Why I give ...
“Supporting VCU is my way of giving back, because the school is very important to me. I remember the encouragement and financial support I received as a young graduate student at RPI in the early 1960s, a very challenging time for minority students in state-supported schools. My wife, Joyce, and I established the Rita A. Schleuter Memorial Scholarship to assist B.S.W. students who have a demonstrated commitment to social work practice with African-American families. It is our way of encouraging them to succeed.” To learn more about the Black & Gold Loyalty Society, visit support.vcu.edu/loyalty.
John C. Purnell Jr. (M.S.W.’64/SW; M.P.A.’78/H&S) Black & Gold Loyalty Society member with five years of consecutive giving
A teammate in the Innovate Living Learning Program works through the plans for a groceryshopping app design. See article, Page 6.
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This way up
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An idea that stuck
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A gift from an alumna has helped the School of Medicine’s 1838 Fund grow large enough to award its inaugural scholarship. Merit-based scholarships and an interdisciplinary livinglearning program enable a School of Engineering student to bring her entrepreneurial plans to life.
Room to grow
The Fountainhead Fellowship in the School of the Arts is drawing new talent to the local art scene, giving young graduates vital resources as they hone their craft.
No place like home
A professor in the School of Nursing leads an interprofessional team in a health and wellness program that improves the care of indigent older adults.
On the cover Ilana Harris-Babou in her studio space at New Manchester Flats in Richmond, Virginia Interim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Ed Grier • Development and Alumni Communications Melanie Irvin Seiler (B.S.‘96/H&S), miseiler@vcu.edu, (804) 828-3975; Mitchell Moore (B.S.’07/MC; M.S.’08/E), mooreml3@vcu.edu, (804) 827-3617; Emma Coates, ekcoates@vcu.edu, (804) 828-2694; Brelyn Powell, blpowell@vcu.edu, (804) 828-3797 Impact is published quarterly by the Virginia Commonwealth University Office of Development and Alumni Relations. The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the editorial staff or the university. © 2017, Virginia Commonwealth University, an equal opportunity, affirmative action university campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 1
This way up BY E M M A COA TES
Scholarships provide path out of debt and toward the right career for two generations of medical students
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Gaelyn Scuderi with her husband, Chris, and their two children Photo Pam Bell Photography
campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 3
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irginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine alumna Gaelyn Scuderi, M.D. (B.S.’99/H&S; M.D.’03/M), is so thankful for her alma mater.
“I just think that VCU does a stellar job in preparing physicians for real-life patient
care,” she says.
She is particularly proud of how the medical school bridges the gap between high-
end research and comprehensive patient care.
“VCU does a great job of being aspirational and putting out incredible research and really
encouraging the students to be excellent – not just great but excellent. But at the same time, it is
out there serving everyone – there’s nobody who shows up at the door who doesn’t get cared for. That is a unique position to be in these days.”
Virginia native Scuderi, 38, works in breast imaging and radiology at the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. She and her husband, Chris – the medical director of University of Florida Health Family Medicine and Pediatrics, New Berlin – finished building their dream home in late 2015, and the couple are looking forward to the future with their daughter and son. It’s a situation that, she fully acknowledges, not all her fellow physicians enjoy. “I look at so many of my colleagues, and they’re heavily, heavily in debt, and it’s going to take a huge portion of their life just to get out of debt,” she says. “And to move forward amid that is very challenging, especially when you start having children.” Scuderi credits her family’s standing to the scholarship she received at VCU. In addition to a Navy scholarship that would determine the course of her early career, Scuderi received an undergraduate presidential scholarship upon admission to VCU that enabled her to graduate debt-free from the Department of Biology in the College of Humanities and Sciences. Then, while at the School of Medicine, she received the Sidney B. Barham Scholarship and the Robert C. Bryan Prize in Pathology. She says they were “extremely helpful in easing the burden while you’re in the midst of studying and giving so much of your life to the med school.”
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Last year, Scuderi’s “profound sense of gratitude” led her to make a $10,000 pledge with her husband to the School of Medicine’s 1838 Fund. The fund is part of the 1838 Campaign, which is building a scholarship endowment that will help recruit talented students, reward excellence and reduce medical student debt. The 1838 Fund pools gifts from multiple donors to make a bigger impact. The fund has now grown large enough to award its inaugural 1838 Scholarship to Jessica Fugate Mace. The second-year student from Maryland, who has received the scholarship for two years, had a long path to medical school. Mace’s undergraduate degree, from the University of Maryland, was in biology. After graduating, she worked in an emergency room with the aim of becoming a physician’s assistant, but she quickly realized that she actually wanted to be a physician. She completed a postgraduate program at Drexel University in Philadelphia and then was accepted by the VCU School of Medicine. Mace pursued her undergraduate degree in-state. She says that her parents were prepared to pay her tuition for that, but her medical degree was another matter. “Medical school, especially being an out-of-state resident, is very expensive,” Mace says. “Even though I try not to focus on
the money and how much debt I’m accruing, it’s still there. So I am very grateful for the scholarship; it really makes a difference.” The scholarship helps take some of the pressure off while Mace decides which area of medicine she wants to specialize in. She is leaning toward primary care, arguably the lowestcompensated area of medicine. “I’m trying to keep an open mind right before I’m about to start all my clinical rotations,” she says. “The scholarship helps me relax and not worry so much while I try to find out what’s the best fit for me long term.” Michelle Whitehurst-Cook (M.D.’79/M), associate dean for admissions in the School of Medicine, says concern over finances can be a major obstacle to students choosing the specialty that’s right for them. “The challenge for our students is, ‘Do I choose a career that I really want, or do I choose a career that’s going to help me pay off these debts?’ ” says Whitehurst-Cook, who is also a family medicine physician. “So we worry about people who want to do primary care yet choose another field because they don’t think they can afford to do that.” Whitehurst-Cook says scholarships help level the playing field for these students. “We never want to get to a place where going to medical school only happens for the elite,” she says. “These scholarships based on need help us to give everyone the opportunity to become a physician who wants to be and has the ability to do it.” This goal spurred the Scuderis’ contribution to the 1838 Fund. “I hope that it helps VCU to attract competitive candidates that come from every single background,” Gaelyn Scuderi says. “I would love to see people who are bright and smart and the future of our country and our world continue to come to VCU even if they may not have the means to get there or to support their own education.” The gratitude that led Scuderi to share some of her good fortune with the holder of the 1838 Scholarship looks likely to be paid forward again, when Mace graduates. “VCU, as a school and as a program, is more than I could have ever expected or wanted,” Mace says. “I imagine myself growing older and giving the same chance to other people.” To learn more about the 1838 Campaign in the School of Medicine, contact Tom Holland, associate dean of development, at (804) 828-4800 or tehollan@vcu.edu.
