Impact, fall 2015

Art matters (6) That they may serve (12)

Fall 2015

Hokie at heart (24)

Impact A publication of the Virginia Tech Office of University Development Produced by the Office of University Relations for University Development

Reflections Named in honor of the contributions of President Emeritus Paul Ernest Torgersen, Torgersen Bridge spans Alumni Mall, providing reading-room space and joining Torgersen Hall and Newman Library. Torgersen, head of industrial engineering (1967-70), dean of engineering (1970-90), president of the Corporate Research Center

Director of development communications Albert Raboteau

(1990-94), and university president (1994-2000) died Sunday, March

Publications editor Erica Stacy

Virginia Tech. As dean, he led engineering to national prominence,

Art director Shelley Cline

29, at age 83. Torgersen taught every semester during his years at and as president, he focused on rebuilding financial resources and technology leadership. He was named to the National Academy of Engineering; received two Sporn Awards for teaching excellence; and signed, as dean and president, 62,191 diplomas.

Copy editors Richard Lovegrove, Louellen Sharp Contributing writers Annie McCallum, Rich Polikoff, Albert Raboteau, Erica Stacy Photography Chelsey Allder, Matt Hooker, Dave Knachel, Amanda Loman, Shelby Lum, John McCormick, Jim Stroup, Logan Wallace

Visit http://bit.ly/1DfBJJy to read more about Torgersen’s tenure at Virginia Tech. Photo by Chelsey Allder.

Cover photo: Leo Villareal’s work, "Digital Sublime," an LED light installation, was displayed in the Miles C. Horton Gallery at the Moss Arts Center. Photo by Jim Stroup.

Associate vice president for university relations Larry Hincker ’72, M.B.A. ’94 Mail University Development (0336) University Gateway Center, Virginia Tech 902 Prices Fork Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 Phone 540-231-2801 800-533-1144 Email giving@vt.edu Web www.givingto.vt.edu Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, contact the executive director for Equity and Access at 540231-2010 or Virginia Tech, North End Center, Suite 2300 (0318), 300 Turner St. NW, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

VT/0815/28K/Bison/SC/UD2015-0281

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Contents

my dream job

Buoying undergraduate education

A message from Charlie Phlegar, vice president for advancement

[ 28 ]

Launching a cosmic career

[4]

[ 30 ]

features

Netting a win for future Hokies

Art matters

[ 32 ]

[6]

Corporate connections

That they may serve

DuPont supports materials research

[ 12 ]

[ 34 ]

Northrop Grumman supports leadership in national security

[ 35 ]

departments Scholarship student standouts

Making her mark

[ 16 ]

Scouting for the natural fit

[ 18 ]

Focus on faculty

Faces of philanthropy

Ut Prosim Society: A wonderland of possibilities

[ 20 ]

Hokie at heart

[ 24 ]

Professor's love of education is evident

[ 36 ]

Endowing excellence

Philosophical philanthropy

[ 38 ]

Through the lens

[ 39 ]

Giving society snapshots

Her place in history

[ 26 ]

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MY DREAM JOB

A joy of my former job as Cornell University’s vice president for alumni affairs and development was knowing my work helped one of the world’s premier land-grant institutions position itself for success in the 21st century.

A message from Charlie Phlegar, ’78, M.S. ’87, vice president for advancement

“I am a proud, second-generation Hokie with not one, but two degrees from Virginia Tech. I grew up in Blacksburg and graduated from Blacksburg High School. … It’s fair to say that I bring orange and maroon passion to this job.”

Contact us Email giving@vt.edu Call 540-231-2801 Mail Impact Magazine University Development (0336) University Gateway Center, Virginia Tech 902 Prices Fork Road Blacksburg, VA 24061

I am a proud, second-generation Hokie with not one, but two degrees from Virginia Tech. I grew up in Blacksburg and graduated from Blacksburg High School. My personal experiences give me a unique perspective as I return to my hometown and my alma mater.

It’s fair to say that I bring orange and maroon passion to this job.

I have a deep appreciation for the role of land-grant universities in advancing research, supporting economic development, and fostering the personal and professional fulfillment of students. To help that process at Cornell was, in many respects, a dream job. But to help that process at my alma mater is my dream job.

My father, uncle, brother, sister, spouse, brother-in-law, nephews, and niece all earned their degrees at Virginia Tech. I’m thrilled that my middle daughter, Lauren, will carry on our family’s Hokie tradition starting this year.

For someone like me, whose family has gained so much from this institution, there is a strong emotional pull to serve Virginia Tech. But that is only part of the attraction for me.

While Virginia Tech has been on the rise for years, our school still has tremendous potential to be realized. In Timothy D. Sands, we have a president who recognizes this and has the leadership skills and strategic vision to

Impact [ 4 ] Fall 2015

guide us to greater accomplishments.

We also have an extraordinarily dedicated group of alumni and friends—thousands of people whose generosity fuels our progress.

Throughout my career, I’ve seen philanthropy bring institutions to new heights while also making it possible for individuals to realize their dreams.

In this issue, you will meet students or recent graduates who are doing just that.

You will also meet a dedicated professor who has inspired generations of Hokies. And, in our giving society profiles and coverage of the Ut Prosim Society’s annual gathering, you will meet some of the extraordinary philanthropists who make such an impact on our university.

This issue also highlights some of the many accomplishments of Elizabeth “Betsy” Flanagan, who served as vice president of development and university relations from 2000 through this past June. Thanks to her leadership, and the generosity of people like you, private giving has become an increasingly powerful source of support for a wide range of initiatives at Virginia Tech.

I believe that will continue to be the case in the years to come, and I’m excited to work with you to help ensure our institution continues to grow and thrive.

Five decades of giving

During 2014 and 2015, the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the Pamplin College of Business each celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Anniversaries provide a special opportunity for reflection.

As we look back, it is clear the role that philanthropy has played and continues to play in our growth and development.

Thank you for your support as we strive to invent the future.

Pamplin College of Business During 2015, Pamplin College of Business celebrates its rich heritage of accomplishments in advancing the state of business knowledge, educating generations of students, and promoting economic development through service.

Over the past 50 years, more than 20,000 individuals generously have donated nearly $86 million to the college.

These contributions have provided 273 scholarships, 37 professorships, and 126 program funds.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies Since the College of Architecture and Urban Studies’ founding in 1964, its students, faculty, staff, and administration have built a legacy of excellence in pedagogy, innovation, and engagement. Since 1964 more than 7, 500 donors have contributed more than $41 million to the college. Those funds have helped create 133 scholarships, nine professorships, and 119 program funds.

We want to hear from you!

In order to provide the best philanthropy coverage we can, we are gathering your feedback. Which of our stories inspire you? What would you like to read more about? Do you have ideas about donors or programs that you would like to share? Your opinion matters to us. Look for our survey in your email soon.

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Elementary school students gave members of the Sphinx Virtuosi string ensemble a standing ovation during a free performance for youth at the Moss Arts Center.

matters

by RICH POLIKOFF

More than 400 Southwest Virginia students walked into the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech, unsure what to expect.

