If you get sick, what should you do?
If you have a fever of over 100° F plus a cough and/or sore throat and/or vomiting or diarrhea, isolate yourself from others as much as possible in order to prevent spread of the disease: stay home or in your residence hall room. Contact your physician or the Health Center by telephone before seeking medical attention to ask for advice on how to minimize possible exposure to others in the health care setting.

Emergency warning signs that you need urgent medical attention:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

What everyone should do to lower risk of infection:

MBC has been preparing for a potential pandemic outbreak for several years, and we update our plan regularly. Mary Baldwin constantly monitors developments and recommendations from public health officials in order to best guide the college community.

For More Information

The Centers for Disease Control provides the most detailed and up-to-date information: Centers for Disease Control

The Virginia Department of Health posts information specific to Virginia: Virginia Department of Health

The World Health Organization monitors the outbreak on a global scale: World Health Organization

A summary of basic facts regarding 2009 H1N1 influenza, the flu and MBC, and other helpful information can be found on the MBC Health Center Web site

But the beloved MBC professor emerita of biology, who passed away August 25 at age 98, will be remembered for how she brought compassion and personality to the study of sciences at a time when that field was still on the fringe for female scholars.

Humphreys enlightened women such as Janet Russell Steelman ’52, a retired genetic toxicology research associate and project manager for a major pharmaceutical company, that it was possible for a woman to have an intense career in the sciences. Steelman recently pledged a major gift to the renovation of Pearce Science Center in honor of her inspiring professor.

Although the college community can no longer enjoy the light of Humphreys’ physical presence, her legacy as one half of a powerful two-woman biology department from 1943 to 1968 lives in an MBC lecture series created by friends and former students in 1992. The series has brought prominent scientists to campus to interact with students, faculty, and staff, and talk about their cutting-edge work.

During her 25-year tenure, Humphreys taught biology, botany, and genetics. (As a true demonstration of her character, her former students will attest that, although she held a PhD from Duke, she preferred being addressed as “miss” rather than “doctor”) She was a role model and mentor for her students working toward careers in the sciences. She retired more than 40 years ago, but remained a remarkable presence in the lives of students, colleagues, friends, and the college.

“I visited with her several times at her home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and developed a deep affection and admiration for her,” said President Pamela Fox in a campus announcement about Humphreys’ death.

“Hers was an extraordinary life, worthy of celebration and remembrance. Mary Baldwin College is fortunate that she dedicated so much of it to this college and its students,” Fox added.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. September 16 at Buckingham Presbyterian Church in Berlin, Maryland. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin, Maryland. You can also share your personal memories and photos of Dr. Mary Humphreys on Mary Baldwin’s Facebook site.

In a presentation interspersed with audio clips, Fox offered gratitude for the creative solutions already in motion to cope with a shrinking budget and innovative programming, and she introduced the reorganization of the college into four Schools of Excellence. A novel concept for most at MBC, the schools structure will not involve physical separation of student, faculty, and students in different camps. It will, however, highlight the college’s unique strengths — such as a teacher education program that is one of the strongest in the state, a one-of-a-kind partnership with American Shakespeare Center in downtown Staunton, and many others. The schools’ working titles are: Arts, Humanities, and Renaissance Studies; Education, Health, and Human Services; Global, Business, and Political Studies; and Natural Sciences and Psychology.

“Schools will make visible our strengths and highlight our unique and distinctive programs” and will include civic engagement, regional partners, national and international partners, and alumnae/i connections,” Fox said.

“I ask us to ‘come together, right now’ to face this turning point,” she said in closing.

Read the full text of Dr. Fox’s State of the College address and watch video of her presentation online. Also look for her remarks and additional features in the September issue of The Cupola, to be delivered next week to all who receive The Mary Baldwin College Magazine.

MBC maintained its status as one of the nation’s best colleges and universities, coming in at number 21 among master’s-level universities in the South. In the eight years it has been classified as a master’s-level university, MBC has never slipped from the top tier of the category, moving up from a ranking of 31 in 2005. The pool included 117 ranked schools in the South in 2009.

