Impact, winter 2014

Winter 2014

Inventing the future of engineering A newly renovated Newman Library Easing transitions for international scholars

An expanding vision

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

Director of development communications Albert Raboteau Publications editor Erica Stacy

Cover photo: From the second floor balcony, a student examines the Rolls Royce jet engine suspended above the lobby in Goodwin Hall. Photo by Logan Wallace.

This photo: Timothy D. Sands was installed as Virginia Tech’s 16th president at a ceremony held Oct. 17, 2014.

Photo by Chelsey Allder.

Online: Visit www.givingto.vt.edu for additional stories about the impact of philanthropy on Virginia Tech.

Art director Shelley Cline Copy editors Richard Lovegrove, Louellen Sharp Contributing writers Christine Callson, Rich Polikoff, Albert Raboteau, Erica Stacy Photography Chelsey Allder, Dave Knachel, Amanda Loman, Jim Stroup, Logan Wallace 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 540-231-8771 or Virginia Tech, North End Center, Suite 2300 (0318), 300 Turner St. NW, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

VT/1114/25K/Cenveo/SC/UD2014-0246

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Contents

living ut prosim

Scholarship commemorates a father's dedication to Virginia Tech

[ 28 ]

Building a tradition of research

[ 30 ]

features

The joy of giving

Inventing the future of engineering

[ 32 ]

Corporate connections

A message from Elizabeth A. “Betsy� Flanagan, vice president for development and university relations

[4]

[6]

Easing transitions for international scholars

[ 14 ]

departments Building for the future

A newly improved Newman Library

[ 18 ]

Student standout

Redefining leadership

[ 20 ]

Faces of philanthropy

Legacy Society breakfast

[ 22 ]

Giving society snapshots

Cultivating the connections that create families

[ 26 ]

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SAIC supports Hume Center

R.J. Reynolds funds fellowship

[ 34 ]

Union First Market Bank: A partner for entrepreneurship

[ 35 ]

Endowing excellence

Helping students make financial decisions

[ 36 ]

Focus on faculty

The anatomy of a great teacher

[ 38 ]

During his recent installation, Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands said it didn’t take him long to realize our university is defined by its commitment to service.

A message from Elizabeth A. “Betsy” Flanagan, vice president for development and university relations

Our motto is more than words.

It’s a living concept, embraced throughout our community.

That might not be surprising, considering our motto is Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). But it is still noteworthy.

Our motto is more than words. It’s a living concept, embraced throughout our community.

President Sands said the fact that we “live by Ut Prosim” allows us to stay true to Virginia Tech’s founding mission even as we adapt to the changing demands on a world-class university. That is because a strong desire to serve has a galvanizing effect.

You don’t serve effectively by sitting still.

In the pages of this issue of Impact, you will see multiple examples of how our university, and our students, are adapting to today’s demands.

Top-tier institutions compete fiercely to attract the best students and faculty members. In our cover story, we detail how Goodwin Hall provides new opportunities for learning and research within our College of Engineering. Those opportunities, and the spectacular new building itself, help us to stand out even more when recruiting.

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

Even if they never work abroad, today’s graduates are all but certain to have colleagues, connections, or customers who come from different nations or backgrounds. To prepare students to work and live in this environment, we must provide opportunities to study

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abroad, and must recruit students from all over the world to our campus.

The global learning environment we provide is illustrated in our story on the Cranwell International Center and in our profile of scholarship student Emily Neer, whose education is international in scope.

Emily is a shining example of how to live Ut Prosim. Other examples can be seen in this issue’s profiles of donors Jane Turner, Tom Brown, Robert Chiang, and Calvin Earles.

Toward the closing of his address, President Sands cited the erosion of government funding of higher education, which makes it difficult to offer competitive salaries and keep higher education as accessible as it should be. However, continued growth in giving to our institution can help ease the pressure of declining state support. Donations will become ever more important going forward.

Fortunately, as we look to leverage the generosity of the university community to maintain our university’s remarkable momentum, we have a major advantage over many of our peer institutions.

That advantage, of course, is our firmly established culture of Ut Prosim, which so many of us exemplify in our careers, our volunteer activities, and our philanthropy.

Elizabeth A. “Betsy” Flanagan, Vice President for Development and University Relations

photo by LARRY HINCKER ’72, M.B.A. ’94

Connect to self.

Connect to others.

Connect to Virginia Tech.

Women’s Weekend 2015 Friday, July 17 – Sunday, July 19 Network with alumnae, friends, family, and fans—as well as faculty, administrators, and students—at Women’s Weekend 2015.

Participants include Laura Sands, professor of human development and first lady of Virginia Tech, and Deborah Petrine ’78, president and CEO of Commonwealth Care of Roanoke Inc., who is also the first female rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Join us on this special weekend to enjoy the company of amazing women and deepen your connection with Virginia Tech.

The $150 registration fee includes meals and activities, but not lodging.

For more information, call 540-231-6285 or email alumni@vt.edu.

In Memoriam: Dorothea “Dot” Torgersen Long before 1994, Dorothea “Dot” Torgersen was well known to the many students who took her husband’s Theory of Organization class within the College of Engineering.

Paul Torgersen used an anecdote about meeting her in his popular lecture on how to take advantage of opportunities, and she made a practice of hosting the entire class for a lunch at her home—no small feat considering it could have around 100 students.

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

After her husband took office in 1994 as Virginia Tech’s 14th president, a far larger portion of the university community came to know Dot Togersen, whose gracious nature, skill at entertaining, and enthusiasm for the Hokies allowed her to thrive for six years as the university’s first lady.

As he continued to lecture in the Theory of Organization class even after stepping down as president, Paul Torgersen would always tell the story of how he met his wife. During that presentation, he would show a slide of her as a young woman and mention that she had been such an “inspiration” to him.

Although she died in September, Dot Togersen’s dedication to her husband—and to Virginia Tech— continues to inspire the many people who came to know her over the years.

Inventing the future of engineering

Inventing the future of engineering

by ERICA STACY

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Behind the name Virginia Tech named Goodwin Hall in recognition of the philanthropy of Alice and Bill Goodwin in fall 2014.

The Richmond couple committed the largest single donation in Virginia Tech history to help fund construction of the 155,000square-foot, $95.2 million facility.

Timothy D. Sands presents a drawing of Goodwin Hall to Bill and Alice Goodwin.

On Aug. 25, as students grabbed backpacks, heading out for their first classes of a new year, the Virginia Tech campus was abuzz with activity.