Photo Kevin Schindler
Jessica Fugate Mace
campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 5
Sierra Semel and her classmates map out ideas for Expire.
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AN IDEA THAT STUCK
Scholarship enables engineering student to immerse herself in the creation of a promising grocery-shopping app
BY BRELYN POWELL
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ierra Semel, a second-year mechanical engineering student in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering, is constantly coming up with creative ideas for new products. Last fall, what started as an ordinary class assignment grew into an unexpected opportunity to see what it takes to bring an entrepreneurial idea to life. The assignment required Semel and her classmates to submit an idea to OpenIDEO, a global community of innovative thinkers exploring solutions to problems through online challenges. Each challenge runs for several months at a time and focuses on a specific issue. This time, it was reducing food waste. Drawing inspiration from personal experience, Semel laid out the initial plans for a mobile app called Expire. “As a busy college student, I often lose track of exactly when I buy my groceries,” Semel says. “I wondered what would happen if, somehow, I could be alerted when the groceries I bought were about to go bad.” Using Expire, shoppers could scan their grocery store receipts and arrange that data into a “digital pantry.” On future trips to the store, users could review the contents of their pantry to prevent wasteful purchases of items they already have. Taking into account how long each item typically lasts, Expire then notifies the user as products approach their estimated expiration dates and even offers recipe suggestions. Though Semel was proud of her idea, she was not sure it would stand out among the 450 other submissions. So she was surprised a few weeks later to learn that Expire had been selected, along with 40 other ideas, to advance to the “refinement phase” of the challenge. During this stage, Semel used feedback from the first round to develop her idea further. campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 7
With just two weeks to conduct research and adjust her proposal accordingly, Semel sought help from her peers in the Innovate Living Learning Program. Administered by the VCU da Vinci Center, Innovate enables students to take specific classes and live with other entrepreneurial-minded students from a variety of disciplines. “It took a lot of work to refine my original idea for the app,” she says. “Without the help of my Innovate cohort, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time.” Semel has benefited from living on campus at the Grace and Broad Residence Center as part of the Innovate program, and her merit-based scholarships have meant she hasn’t had to worry about how to afford it. “I’m from Glen Allen, which is close enough that I could live at home and commute to VCU, but that’s not ideal for someone like me who wants to be involved in extracurricular activities on campus,” Semel says. The Mark A. Sternheimer Scholarship in Honors, a renewable award that Semel has held for two consecutive years, is awarded to multiple honors students in the VCU School of Engineering. In total, Semel has received $3,000 from the scholarship and used it to help with the costs of tuition, living and textbooks. Semel’s Innovate cohorts include da Vinci Center students from VCU’s arts, business and engineering schools and the College of Humanities and Sciences. They were critical in helping her gather the data she needed to take Expire to the next level. “The Innovate curriculum follows the da Vinci Center model in drawing on the strengths of each individual student and encouraging them to pool those strengths when they work together,” says Aaron Forrester, one of Semel’s Innovate instructors. “The ideas that come out of such a collaborative environment are phenomenal.” It was Forrester who asked Semel and her classmates to participate in the OpenIDEO challenge, and when Expire advanced to the refinement phase, he reworked the class’s
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scheduled lessons to incorporate Semel’s project as an opportunity for hands-on experience. Some students conducted interviews in the community to gauge interest in an app like Expire, and others contributed by creating illustrations and stop-motion animation videos to prototype design concepts. “It was helpful to work with peers who have a different way of thinking than I have as an engineering major,” Semel says. “That collaboration fueled my project and demonstrated how living on campus has enhanced my VCU experience.” Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Engineering, is grateful for donors like Sternheimer, whose support is integral to the work of ambitious students. “We are lucky to have a friend and benefactor like Mark Sternheimer, who provides so many of our students with opportunities they otherwise may not have access to,” Boyan says. “The financial support he provides to our students through scholarships allows them to take a dream or idea and make it real.” Sternheimer hopes his support helps students like Semel afford experiences that prepare them to tackle real-world problems. “I want these students to have confidence in their ability to solve problems,” Sternheimer says. “They work hard and are using their talents to make a difference in the world.” Although Expire was not selected to advance beyond the refinement phase, Semel believes in its potential. Since the OpenIDEO challenge came to an end, she has continued to work on the app and doesn’t plan to give up. “I have a better understanding of what it takes to actualize an idea,” Semel says, adding that her first venture into product development won’t be her last. “I know I will put everything I’ve learned to good use in my future endeavors.” To learn more about the School of Engineering, contact Michael B. Dowdy, chief development officer, at (804) 828-1475 or mdowdy@vcu.edu. ONLINE EXTRA To see a video of Expire in action, visit support.vcu.edu/expire.
