of the Darden School.

Police awarded for safety
The University Police Department was recognized for its traffic safety activities with a third-place award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and a second-place award from the Virginia chapter. The Chief’s Challenge awards, as they are called, are given to departments for their work in traffic enforcement, specifically occupant protection, impaired driving and speed enforcement.
The U.Va. police provide education about safe seat-belt usage, including instruction on how to buckle children in their safety seats properly, as well as about accident reduction and the dangers of alcohol.

Nursing faculty recognized
The School of Nursing’s Alumni Association presented several awards during the Family Weekend celebration Nov. 1. Richard Steeves, an associate professor who has been at U.Va. since 1992, received the Distinguished Professor Award for his teaching and research on
bereavement. Associate Professor Shelley Huffstutler, director of the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program, received the Excellence in Teaching Award. The first Faculty Leadership Award went to associate professor Suzanne Burns, who is described as the cornerstone of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program.

Employee assistance on the Web
The Faculty and Employee Assistance Program has updated its Web site to provide more information about its comprehensive services. Among the features are self-assessment tools for conditions such as anxiety and depression, eldercare services available to employees taking care of a parent, guidelines for supervisors in managing their employees and FEAP newsletters. There are also links to online resources. See http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/.

Medical books needed in Baghdad
A medical unit in Baghdad is in need of emergency training manuals and medical books. The unit needs these books to train new medics and to use for reference. The following list has been requested, but any book on emergency care with photographic illustration would be welcome. Contact MaryEllen Wooten at Mew7@rlc.net or call (434) 295-7944.

• “Taber’s Cyclopedia Medical Dictionary,” by Donald Venes 

•“The American Red Cross First Aid and Safety Handbook,” by K. Handal

•“Merck Manual Diagnosis and Therapy,” by Mark H. Beers

•“Atlas of Human Anatomy,” 3rd edition, by Frank H. Netter, John T. Hansen 

•“Tactical Emergency Care: Military and Operational Out of Hospital Medicine” 

•“Davis Drug Guide,” 8th edition 

•“EMT-Basic Transparencies,” 1st edition

•“Army Special Forces Medical Handbook” 

•“Physicians Desk Reference,” 2004 or any edition

• Gray’s “Anatomy”

Need a teaching refresher?
Mark your calendars, teaching faculty: As you think ahead to the spring semester, don’t forget about the Teaching Resource Center’s annual Teaching Workshop, to be held Jan. 12 in Ruffner Hall. See the program and pre-register online at trc.virginia.edu/Workshops/JTW04.htm. Questions? E-mail trc-uva@virginia.edu.

Student housing expands option
For students who want to live on Grounds next year, the process includes one major change over previous years. First-year students will now be able to apply for on-Grounds housing earlier than in the past. Previously, the later deadline often caused first-years to feel pressured to secure off-Grounds housing. Complete details about the options and upcoming deadlines are on the Housing Division’s Web site at www.virginia.edu /housing/.

Blandy expands education programs
Blandy Experimental Farm, a research station for environmental sciences located near Winchester, will enhance its educational programs thanks to a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
In the first part of the two-year project, Curry faculty and students will evaluate Blandy’s current programs and identify needed changes.
A team of K-12 teachers will participate in the evaluation process to help ensure that school programs fit seamlessly with classroom teaching. The grant will enable Blandy to provide new programs and materials to schools. A new online registration form will be developed to make scheduling more efficient.

Blandy, home of the State Arboretum of Virginia, serves approximately 5,000 students in grades K-12. Its programs focus on the natural world and are designed to meet Virginia’s Standards of Learning.

No ads allowed
The University Policy Committee recently approved a new advertising policy for Web sites within the virginia.edu domain. It disallows advertising at any level but allows some recognition of corporate sponsorships. The state’s Secretary of Technology office is working on a similar policy to comply with IRS regulations concerning tax-exempt status. The policy is posted at www.virginia.edu/uva
policies/web_adv_110403.html.

More kudos for CardioVillage
CardioVillage, a cardiovascular medical education Web site launched and sponsored by the U.Va. School of Medicine, has won its fourth national award. CardioVillage received the 2003 eHealthcare Award from eHealthcare Strategy and Trends in the category of Best Healthcare Content for Physicians and Clinicians. An independent panel of experts selected the site, found online at www.cardiovillage.com, from1,200 entries.