By the time they entered, the curtain had already raised. On stage, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet dancers were practicing their leaps and twirls while wearing sweats and leg warmers, rather than the costumes they would don for their performance. The students, all between the sixth and 12th grades, were enraptured by this rare behind-the-scenes look.

“It was a fascinating experience, opening the hood on what the artmaking process looks like,” said Jon Catherwood-Ginn, the center’s partnerships and engagement manager. “This was a very different kind of performance than they might be used to—where the curtain goes up, there’s a performance, and then there’s Q-and-A. This was a chance to demystify what the experience is like for artists.”

Engagement with people throughout Southwest Virginia is a core component of the center’s mission. Since the facility opened in fall 2013, nearly 8,000 students from eight different counties and two cities have attended Continued on page 8

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Joe and Linda Hopkins

All photos courtesy of the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.

Old-time musicians Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle flat-foot danced and displayed their storytelling tapestries, known as “crankies,� at the Center for the Arts’ Crooked Road Festival.

I believe the center brings a highly valued and new character to the university. In addition to the entertainment offerings by the center, the educational opportunities are phenomenal. The center is truly a treasure in our midst.

Joe Hopkins

Kellye Saunders of Dance Theatre of Harlem assisted a young ballet student at the Center of Dance in Blacksburg during a master class organized by the Virginia Tech Center for the Arts.

Students involved in the arts...

...score higher.

...stay in school.

In 2013, students who took four years of arts and music classes while in high school scored an average of 95 points better on their SATs than students who took only one-half year or less. (Scores of 1061 vs 966 respectively)1

4% The dropout rate of students with high arts involvement, low socioeconomic status.

22% The dropout rate of students with low arts involvement, low socioeconomic status.2

...are better at expressing thoughts and ideas.

Students with high arts involvement consistently outscored those with low arts involvement on measures of creative thinking. 3

Continued from page 6 performances. These students have ranged from kindergartners to high-school seniors, and the center has maximized these learning opportunities by providing schools with free study guides that connect the arts with school curricula.

Engagement programs like these are made possible, in part, by gifts such as the endowed programming support the Center for the Arts recently received from Joe and Linda Hopkins of Roanoke, Virginia. The Hopkins’ generous gift will allow more K-12 students from throughout the region to connect with the arts.

This engagement might take place at the Center for the Arts. It also can occur at the students’ schools, because the Hopkins’ endowment will support the work of visiting artists and artists-in-residence who travel throughout the region.

“We see the center as a wonderful solution to the challenges presented by limited time, opportunities, and resources that combine to deter our general public from the enjoyment and growth offered by engagements brought to us by the arts,” said Joe Hopkins (accounting ’71, M.B.A. ’77), who enjoyed a long career as an executive with Norfolk Southern before retiring.

“I believe the center brings a highly valued and new character to the university. In addition to the entertainment offerings by the center, the educational opportunities are phenomenal. The center is truly a treasure in our midst.”

He added that his wife spent her career in education, working as a

Emmanuel Jal youth performance 1. The College Board 2013, 2013 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report, Analysis by Americans for the Arts, 2014. 2. The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth (National Endowment for the Arts) James S. Catterall, Gillian Hampton-Thompson (2012). 3. Learning In and Through the Arts: Curriculum Implications, Judith Burton, Robert Horowitz, Hal Abeles (1999).

teacher and counselor, so she saw first-hand the benefits that occur when students experience the arts.

At the core of the Center for the Arts’ mission is the belief that engagement with the arts has the potential to change lives. This engagement can benefit both dedicated patrons and people who have had little previous exposure to the arts. CatherwoodGinn recalled receiving one note from an elementary-school student who expressed thanks for the experience of seeing the Sphinx Virtuosi, a professional chamber orchestra. A postscript on the note read, “I’d never seen a violin before.”

“Engagement is at the heart of the Center for the Arts’ mission and for Virginia Tech as a land-grant university,” said Ruth Waalkes, the center’s executive director and Virginia Tech’s associate provost for the arts. “An essential part of our work is to promote learning for students of all ages, providing experiences that will help them to live in a world that demands creativity and increased cultural understanding. We’ve had a great response to our free school programs with visiting artists, and we are continuing to build even deeper ties with both K-12 and university faculty.

Keeping our engagement programs vibrant and accessible is essential to our success.”

Continued on page 11

Area children participate in a multimedia “playground” session, led by interactive performance media artists from Italy’s Compagnia TPO.

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Continued from page 9 In many cases, this engagement involves K-12 students as the artists or performers.

Students from throughout Southwest Virginia have appeared on the center’s main stage as part of dance and chorale performances. They’ve created original artworks that have filled the center’s galleries. They’ve also met with highly acclaimed creative professionals.

Students from Community High School in Roanoke had formed a book club that explored the works of creative nonfiction writers. So when best-selling humorist David Sedaris came to Virginia Tech, center staff arranged for seven of the students to meet Sedaris in person.

“For our students, getting time personally with somebody of his scope was exciting,” said Josh Chapman, Community High’s academic director. “It completely changed the way my students think about Virginia Tech.”

In December, Community High students were part of a young artists’ exhibition that included puppetry performances, creative manifestos, and an unscripted appearance in the annual Blacksburg Holiday Parade.

“The Center for the Arts is not solely a gatekeeper,” Chapman said. “It’s an institute that nourishes young people and sees that nourishment as a responsibility to the community.

The staff is generous and smart. We’ve found it one of the best collaborations we’ve ever had in the history of the school.”

It’s a collaboration that will only grow in years to come, with gifts of endowed support like the one provided by Joe and Linda Hopkins.

Opposite, above left: As a capstone experience following a week-long artists' residency by Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle, fifth grade students from Harding Avenue Elementary School’s “What’s On Stage?” program sang old-time songs in the Moss Arts Center’s Cube during the Crooked Road Festival.

Opposite, above right: Members of the Sphinx Virtuosi performed in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre.

Opposite, lower: Young attendees of a free performance at the Moss Arts Center.

Left: Kellye Saunders of Dance Theatre of Harlem smiles alongside the founder and director of Blacksburg’s Center of Dance, Carol Crawford Smith, and young ballet dancers from the Center of Dance, following a master class, organized by the Virginia Tech Center for the Arts.

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Thatmay theyserve

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

A scholarship created by former members of Virginia Tech’s student government will make serving in office a more accessible opportunity.

Tanushri Shankar plans to work internationally as a social advocate for women.

She’s interned for the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech and served as a public speaking coach, and those experiences are likely to feature on her résumé. But when it comes to extracurricular activities, she said her experience in student government stands out the most.

“It’s the first thing on my résumé when it comes to extracurricular involvement,” said Shankar, a rising senior from Rockville, Maryland, who is majoring in public relations. “SGA has really made my college experience.”

Shankar served as Student Government Association (SGA) vice president during the 2014-2015 school year and estimated she spent as many as 20 hours a week on projects related to her role. That figure may well increase for 2015-2016,

when she will serve as president.