Nowhere was the excitement more palpable than in the flagship building for the College of Engineering. The newly completed Goodwin Hall, named in recognition of the philanthropy of Alice and Bill Goodwin of Richmond, Virginia, is home to classrooms, research labs, and office space for the College of Engineering.

At 7:30 a.m., as the first students began to trickle into the building, the smell of brewing coffee drifted through the atrium. College of Engineering Dean Richard Benson was among the first in line at the building's coffee shop, taking a moment to chat with staff and to welcome students as they prepared

to begin their fall semesters. As the day moved on, the nearby tables and chairs would overflow with students reading, typing on laptops, and taking breaks with friends. But, for the moment, it was quiet.

Entering the building, it was difficult to know where to look first. No matter the direction, up, down, right, left, there were visually stimulating sights designed to energize and inspire.

“My life is changed,” said Jorge Zalles, awed by the 14,000-pound Rolls Royce Trent 1000 jet engine suspended from the ceiling. A junior majoring in mechanical engineering, Zalles transferred to Virginia Tech from Chile University in South America.

“This is what I need to see when I am in school," he said. "It will inspire me to try harder to accomplish big things.”

Continued on page 9

all photos by LOGAN WALLACE

The mechanical engineering degree I earned from Virginia Tech helped me, and I believe in giving back.

Bill Goodwin ’62

Bill Goodwin received Virginia Tech’s University Distinguished Achievement Award in 2005, one of the university’s highest honors.

He is the retired chairman and president of CCA Industries, a holding company with assets that include golf resorts, hotels, and the CCA Financial Inc. technology- and equipmentleasing company.

Facing page: Patrick Koelling, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, teaches the first class ever held in the Quillen Family Auditorium.

Hokie Stone, mortar, and more Goodwin Hall is the flagship building for the College of Engineering. More than 1,200 tons of steel and 46,000 square feet of

The College of Engineering is no ordinary

Hokie Stone were used in its construction.

college. We are among the top 10 in the

The 155,000 square-foot facility houses

nation in the production of bachelor’s

40 instructional and research labs, eight classrooms, the 296-seat Quillen Family

degrees and doctoral degrees, and in

Auditorium, and 150 offices for faculty, staff,

the size of our research portfolio. We

and graduate students.

are famous for our hands-on, minds-on

However, the building is actually much

approach to education. Goodwin Hall will

more than a space for classrooms, offices, and laboratories. Goodwin Hall is a groundbreaking experiment to measure even the smallest vibrations inside the building. It was designed as a test bed

be a vital resource as we move forward.

Richard Benson, dean of the College of Engineering

to track data related to building design and security, occupancy monitoring for emergency response, structural-health monitoring, and more.

Goodwin Hall is the flagship building for the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.

Roughly 240 accelerometers, attached to 136 sensor mounts throughout the building’s ceilings, will detect information on where people are within the structure, measure normal structural settling and wind loads, and track building movement should there be earthquakes similar to the event that struck Virginia in 2011. A sensor array mounted outside the building will measure external vibrations from wind, traffic on nearby Prices Fork Road, or even the tens of thousands of Hokie fans celebrating a touchdown at Lane Stadium.

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Continued from page 7 Held in the 296-seat Quillen Family Auditorium, Engineering Economics, a required class for all engineering majors, was the first class of the day.

“Look around,” said Emily Kiser, a representative from Pearson Publishing who was available to assist students with special Internet features associated with the textbook required for the class. “This is not your parents’ classroom.”

Located on the first floor of Goodwin Hall, the auditorium will be used to host off-campus satellite classes, including those from international Virginia Tech partners, in addition to accommodating lectures for large classes. The room is named for the family of Michael Quillen, an alumnus and generous supporter

of the College of Engineering and a member of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

Special features in the auditorium include custom seating, ample electrical access for devices, and a premium audio-visual system.

Patrick Koelling, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, who was teaching the class, noted, “I love this classroom.

It accommodates a large number of students, but no matter where I am, I can see everyone; it doesn’t feel too big. Today, I was amazed by how early the students arrived. The room seemed alive with excitement.

In my experience, that’s unusual this early in the morning. This is a building to be proud of, and a great place to educate the engineers of tomorrow.”

Virginia Tech provided me with an excellent education and helped instill an appreciation for the value of hard work, an ethic that gave me the foundation for success. I want to give back so that students for many generations to come have the same opportunities for growth that I had.

Michael Quillen ’70

Continued next page

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Going for gold Students aren’t the only ones striving to make the grade in the newly constructed Goodwin Hall. When it comes to energy efficiency and environmental design, the building itself is going for gold.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is the industry standard for green buildings. The LEED rating system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Currently, there are four certification levels for new construction: certified, silver, gold, and platinum.

Goodwin Hall’s environmentally friendly features include water-efficient bathrooms; a rain garden; showers for individuals who choose to bike, walk, or run to work or class; 60 outdoor spaces for

Continued from previous Formerly a skeleton of steel beams and construction material, Goodwin Hall is now a stately building prominently situated on Prices Fork Road. Constructed in the traditional collegiate gothic style that defines Virginia Tech, the Hokie Stone structure projects a venerable, strong image. Meanwhile inside the building, the minds of tomorrow are developing the ideas that will invent the future.

“The projects that dwell in this building are varied,” noted graduate student Ashley Taylor (mechanical engineering ’14) during the building's dedication, held Oct. 24, “but they all have a common theme. They are devoted to helping people. The men and women who learn and work here are pushing humanity forward.”

bicycles; and architectural light shelves that reflect daylight deep into the building. Care was taken during construction to use recycled materials, to buy locally, and to repurpose waste rather than sending it to landfills.

In 2010, Virginia Tech’s Theatre 101 building and Henderson Hall renovation became the first project on campus to earn LEED certification. Since then, seven additional buildings have been recognized with the designation. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ new Human and Agricultural Biosciences Building 1 is also applying for LEED certification.

Visit www.facilities.vt.edu/sustainability for more information about sustainability initiatives on campus.

During the construction of Goodwin Hall, care was taken to reduce waste, purchase locally, and prioritize recycled materials.

Room by room Scattered throughout Goodwin Hall, work spaces with comfortable seating that take advantage of the abundant natural light offer options for independent or group study.

In a second floor corner, sisters Elisa Wasson (right), a Ph.D. student in the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, and Rachel Wasson (left), a master’s student in mechanical engineering, quietly prepared for class.

“There is seating all around, which is nice," Elisa Wasson said. "The entire building is modern and spacious with lots of natural light. With the open lab spaces, it’s like being in an engineering showcase.”

The Microfluidics Lab, which is associated with the Chang Lu Group of the Department of Chemical Engineering, specializes in microfluids, singlecell manipulation, epigenomics and genomics, and cellular analysis.