Sierra Semel
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Laura and Harold Greer
Retired professor and wife pledge
Photo Allen Jones, University Marketing
Faculty, e $1 million to Latin American history staff, retire giving A retired faculty member in the Virginia Commonwealth University
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College of Humanities and Sciences and his wife have pledged $1 million to endow a professorship in Latin American history, his former area of focus. Emeritus Professor Harold Greer Jr., Ph.D., and his wife, Laura, have been part of the VCU community for nearly 50 years; Harold was a beloved member of the history department from 1968 to 2004. The Dr. and Mrs. Harold Greer Jr. Distinguished Professorship in Latin American History will provide resources for a new faculty member who will conduct interdisciplinary research as well as teach history and cross-listed courses. “These funds will help the college and the department with salary, benefits, travel, research, symposia, lectures and Latin American history programming – things that as government funding continues to decrease, are more important than ever,” Harold Greer says. “We hope other retired faculty and staff and alumni will also support VCU.” In 2012, the Greers endowed the Harold and Laura Greer Scholarship, awarded to an outstanding undergraduate history major who has completed at least two courses in Latin American history. “I loved teaching at VCU and the opportunities that VCU provided for wonderful students, many of whom were the first in their families to go to college,” Harold Greer says. “Laura and I had two main motivations in setting up a scholarship in history at VCU: As VCU’s first historian specializing in Latin America, I was very interested in promoting Latin American study, and as a professor I was and am acutely aware of the costs to students in pursuit of their education.” The Greers have given every year to increase the award available to students, and that fund now totals more than $60,000. Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences Montse Fuentes, Ph.D., is thankful for the couple’s support. “Studying and understanding history plays a critical part in our current local, national and global society,” Fuentes says. “Almost half of the 42 million migrants to the United States originate in Latin America. The Greers’ gift will create opportunities for curriculum development at the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences.” To learn more about the College of Humanities and Sciences, contact Bethanie Constant, senior director of development, at (804) 828-4543 or constantb@vcu.edu.
$1 million anonymous gift surprises Massey Cancer Center’s Ginder A $1 million anonymous gift to Massey Cancer Center in honor of the center’s director, Gordon Ginder, M.D., was revealed in a surprise announcement by Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao, Ph.D., during a Massey Cancer Center Advisory Board meeting in September. “Massey Cancer Center is definitely doing things right,” Rao read from a letter from the anonymous source. “The patient care, the research and every other aspect of what they do is worldclass. To accomplish all these great things, while remaining true to their mission, requires funding. Our family is very pleased to announce that we are donating $1 million in appreciation of all that Massey Cancer Center does to fight cancer and save so many lives. This gift is made in honor of Dr. Gordon Ginder, who humbly continues to do so much for so many people.”
Photo Brian McNeill
Sixto Cancel
After the announcement, Ginder said, “Cancer research is evolving at a more rapid pace than ever. As a result, the flexibility afforded by generous unrestricted gifts is essential to our ability to quickly respond to opportunities to develop in promising research. “Whether fast-tracking novel research concepts, contributing to a successful faculty recruitment or ensuring promising concepts receive essential seed funding, this gift will be invaluable in achieving our research mission. On a personal level, I am deeply touched by being recognized in this remarkable way.” To learn more about VCU Massey Cancer Center, contact Cindy Zilch, chief development officer, at (804) 828-1452 or czilch@vcu.edu.
Go For It! grad gets Forbes nod Former Virginia Commonwealth University student Sixto Cancel has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs list for 2017. The honor was bestowed for Cancel’s work as the founder of Think of Us, a nonprofit organization that uses data, technology and multimedia to provide tools that help young people in foster care as well as adults who work with foster-care youth. Think of Us was established when Cancel participated in Go For It!, the original name of the “pre-accelerator” program that has since been retooled and renamed the VCU Pre-Accelerator. The program, funded by philanthropic gifts from VCU alumni and friends and members of the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences’ advisory board, was established to provide every student with an entrepreneurial pathway. Cancel was also recognized by the White House in 2015, among 11 other former foster youth, as a “Champion of Change” in honor of his courage, resilience and contribution to his community. campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 11
School of the Arts’ auction fundraiser mixes cocktails and crafts An art auction presented in October by the Craft/Material Studies department at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts raised more than $40,000 for student and faculty scholarship and research. The event, Toast, was held at The Depot in Richmond, Virginia, and included more than 100 pieces by students, alumni and faculty in a silent and live auction as well as 10 of Richmond’s top mixologists pouring cocktails of their own creation. “Craft connects intentionally with food and brings everyone to the global table,” says Sonya Clark, Craft/Material
Studies professor and department chair. This event, she says, demonstrated the “strength that craft has as a field to connect across the world through art and design.” Attendee Katie Ukrop, owner of Quirk Gallery and Quirk Hotel, was impressed by the quality of the artwork. “It was a great evening,” she says. “We were so excited to purchase artwork and discover new artists.” Ukrop won the auction for a woven piece by VCUarts graduate student Grace Kubilius. “It was a showstopper,” she says. “We had admired her work for a long time and are thrilled to put it in our hotel.”