While Shankar is quick to recommend serving in student government to her peers, she said “a lot of students say they don’t have time to do something as heavily involved as SGA, and mostly the reason that they give is they have to work. A lot of my friends work jobs that are 20-25 hours a week, which is a lot.”

“A powerful endorsement.”

Virginia Tech Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo recalls speaking a few years ago

with an SGA member who nearly quit the organization because of difficulty juggling his duties, his studies, and a 30-hour-a-week side job.

“He barely had the resources to continue,” Perillo recalled, “and there are other students who won’t even think about applying to be an SGA leader because they just can’t spare the time.”

Concern that students were missing out on a valuable opportunity to develop leadership skills prompted Perillo to discuss the situation with former members of student government, which led to generous contributions Former Student Government Association presidents gathered with Patty Perillo, vice president of student affairs. Top row, left to right: Bo Hart, Steven Schneider, Bob Jones, and Jeff Swartz. Middle row, left to right: Elizabeth Lazor, Patty Perillo, and Don Norris.

Bottom row, left to right: Dustin Dorph, Bill Coulbourne, and Ray Smoot.

Continued on page 14

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

Leadership development is one of the most important things that land-grant universities do.

Don Norris

photo by SHELBY LUM

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The 2015 swearing in ceremony for Virginia Tech’s newest Student Government Association officers was held in April at the Pylons.

Continued from page 12 SGA presidential candidates Joe Jajonie and Tanushri Shankar shook hands before a candidate debate held at Squires Student Center.

toward a scholarship for which student government leaders could apply.

“This absolutely is a powerful endorsement of the value and the importance of the experience of SGA,” Perillo said. “It signals that the experience mattered so much to past leaders that they want to make sure all students have the chance to serve.”

One former student government president to donate was Bill Coulbourne, who earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering in 1968; lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; and is a structural engineer with his own consulting practice.

He credited “the opportunities it gave me to learn how to get things done through other people and just practice leadership,” with helping him to establish a fulfilling career.

photo by SHELBY LUM

“It took me an extra semester to get out of school because I spent so much time in student government, so I realized we ought to try to figure out a way to lessen the financial burden a little bit so kids not only have an

opportunity to serve, but to get out of school in a reasonable amount of time,” Coulbourne added.

Don Norris is another former student government president who contributed toward the scholarship.

“Leadership development is one of the most important things that land-grant universities do,” said Norris (engineering mechanics ’70, M.B.A. ’73), who lives in Herndon, Virginia, and has an international consulting company that works with colleges, universities, and technology companies that serve higher education. “Commitment to service and leadership development is something that universities like Virginia Tech do especially well. I see that as a professional in the higher education field.”

“A big stepping stone” In an effort to serve their fellow students, Shankar and several of her student government colleagues spent a couple of hours in Squires Student Center this past spring semester as

A look back Elizabeth Lazor, who served as president of the Virginia Tech Student Government Association during the 2014-2015 academic year, recently reflected on her experiences. Lazor, who is from Centreville,Virginia, graduated in May with a degree in finance from the Pamplin College of Business. While at Virginia Tech, she earned the Henry Dekker Student Leadership Award and the H.H. Mitchell Outstanding Leadership Award.

“Having the privilege of serving our Hokie community as Virginia Tech's student body president gave me the opportunity to live out Ut Prosim.

The work I did this past year not only developed my professional skills, it gave me purpose and passion beyond the walls of the classroom.”

Former Student Government Association President Elizabeth Lazor

Hannah Thomas (left), Tanushri Shankar (center), and Bijan Peters (right) at the Open Education Week kickoff at Squires Student Center photo by JIM STROUP

part of an event called Open Education Week to highlight affordable ways to get access to course content.

One of the officers on hand was Hannah Thomas, from Troy, Illinois, who is majoring in political science. Thomas served as SGA’s director of academic affairs. In addition to organizing Open Education Week, her role with SGA included assisting in the organization of Majors Fair, where undecided students or students who were considering changing a major could meet representatives of various academic departments.

Thomas said she was proud to have helped increase attendance at the fair by 39 percent over the previous year, and was likely to cite accomplishments like that when seeking employment down the road.

“SGA is a big stepping stone,” she said. “I’ve learned so many life skills from it, and I know it’s something that definitely is going to help me.”

Bijan Peters served as director of alumni affairs for SGA and also participated in Open Education Week. He joined SGA his first year on campus, and immediately got a position of considerable responsibility—overseeing the Hokie Effect T-shirt program.

“Within my first couple of months I was writing requests for proposals and meeting with vendors from Florida, South Carolina, and Boston,” Peters said.

“They were showing me products they had done for events like the Super Bowl. I was there thinking ‘I’m 18 years old.’ It was a very interesting position to be in.”

Years later, however, it’s a very Impact [ 15 ]

Fall 2015

tangible experience that Peters can cite.

“Anytime you get into an interview process, they can confirm your transcript and things like that,” he said. “The questions they ask are to tell about experiences where you’ve struggled and overcame it, and SGA was able to help me be ready to answer those questions. I’ve learned more from my experiences in student government than I ever would have anticipated coming in. I was very lucky to have that opportunity.”

Thanks to the generosity of former student government officers who feel the same way— and have created a scholarship as a result—future students who might not otherwise be able to serve in student government will be able to take advantage of that opportunity as well.

SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT STANDOUTS

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

It’s expected that a university will leave an imprint on students long after they graduate.

In the case of Jett Hagy, the reverse is true as well.

A native of Rural Retreat, Virginia, Hagy completed her bachelor’s in studio art in December 2014. In one of the highlights of her student experience, she won a commission to paint a large mural on a wall near the waiting room in the Schiffert Health Center, as well as several paintings for conference rooms in the health center.

Her mural helps create a welcoming atmosphere for students from a variety of nations. Executed in acrylic paint over drawings she first did in pencil, it says “welcome” in 13 languages, displays the names of 18 nations, and shows iconic imagery from many of them.

Hagy said the mural “is kind of like an advertisement” not only for the university’s diversity, but for her as an artist just starting out on her career.

“I’ve had people recognize me, recognize my name from the

Jett Hagy, artist and scholarship recipient, painted a mural at the Schiffert Health Center.

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painting, which is really fun,” said Hagy, who continued to live and work in Blacksburg during the spring semester of 2015.

Like many students, Hagy worked several jobs to help cover the cost of school. Fortunately, she said, scholarship aid helped her manage the number of hours she had to spend in jobs unrelated to her educational and career aims.

“Every little bit helped,” said Hagy, whose scholarships included one named for Derek Myers, an associate professor emeritus in the

photo by JIM STROUP

SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT STANDOUTS

College of Architecture and Urban Studies’ School of Visual Arts who died in 2009. “I tried as hard as I could to not have my parents pay as much toward my education. Scholarships were able to open up possibilities for me to take more classes, and took stress off me.”

The experience made her think about pursuing teaching, though her initial job search focused on work in museums, Hagy added.

Boucher said Hagy has a strong sense of herself, which helps her art to stand out, but she also displays the willingness to embrace new experiences that should serve her well as she charts a career in the arts.