Sai Ma (right) a graduate student in biomedical engineering, and Nelie Loufakis (left) a graduate student in chemical engineering, carefully worked to manipulate and analyze single cells and extract biological information.

“We relocated in mid-June, and our workspace is much more productive and efficient,” Loufakis said. “Before, we were in three different rooms; now, we are all connected."

Continued next page

Continued from previous The Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems Laboratory, better known as the DREAMS Lab, emphasizes the discovery of new tools, techniques, and technologies for improving design practices.

Nicholas Chartrain, a Ph.D. student in materials science and engineering, used a 3D printer in the lab to create tissue scaffolds.

“Our goal is to build a scaffold the size of a single cell for use medically,” he said. “In theory, it could be used to grow cell structures, possibly opening options for organ, blood vessel, or skin repair.”

Glass-walled laboratories in Goodwin Hall offer passers-by a glimpse into the world of engineering research.

On the second floor, in the Terrestrial Robotics Engineering and Controls (TREC) Lab, two major projects were underway—building a firefighting, humanoid robot for use on naval ships and creating ESCHER (Electromechanical Series Compliant Humanoid for Emergency Response), a robot that is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Robotics Challenge, which will conclude in June 2015.

Eric Hahn, a sophomore general engineering major, adjusted various elements of ESCHER. Impact [ 12 ] Winter 2014

To conserve water, the landscaping surrounding Goodwin Hall features native and adaptive plants that won't require permanent irrigation.

Built by philanthropy The success of this engineering-building project is thanks in large part to the many donors behind it. Together, they committed nearly $35 million—enough to cover more than one-third of the project's costs.

In keeping with the time-honored philanthropic tradition of recognizing the generosity of donors through named spaces, dozens of prominent interior spaces, as well as the new building itself, reflect the support of alumni and friends.

Goodwin Hall, in recognition of Alice and Bill Goodwin Interior classrooms, labs and office spaces Quillen Family Auditorium, in recognition of

Jerry S. and Arthur W. McKinney Sr. ’65

Leila and Kirk E. Spitzer ’67

Cornelia W. and William C. Scruggs ’60

Santina and W. Fredrick St. John ’73

Newport News Shipbuilding AOE Lab

the Michael Quillen family

Catherine E. and Robert C. Luckner ’68

Jeanne M. Welch and James A. Rule Jr. ’75

William E. Betts Jr. ’32 Mechanical Engineering

Paula S. and John A. Brothers ’62

In memory of Col. William A. Cox Jr. ’34

Lab, in recognition of the W.E. Betts Jr.

Sue A. and David J. D’Antoni ’67

Peggy A. and David J. Oshinski ’81

Memorial Fund

Student Engineers Council

Sarah O. Epperly ’57 and W. Robert Epperly ’56

In memory of Margaret and John M. Scruggs ’50

James A. Syme ’83 and Phyllis K. Syme ’82

Nancy and Douglas L. Dwoyer ’64

Susan A. and Marvin L. Johnson ’64

Christa S. and William D. Kilgore Jr. ’57

Kathryn M. and Scott D. Brigham ’81

Martha and Royden Goodson III ’77

Patricia A. and Patrick N. Shaffner ’61

Lana I. and Thomas G. Digges Jr. ’60

Amanda L. Hoang ’87 and Ngoc T. Hoang ’84

Vera M. and Kelso S. Baker ’51

Laura R. and Conor D. Johnson ’65

Laila N. and Adam C. Rossi ’95

Mary Jane and Charles W. Pryor Jr. ’66

Jo Ann C. And Larry R. Marshall ’66

J.A. Urquhart ’49 and J. Alex Urquhart ’81

Joyce M. and B. Fielding Rolston ’63

Donna C. and William D. Ordemann ’81

Edith and Alfred J. Jones Jr. ’56

In honor of Kenneth D. Smalling

Judith H. and Nathan H. Turbeville Jr. ’61

The estate of Steven D. Reese ’95

Nancy and H. Pat Artis ’71

through the generosity of Anne M. and Richard J. Smalling ’85

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Easing transitions for international scholars

by RICH POLIKOFF

Imagine how difficult it must be to move to a new country in pursuit of an education.

all photos by LOGAN WALLACE

Beyond the obvious challenge of mastering the language in which all your courses will be taught, there is a world of unfamiliar experiences to be faced.

Navigating a big box store, filling out government paperwork, understanding the sizes of consumer goods—the list goes on.

The mission of the Cranwell International Center is to smooth international students’ transitions to life in the United States and at Virginia Tech.

The center opened in the spring of 1986 after a generous gift from alumnus Bill Cranwell Sr. and his wife, Stella Mullins Cranwell.

For nearly 30 years, it has served as a focus point for Virginia Tech’s international community, providing a wide range of cultural, educational, and social activities.

“It is a privilege and a pleasure to sponsor the Cranwell International Center,” said Bill Cranwell, a member of the Class of 1957.

“We look forward to continuing our support as the university continues to expand its footprint internationally.”

The need for the center has never been greater. Between 2010 and 2013, the number of international undergraduate students at Virginia

International students and their families participate in an English language discussion group at the Cranwell International Center.

Tech doubled. There were 1,153 such students on campus at the start of the fall 2014 semester.

All told, Virginia Tech had 3,041 undergraduate and graduate students from other nations, an alltime high for the university.

“We’ve experienced explosive growth the last few years,” explained Brian Bolton, the center’s director. “We don’t just serve students; we’re often serving their spouses and their families.”

The Cranwell International Center provides many services to ease transitions into the United States, starting with welcoming emails even before students leave their home countries.

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The center has been an essential resource for international students, including Heyang Qiao. Its staff helped him fill out the mountain of paperwork—including government documents and insurance forms— that was required of him. People from the center took him and other new students on shopping trips.

“I think most of the new international students would feel lost, lonely, and even a little frustrated after they get to a new country,” said Qiao, who served as president of the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Virginia Tech at a time when it had more than 1,800 members. “I felt that way. The Cranwell Center

Mary Kay Eichelman shares information with participants during the Conversational Tour Through American History course, which is held at the Cranwell International Center. really helped me get things done, and their activities helped me with making friends.”

The Cranwell International Center hosts ongoing opportunities for student engagement, such as activity nights, outings, and guest lectures. All week long, the center’s community room in Harper Hall is filled with conversation groups, in which volunteers from throughout the community help international students gain a stronger mastery of the English language and American culture.

“I think of Cranwell as a place where I can just go for help without hesitating when I have a problem,” Continued on page 17

Fred Eichelman leads a discussion based on the class text.

