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The University community welcomed many visitors to Grounds over the past year. Pictured are former Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders; Director of the Miller Center Kenneth Thompson with former U.S. Attorney General Elliott Richardson; Lt. Gov. Beyer with Curry School Dean David Breneman; and humorist Russell Baker. |
The cycle of the undergraduate experience helps define life at the University. Most undergraduates arrive here fresh from high school. Over the course of four years, they grow intellectually and emotionally, develop enduring friendships, and gain a sense of responsibility and commitment. The Class of 1997 was no exception. At this year's Valedictory Exercises, they expressed their appreciation to the University with a class gift of $45,000, nearly double the original goal of $25,000.
With sidewalk cafés in abundance,
better lighting, and a cobblestone
pavement, "the Corner" has a new
look. Whether meeting a friend for
lunch, listening to live music, or
shopping for U.Va. memorabilia,
the Corner is still the place to
see and be seen in town.
Just one month earlier, the University sent out acceptance letters to the class of 2001, beginning the cycle anew. This promises to be the strongest class in recent memory, with nearly 80 percent finishing in the top tenth of their graduating class. Slightly more than half are women, nearly one-fourth are members of minority groups, and the number of international students is the largest ever.
Members of the class of 2001 can expect to find their stay at the University enriched in part because of the number of state and national figures who visit the University. This year's visitors included: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gov. George F. Allen, Lt. Gov. Donald Beyer, former governor L. Douglas Wilder, Sen. John W. Warner, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders, consumer activist and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, former White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, former U.S. Senator and Connecticut Gov. Lowell Weicker (Law '58), former U.S. Attorney General Elliott Richardson, humorist and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Russell Baker, and Joe Klein, who anonymously published last year's political exposé Primary Colors. The University also welcomed back former Cavalier basketball star and president of the Women's National Basketball Association Val Ackerman (Col '81) to accept the Women's Center Distinguished Alumna Award.
Wyatt G. Andrews (Col '74), the former White House news correspondent for President Bush, returned to the University as the keynote speaker at Valedictory Exercises.
Students and faculty interested in the environment participated in a day-long series of seminars on "Ethical Values in Environmental Conflicts."
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The team delivered oral and written presentations in response to a case study posing what to do if a joint venture fails. McIntire's team was the only one to propose the solution that was actually adopted by the company that provided the case. Faculty advisers Martha L. Maznevski and Mark A. White are shown (seated) with the winning students (standing), T.L. Robinson, Rick Gerson, Ashley Cockrill, and John Campbell. |
It was a lively year in the arts. This fall's Virginia Film Festival showcased themes of freedom and imprisonment. Documentary director Ken Burns presented a preview of his new public television documentary on Thomas Jefferson. The world-renowned Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble helped celebrate Black History Month, and internationally known sculptor Italo Scanga served as the University's first master artist-in-residence. In September, Jill Hartz was appointed director of the Bayly Art Museum.
Students enjoyed concerts and recitals in the newly refurbished Old Cabell Hall auditorium, where the popular Tuesday Evening Concert Series featured The Aulos Ensemble, one of the premier original instrument baroque ensembles in America. And University radio station WTJU 91.1 FM celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.
Life at the University took on renewed vibrancy this fall with the reopening of Newcomb Hall. Recently completed renovations included additional space for student organizations and a new plaza connecting Newcomb Hall to the University Bookstore.
Although the kinds of activities offered on Grounds vary from year to year, the Honor System remains a constant in University life. This year students considered three separate proposals -- to change the way juries vote on the seriousness of violations; to eliminate random student juries; and to create a separate Honor System for law and Darden -- and rejected them all.