“I don’t think she’s ever said ‘no I don’t want to try something,’” Boucher said.

“When you’re an artist, you have to find a way to make a living with what you do, so having that breadth of experience will take you farther.”

Hagy described her work as realistic, with some influence from the Surrealism movement.

She said her favorite medium is pencil, but she met her favorite teacher in her first class in oil painting.

Hagy credits Robin Boucher, the arts programs director for Student Engagement and Campus Life, with helping her take advantage of opportunities. These included working in the Perspectives Gallery, located in Squires Students Center, and teaching children to paint as part of an outreach program at the Blacksburg Farmers Market.

“I had never really thought about working with kids before, but I really enjoyed it,” Hagy said.

Hagy has applied to museums in Abingdon, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, among others, for employment.

While her career may take her out of the Southwest Virginia region she has called home all her life, she is certain to remember her Virginia Tech experience fondly for years to come.

Jett Hagy's "Miss You" Artist Statement "'Miss You' is one of the most personal pieces I’ve ever done. I drew its inspiration from my grandfather, the impact he had on my life, and the fact that he is no longer here. He was the greatest artist I knew and I firmly believe my talent and love of art came directly from him. I spent most of my childhood watching him paint and draw, so I like to think of this drawing as the start of his legacy that he instilled within me long ago.

Although he is gone, I can still try to keep his spirit alive just a little bit longer with my art."

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Meanwhile, the mark Hagy made in Blacksburg will continue to be seen by the thousands of people who use the main hall of Schiffert Health Center.

More on the Web: Jett Hagy’s work with children at the Blacksburg Farmers Market is highlighted in a video at http://bit.ly/hagyvideo.

SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT STANDOUTS

Scouting for the natural fit

by ERICA STACY

Brad Fleming is using his experiences and education to influence the environmental footprint of the world.

Fleming, who is from Midlothian, Virginia, graduated from Virginia Tech in May 2015 with a degree in natural resource conservation.

“When I took Advanced Placement environmental science in high school, I was really interested in global warming,” Fleming said.

“Specifically, it was fascinating because of the controversy and the Camp Ottari staff with a connection politics involved. to Virginia Tech, including Bob Garst I began to (front row, far left) and Brad Fleming (front row, far right) took a moment understand that to share their Hokie spirit during the communicating summer of 2014. the results of scientific

studies doesn’t make a difference on its own.”

Fleming determined that he wanted his future to involve helping others understand the implications of scientific results.

“People need someone to help them understand science,” he said.

“It’s not enough to publish facts.

They need to be interpreted and communicated in a way that makes more people care and want to make changes.”

Garst, a member of the Ut Prosim Society of donors to Virginia Tech, also contributes to the College of Natural Resources and Environment Leadership Institute.

In fall 2013, Fleming attended a career fair on campus.

“The idea of this scholarship is to attract highly qualified college students at Boy Scout Camp Ottari,” said Garst. “Brad, an Eagle Scout and College of Natural Resources and Environment student, was exactly the type of student and person we hoped to reward.”

As an Eagle Scout, he was drawn to the table staffed by the Boys Scouts of America. There, he discovered a unique opportunity that would give him not only the chance to put his ideas into action, but also to earn scholarship assistance for his senior year at Virginia Tech.

“The representative told me about an opportunity to work at Camp Ottari as a wildlife instructor,” Fleming explained. “It was connected to a scholarship at Virginia Tech.

I was excited about the chance because it would be my first job related to my major. It would give me a chance to teach and to help other boys move toward Eagle.”

Later, Fleming would learn that the Boy Scouting representative with whom he had spoken was retired Lt. Col. Robert Garst Jr. (forestry and wildlife ’66) of Roanoke, Virginia, the donor behind the Camp Ottari scholarship opportunity.

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For eight weeks during the summer of 2014, Fleming served as a nature instructor at Camp Ottari, which is located on the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation in Pulaski County, Virginia. He instructed boys who were working on merit badges, presented a snake show two nights each week, and organized special frog hikes, in addition to what he described as, “lots of cheesy, fun camp stuff.”

The highlight of the summer came when Fleming was not only tapped out for scouting’s honor society, the Order of the Arrow, but also named Camp Ottari Outstanding Staff Member of 2014.

“It was one of the best summers of my life,” Fleming said. “I spent the summer at camp using my Tech education, sharing information about wildlife and the outdoors with other boys, and it gave me a chance to help my parents with the cost of my education.”

SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT STANDOUTS

People need someone to help them understand science.

It’s not enough to publish facts. They need to be interpreted and communicated in a way that makes more people care and want to make changes.

Brad Fleming

All photos courtesy of MATT HOOKER

A real-life example Brad Fleming, who is an Eagle Scout, first developed a love for the outdoors through his experiences with the Boy Scouts of America. According to statistics compiled by the organization, for every 100 boys who enter, eight will find their future life vocations from Scouting, and four will reach the rank of Eagle.

Fleming, who graduated from the College of Natural Resources and Environment in May, credits his background as a Boy Scout and the leadership skills he developed working toward his Eagle rank as key to his campus activities and his plans for the future.

At Virginia Tech, Fleming was an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha, serving as president of the chapter his senior year. He also participated in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an honor society dedicated to high-achieving students, and assisted with two graduate students’ research projects. One involved snapping turtles, and the other involved birds.

Fleming aspires to serve in the Peace Corps. He also plans to attend graduate school and work toward a career in wildlife conservation that will focus on the study and preservation of large mammals.

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Ut Prosim Society: A wonderland of possibilities With the induction of 164 individuals this spring, the Ut Prosim Society grew to more than 2,400 members, a strong illustration of the generosity that helps Virginia Tech invent the future.

The theme for the 2015 annual gathering of the Ut Prosim Society, which was held in the spring, was “A Wonderland of Possibilities,” based on the novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. This year marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of the book.

In a keynote address, Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands described how the university serves as a wonderland to the many students and faculty members who study, conduct research, and create solutions to the complex issues our world faces today. He highlighted the development of new programs and the construction of state-of-the art spaces designed to enrich learning and foster innovation, and recognized the role of philanthropy in the success of these projects.

5 Rich Carpenter ’67, Carmen and Len ’69 Michon, 1 Kathy and General Randy Fullhart, and and Jim Pearman ’70 J. ’87 and Renae ’90 Pearson

2 Interior decor detail

6 Jean ’69 and John ’67 Montague

3 Jessica and Kelly ’90 Woolwine

7 Pat ’71 and Nancy Artis

4 Debbie Petrine ’78 and Cynda Johnson

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8 Sandy Davis, Robby ’97 and Katy Moser, Fall 2015and

Dawn Campbell

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Ut Prosim Society: A wonderland of possibilities 1 Mickey ’64 and Sarah Hayes; Robert ’81 and Robin Smith; Dixie and Glenn ’76 Reynolds; Larry ’72, ’94 and Susan Hincker 2 Gloria Turley and Joseph Turley ’09 3 Mark Whitehouse ’80, Melinda Talley, Molly Whitehouse, Marquetta Porth, and Linda Hodges 4 Lisa ’93 and Brian ’93 Karlisch 5 Bruce Vogelaar, Pramila Raghavan, and Jenny Orzolek 6 Interior decor detail 7 Teresa Steger, Mary Grove ’84, and Miranda Grove ’12

Event and background Impact [ 23 ] Fall 2015 photos

by Shelby Lum, Jim Stroup, and Logan Wallace

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

While speaking at Virginia Tech donor events, University of Virginia alumna Elizabeth A. “Betsy” Flanagan would sometimes joke that while she had earned a degree at her employer’s rival, she still considered herself a Hokie.