MBC will also be highlighted in the August 24 issue of U.S. News & World Report for being among 15 master’s-level universities in the South recognized as “Great Schools, Great Prices.” The higher the quality program and the lower the cost, the better the deal — according to the U.S. News ranking formula — and Mary Baldwin comes in at No. 7. In 2008, 73 percent of student received need-based aid at an average of $18,320 per student. Mary Baldwin College is also featured in Barron’s Best Buys in College Education and The Princeton Review’s online “Best Colleges: Region by Region” listing. The college has for several years been included on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, and MBC is noted as a “College of Distinction” by Student Horizons, Inc. for excellence in undergraduate education.

“At the core of our mission is the unshakeable conviction that an MBC education transforms individuals, who then have the knowledge, skills, perspective, and desire to make a positive difference in the world,” said Mary Baldwin College President Pamela Fox.

The complete 2010 America’s Best Colleges guidebook will be available August 25. View the complete listing by U.S. News & World Report (updated 8/20): http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college

isit the magazine’s blog for a behind-the-scenes information and analysis: www.usnews.com/blogs/college-rankings-blog/index.html

Local news coverage of the rankings:

The News Leader

The Augusta Free Press

The News Virginian

Nancy Ross is a ceramicist who for over 35 years has embraced an artistic practice deeply rooted in the creation of functional vessels. Since 2002 she has been an adjunct instructor of art at Mary Baldwin where she teaches all levels of ceramics. A resident of Free Union, Virginia, and a studio potter since 1973, she received her MA in Ceramics from James Madison University in 1980. Since then she has shown her work in a variety of venues throughout Virginia and in Maryland. In 2008 she received the Artisans Center of Virginia Award for Excellence. Mike Gamble is a resident of Waynesboro, Virginia, and has been showing his ceramic work at various regional shows and competitions since 1995, where he has won a number of awards. He received his BFA from East Tennessee State University in 1988.

In preparation for this exhibition at Mary Baldwin's Hunt Gallery, both artists have pushed their studio practices into new territory, exposing themselves to new ideas formally and conceptually. Abandoning her commitment to function, Ross says the following about her new work: "I confronted my habits, my comfort, and myself by setting out to make purely sculptural work [informed by the natural forms that surround her at her home and studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains].aEť Eventually, through her creative process, she found herself aEśaE¦ pulled back into the vessel aesthetic with unexpected freedom, growth, and enjoyment." Gamble states that his work aEśaE¦ is evolving through aEustandardaEu functional ware to more aEuorganicaEu forms, always with strict attention to detail."

A reception will be held for the artists on Monday, September 7, from 4:30-6p.m. in Hunt Gallery. The public is invited to attend. Hunt Gallery is dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary work in all media by regionally and nationally recognized artists. The Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the College's academic year. Hunt Gallery's schedule for the 2009-10 academic year can be found online at http://www.mbc.edu/arts/huntgallery.asp.

August 17-21: ACCs, RAs, OLs, SGA EC — selected student leaders whose titles make fun acronyms (Assistant Community Coordinators, Resident Assistants, Orientation Leaders, Student Government Association Executive Committee) start preparing for the year by moving in extra early. The Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership cadre (upperclass officers) are unpacking, too, to get ready to train the new cadets in the corps.

August 18: Teachers teach teachers as new graduate students attend Orientation for the Master of Arts in Teaching program.

August 19: Watch for green-clad students in uniform marching on campus: “leeft, leeft, left-right-left” when new students (nULLs) in VWIL move in aE¦ and on to Wilderness, a week-long team-building adventure in the rough.

August 20: Is that the echo of a long pass on the soccer field or the smack of a ball hitting a forearm in the PAC gym you hear? It might be — volleyball and soccer student-athletes start moving in and begin practice. Cross country runners move in August 23 and begin practice that week.

* * * * *

Leadership Gateways orientations for incoming students:

August 19: VWIL (see more information above)

August 23: African-American freshmen in the Ida B. Wells living-learning community move in and receive an introduction to Orientation that includes learning about the civil rights and women’s rights figure for whom their group is named.