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Representatives from the Cranwell International Center placed flags representing the 128 home countries of  Virginia Tech students in preparation for the installation of President Timothy D. Sands.

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It’s like a warm shelter for international students who feel lost.

Heyang Qiao Continued from page 15 Qiao added. “That makes Cranwell my favorite place on campus. It’s like a warm shelter for international students who feel lost.”

The center also fosters dialogue between international students and their American colleagues— the students, staff, and faculty members who make up Virginia Tech.

One of the primary ways the center accomplishes this is through the Global Ambassadors Program.

Global Ambassadors are Virginia Tech students who volunteer to welcome international students and then serve as a continuing resource during the academic year.

About half of the ambassadors are international students, like Qiao.

The rest are from the United States, like Margaret Appleby, of Atlanta, who has been an ambassador twice.

Like all ambassadors, she cut her summer break short by two weeks in order to get back to Virginia Tech and work with international students before classes began.

A student reviews class materials.

Appleby went with international students to the Cascades National Recreation Trail and to Walmart— where she had to explain that king sheets weren’t higher quality than full size, just larger. She also participated in movie nights, attended Hokie soccer matches with her new friends, and helped them with proper documentation.

“I think of it in terms of, ‘We’re there for the friendly face,’” Appleby said. “It’s really cool to see them

from the first day to the last, how they’re smiling and comfortable, instead of feeling like ‘Oh my gosh, I just stepped off a plane halfway around the world. What did I get myself into?’”

She said it was particularly gratifying to see how students adjust over time.

“By the time you see them on campus midway through the year, they’re with friends and having a great time,” Appleby said.

Students from France enjoy a field trip to the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market coordinated by the Cranwell International Center.

A newly improved Newman Library

by RICH POLIKOFF

photo by JIM STROUP

The Carol M. Newman Library is being used in new ways and by many more students than before.

Virginia Tech’s main library began a series of extensive renovations over the summer of 2014. As a result, a far wider array of study and learning spaces are available.

In 2013, Newman Library had 1.5 million visitors, triple the number from six years earlier. In addition, the University Libraries fulfilled nearly 2.5 million electronic full-text article requests that same year.

Some of the Newman Library renovations have resulted from partnerships with colleges and departments throughout Virginia Tech, as demonstrated by the popularity of the Writing Center (Department of English), CommLab (Department of Communications), and SCALE-UP classroom BEFORE (top photo): Traditional furnishings, artificial lighting, and organization (College of Science). of space limited students' study options.

AFTER (bottom photo): Renovations offer enhanced spaces and access to comfortable, moveable furnishings.

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photo by LOGAN WALLACE

All across the library, there are tables, desks, chairs, couches, white boards, additional electrical outlets—and lots of Virginia Tech students.

photo by LOGAN WALLACE

Some of the new furnishings at Newman Library are designed to form pods, offering students private spaces for group study sessions or meetings.

The re-designed space includes whiteboards, enhanced technology, and ample electrical connections, enabling students to plug in as needed.

The many recent improvements were designed to make the library a more vibrant, user-friendly destination for students. And the library’s donors helped make the changes possible.

“We are living in an information age,” said one such donor, alumnus Mike Dumais, of Charlotte, North Carolina, who earned his bachelor’s in electrical engineering in 1988. “With upgrades in technology, the library has the potential to reach beyond campus and become a true learning hub for the entire Virginia Tech community. As an engineering student, I really valued having the library as a quiet, central, on-campus location to study.”

photo by LOGAN WALLACE

photo by CHELSEY ALLDER

Virginia Tech junior Emily Neer was selected to participate in the Fulbright Summer Institute, in London, during the summer of 2014.

Redefining leadership

by ERICA STACY

Authentic. Humble. Unassuming. Calm. These are the words friends and faculty members use to describe Emily Neer. The Virginia Tech junior from New Philadelphia, Ohio, is making a difference at the university, but her impact doesn’t stop there. It reaches far beyond Blacksburg.

Neer, who is double-majoring in psychology and human development, and minoring in leadership and social change, has participated in community development initiatives in Richmond, led student trips to the Dominican Republic, served as a childcare volunteer at Blacksburg United Methodist Church, and assisted with projects at Belview Elementary School. She also is an active member of VT Engage, a program that coordinates service projects and community learning opportunities for students.

During the summer of 2014, Neer spent three weeks studying at the Fulbright Summer Institute, in London. The experience, which incorporated the theme Theatrical London: Contemporary Performance in the City, included participating in Fulbright master’s classes at King’s College London, as well as taking part in excursions around the city.

The Fulbright Institute is one of the most prestigious and selective summer scholarship programs in the world. Neer was chosen for her academic

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She works tirelessly to provide highquality, reflective service experiences that help her fellow students to learn and grow.

Lucy Adams, engagement program associate, VT Engage

considering perspectives that not only challenge her views, but encourage broader understanding of the world around her.

“As a leader, Emily is motivated

photo courtesy of Emily Neer

excellence as well as her participation in extracurricular activities, her ambassadorial skills, and her plan to give back to her community.

“Covering the expenses associated with school, especially as an out-ofstate student, is something that is never far from my mind,” said Neer.

“The scholarship definitely makes a difference, but it has also been a motivator for me, a recognition that hard work really does pay off. It keeps me moving forward and encourages me to try even harder with all of my classes and activities.”

Neer recently was named a university Aspire! Award winner in recognition of her innate curiosity and academic achievement.

by the success of others, and she is an incredible mentor for countless other students,” said Lucy Adams, engagement program associate for VT Engage. “She works tirelessly to provide high-quality, reflective service experiences that help her fellow students to learn and grow.

Emily makes our work more fun and our programs better through her hard work and amazing example.”

“It may sound trite, but the word that comes to mind when I think about Emily is ‘unique,’” said Jacob Grohs, an instructor in biomedical engineering and mechanics who worked as the associate director of VT Engage until August 2014.

“She is one of those individuals who dispels the myth that to be a leader you have to look or act a certain way. She is committed in the classroom and has a humble, comforting presence in working with others. She understands the value of building relationships and meets people where they are.

Being a leader doesn’t always mean being out front, in command. The best leaders are often in the back, encouraging others.”

In spring 2014, Neer was awarded the Dean’s Rising Junior Scholarship from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

Recipients are selected on the basis of strong academic achievement and service to others.

In the classroom and through volunteer service locally and around the world, Neer leads her own way, calmly and quietly, inspiring others to look into themselves, and helping them find the courage to make a difference.

Emily Neer (second from right) served as a leader on service trips to the Domican Republic, where students from Virginia Tech installed water filters in homes, planted gardens, and built baseball fields.