In May, her Hokie status was cemented.

At a gathering of Virginia Tech’s Ut Prosim Society of donors, it was announced that the Alumni Association had named Flanagan an honorary alumna of Virginia Tech—a distinction fewer than 12 people have received.

The rare honor recognized Flanagan’s leadership during a period of dramatic gains in private fundraising for the university. During the five fiscal years prior to her arrival in July 2000, yearly gift income averaged about $46 million.

Between fiscal years 2010 and 2015, the average was $84 million.

photo by LOGAN WALLACE

“Dr. Flanagan was at the helm throughout an era of extraordinary growth, helping create a strong financial backdrop,” Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands said.

The many initiatives Flanagan spearheaded include creating the President’s Circle within the Ut Prosim Society; starting the Women in Leadership and Philanthropy initiative; and overseeing The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future, which closed in 2011 after raising $1.11 billion in current or future support.

The campaign was launched with a goal of $1 billion even though consultants recommended an $800 million target.

photo by LOGAN WALLACE

Impact [ 24 ]

“She is a very strong leader,” said John R. Lawson II, who along with David Calhoun co-chaired the campaign’s public

Fall 2015

phase, after the quiet phase was co-chaired by Gene Fife and Bill Holtzman. “Her cheerful and unflinchingly positive attitude enabled us to achieve far more than was recommended. And we did it during the dark days of a historically bad recession.”

Carole Pratt, a lifetime member of the Women in Leadership and Philanthropy Council that Flanagan helped organize, credited her with recognizing “there were untapped, wonderful resources in women alumnae and women students, and she took that idea and ran with it.”

Pratt added: “Women’s giving increased dramatically during Betsy’s tenure here, and I think we’re all very proud of what has happened from that.”

Before joining Virginia Tech, Flanagan served as assistant vice president for development and director of individual, major, and planned gifts at U.Va. Charles W. Steger, Virginia Tech President Emeritus, hired her during his first year as president of the university.

“Looking around the campus today, we can see evidence of Betsy’s special skills,” Steger said. “Many of our newest buildings were made possible only by the gifts of friends and alumni.”

Steger also credited Flanagan with “putting in place photo by JIM STROUP

protocols and an organization that significantly increased annual revenue” from fundraising.

Flanagan said she was both honored and touched to have been named an honorary alumna of an institution she has enjoyed serving for a decade and a half.

“Education makes it possible for people to achieve their dreams in life,” she said. “I’m so proud of what our university does for those it serves. It’s been a truly special experience working with our talented faculty and staff—and with such an amazing, generous group of alumni and friends.”

photo by LOGAN WALLACE

photo by JIM STROUP

PHOTOS: Opposite page, Elizabeth “Betsy” Flanagan at the 2011 Campaign Closing Celebration Dinner; members of Women in Leadership and Philanthropy, an initiative established under the leadership of Betsy Flanagan in 2002. This page, Gene Fife, John R. Lawson II, Betsy Flanagan, Charles Steger, and Dave Calhoun at the 2011 Campaign Closing Celebration Dinner; Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands, Betsy Flanagan, and Vice President for Alumni Relations Tom Tillar; and Betsy Flanagan in her office.

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For Karen Rehm, U.S. history set the stage for a career that spanned more than three decades and crisscrossed the nation.

“Honestly, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by history,” Rehm said. “When I was in elementary school, I had a friend whose father worked for the postal service in Philadelphia. When our schools were closed on government holidays, he took us to visit sites like the Betsy Ross House.

And when I visited the library, I always chose the biographies. I loved learning about real people and places from the past.”

For Rehm, history isn’t just about looking back. It’s about giving back.

“The study of what has come before provides a foundation for the future,” said Rehm, who earned her bachelor’s in history from Virginia Tech in 1975 and has a master’s in that subject from George Mason University. “It’s hard to move forward without appreciating and understanding where you’ve been.”

That principle has guided not only her career, but her life.

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A member of the Pylon Society, Rehm has consistently donated to support Virginia Tech. She also helps her school by serving as president of the Williamsburg Virginia Tech Alumni Association Chapter, which formed in 1998.

“Virginia Tech is a special place. I designate my gifts to the history department because classes like Dr. [James] Robertson’s on the Civil War, which I was lucky enough to take part in when I was a student, helped history come to life,” she said. “It is exciting to know that my gifts might inspire the historians of the future.”

At Virginia Tech, Rehm was a member of the Tri-Delta sorority and worked on the staff of “The Bugle,” the university’s yearbook.

“My time at Tech was a highlight of my life,” she said. “Looking back, I know that the education I received there was a big part of what enabled me to have such an amazing professional life.”

It was “Sierra,” a short-lived television series, that first inspired the direction of Rehm’s career. The series depicted

Impact [ 26 ] Fall 2015

by ERICA STACY

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fictionalized accounts of the responsibilities of National Park Service rangers. Although the show was cancelled just a few months after it debuted, Rehm's interest in park-service employment continued to grow.

Unfortunately, in 1975, when she began pursuing her career in earnest, high unemployment and record-breaking inflation in the United States made finding any job challenging. Starting out, Rehm accepted a series of odd jobs unrelated to her education, yet she never lost sight of her dream to work for the National Park Service as a historian.

Her opportunity came in an unexpected form.

“I applied for a job as a clerk typist,” Rehm said. “The position was in the National Park Service’s historic architecture program. I hoped that if I worked hard and made a positive impression, it would lead to something better or at least give me an advantage in hearing about potential openings.”

photo from CREATIVE COMMONS

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“I started my dream job behind a typewriter,” she said, offering the following advice to new graduates: “Take advantage of every opportunity. You never know where it might lead.”

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Virginia Tech’s Pylon Society recognizes those who give to the university year after year. Learn more at http://bit.ly/pylon-society.

Background photo courtesy of LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

During the next 30 years, Rehm earned a master’s degree in history from George Mason University and changed positions several times, taking her from Cowpens National

In 1997, a chief historian position at Colonial National Historical Park brought Rehm full circle.

“My job was based out of the park at Yorktown Battlefield,” she said. “For a girl from Richmond, it was like coming home.”

Rehm retired from the National Park Service in 2012.

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“My first real job as a historian included lots of travel to various parks to collect data about historic structures,” said Rehm. “I spent six years visiting different locations and reviewing materials for accuracy.”

Battlefield in South Carolina to Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania and to Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia. She also spent several years headquartered in Atlanta while working on projects for the park service’s Southeast Region, which includes locations in the Dry Tortugas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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For Rehm, it was a gamble with a tremendous payoff, jumpstarting a 35-year career. When an opening for a full-time historian became available, she seized the opportunity.

