Oct. 14, 1998
Contact: Carol Wood
(804) 924-6189

CASTEEN APPOINTS KNEEDLER AND JONES 
TO PLANNING COMMISSIONS


	President John T. Casteen III has appointed two additional
faculty members to lead planning commissions as part of the University's
long term planning efforts.  Rebecca Kneedler, associate dean for
academic affairs in the Curry School of Education and former chair of
the Faculty Senate, will oversee the commission on public service and
outreach. Planning efforts focused on science and engineering will be
led by Anita Jones, University Professor of computer science.
	Kneedler and Jones join Robert Chapel, chair of the Department
of Drama, whose appointment as chair of the commission on fine and
performing arts was announced at the All University Planning Retreat on
Sept. 18.  The chair of a fourth commission, focusing on international
activities, will be announced in the next several weeks.
	"I am grateful for these individuals' willingness to assume
these important responsibilities and to provide leadership in
coordination with the provost, deans, and others throughout the
University community," Casteen said.  "The long-term benefits of their
work will be more powerful teaching, better prepared graduates, greater
impact on the communities we serve, and greater value in all that we
do."
	The four areas identified are of strategic interest to the
University as it seeks to strengthen its position among the nations
pre-eminent universities as a leading research institution dedicated to
excellence in teaching and public service.  Each is an area that
demonstrates the capacity to improve, and improvement in each is
critical for the University to achieve its long-term goals.  The
planning commissions will be charged with assessing current programs and
establishing benchmarks for building excellence in the first part of the
21st century.  Recommendations are
expected to include priorities and timelines for implementation,
including strategic investment in personnel, facilities, and support
services.
	
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	After earning her Ed.D. at the Curry School of Education,
Rebecca Kneedler began teaching there in 1975.  Her special interests
are faculty governance and information technology, and she teaches in
the area of special education for students with behavioral and emotional 				
disorders.  She serves as a liaison to the Virginia Department of
Education and the General Assembly.  From 1996-1997 she was chair of the
University's Faculty Senate.
	Anita Jones received her Ph.D. in computer science from
Carnegie-Mellon University.  In 1988 she came to the University as a
professor and chair of the computer science department.  The recipient
of several awards and commendations, she was elected to the National
Academy of Engineering in 1994.  From 1993-1997, while on leave from the
University, she served at the U. S. Department of Defense where she was
responsible for defense research and engineering.  Jones recently was
nominated by President Bill Clinton to the National Science Board, which
establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation.
	Robert Chapel, who holds a Ph.D. in theater from the University
of Michigan, joined the faculty in 1990.  In addition to an active
career in directing and acting, he now serves as producing artistic
director for the Heritage Repertory Theatre.  He is a member of the Arts
Precinct Planning Committee, a group charged with assessing program and
facility needs for the fine and performing arts at the University.  The
committee has worked with the architectural and landscaping consultants
on the recently completed feasibility study for locating an arts
precinct on Carr's Hill.
	Information on the commissions' work will be available on the
Web at
http://minerva.acc.virginia.edu/pres/plan/index.html>http://minerva.acc.v

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	For more information about the commissions, call Carol Wood at
(804) 924-6189. Television reporters should contact the TV News office
at (804) 924 7550.