“The opportunity to see ‘Julius Caesar’ performed at The Globe and to explore London was incredible,” said Neer. “I think the most inspiring aspect of the experience was taking a class with people from all over, incorporating different cultural perspectives into our studies.”

An openness to new ideas and a willingness to consider different perspectives are some of the characteristics that distinguish Neer from her peers. Whether she’s participating in a classroom discussion or working as a service immersion facilitator with VT Engage’s alternative spring break program, she is committed to

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photos by AMANDA LOMAN, JIM STROUP, and LOGAN WALLACE

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Legacy Society Breakfast Legacy Society members demonstrate an unwavering confidence in Virginia Tech by including the university in their estate plans or making deferred gifts that will come to the university at a future date. The society started with fewer than 100 members in 1990, and has grown to nearly 1,900. At a special event this past fall, Virginia Tech celebrated the induction of 85 new members into the society.

1 New Legacy Society members in attendance, from left, front row, Bill Nelson ’82, Stacy Nelson

’84, Dorothy Herndon ’60, Jean Crenshaw, Cary Gill ’67, Mary Alyce Duma, Deborah Brown ’72; second row, Jerry Cox ’74, Cheri Smythers, Bob Smythers ’82, Mary Jean Brown, Dick Duma ’55; third row, Michael Strickler ’83, Donna Strickler, Bill Wagner ’62, Marliene Wagner, John Brown ’62; fourth row: Dave Crowl ’78, Terry Crowl, Frank Reilly, Pat Reilly, Scottie Dickenson, Bob Dickenson ’68.

2 Ray Yount ’68 3 Mac Mahaney ’51, Sid Barrett’62 and Carole Barrett 4 Evelyn Farrier and Ted King ’72 5 Frank Turner with granddaughter Dava Turner 6 Leon Geyer and Rachel Holloway Event photos: Jim Stroup. Background photos: Logan Wallace.

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Legacy Society Breakfast (continued from previous) 1 Hal Schneikert ’65, Libby Carpenter ’71, and Rich Carpenter ’67 2 Jake Lutz ’78 and Robin Lutz 3 Dave Oshinski ’81, Peggy Oshinski, and Ruthie Turner 4 Table setting at the Legacy Society Breakfast 5 Pat Green ’69 6 Dorothy Herndon ’60 and Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands 7 Dave ThomasImpact ’63 and[ 25 Rick ] Monroe Winter 2014’66

Cultivating the connections that create families

by ERICA STACY

“Virginia Tech was the right fit,” said Jane Turner. “It was both close enough to and far enough from home.”

Turner graduated in 1979 with a major in sociology and a minor in urban affairs.

Today, she lives in the Chicago area with her husband Jon. They have two daughters, Anna and Sarah.

A member of the Pylon Society, Turner prioritizes supporting the university every year, choosing to designate her gifts to the Department of Sociology.

As an undergraduate, Turner enrolled in a variety of classes, hoping to pinpoint a direction for her education.

“I really had no idea what I wanted to do,” she said.

Turner found inspiration in a sociology classroom, and wound up focusing on criminology.

Because her mother had worked at a juvenile detention center, Turner was aware of some of the challenges inherent in the criminal-justice system. However, it was during an internship at Virginia Department of Corrections’

Jane Turner on an international adoption visit.

“The sociology department provided the foundation for the learning that shaped my career,” she said. “When I think about what my education has meant to me, I know that giving back is the right thing to do.”

Bland Correctional Center that she gained real insight into the numerous opportunities available for helping others. She credits her work providing adult basic education for inmates through

Impact [ 26 ] Winter 2014

the internship as being a pivotal moment in her education.

“I was fascinated by all I saw and learned,” Turner said, adding that the experience was truly “eyeopening.”

Following her graduation, Turner took a job in Richmond, working with emotionally disturbed adolescents. In the fall of 1980, she enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.

Today, Turner is the associate director of the Adoption Center of Illinois at Family Resource Center, a private adoption agency in Chicago.

She has been associated with the organization since 1989, when she began as a part-time adoption counselor. Later, she took on more responsibilities, including serving as the coordinator of international adoption programs.

“Adoptions are remarkably multifaceted. I have used my education to the fullest in this position,” Turner said. “It is a meaningful experience to support people and share in the process as a couple becomes a family.”

In her current role, Turner oversees day-to-day activities, supervises the staff and manages other administrative responsibilities.

In addition, she offers in-service education for hospitals, academic

photo from CREATIVE COMMONS

In the mid-70s—the era of bell bottoms, disco, and lava lamps—a high school student from New Jersey began researching options for college.

Although she wasn’t sure what she wanted to study, she was certain where.

organizations, and other agencies about adoption and related information.

The sociology department provided the foundation for the learning that shaped my career.

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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.

Jane Turner accompanied special needs twin infants on a flight from Chicago to meet their adoptive parents in Virginia.

photo courtesy of JANE TURNER

“I am proud to be a Hokie,” said Turner. “I watch the televised games. I attend alumni events in Chicago. I have a Hokie alumni tag on my car. Virginia Tech is still a significant part of my life.”

Jane Turner ’79

v

Although Turner, who also worked as a medical social worker in both the hospital and home health environments, remained in the Windy City after finishing graduate school, her connection to Virginia Tech, more than 600 miles away, is as strong as ever.

P

“I recently taught a class for the jail guard recruits at the Cook County Training Academy,” she said. “I still have a warm place in my heart for the justice department and the people it serves.”

Impact [ 27 ] Winter 2014

Scholarship commemorates a father's dedication to Virginia Tech

by RICH POLIKOFF

Cartmel Brown loved all things Virginia Tech, especially his alma mater’s baseball team.

After a long career with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farmers Home Administration, Brown joined a group of retirees who rarely missed a Hokies’ home baseball game, even those played in cold weather.

“Spring time in Blacksburg is not like Miami Beach,” recalled Cartmel Brown’s son, Tom Brown. “He would go there in pretty raw weather and sit there with the guys and watch ballgames. My mother was concerned he’d come home with a bad case of pneumonia, but he never did.”

and master’s degrees in that department. With Brown’s gift of $50,000, he became a member of Virginia Tech’s Caldwell Society.

The Brown scholarship is awarded annually to a Virginia Tech student majoring in a subject within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Preference is given to baseball and softball players.

The first recipient of the scholarship is Dylan Isom, a junior majoring in landscape contracting. A native of Spring Valley, Virginia, Isom is involved in the Horticulture Club at Virginia Tech. He was a talented baseball player in high school, earning the Mountain Empire District Player of the Year Award.