New website heralds MCV Foundation rebrand The MCV Foundation has launched an updated website at mcvfoundation.org. The update is part of a rebranding effort to better promote philanthropic opportunities in support of the foundation’s MCV Campus partners and to help raise awareness of the patient care, research and education happening across VCU Health every day. The new site is “donor-friendly, donor-centric, informative and actionable,” says MCV Foundation Board Chair Harry Thalhimer. It comes at a time when the foundation is evolving into an outward-facing fundraiser, communicator and shepherd of resources for VCU Health, and it supports the efforts of the Make It Real Campaign for VCU, the largest fundraising campaign in the university’s history, which runs until 2020. “We have highlighted the work of our MCV Campus partners throughout the website,” says MCV Foundation President Margaret Ann Bollmeier. “We want to support our partners
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in every way and help them achieve their goals through our fundraising, communications and stewardship work.” The MCV Foundation was established in 1949. It manages $500 million in assets and 1,500 funds to support the education, research and clinical care mission of its MCV Campus partners: the VCU schools of Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy, as well as the VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Medical Center. To learn more, visit mcvfoundation.org or contact Alex Henley, MCV Foundation director of marketing communications, at (804) 828-3870 or alex.henley@vcuhealth.org.
Stephanie Holt at the VCU James Branch Cabell Library
Planned gift supports libraries, education and the arts
How to make a planned gift
Photo Jay Paul
Virginia Commonwealth University alumna Stephanie Lawson Holt (B.S.’74/E) has included a $335,000 planned gift in her estate plan. Her gift will be split among VCU Libraries, the School of Education and the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center to benefit her three passions of teaching, libraries and the arts – areas that she describes as pillars of the community and the university. Holt is the current president of the Friends of VCU Libraries and the School of Education Alumni Council. “This gift comes at a pivotal time for us,” says University Librarian John E. Ulmschneider. “Her pledge moves us much closer to meeting the challenge of a $1 million matching grant from the Cabell Foundation. Thanks to Stephanie’s far-reaching vision for students, VCU Libraries now needs to raise $250,000 by June 30, 2017. She has set an inspiring example for everyone who understands the central role of libraries in academic life.” Holt says it was the Cabell challenge that motivated her to make her commitment now. Her gift will double in value if the Cabell match is met. Holt had already established a new scholarship in the School of Education last fall. “Scholarship endowments are a priority of the School of Education,” says School of Education Dean Andrew Daire, Ph.D. “We appreciate that she has the vision to expand [her previous] fund with this gift to help our students well into the future.” The ICA portion of the gift will help endow paid internships and fellowships for students. “Her gift will ensure the future of student engagement at the ICA,” says ICA Director Lisa Freiman. “In addition to inspiring others with her generosity, Stephanie inspires me personally. She’s an amazing woman with an unyielding spirit and determination to make the world a better place.” Holt’s idea to support VCU with a planned gift first formed when she attended a VCU Alumni board of governors meeting about a year ago. Recently retired Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Marti K.S. Heil had talked about stretching yourself in your giving to VCU. “Marti’s talk really moved me,” Holt says. “A lot of people don’t realize that they may have the means to do more if they
make VCU a priority in their philanthropy. Since I don’t have children, and my siblings, niece and nephews will receive a portion of my estate, I decided that I wanted to give back to VCU.” Holt hopes her gift will challenge others to dig deeper and do more. “We as alumni need to start giving back to our university at a much greater pace than we’ve done in the past.”
If you would like to make an impact on students, their future and the university, please consider leaving a gift for VCU in your will or estate plan. Estate gifts for the benefit of the schools, units and programs on the Monroe Park and MCV campuses can be made through a VCU-affiliated foundation. To learn more, contact Doug McCartney, J.D., executive director of gift planning, at (804) 828-5563 or dwmccartney@vcu.edu, or visit vcugiftplanning.org.
To learn more about VCU Libraries, contact Kelly Gotschalk (B.F.A.’90/A; M.A.’97/A), director of development and major gifts, at (804) 827-1163 or kjgotschalk@vcu.edu. To learn more about the School of Education, contact Ed Kardos, senior director of development, at (804) 828-4692 or egkardos@ vcu.edu. To learn more about the ICA, contact Carol Anne Baker Lajoie (B.S.’99/H&S), director of development, at (804) 828-2777 or bakerca@vcu.edu.
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room to grow Fountainhead Fellowship provides residency, studio space and teaching opportunities for nation’s top young artists b y b r e ly n p o w e l l
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sk any artist what it takes to launch a successful professional career, and most will mention passion, talent, commitment and vision – but that’s only part of the story. A recent survey by the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project found that publicity, networking, studio space and exhibition space are just as important to new graduates starting out. The Fountainhead Fellowship in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts provides those resources for a select few young artists annually, enabling them to spend their first postgraduate year sharing their talents in the already thriving Richmond, Virginia, arts community and preparing for successful careers. A competitive pool of applicants from the nation’s top graduate art programs vie for the fellowships in the departments of Sculpture and Extended Media, Painting and Printmaking and Craft/Material Studies. The three fellows gain valuable teaching experience as part-time instructors in their department while also tending to their studio practice and honing their craft. The fellowship was established in 2005 by Fountainhead Development. Tom Papa and Rick Gregory, the co-founders of the urban development company and art enthusiasts, recognized an opportunity to draw new talent to the local art scene. The company’s sponsorship makes it possible for young artists to relocate to Richmond by providing them with a rent-free furnished apartment and a 400-square-foot onsite studio. “It can be tough starting out as an artist, so it’s important to us that this program provides the fellows with the support they need to dedicate themselves to their work,” Gregory says. In February, we visited Ilana Harris-Babou, this academic year’s Sculpture and Extended Media fellow, to see the artist in action and to discuss her experience as a Fountainhead Fellow. 14 • Impact
Ilana Harris-Babou, 2017 Fountainhead Fellow in the Department of Sculpture and Extended Media
Online extra To hear Harris-Babou reect on her experience as a Fountainhead Fellow, visit support.vcu.edu /fountainhead. To see one of her recent video projects, visit support. vcu.edu/harris-babou.