I started my dream job behind a typewriter.

Take advantage of every opportunity.

You never know where it might lead.

Karen Rehm

Impact [ 27 ]

Fall 2015

A view of the York River from Bellfield Plantation Site.

photo by LOGAN WALLACE

Laurie and Barbara Rennie

by RICH POLIKOFF

Retired neurologist Laurie Rennie (biological sciences ’50) has always been a man of many interests.

As a student at Virginia Tech, he lettered as a swimmer and was a member of the Corps of Cadets who played trumpet in the Highty-Tighties.

Along with his wife, Barbara, the 86-year-old Rennie splits his time between Richmond, Virginia, and Dunedin, Florida, where he races 22-foot sailboats.

“I retired from neurology in 1997, and since then Barbara and I have sailed a great deal,” Rennie said in a booming voice. “We’ve sailed down the Intercoastal Waterways, up

Chesapeake Bay, around Long Island Sound, places like that.”

Rennie added that he raced large boats with his twin brother, Wayland (agronomy ’50), for 27 years.

Fittingly, given his broad span of personal interests, Rennie has supported a range of areas at Virginia Tech over the years.

He has given generously in support of the Corps of Cadets, the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Mathematics, and other areas, including swimming.

Rennie has a passion for supporting undergraduate education, and has focused the majority of his giving in

Impact [ 28 ] Fall 2015

support of those students who are beginning their highereducation journeys.

“I think we need to look at our undergraduates, because they’re the heart of the school,” said Rennie, who qualified for Virginia Tech’s Caldwell Society in 2015. “We’re going to be a world-class research school, but undergraduate education is where most of the students are.

That’s where people come from, and where they get their loyalty.”

Rennie noted that many of today’s undergraduates arrive on campus as he did, uncertain of which professional direction to pursue. Rennie came to Virginia Tech thinking he would study

industrial engineering, but after making good enough grades to earn induction in the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, he switched over to biological sciences.

While at Virginia Tech, Rennie started and ran a Boy Scout troop along with a schoolmate, Bill Linkenhoker (forestry and wildlife ’49).

Rennie was inspired to go into medicine when a close friend was stricken with mental illness.

He earned his M.D. at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1954.

From 1955-1957, Rennie was a physician at the U.S. Military Academy, followed by five years in medical and neurological residencies. He then returned to Richmond to become a professor of neurology and help

to start a residency program in that discipline.

In 1969, Rennie co-founded Richmond-based Neurological Associates, which grew to become one of the largest neurological practices on the East Coast.

Rennie and his wife have five children and nine grandchildren. He retired close to 20 years ago, and has stayed busy during that time. In addition to extensive sailing and traveling, he volunteered at a free health clinic until just recently.

Rennie remains involved with his alma mater not only through philanthropy, but through longstanding friendships with fellow Hokies.

When he and his wife are in Richmond, they reside in a community where “there are four Hokies within 75 yards of me who were with me in the corps,” Rennie said.

“I think (Virginia Tech) was a place I loved because you made lifelong friends,” he added.

“Very few people came to Tech with a sense of entitlement. You were judged on your merits. You had everything from sons of coal miners to those of farmers or business people.”

Rennie enjoyed going to Virginia Tech with students from many backgrounds. He takes pride in knowing his support makes a superior education possible for the diverse population of undergraduate Hokies.

Laurie and Barbara Rennie are members of the Caldwell Society of donors. For more information on the society, visit http://bit.ly/caldwell-society.

Laurie Rennie and his twin brother, Wayland Rennie, raced large sailboats for more than 27 years. Photo courtesy of Laurie Rennie.

LAUNCHING A COSMIC CAREER

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

As an 8-year-old, Kevin Crofton gazed in amazement at a tiny television while Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

Like many boys that day, he dreamed of flying to space.

Unfortunately, lacking 20-20 vision made it impossible for him to become an astronaut.

But it couldn’t keep him earthbound altogether.

After earning his bachelor’s in aerospace and ocean engineering from Virginia Tech in 1982, Crofton spent the first decade of his career working on U.S. Department of Defense and commercial programs in propulsion for United Technologies, including Boeing’s Inertial Upper Stage Program, which positioned satellites in geosynchronous orbit from the Space Shuttle.

The job presented Crofton with a fairly unique opportunity to make his mark on the cosmos, and he took full advantage of it.

“One night a colleague and I went into the manufacturing area and spackled some of our hair onto a side wall inside a rocket motor,” Crofton said. “So when the satellite was launched out of the cargo bay, our DNA went out into space as well. I didn’t manage to get my full body up there, but at least I got some DNA up there.”

Crofton credits his parents with teaching him the importance of perseverance, hard work, and adaptability while he was growing up in Fincastle, Virginia. Throughout his life, he said, he has drawn on those characteristics in order to succeed, first in the aerospace industry, and more recently in the semiconductor business. He is president of a United Kingdom-based company called SPTS Technologies Ltd., which provides advanced wafer processing technologies for the microelectronics industry.

Crofton’s ability to work hard and persevere were put to the test at Virginia Tech. He paid his way through school by taking a wide variety of jobs, including furniture delivery, washing test tubes, and singing in the lounge of a Marriott Hotel.

And he got through a challenging engineering program even Starbust Galaxy M82 taken by the Hubble Telescope Photo courtesy of NASA

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

though, in his words, he “wasn’t the brightest pea in the pod.”

Chair position would make a major impact.

Crofton credits Associate Professor Richard Goff with providing the encouragement it took for him to continue working his way through particularly difficult material.

“To have an endowed chair in the department is wonderful from the perspective of allowing us to recruit somebody of national or international prominence,” he said. “This level of gift will generate revenue that will not only allow us to offer a very competitive salary, but to offer an operations budget for the chair’s research.”

“He encouraged me, and that meant everything,” Crofton said.

Crofton said he benefitted greatly from his interactions with faculty in the Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering and used his education to realize his professional dreams. So when he was looking to give back to the university in gratitude, endowing a faculty chair position appealed to him.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Kevin for this extraordinary donation,” College of Engineering Dean Richard Benson said of the $2 million Crofton gave. “For a graduate of this department to give back to it so generously speaks volumes about him as a person. We also view this donation as a powerful endorsement of the quality of our research and teaching. Gifts like this inspire us to do all we can to provide a superior environment for education and research, and they help us to reach that goal.”

Though it technically did not send him into space, Crofton said his Virginia Tech experience “launched me on to a great career.

It provided not only the requisite technical skills, but also the critical thinking skills—and the thirst to learn more, always—that

have stuck with me through life.

Getting an engineering degree wasn’t easy, and there were dark days when I questioned whether I’d get through. But the program also taught me that perseverance pays off as well. In a way, this [gift] is an opportunity to outwardly express my gratitude.”

Kevin Crofton is a member of the President's Circle within Virginia Tech’s Ut Prosim Society, a select group of the university’s most generous donors. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/ut-prosim-society.