In 2013, Tom Brown established the T. Cartmel Brown Scholarship in the Department of Horticulture to honor his late father, who had earned his bachelor’s

photo by Dave Knachel

Tom Brown

Impact [ 28 ] Winter 2014

photo by CHELSEY ALLDER

Dylan Isom in the Hahn Horticultural Garden

“Receiving the Brown scholarship has made it easier for me to spend more of my time in Blacksburg studying, rather than working to make ends meet,” Isom said.

Although Tom Brown did not attend Virginia Tech, he grew up in Blacksburg and is a lifelong fan of the Hokies. During his childhood, the Brown family lived two blocks from Lane Stadium, and Tom Brown remembers being awoken early every Thanksgiving to watch members of the Corps of Cadets march by the family house on their way to catch a train to Roanoke for the then-annual football game against Virginia Military Institute.

As an area supervisor with the Farmers Home Administration, Cartmel Brown drove well over an hour each way to work in Bedford.

He said he became interested in setting up a scholarship at Virginia Tech after his wife, Sally Guy Brown, created one in honor of her father at Washington and Lee University. The Browns, who reside in the Washington, D.C., area, have two children and two grandchildren, with a third grandchild due near the end of 2014.

Tom Brown is a past president of the Virginia Bar Association. He is a partner in the Northern Virginia office of McGuireWoods LLP, where he focuses on corporate law and health care law.

The scholarship established by his wife “taught me just how far-reaching the effects of financial support for college students can be,” Brown said, adding that, “Dad was exceedingly loyal to Tech.”

“It was telling how much Blacksburg meant to him, that he was willing to do that much driving just to live in Blacksburg and have his family there,” Tom Brown said.

Impact [ 29 ] Winter 2014

Tom Brown and Sally Guy Brown are members of the Caldwell Society of donors. For more information on the society, visit http://bit.ly/caldwell-society.

Building a tradition of research

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

Shortly after being recruited to the college’s faculty, he was asked to inspect the new Cowgill Hall by colleagues.

They knew he had designed multiple buildings on the campus with his previous employer, Vincennes University, in Indiana.

“They had heard I was an inspector,” Chiang said. “I went around with a secretary and found about five pages of defects.”

But while he was willing to lend his expertise to that project, Chiang hadn’t been hired as a building inspector, he’d been hired as an architecture professor, and in that

role he helped the college build a reputation for research, particularly with regard to energy use in buildings.

Though he retired in 1996, Chiang continues to advance research in the college through his financial contributions. A member of the Ut Prosim Society, a distinction

reserved for Virginia Tech’s most generous donors, he established the R.C. Research Endowment in January 2013 to provide a permanent source of support for research projects in the college.

“When I was doing research and looking for money to fund it, finding it was nearly impossible,” said Chiang, who helped develop one of the first energy audit processes for buildings, and had his work appear in one of the first publications the U.S. Department of Energy ever put out. “I had extra money which I had first saved for my retirement, but I saw an opportunity to help.”

Among the numerous students Chiang taught during his 30 years at the college was Jack Davis.

An evening view of Cowgill Hall from Burchard Plaza.

Impact [ 30 ] Winter 2014

In April, Robert Chiang was inducted into 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.

photo by JIM STROUP

Robert Chiang

Robert Chiang helped build the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, both figuratively and literally.

“As a student, later as a colleague, and finally as an administrator, I can tell you that Robert Chiang’s commitment to teaching and environmental research has never wavered,” said Davis, who is now the college dean. “This commitment continues through his gift to advance research in the college.”

buildings in Richmond, including

Robert Schubert, a professor who is also the college’s associate dean for research, is another former student of Chiang’s.

Center.

home. He was a consultant on the renovation of the hotel at Mountain Lake, in Giles County, Virginia, and also designed the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, system for the building now used as the university’s Graduate Life Chiang said he took great pride in the quality of education provided by the college—which today is one of the nation’s top-ranked architecture schools. He said he finds it satisfying that he is still

Schubert said that, as a teacher, Chiang “would always go out of his way to be helpful.”

Clearly, that willingness to give didn’t stop when Chiang retired, and as a result the college has a valuable, permanent resource for its innovative research.

“Right now there is a strong push toward rapid prototyping of the use of robotics in developing building components, and the money might be going in that direction, but photo by AMANDA LOMAN

“To this day he continues to give,” Schubert said. “I think he feels strongly about the contributions that research and inquiry bring to the evolution of buildings. He certainly had a hand in that, and wants to see it continue, and his philanthropy helps us to continue along that path.”

a retirement home and a private

one of my old students, somebody interested in using the materials I used,” Chiang said.

Chiang grew up in Yongshow, China; studied mechanical engineering at Auburn; and earned his master’s in mechanical engineering at the University of Kansas, after which he joined the faculty at Vincennes University.

After eight years at that school, at the urging of his wife, Sharon, now deceased, he earned a master’s in architecture from Texas A&M. Retired professor Robert Chiang reminisces with College of Architecture and Chiang had planned to accept a Urban Studies Dean Jack Davis and Robert Shubert, associate dean in the job offer from the University of Research + Demonstration Facility on Plantation Road in Blacksburg.

Washington, but was invited to visit making a difference in his field, not Virginia Tech by its first dean of of course, over time, that could only through his endowment, but architecture, Charles Burchard, who change,” explained Davis. “This through instructional materials he wound up recruiting him. endowment will always provide created, which are still being used money to be invested into research While he spent the bulk of his to teach today. into current issues that our students career teaching and conducting research, Chiang designed several “Just this year I had a call from and faculty will be engaged in.”

Impact [ 31 ] Winter 2014

The joy of giving When Calvin Earles’ wife told him she was helping pay for the daughter of a family friend to train as a dental hygienist, he was not surprised.

“She just had a big heart,” Earles said of his late wife, Joyce. “She had always been a giver, and she always liked to see people advance.”

Though she died of cancer in 2012, the spirit of generosity she exuded is still having an impact on the lives of young people through the Joyce Burkholder Earles Memorial Scholarship, which Earles endowed in December 2013.

“If you love someone dearly and then you lose them after 50 years, it is very, very difficult,” said Earles, a retired real estate executive who lives in Dunnellon Florida. “I wanted to do something to prolong her memory into eternity, and that’s what I did with this memorial scholarship.”

Joyful Freeman, a freshman from Jacksonville, North Carolina, who is majoring in biochemistry within the College of Science, is the first recipient of the scholarship.

“I’m an out-of-state student being raised by a divorced, single mom,” said Freeman, who aspires to become a neurosurgeon. “This scholarship definitely relieves the financial stress.”