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living
teaching
Harris-Babou’s day begins and ends on the south side of the James River, where she and the two other Fountainhead Fellows, Jina Seo and Teto Elsiddique, each live in their own apartments at New Manchester Flats. “The sense of community we’ve had living near each other has been comforting,” Harris-Babou says. “It was great to explore the city with other people who were new to the area.” Although she loves having the other fellows nearby, HarrisBabou is grateful to have her own space. “My artwork is so messy that I like to keep my living space pretty neat,” she says. “It’s nice to keep my apartment the way I like it without having to consider a roommate’s preferences or habits.” Harris-Babou says that without the accommodations the fellowship provides, a move to Virginia from her hometown of Brooklyn, New York, would have been impossible. Now that she doesn’t have to worry about rent, she can forgo taking a job and focus instead on preparing lesson plans, applying for future fellowships and residencies and making plans for upcoming showing opportunities. “It’s been such a gift to have the time and space to focus on my work,” she says. “Not having to worry about how to keep a roof over my head has allowed me to be more ambitious in my art.” After spending the morning gathering her daily necessities, Harris-Babou fills a travel mug with coffee and leaves to spend the day on campus.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, Harris-Babou teaches undergraduate sculpture classes on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. She draws inspiration for her lessons from her undergraduate and graduate educations at Yale and Columbia universities. VCU’s Fountainhead Fellowship attracts artists from the country’s best art programs, bringing new creative perspectives to Richmond and students in the VCU School of the Arts – one of the primary goals of the program, for which VCU graduates are ineligible. “The fellows serve as intellectual resources and bring fresh viewpoints that may otherwise be difficult to provide to our students,” says Matt King, chair and associate professor in the Department of Sculpture and Extended Media. Harris-Babou’s morning class is Basic Sculpture, an introductory course for undergraduate students. Together, she and her graduate teaching assistant catch up with each student and offer feedback on current projects. Some students use the time to hash out conceptual elements of their work, while others seek advice on the technical aspects of working with clay. Anthony D’Angelo, a second-year sculpture student, says that Harris-Babou’s dedication to connecting with each student oneon-one stood out to him. “Conversations I had with her were instrumental to developing my ideas and making conceptual progress,” says D’Angelo, who has continued working on ideas that were born from those conversations since completing Harris-Babou’s class last fall. “It felt so personal and had a lasting impact on my practice.” With her Basic Sculpture students, Harris-Babou covers traditional techniques while also encouraging them to experiment with new ideas. In her evening class, Intermediate and Advanced Sculpture, the approach is similar, but she supplements the handson, creative work by introducing advanced topics and readings on art theory.
Harris-Babou in her Richmond apartment
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A student gets feedback on her latest project.
“The opportunity to teach is one of the most valuable things the fellowship has given me,” she says, adding that, initially, that part of the experience was the most unnerving. “I had always hoped to teach one day, but I still felt nervous going into it. I thought, ‘Do I know anything? Is there anything useful I can say?’” Teaching at VCU has given Harris-Babou the confidence to pursue this goal in the future. “The students here are so self-motivated that they make teaching feel natural,” she says.
creating After a day of teaching, Harris-Babou returns to New Manchester Flats to have dinner at home before taking a short walk across the property to work in her private studio. “Having my own studio so close by has been great for my productivity,” she says. “It leaves no room for excuses or laziness. I have 24-hour access, so if I have an idea at 2 a.m., I can come right into the studio to work on it.” Harris-Babou rolls and pats a chunk of clay. Her workstation is scattered with oddly shaped tools, which she made as part of a recent project inspired by home-improvement reality shows. The pieces she is working on now will be shown in the Fountainhead Fellows’ end-of-year exhibition at Reynolds Gallery in Richmond. The annual, six-week show enables the fellows to display their latest work and gives Julia Monroe (M.A.’14/A) and Alice Livingston, directors of the gallery, the opportunity to expose local patrons to something out of the ordinary. “A lot of them are doing innovative, installation-based artwork,” Monroe says. “It’s very different from what we usually exhibit, so it gives us a chance to showcase challenging, thought-provoking artwork.” Harris-Babou’s unique approach to sculpture incorporates performance art and video to shine a spotlight on the creative process rather than the finished product. “The end result is really just an artifact of the process,” she says.
“I’m more interested in the point where the piece is in the state of becoming. I figured that if that is the part that interests me, then I should show it.” The Reynolds Gallery exhibition is just one of several shows for Harris-Babou this year. In January, her work was featured in shows at the SculptureCenter, a contemporary art museum in Long Island City, New York, and at the Zuckerman Museum of Art in Kennesaw, Georgia. “She’s on fire, and I can tell she is not slowing down anytime soon,” says King, who has worked closely with Harris-Babou throughout her time as a fellow in the department. “Programs like this give young artists like Ilana, whose career is just beginning, the space, time and experience to come into their own in their practice.” This spring, her Fountainhead Fellowship will come to an end, and Harris-Babou will return to New York, where she will serve as a Van Lier Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. Then, in the fall, she will begin teaching video as a visiting artist at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She plans to continue showing and creating and hopes to have more chances to teach in the future. “I’ve grown a lot in my practice,” she says of her time as a Fountainhead Fellow. “I’m confident sharing my work with other artists and the public, and after this experience, I’m confident in my ability to build a career as a professional artist.” To learn more about the School of the Arts, contact Julia Carr, executive director of development, at (804) 828-4676 or carrj@vcu.edu.