Eric Paterson, head of the Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, discussed how the Kevin Crofton Faculty Kevin Crofton and College of Engineering Dean Richard Benson photo by LOGAN WALLACE

Impact [ 31 ]

Fall 2015

Netting a win for future Hokies

by ERICA STACY

Achieving balance is essential when it comes to finance. But for Janet Poulson (finance ’83), leveling the scales is not simply a product of the principles of accounting.

When not helping clients through the tax and accounting practice she owns and operates in Richmond, Virginia, Poulson enjoys an active lifestyle. A sports enthusiast, she plays tennis and golf, as well as taking advantage of every opportunity to support Hokie athletes from the sidelines.

“I enjoy my work, but I also think it is important to reserve time for fun,” she noted. “I am selective about the clients I work with and keep my practice limited so that I have the chance to enjoy activities outside my profession.

Work-life balance is important to me.”

Poulson served on the boards of the Richmond Ski Club and Executive Women’s Golf Club of Richmond in various positions.

She is also a member of her city’s Hokie Club.

“As a Hokie, you are never alone,” she said. “It’s a family that keeps growing. Wherever you go, there is always a Hokie in the crowd.”

It was through her association with the club and her friendship with Virginia Tech alumnus, James H. Cochrane Jr. (architecture and urban studies ’84) that Poulson began to

Junior Francesca Fusinato, Virginia Tech women's tennis, at the Burrows-Burleson tennis center

Tennis photos by DAVE KNACHEL/ VIRGINIA TECH ATHLETICS

learn about the many ways that alumni and friends give back to the university. Poulson credits Cochrane, who is a member of the President’s Circle of the Ut Prosim Society, with inspiring her to research information online about scholarships and legacy gifts.

“I didn’t know about all of the ways that you can give,” she said.

“I have done pretty well. I have no children of my own. I wanted to do something to support the school.”

For Poulson, an expert in financial decision-making, the appeal of making a planned gift was clear.

“I don’t know exactly what the future will hold, but I have planned pretty well, I think,” she said. “With a planned gift, I can give a little now and more later.”

Reflecting her personal and professional passions, her gift will fund scholarships for the Pamplin College of Business and for student athletes in tennis.

Poulson is a native of Suffolk, Virginia, and earned a minor in English, as well as her finance degree.

working full time, she earned a second bachelor’s, in accounting, from Christopher Newport University.

“I thought I wanted to be a stockbroker,” Poulson said. “I wanted to work in a big place, deal with big money, experience big opportunities. So when it came to college, I wanted a big school. I believed that Tech had the best business school, so it seemed like the right fit.”

In 1993, Poulson accepted a position with the Virginia Department of Taxation, performing corporate and individual audits, a role she held for eight years.

While enrolled at Virginia Tech, an experience as a student intern with a female broker sent her career in a different direction than she had planned.

“The business world had been dominated by men for years,” Poulson explained. “The women in the brokerage field were tough. They had to be. The hours were exceptionally long, and the competition was cutthroat.

I just wasn’t sure that was how I wanted to spend my life.”

Poulson began her career at a firm managing mortgage disclosures. Later, while still

In 2000, a friend approached her with an offer to manage his tax practice. Poulson agreed. In 2003, she took over ownership of the company, which she continues to operate today.

In addition, she manages her family’s real estate business.

Poulson cites her experiences at Virginia Tech as being key to her professional successes.

“I couldn’t do what I do today without the foundation my Virginia Tech education gave me,” said Poulson. “I have something I can give back, so I think I should do just that. At the end of the day, that’s how you make the books balance out.”

Janet Poulson is a member of the Legacy Society of donors who have made deferred gifts in support of the university. Learn more about the society by visiting http://bit.ly/legacy-society.

Janet Poulson

CORPORATE CONNECTIONS

DuPont supports materials research

by ANNIE MCCALLUM

Long said the partnership builds upon an existing, strong relationship between Virginia Tech and DuPont, a company that specializes in the science and engineering of new polymeric products, materials, and services.

photo by CHELSEA ALLDER

Long said DuPont already had a strong presence on campus, with representatives serving on departmental advisory boards, and this collaboration will build on that presence.

Tim Long

DuPont Building Innovations and Virginia Tech will partner on the development and design of futuristic building materials as part of a new fellowship established by a recent gift from the company.

“We’re excited to partner with Virginia Tech and use our building science to better meet customer needs,” said William Ranson, technology manager for DuPont Building Innovations. “Together, we will help develop new applications that can make buildings more sustainable and better equipped for the needs of the future.”

Virginia Tech Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute Tim

“This award really represents a key partnership for Virginia Tech because DuPont is located within the commonwealth,” Long said. “Having DuPont in close proximity to Virginia Tech represents an exciting opportunity for our students.”

The fellowship will link DuPont’s building innovations business and its Richmond team with Virginia Tech.

The two organizations will collaborate on workforce development for students and sustainable business solutions research.

“This is the first foray into tailoring polymeric materials for the architecture of the future,” Long said.

“The gift will be important, because it will nurture a better awareness of next-generation materials needs for future housing, specifically as it relates to energy and water management. Water and energy management are two of the most pressing challenges our students will face in the workforce of the future.”

Northrop Grumman supports leadership in national security

by ANNIE MCCALLUM

Northrop Grumman has funded a scholarship program at Virginia Tech and a faculty fellowship. It's gift is aimed at creating leaders who are poised to solve the national security challenges of the 21st century.

The global security company, which is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, committed $750,000 to establish an operating account for the Northrop Scholarship recipient Madeline Guillen

Faculty Fellow Jonathan Black

Grumman Scholarship Program in Military Leadership

Impact [ 34 ] Fall 2015

CORPORATE CONNECTIONS

and endow the Northrop Grumman Senior Faculty

dean of Virginia Tech's College of Engineering. “This

Fellowship in Advanced Intelligence Systems.

partnership will produce engineers who understand

The scholarship supports Corps of Cadets students

today’s national security challenges and possess the

in the College of Engineering. The fellowship is held

expertise necessary to handle those of the future.”

by Jonathan Black, a faculty member in the College of

Northrop Grumman’s gift is expected to encourage

Engineering who is affiliated with the Ted and Karyn

the growth of innovation and education in command,

Hume Center for National Security and Technology.

control, communications, computers, intelligence,

“We are deeply appreciative of this generous gift

surveillance, and reconnaissance, sometimes referred

from Northrop Grumman,” said Richard Benson,

to as C4ISR within defense industry.

Do you have a partnership opportunity or wish to learn more about our existing programs?

For additional information on corporate and foundation giving, and additional examples of such gifts, visit www.cfr.givingto.vt.edu.

Impact [ 35 ]

Fall 2015

Professor’s love for education is evident

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

Social sciences research and teaching leads Edward Weisband to focus on conflicts and atrocities, but the final lecture of every semester of his course on nations and nationalities is devoted to love and empathy.

“I argue that all we are given to know about each other, conceptually, is grounded in human pain, so that is the source of understanding our common humanity,” he said. “If you care enough about others, if you bring a genuine sense of compassion, you have the strength to struggle against the darkness.”