Earles grew up on a farm in Danville, Virginia. He dropped out of high school to work on the farm, but

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

later entered the U.S. Air Force. While enlisted, he earned his GED. After four years, he left the service, contacted his former algebra teacher for tutoring, and eventually entered the business administration program at Virginia Tech.

Calvin and Joyce Earles

“I didn’t really have the background for such a good school, but Virginia Tech gave me a shot, and I took it,” Earles said.

“Eventually I ran out of money and had to go to work, but I would have gone to school there forever.”

Though he did not graduate, Earles never forgot the experience, and he credited it for helping prepare him to succeed in the real estate business.

He was running a corporation that built the exteriors of homes, allowing purchasers to customize the interiors, when a colleague introduced Earles to his future wife, who worked as a beautician in well-known hotels, including the Willard InterContinental, in Washington, D.C. “Her clientele was basically congressmen’s wives and senator’s wives; that’s how good she was,” Earles said. “She was successful at everything she did. After she retired at age 50, she would join different [volunteer] organizations, and by the second year she would often be president.”

After Earles retired in 1990, he

Impact [ 32 ] Winter 2014

and his wife moved to Florida from Fairfax County, Virginia. Though retired, he continued to invest in real estate.

Earles said his wife suggested that they explore how to leave a philanthropic legacy, which led not only to the scholarship that bears her name, but to his decision to earmark the bulk of his estate to the university.

“You never know,” Earles said. “It’s possible we might help educate the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or George Washington Carver. We might find a genius out there that never would have been realized if they didn’t have the money to go to school.”

He added that, while he still misses his wife dearly, he draws comfort from the knowledge that generations of students will benefit from the scholarship that bears her name.

“You will feel the best you’ve ever felt in your life if you give something like this,” he said. “It’s the greatest thing I ever did in my life, other than marry Joyce.”

a freshman majoring in biochemistry within

photo by LOGAN WALLACE

Joyful Freeman,

the College of Science, is the first recipient of the Joyce Burkholder Earles scholarship.

—a recognition for people who make deferred gifts in support of the university.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/legacy-society.

In August 2014, Calvin Earles was inducted into Virginia Tech’s 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. Photos from the Legacy Society’s annual gathering are on pages 22-25.

Robert and Judy Simmons

CORPORATE CONNECTIONS

SAIC supports Hume Center

by CHRISTINE CALLSON

Information technology and engineering firm Science Applications International Corp. is helping Virginia Tech stay at the forefront of national security education.

SAIC’s $750,000 commitment to the Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security will support the center’s Charles Clancy education programs and the center’s Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence.

“The Hume Center at Virginia Tech is very grateful to have SAIC as our anchor educational partner,” said center director Charles Clancy, who also is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. “Their support will enable us to educate the next generation of national security leaders and technologists, and we look forward to an ongoing partnership between our two organizations that will

R.J. Reynolds funds fellowship

promote academic achievement for years to come.”

The Hume Center leads Virginia Tech's research, education, and outreach programs focused on the communication and computation challenges of the national security community. The center’s education programs provide mentoring, internships, and scholarships in an effort to address the key challenges qualified U.S. citizens are likely to face when entering federal service. The center’s advanced research programs focus on signals intelligence, electronic warfare, cybersecurity and analytics, and aerospace systems.

“With this donation, SAIC will have opportunities to help mentor and assist young adults who are entering America’s workforce,” SAIC Sector President Doug Wagoner said. “SAIC-supported initiatives will reach students in many ways, like scholarships, research programs, curriculum development, guest speakers, and internships. These students are the future of national security, and we look forward to giving them the support needed to understand emerging national security technology challenges.”

by RICH POLIKOFF

R.J. Reynolds is supporting emerging research efforts at Virginia Tech by funding a postdoctoral fellowship program in advanced materials.

The company’s $500,000 gift will provide backing Tim Long for research into polymeric materials and advanced manufacturing. Up to four postdoctoral students—who may come from different parts of the university but all share expertise in advanced materials—will be supported.

“This gift is recognizing our leadership in the design and performance of polymers [plastics] at the interface of additive manufacturing [3-D printing],” said Professor of Chemistry Tim Long, the director of the Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute at Virginia Tech. “This gift supports university innovation in the areas of science and engineering, which is consistent

with our mission to train researchers to solve the interdisciplinary global challenges of our times. R.J. Reynolds recognizes the importance of envisioning new manufacturing solutions with the appreciation that the necessary materials for future manufacturing strategies will not be the materials of today.”

In administering the fellowship program, Long will assemble a team of postdoctoral researchers who, in large part, will work to develop solutions relevant to R.J. Reynolds’ current and future industry challenges.

“R.J. Reynolds is proud to be a part of this effort to further scientific research in the field of advanced materials,” said Danny Herko, senior vice president of research and development at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. “As we continue our journey to transform tobacco, we look forward to partnering with Virginia Tech, whose work will help identify new and innovative materials for use in our future manufacturing processes.”

Impact [ 34 ] Winter 2014

CORPORATE CONNECTIONS

Union First Market Bank: A partner for entrepreneurship Housed in the Pamplin College of Business, the Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is working to shape the future of economic development.

The center’s efforts were boosted when Union First Market Bank recently donated $300,000 to endow a junior faculty fellowship in entrepreneurship and set up an operating fund, both of which will advance the center’s efforts.

Students in the Innovate living-learning community

“The partnership with Union is huge,” said the center’s director, Derick Maggard. “We are ecstatic to have a partner that knows and appreciates the innovation process and the impact entrepreneurship has on our global economy.”

Establishing the center is one of several recent educational initiatives promoting innovation and

by RICH POLIKOFF

entrepreneurship at the university. Another example is a living-learning community called Innovate.

Resources from the fellowship and operating fund should help the center to attract guest speakers, develop courses, and introduce a business plan competition.

“The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship mirrors Union’s longstanding support for economic development in Virginia,” said Billy Beale, the bank’s chief executive officer. “We are proud to partner with Virginia Tech on this exciting initiative, and are confident it will lead to economic growth that is both significant and long-lasting.”

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 ] Winter 2014

Helping students make sound financial decisions

all photos by LOGAN WALLACE

by RICH POLIKOFF

Brian Hart teaches students from a variety of majors about personal investing and financial decision making.

When Brian Hart walked into the classroom on the first day of the personal investment and financial decisions course during the fall 2014 semester, he began with a question for his nearly 60 students.

“I asked, ‘What do you want to talk about?’” recalled Hart, an instructor in the Pamplin College of Business Department of Finance, Insurance, and Business Law. The nearly 60 students had a lot they wanted to talk about.