Working on pieces for an upcoming exhibition
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No place like home Nursing professor’s innovative program brings care to those aging in place B Y B R E LY N P O W E L L
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elen Jones, 72, visits her primary care physician at Laburnum Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia, once a month to monitor several chronic health conditions. Between those visits, she can make a quick trip to the first floor of her apartment building to receive supplemental care in a weekly free wellness and care coordination clinic provided by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing’s Richmond Health and Wellness Program. The onsite clinic aims to improve the health of older and disabled adults at Dominion Place, an independent-living facility near VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. Jones recalls a time when a reaction to her blood pressure medication, one of many that she takes daily, caused her face to swell. The Richmond Health and Wellness Program team was at Dominion Place that day and helped coordinate her care with her primary care physician to get the prompt medical intervention that she needed. “Situations like that are scary, but [the VCU team] makes me feel safe,” Jones says. “I come downstairs when I need their advice or help, and they’ll come to my room to check on me if they don’t see me down there.” The Richmond Health and Wellness Program was founded in 2012 by Pamela Parsons, Ph.D., GNP-BC (M.S.’84/N; Cert.’92/GNP; Ph.D.’04/N), associate professor and director for practice and community engagement in the VCU School of Nursing, with the help of Patricia Slattum, Pharm.D., Ph.D. (B.S.’85/P; Cert.’91/AHP; Ph.D.’92/P; Pharm.D.’92/P), vice chair for graduate studies in the VCU School of Pharmacy. Pilot data, funded through a VCU Council on Community
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Engagement Grant during the program’s first year, showed a high number of chronic diseases and high rates of non-urgent emergency room use for aging adults in congregate-living situations, with factors related to the social determinants of health influencing the health care and quality of life for many of the residents. Guided by the findings of the pilot funding, in 2013, the RHWP was awarded a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, the primary federal agency for improving health and achieving health equity, to expand and refine the program. Parsons serves as the director of the RHWP, and under her leadership, the program has had a measurable, positive influence on the health outcomes of the residents it serves. One successful impact of the program has been a reduction in emergency room use for those who could have their care needs addressed in other settings, such as primary care. RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE Parsons was named the Judith B. Collins and Joseph M. Teefey Distinguished Professor in 2015 in recognition of her devotion to the complex care of older adults. The professorship serves to advance the work of outstanding nursing faculty and to recognize a practitioner who demonstrates excellence in teaching, service and research. “Pam meets that criteria in every way,” says former VCU faculty member Judith Collins, RN, MS, WHNP-BC, FAAN (Cert.’75/N), in whose name the professorship was created to celebrate her retirement after more than 30 years of service to VCU and the Richmond community.
The fund also honors Joseph Teefey, Collins’ husband, and his commitment to health care as director of Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services and then vice president of the VCU Health System until his retirement in 2000. Friends, family, colleagues and Collins’ students contributed nearly $300,000 to establish the professorship in 2003. The fund has since grown to surpass the $500,000 milestone required to become a distinguished professorship and, at almost $800,000 now, is nearing the $1 million needed to establish a chair in the School of Nursing. When the fund reaches that milestone, it will continue to benefit Parsons and her community work. “Support from the professorship has undoubtedly enhanced my ability to reach out into the community and develop my projects in innovative ways,” Parsons says. In addition to rewarding excellence, endowed positions are critical to recruiting leading scholars to VCU’s team of educators. “Funding for professorships helps our school to attract and retain dynamic faculty,” says Jean Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, School of Nursing dean and the Doris B. Yingling Endowed Chair. “Those faculty support and enhance the great work underway at our school.” BRIDGING THE GAP The unique model of the Richmond Health and Wellness Program involves interprofessional teams of nursing, medicine, pharmacy, social work and psychology students, overseen by licensed clinical faculty, taking their services out of a clinical setting and into congregate-living facilities where residents are aging in place. Individuals are evaluated where they live, providing a better understanding of how their health status might be impacted by their daily routine. “We have the opportunity to have more in-depth and intimate conversations with the residents,” says VCU nursing student Lindsay Culver. “We often don’t get to see how patients are in their home life, and this experience allows us to bridge that gap.” Culver, who graduates this month, values the opportunity provided by the program to collaborate with students from other health care disciplines and believes that having interprofessional experiences during her education will make her a more confident professional in her future nursing career.
Photo Lindy Rodman, University Marketing
Pamela Parsons
Online extra To learn more about the Richmond Health and Wellness Program, visit support.vcu.edu/parsons.
In addition to Dominion Place, the RHWP holds clinics in four other senior apartment buildings and continues to grow and evolve as the team builds partnerships within the community. Parsons and her team recently announced a new initiative made possible by a $25,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance provider in the country. The grant will allow the RHWP to address food insecurity among seniors by providing free weekly meals, cooking demonstrations and nutritional education programs at three of the senior-living communities in its network. FeedMore, Central Virginia’s primary hunger-relief organization, supports the program by donating the food that will be served. Such efforts empower the residents to improve their diets with healthy eating choices while helping the VCU team identify seniors who might benefit from services provided by other community partners such as FeedMore’s Meals on Wheels, a meal-delivery service for homebound seniors and disabled adults throughout Central Virginia. “Projects like this allow us to engage in the community in a way that matches the mission of VCU and the School of Nursing,” Parsons says. “It has been, and continues to be, a rewarding adventure.” To learn more about the Richmond Health and Wellness Program and the School of Nursing, contact Kate Haydon, senior director of development, at (804) 827-0020 or khaydon@vcu.edu.
