NORFOLK NEWSPAPER EDITOR WILLIAM WOOD
TO DIRECT NEW VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

     CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Aug. 25 -- William H. Wood, a longtime
and widely respected Virginia newspaper editor, has been chosen
to direct a new nonpartisan educational program for prospective
political candidates in the state, University of Virginia
President John T. Casteen III announced Tuesday. 
     Wood, editorial page editor of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
and Ledger-Star, will leave that post next month to become
executive director of the Virginia Institute of Political
Leadership, established earlier this year at U.Va.'s Center for
Public Service.  The aim of the privately funded institute is to
improve the overall quality of government at all levels in the
state by conducting educational programs for all citizens who
have the potential to become leaders of state and local
government.
     "Mr. Wood brings to this important new leadership institute
a keen understanding of Virginia state and local government,"
Casteen said.  "As the editor of the Norfolk newspapers he has
won the admiration and respect of Virginians at all levels of
public life.  He is the right person to build the institute into
a serious service for all Virginians interested in good
government." 
     Wood, 50, has been a member of the staff of the Norfolk
newspapers since 1970 and has served as chief political writer
and ombudsman, among other duties.  A graduate of Duke
University, he has been editor of the papers' editorial pages
since 1983. 
     Wood said the institute will begin offering its first
programs in January.  This fall the first 20 institute fellows
will be selected by the organization's bipartisan steering
committee through a competitive application process, he said.
     "The institute seeks talented, public-minded citizens known
for their personal integrity and who reflect Virginia's
political, cultural and demographic diversity," Wood said.   They
are expected to be involved in community activities that
demonstrate leadership potential and to be motivated to improve
the effectiveness of government and the political process, he
said.
     Modeled on a similar five-year-old program in North
Carolina, the institute will enroll two classes of fellows each
year in fall and spring sessions.   Each program will have nine
weekend sessions, typically beginning on Friday evening and
ending the next evening, every other week.  The locations will be
throughout the state.
     Courses will focus on substantive policy issues currently
before the public, nuts and bolts of campaigning, preparing for
practical aspects of governing while in office, and strengthening
personal skills.  The institute's program also will help
participants learn to communicate better, examine the ethical
dimensions of office-holding, and become better equipped to solve
problems through cooperation rather than confrontation, Wood
said.
     The institute's faculty and speakers will include experts
from the University and other Virginia colleges and universities
and outstanding public servants from throughout the Commonwealth. 
Fellows will also work firsthand with nationally recognized
campaign advisers, journalists, business leaders and other
experts.
     The institute will be guided by a board of civic and
business leaders from throughout the state, including
representatives of the executive and legislative branches of
state government.  A number of individuals and businesses have
already contributed funds to support the institute, said Carl W.
Stenberg, director of the Center for Public Service.
     Persons interested in the program should contact the
Virginia Institute of Political Leadership, c/o U.Va. Center for
Public Service, 918 Emmet St. North, Charlottesville 22903, (804)
982-5522.
                               ###
                                                  August 24, 1993
     EDITORS AND REPORTERS:  For additional information, William
Wood may be reached at (804) 446-2304 and Carl Stenberg at (804)
982-5541.

     Walter De Vries, executive director of the North Carolina
Institute of Political Leadership, can discuss the North Carolina
program on which Virginia institute is modeled.  He may be
reached at (919) 256-8511.


93-08-24:_Norfolk_Newspaper_Editor_William_Wood_to_Direct_New_Virginia_Institute_of_Political_Leadership
Name=93-08-24:  Norfolk Newspaper Editor William Wood to Direct New Virginia Institute of Political Leadership