They wanted to talk about investments, planning for

retirement, building monthly budgets, managing debt wisely, and a host of other issues related to personal finance.

“This has been a class that’s real participant-heavy,” Hart said.

“I’ve wanted to do a class like this for a number of years, and have been fortunate that our college administration has been extremely supportive.”

Hart and his students have also been fortunate that the personal investment and financial decisions course has drawn philanthropic support. The for-credit course was made possible, in part, through a

Impact [ 36 ] Winter 2014

generous, endowed gift from David (marketing management ’81) and Cristy Clarke. The Clarkes were motivated to help fund the program by the rising tides of student loan and credit card debt in the United States.

“We have three daughters, and we’ve been somewhat amazed that throughout their elementary, junior high, and high school educations, they never had any exposure to any type of course like this,” said David Clarke, a managing director with Wells Fargo Advisors, who lives in Orinda, California. “Then, when they went on to college, they had

A student participates in the personal investments and financial decisions course. no exposure to it. When Cristy and I heard that Virginia Tech was taking a lead role in offering these classes to the whole student population, not just business students, it really caught our interest. It’s exciting to see Virginia Tech taking this leadership role.”

The personal investment and financial decisions course is open to all Virginia Tech undergraduate students. Participants range from first-year students to seniors. The course includes students majoring in Spanish, philosophy, and engineering, as well as multiple business disciplines.

The program is part of a larger effort to increase students’ financial literacy at Virginia Tech.

Pamplin leaders and the Student Government Association have joined forces on a campaign that educates students on the potential pitfalls of student loans.

Going forward, the goals are to establish a financial wellness clinic and, with help from additional donations, to add more sections of the personal investment and financial decisions course, since the course hit its enrollment limit

shortly after it was announced.

Pamplin’s efforts to train and prepare students who want to be financial planners was recently bolstered by a gift from the Charles Schwab Foundation. That gift will support the financial planning program, allowing for the expansion of course offerings and outreach to students.

Student Government Association President Elizabeth Lazor of Centreville, Virginia, said she was excited about the programs to help Virginia Tech students establish sound financial footing as they transition into their professional careers.

“There are huge implications when students graduate with a large amount of debt. They fall behind in the retirement process and can’t save for a house or a car. Having a clinic is important, because people don’t know where to go if they are struggling financially. I’m not in the personal investment and financial decisions course, but I’m excited about the lifelong impact it will have on our students.”

Impact [ 37 ] Winter 2014

There are huge implications when students graduate with a large amount of debt.

They fall behind in the retirement process and can’t save for a house or a car.

Elizabeth Lazor, Student Government Association President

The anatomy of a great educator

by ALBERT RABOTEAU

A good teacher never misses a chance to connect with students.

So it wasn’t surprising that when Michael Leib learned “Weird Al” Yankovich had released a song called “Pancreas,” he listened closely to it.

As it turned out, the novelty song gave a very accurate description of the function of that critical organ. It also provided Leib, the C.R. Roberts Professor in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, a way to help his students remember his course material.

“It’s a silly song, but it’s incredibly accurate in terms of physiology,” said Heather Graham (M.S. clinical science ’12). “He played it for students in his class and made me sing it along with him.”

Graham said that episode illustrated the degree to which Leib “loves being around young people and teaching. You can tell it seems to energize him.”

A native of Long Island in New York, Leib earned a bachelor’s from Emory University, then a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Georgia, and finally a master’s from Colorado State. He joined the faculty of the VirginiaMaryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983, as an expert in gastroenterology.

Michael Leib “When I got here, the college’s first senior class had just entered clinical rotations,” he said. “I’ve had at least some interaction with every class we’ve had.”

During the earlier portion of Leib’s career, he also interacted regularly with the man who endowed the professorship he now holds.

Kent Roberts was a founding faculty member at the veterinary college and directed its continuingeducation programs. He retired in 1995. In 2002, Roberts endowed the C.R. Roberts Professorship, which is named for his father.

Impact [ 38 ] Winter 2014

During the college’s early days, Leib and Roberts often traveled together to promote its continuing-education programs. Leib still spends a good amount of his time teaching in such programs.

He said Roberts’ enthusiasm for promoting the college, and his energy in general, impressed him years ago.

“He would always insist on taking the stairs, and would often run up the stairs,” Leib recalled.

Energetic is an adjective Leib’s former students often employ when describing him as well.

“He’s got a lot of energy,” said Alexander Gallagher, who was a resident under Leib and is now a clinical assistant professor of small animal medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. “You can always see how excited he is about the topics he’s talking about with students, colleagues, or other peers.”

photo by CHELSEY ALLDER

Leib said holding a named professorship helps him by providing discretionary money to be used in a variety of ways, including hiring graduate students to help on research projects.

Ways to give: Year-end giving guidelines When it comes to maximizing the tax benefits associated with your charitable gifts,

timing is everything. Please keep the following deadlines in mind to ensure year-end tax credit for your 2014 contributions:

Online credit card payments must be made by 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 31, 2014, at www.givingto.vt.edu.

Credit card payments by telephone must be received no later than 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 31, 2014, and can be made by calling 800-533-1144 or 540-231-2828.

Credit card payments sent by mail must be received by the Office of Gift Accounting by 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 31, 2014, so that they can be processed by the end of the year.

Checks delivered by the U.S. Postal Service must be

dated on or before Dec. 31, 2014, and postmarked by Dec. 31, 2014, in order to be credited to 2014.

Credit card or check payments by mail should be addressed to: Gift Accounting Office of University Development (0336) Virginia Tech 902 Prices Fork Road Blacksburg, VA 24061

Checks delivered to Virginia Tech by other means (hand-delivered, FedEx, UPS) must be dated on or before Dec. 31, 2014, and received by the Office of Gift

Accounting by no later than 5 p.m. EST Dec. 31, 2014. Gift checks that are not mailed through the U.S. Postal Service are effective as of the date they are received by Virginia Tech.

Transfer of securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) Planning is essential when it comes to gifts of

securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds). The transfer must be executed by your broker and received in an account owned by the Virginia Tech Foundation on or before Dec. 31, 2014, before it is considered complete. Please allow at least five business days for electronic transfers. For more information, call 540-231-2325 or visit www.idm.vt.edu.

For detailed instructions on ways to give in tax year 2014, call the Office of University Development at 800-533-1144 or visit http://bit.ly/yearendguidelines. With the exception of Dec. 24-25, 2014, the Office of Gift Accounting will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., throughout December. photo by CHELSEY ALLDER

Impact

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

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photo by AMANDA LOMAN

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