As the Edward S. Diggs Endowed Chair in the Social Sciences, Weisband teaches many students who aspire to public service, where avoiding cynicism and promoting the best in human nature is particularly important.

However, his emphasis on lifelong curiosity, open-mindedness, and optimism has influenced students from all sorts of majors. And thanks in part to the chaired position he holds—endowed with funds from the estate of Hattie Diggs— Weisband has helped improve the overall teaching environment at Virginia Tech.

Soon after joining Virginia Tech and becoming the Diggs Chair, he initiated the Diggs Teaching Roundtable and Diggs Teaching Scholar Award. The roundtable provides an opportunity for faculty members to learn from each other and implement effective teaching methods. The award recognizes particularly effective teachers.

Education, and winning Virginia Tech’s Philip and Sadie Sporn Award for Outstanding Teaching of Introductory Subjects.

It’s safe to say Weisband is such a teacher himself.

One student who did just that was James Wyatt Whitehead V (curriculum and instruction ’92, M.A. ’94), who became a high school teacher in Loudoun County, Virginia.

His many distinctions in this area include twice being named outstanding professor of the year by the Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honors Society, being selected as a National Professor of the Year finalist by the Council for Advancement and Support of

Impact [ 36 ] Fall 2015

Weisband’s effectiveness in the classroom is also illustrated by how often his former students reach out to thank him for his efforts to help them learn and grow.

“He had high standards without being condescending or browbeating,” Whitehead said. “He took time to show me how to think and write. I’ve been passing along

those secrets to deep thinking and writing to my students at Briar Woods High School in AP U.S. history class. My students regularly score high enough to earn college credit.”

Kristin Lenda (international studies ’94, French ’94), a senior vice president at PNC Bank, is another former student who has reached out to Wesiband. She still recalls her first day sitting in Weisband’s international studies course lecture, back in 1990, expecting a typical presentation from behind a podium.

Instead, Weisband emerged with a mobile microphone, constantly circling the room, engaging

students, as he touched on complicated issues such as poverty and the dynamics of emerging markets. Several years later, Lenda would draw on Weisband’s lessons while working abroad for Bank of America and traveling extensively in India, Israel, and Turkey.

master’s from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

“He is just someone you never forget,” she said. “As a relatively young, Western woman, working abroad, having to hold my own, I had to be able to understand cultural tenets and taboos.

Concepts that I covered in his class were central to that.”

Weisband said it’s incredibly satisfying to help prepare students to go on to serve others and have fulfilling careers. While some men his age might be looking forward to retirement or already be retired, he is quick to say that “in February 2017 I will have been teaching for 50 years, which has involved thousands of students, for which I am very grateful.”

A native of New York City, Weisband earned his bachelor’s from Princeton University, a

For Whitehead, Lenda, and many of Weisband’s former students, the gratitude is entirely mutual.

I argue that all we are given to know about each other, conceptually, is grounded in human pain, so that is the source of understanding our common humanity,” he said. “If you care enough about others, if you bring a genuine sense of compassion, you have the strength to struggle against the darkness.

Edward Weisband Edward S. Diggs Endowed Chair in the Social Sciences

photos by JOHN McCORMICK

Impact [ 37 ]

Fall 2015

Philosophical philanthropy Philosophy professor Joe Pitt asks all his students to question their assumptions. He recalls one particular student who was curious about everything.

not worry about where their next dollar is coming from," said Rudd, who lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Rudd, who majored in philosophy at Virginia Tech, said he believes that subject plays a critical role in any career. He hopes his gift will also call attention to the importance of liberal arts education.

“Liberal arts is overlooked,” Rudd said.

“It’s dangerous and misleading, to put it kindly, to suggest the only way to succeed in Joe Pitt (left) and Jeff Rudd our society is pursue undergraduate studies “He never stopped asking questions,” in science, technology, engineering, Pitt said. or math.”

That student was Jeff Rudd.

More than three decades after Rudd studied philosophy under the watchful eye of Pitt, Rudd and his wife, Jeanne, have endowed a fund ensuring future philosophy students will receive financial support. The fund, which will be named for Pitt upon his retirement, will support graduate students.

With his gift, Rudd wants to remove the financial pressure graduate students face, so that they can fully focus on their studies—something he knows about from his own time in graduate school.

“One thing motivating me is helping graduate students in the philosophy department focus on their work and

Liberal arts, Rudd said, sets up a valuable foundation. For instance, he said, the study of philosophy teaches students how to use language precisely and that their arguments are not infallible. It also gives students an appreciation for logic and teaches them to think critically, he said.

Through his gift, Rudd hopes more students will consider philosophy as a course of study and be supported while doing so.

After earning his bachelor’s in philosophy in 1983, Rudd went on to law school at Washington and Lee University and became an attorney who practiced law in Roanoke, Virginia.

Impact [ 38 ] Fall 2015

by ANNIE MCCALLUM

He’s now an investor, and has also completed a doctorate in environment and resources at the University of Wisconsin.

Looking back on his time at Virginia Tech, Rudd said he’s indebted to Pitt.

“He had an incredible influence on my ability to analyze questions,” Rudd said. “I feel indebted to Joe.” Rudd recalled the two of them would work splitting wood on Pitt’s farm in Giles County, Virginia. Later when the work was through, they would talk and eat.

Pitt also has fond recollections of those occasions when he spent time with the hard-working young man with all the questions.

“It was always a joy having Jeff out at the farm,” Pitt said. “He pitched in and we worked our tails off.”

Like Rudd, Pitt is emphatic about the importance of education in the humanities as a critical tool for students, no matter what their profession becomes. He said the study of philosophy gives students the mental flexibility they need in a world that’s rapidly changing.

Pitt added that while Rudd’s gift will provide valued assistance to students, it also serves as a powerful symbol.

“It sends a message that not just the humanities, but philosophy in particular, is important enough to be supported,” he said.

THROUGH THE LENS

Photo by DAVE KNACHEL/ VIRGINIA TECH ATHLETICS

The Indoor Athletic Training Facility at Virginia Tech opened over the summer. More than 450 donors have supported the project, committing over $20.5 million. The uniquely Hokie facility is 210 feet wide and 400 feet long. The distance from its playing surface to the bottom of its ceiling trusses is more than 86 feet at the apex. Padded walls, sidelines, a full scoreboard, and 40-second play clocks allow for authentic, full-contact scrimmages.

The facility features roll up doors, two levels of observation decks, and stadium lighting, and will also be available to other Virginia Tech teams.

Impact

University Development (0336) University Gateway Center, Virginia Tech 902 Prices Fork Road Blacksburg, VA 24061

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Fueled by philanthropy

photo by CORPS OF CADETS

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Class of 2018 completed the second leg of the Caldwell March on April 18. The 26-mile march is divided into two stretches, one held in the fall and the other in the spring. It commemorates the journey of Virginia Tech’s first cadet and student, Addison Caldwell, who travelled to the university on foot in 1872. Alumni and friends support the corps by sponsoring marchers. This year, 218 cadets were sponsored for the spring march, raising over $133,071.