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Altria gift paves way for ‘maker facility’ at School of Engineering A $1 million check from Richmond, Virginia-based Fortune 200 company Altria presented to the School of Engineering in January has given a boost to Virginia Commonwealth University’s burgeoning “maker culture.” The gift supports the school’s proposed Innovation Maker Facility, a space for students from VCU’s engineering and business schools and its da Vinci Center to practice creative analysis, design thinking, ideation, solution development and hands-on learning. “As well as being a huge benefit to the students who will use it,” says School of Engineering Dean Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., “the Innovation Maker Facility will also play a key role in the recruitment of the best and brightest new engineering students and help us engage more meaningfully with our industry partners.” 20 • Impact
With flexible work areas and collaborative project spaces, team rooms and construction spaces, the Innovation Maker Facility will have the capacity to support more than 100 projects of varying sizes and complexity, from student-developed cars to nano-devices for medical applications. The facility will also feature specialized support spaces for welding and painting, a design studio and several team rooms to support collaborative design efforts. The 8,000-square-foot facility will be located on the first floor of the new VCU Engineering Research Building, scheduled to open on the Monroe Park Campus in 2020. To learn more about the School of Engineering, contact Michael B. Dowdy, chief development officer, at (804) 828-1475 or mdowdy@vcu.edu.
Photo Hillary Kuhn, VCU School of Engineering
Altria Client Services’ Charlie Agee (left), Engineering Dean Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., VCU Engineering’s L. Franklin Bost and Altria Client Services’ Mark Cruise
Novelist helms 15th annual Black History Month Lecture Virginia Commonwealth University hosted National Book Award winner Colson Whitehead on Feb. 9 as the featured speaker of the VCU Libraries Black History Month Lecture. Whitehead discussed his journey to becoming a writer, as well as the story behind his award-winning latest novel, “The Underground Railroad,” at the 15th annual lecture. As part of the event, held in the James Branch Cabell Library Lecture Hall, Whitehead read two sections from the novel and signed books. A donor reception in the author’s honor preceded the lecture. The Annual Black History Month Lecture is funded in part by the VCU Libraries Francis M. Foster African-American History Endowment Fund. The fund also supports the purchase of library materials pertaining to African-American history. The VCU Libraries Black History Month Lecture has a reputation for addressing tough topics with local and national relevance, such as the Prince Edward County student strike and racially motivated police violence. Previous speakers include political commentator Melissa Harris-Perry, advertising executive Tom Burrell, Innocence Project co-founder Peter Neufeld and exoneree Marvin Anderson, ACLU Racial Justice Program Director Dennis Parker and political cartoonist Keith Knight.
Colson Whitehead signs his novel after the lecture.
Galen-level leadership donors Harvey Morgan (B.S.’55/P), Janet Silvester (B.S.’79/P) and John Beckner (B.S.’78/P)
Pharmacy donors recognized at Galen Society Dinner During the School of Pharmacy’s annual Galen Society Dinner in November, members of the Student Philanthropists Alumni Network spoke with passion about their appreciation for the philanthropy that helps to pay – and pave – their way as future pharmacists. Giovanni Zanota, student body president, thanked Galen members for their mentorship and gifts. “Alumni lead by example,” said student body vice president Corrie Sanders. “We strive to follow in your footsteps.” The Galen Society recognizes benefactors who donate $1,000 or more annually. Dean Joseph T. DiPiro, Pharm.D., noted that the School of Pharmacy has committed to raising $12 million in support of the VCU Make It Real Campaign for VCU. “If successful,” he said, “we can provide $1 million in scholarships and double the number of recipients.” The school currently awards more than $700,000 in scholarships to 150 students. Other campaign goals range from increasing the number of professorships and expanding the research infrastructure to increasing support for graduate education. Following a reception and dinner at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, new Galen Society members were welcomed. “We are products of our past,” Sanders told attendees. “We owe our future success to you.” To learn more about the School of Pharmacy, contact Ellen Carfagno, director of development, at (804) 828-3016 or emcarfagno@vcu.edu.
campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 21
Photo Xiaolin Lan
Loyal donors recognized with ‘Addams Family’ invitation
Scene from ‘The Addams Family: A New Musical’
More than 70 members of the Heritage, MCV and Black & Gold Loyalty societies were treated to a performance of “The Addams Family: A New Musical” in December, as a gesture of gratitude for their generosity to Virginia Commonwealth University. The annual TheatreVCU event took place at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Singleton Center for the Performing Arts. VCU’s Heritage and MCV societies recognize donors who have made provisions in their estate plans for programs on the Monroe Park Campus and the MCV Campus, respectively. The Black & Gold Loyalty Society recognizes alumni who have supported any area of the university for the past five or more consecutive years.
$5 million gift establishes flagship scholarship program in engineering The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering has received a $5 million gift from longtime benefactor C. Kenneth Wright (H.L.D.’11) to establish a scholarship fund for undergraduates. The Wright Engineering Access Scholarship Program is the school’s flagship scholarship program, providing need- and meritbased awards to a broad base of students, including communitycollege transfers. Wright’s gift, the largest scholarship gift in the school’s 21-year history, was announced at a Feb. 9 meeting of the VCU School of Engineering Foundation Board. VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., says the gift, which is expected to create opportunities for many first-generation college students, typifies Wright’s special brand of giving. “Ken Wright gives with the intention to create wonderful new opportunities for our students,” Rao says. “The VCU engineering school provides a great platform to leverage his generosity.” When fully implemented, the Wright Engineering Access Scholarship will reach hundreds of students every year and will 22 • Impact
help attract and retain the best-qualified students, regardless of financial need. It will complement existing programs to help recipients reduce or even eliminate loan debt. “Because of the Wright scholarship program, we will be able to bring in students who hadn’t even considered school because the time commitment required to do well wasn’t possible if they had to work to support themselves and their families,” says Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Engineering. “With this scholarship, plus internships and co-ops, students will be able to graduate with a highly valued degree at a modest cost.” Michael B. Dowdy, chief development officer at the VCU School of Engineering, says the gift will have a transformational impact. “There are young people standing outside of the VCU School of Engineering not knowing today that they will be able to come here. They will be able to now because of the Wright Engineering Access Scholarship.”