Students surveyed on violence
The Sexual Assault Education Office is conducting a survey of students regarding sexual assault and domestic violence. The survey, sent to a randomly selected group of U.Va. students over 18, including female and male undergraduate and graduate students, questions recipients about their attitudes, understanding and experiences of the topics. To be completed by mid-December, the survey’s findings will be released next semester.

“We hope it will help improve the University’s responses and target
education more effectively,” said Claire Kaplan, director of the Sexual
Assault Education Office in the U.Va. Women’s Center. Several groups on Grounds are supporting the project, including the U.Va. police department, the Vice President for Student Affairs office and Student Council.

McCurdy awarded for book
Charles W. McCurdy’s book, “The Anti-Rent Era in New York Law and Politics, 1839-1865,” has been selected to receive the Order of the Coif Triennial Book Award from the Association of American Law Schools. McCurdy has a joint appointment in the history department, where he serves as chairman, and in the School of Law. The award, which McCurdy shares with Edward Purcell of New York University, recognizes works published during the designated three-year period that show creative talent of the highest order. McCurdy’s book was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2001.

Registrar has new Web site
The Registrar’s office is not just for students. Faculty and staff will find quick access on its new Web site, at www.virginia.edu/
registrar, to resources on course catalogs, grading, advising students, classroom reservation, transcripts and other academic records.

Have that exhibit to go
An innovative new educational outreach program at the University Art Museum will help area youngsters gain insight into the culture and life of 17th-century Japan. The “Museum to Go” program makes available for loan boxes of artifacts relating to Japanese culture depicted in the museum’s exhibition, “The Moon Has No Home: Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Collection,” which opens Nov. 22 and runs through March 7.

The artifact boxes, which are replicas of steamer trunks, will include items depicted in the prints, such as puppets, eating and tea ceremony utensils, clothing and instruments.

Terry Kita, a Washington-based elementary school teacher and wife of the exhibition’s co-curator, Sandy Kita, created three artifact boxes and accompanying educational materials for the project.
For details, call Jane Anne Young, director of education, at 924-7142.

In Memoriam
• Leroy Martin, 61, died Nov. 10. He was a retired U.Va. housekeeping supervisor.

• Dana Ross Clyman, 51, died Nov. 11. He was an associate professor at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.

• U.Va. alumnus Charles L. Brown died Nov. 12 at 82. He was campaign vice chairman and chairman of the National Leadership Gifts Council in the University’s most recent fund-raising campaign. Brown also served on the Board of Visitors in the 1980s. He graduated in 1943 with a bachelor’s of science in electrical engineering and went on to become chairman and CEO of AT&T.

• Dr. James Walter Stone, 79, of Charlottesville, died Nov. 15. A 1953 U.Va. Medical School graduate, Stone had a private pediatrics practice in Lynchburg until 1975 when he returned to Charlottesville. Stone worked in the Department of Student Health and the McCue Center until his retirement in 1993.

Lights of Love ceremony set for Dec. 14
The annual “Lights of Love” tree lighting ceremony will be held Dec. 14 at 2:30 p.m. in the University Hospital’s main lobby. A light can be dedicated in memory of a loved one or to recognize doctors, nurses or anyone who has offered help and made someone’s life a little better. Individuals can dedicate a light for the holiday tree by donating as little as $10.

U.Va. athletic director Craig Littlepage will be the master of ceremonies, the Brownsville Elementary School Chorus will perform seasonal music and Santa will be on hand.

Each year the U.Va. Hospital Auxiliary, which sponsors the Lights of Love program, selects a beneficiary within the Medical Center. This year’s recipient will be the Children’s Medical Center’s otolaryngology department. The funds will provide loaner hearing aids and assistive listening devices to young patients.

For information, call the Volunteer Services and Auxiliary Office at
924-5251.

Don’t forget Health Plan changes
The open enrollment period for employees to make changes to their health plans ends Dec. 12. Employees must choose one of the new programs, Direct Access or Point of Service, or they will be switched automatically to the Direct Access program.

More information is available online at: www.hrs.virginia.edu/
openenroll.html. The benefits office has a few more scheduled
information sessions to explain details and answer questions:

Nov. 24, 9 a.m.
Newcomb Hall Commonwealth Room

Nov. 25, 3 p.m.
Facilities Management, Lunch/Break Room

Dec. 2, 4 p.m.
Medical Center Camp Heart Auditorium

Dec. 11, 10 a.m.
Newcomb Hall Commonwealth Room