To learn more about the School of Engineering, contact Michael B. Dowdy, chief development officer, at (804) 828-1475 or mdowdy@vcu.edu.
VCU honors longtime donors at Commencement ceremony
Olin V. and Jane Baird Hyde
Photo Allen Jones, University Marketing
Olin V. and Jane Baird Hyde have been honored with the Wayne Medal for their service and support of Virginia Commonwealth University. The Hydes were recognized along with their late spouses at VCU’s Commencement ceremony last December. A gift from Jane Baird Hyde in 2011 established the VCU Baird Vascular Institute. The gift was made in memory of her late husband, Charles L. Baird Jr., M.D., a pioneering cardiologist and the founder and director of the Virginia Heart Institute. Before his death, he and Jane endowed the Charles L. Baird Jr. M.D. Professorship in Cardiovascular Imaging, a position now held by John D. Grizzard, M.D. Olin V. Hyde’s contributions, which began in 2005, created the Carolyn Wingate Hyde Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Massey Cancer Center. The chair was in memory of his late wife, a longtime and beloved volunteer in the patient resource library and a Massey advisory board member. It supports an exceptional Massey faculty member dedicated to cutting-edge cancer research and is held by Charles V. Clevenger, M.D., Ph.D. Olin V. Hyde currently serves as an active member of the Massey advisory board. Now married, the pair have continued their commitment to VCU. Leadership donors Fran and Jim McGlothlin were also honored at VCU Commencement, each receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters in recognition of their support of the university. In 2004, the McGlothlins established the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Chair in Neurosurgery at VCU, which is currently held by Harold Young, M.D. In 2011, they made a $25 million commitment to the School of Medicine to create the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Medical Education Center. Jim McGlothlin’s service to the university includes being a lifetime member of the MCV Foundation board of trustees.
campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 23
DAR to name new VP this summer A national search is underway for a new vice president for Development and Alumni Relations at Virginia Commonwealth University following the March 31 retirement of Marti K.S. Heil. Heil had been in the position since June 2013. In an email to colleagues, VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., praised Heil for her leadership in launching the Make It Real Campaign for VCU. The campaign is already at more than 65 percent of its $750 million goal, with about three years to go. School of Business Dean Ed Grier has been serving as interim VP since April 1. Senior Associate Dean Kenneth Kahn has assumed Grier’s School of Business responsibilities until a permanent replacement for Heil is found. Rao added that he expects to name a new vice president this summer. Vice President for Finance and Budget Karol Gray is chairing the search committee, which has representation from VCU’s affiliated foundations, donors, alumni, volunteers, VCU schools and other university and health system stakeholders.
Smile – it’s Amazon’s giving service A new service from retail website Amazon means that you can support Virginia Commonwealth University even as you shop. With AmazonSmile, 0.5 percent of the price of eligible purchases you make on Amazon can be donated to the charitable organization of your choice. All four of VCU’s philanthropic foundations – the bodies that accept and invest gifts in support of the university – are participating. To ensure your purchases qualify, simply enter the Amazon site using the URL http://smile.amazon.com, or visit the homepage as usual and type “Amazon Smile” in the Search bar before selecting your desired charitable organization.
Campaign counter (as of May 8)
Cara Clark (B.F.A.’05/A) Donor and board relations specialist School of Engineering (804) 828-2909 clarkce@vcu.edu
Rachel Hill Stewardship and alumni relations specialist School of Allied Health Professions (804) 828-1357 rhill8@vcu.edu
Carrie Mills Senior major gifts officer VCU Health (804) 828-0423 carrie.r.mills@vcuhealth.org
Shawnte T. Reynolds Communications coordinator School of Nursing Phone: (804) 828-1071 s2streyn@vcu.edu
Polly Roberts Associate director of donor, alumni and stewardship communications, School of Medicine (804) 828-5290 polly.roberts@vcuhealth.org
Allison K. Toney Associate director of outreach and engagement VCU Alumni (804) 827-0311 aktoney@vcu.edu
Sandy C. Turnage
$489.3M
$750M GOAL To learn more about the Make It Real Campaign for VCU, visit campaign.vcu.edu.
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Development team welcomes new members
Director of development School of Business (804) 827-2007 scturnage@vcu.edu
THIS IS MY REAL. Kalyann Kauv (Pharm.D.’17/P)
“My parents fled genocide in Cambodia to give me the chance to work toward a pharmacy career. Thanks to a scholarship, I can pay back my family for their sacrifices and pay forward my gratitude by learning how to better tailor care to underserved people like the Mattaponi.” At VCU, making an impact is what we do. But we can’t do it alone. That’s why we launched the Make It Real Campaign for VCU. How will you help us support people, fund innovations and enhance environments?
Make your impact at campaign.vcu.edu. an equal opportunity/affi rmative action university
Virginia Commonwealth University Development and Alumni Relations Box 843042 Richmond, Virginia 23284-3042
“At its core, social work is about navigating systems to help people become their best selves. This is exactly what the Social Work Administration, Planning, and Policy Practice Scholarship has done for me. With this resource, I can focus less on securing my basic needs and more on helping others. I will honor this gift given to me by paying it forward, facilitating sustainable change on a macro level. We all deserve the chance to become our best selves.� Rebecca Carter School of Social Work student, Class of 2017
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