August 24: International students, including nine from Mary Baldwin’s new partner university, Sungshin Women’s University, in Seoul, South Korea, arrive stateside and begin making international connections.

August 25: New students who selected Spencer Citizens, Global Honors Scholars, or Women for Healthy Lifestyles as their introduction to college get settled and begin their orientation with community service, exploring the American Shakespeare Center, and activities at the Physical Activities Center.

August 26: Nearly 50 new students in the Career Academy Gateway and more than 20 in the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted make their way to campus to start their tailored orientations. During the next few days, they’ll learn about visual journals, go bowling, and take a national college-student survey.

* * * * *

August 26: Faculty and staff powwow at the annual opening meeting for the President’s state-of-the-college address. New dean of the college, Dr. Catharine O’Connell, leads her first faculty session after the president’s remarks.

August 27: New students in the college’s unique graduate program in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance (MLitt/MFA) attend Orientation, asking, methinks: “Wherefore art thou a student of the Bard?”

August 28: After getting to know more about the college and each other in Gateways Orientation, the excited members of the Class of 2013 meld together for Weekend of Welcome. Their comprehensive three-day orientation, with its theme, Hearts on Fire, nods to the college’s cross-curricular theme Heart and includes a Know the Codes session and concludes with a candlelight ceremony August 30.

August 28: New students are officially welcomed to the new year by President Fox and student leaders at Opening Convocation at 10 a.m. on Page Terrace. Rain location: Francis Auditorium.

August 30: All the marching practice is tested for the first time in public at the VWIL nULL Induction Parade, the first parade of the academic year.

August 30: A candlelight ceremony, 8:30 p.m. on Page Terrace, and singing of MBC's hymn will conclude the weekend.

August 31: And so begins the 2008-09 academic year as first classes are called to order. Returning students to the Residential College for Women will have been streaming into residence halls and houses in the day or two preceding the start of classes.

August 31: Hunt Dining Hall has been open for limited hours for the past few weeks, but a joyful noise spreads across campus as the Dining Hall opens for full service once again with its tasty meals morning, noon, and night.

September 2: Show your Fighting Squirrels spirit: The first sporting competition on home turf this fall is a volleyball game versus Bridgewater college at 6 p.m. in the PAC.

September 2: “Believing in the principles of student government, I pledge myself aE¦ ” Freshmen recite the time-honored MBC Honor Pledge and sign their names in covenant to the charter during the annual Charter Day ceremony.

September 9: Students rush, don’t walk, to Club Rush to find out more about MBC’s varied offerings of clubs and organizations.

Dates to Note in Your Planner

October 1
Founders Day

October 2-4
Plan to register and attend Family Weekend

October 7
A revered MBC tradition, Apple Day

Scholarships, capital improvements, undergraduate and faculty research, career services, and more at Mary Baldwin College were boosted by funds from VFIC, an organization that distributed more than $2.7 million in grants to 15 leading private colleges in the Commonwealth during the previous academic year. Mary Baldwin received one of the largest awards, which included nearly $27,000 in unrestricted funds.

A few highlights of MBC’s funding:

• VFIC funding included the $22,500 Verizon Digital Age to support the ongoing development the college’s Career Academy, one of seven Leadership Gateways that will guide the studies and co-curricular activities of entering Mary Baldwin students beginning in fall 2009. The grant will help Career Academy students develop resumés and an electronic portfolio to record their goals, and facilitate a partnership between the Career Academy and Grafton Library. The creation of an information technology lab, named Taking the Liberal Arts to Work, is a critical piece of the program.
• $7,750 was designated for improvements and upgrades to audio/visual equipment in Francis Auditorium through the VFIC Capital Project Initiative. Work started over the summer and is scheduled to wrap up by September 30.
• Nearly $104,000 was distributed through student scholarships, including a $5,000 Wachovia Foundation Scholarship to Linde Bischak ’10 and rising senior Erin Hall’s $5,000 Norfolk Southern Scholarship.
• Marlena Hobson, associate professor of art, will employ her recent $2,000 Mednick Fellowship Award from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges to continue research for a book she is planning on the Novecento movement in Italian art. During her spring 2010 sabbatical, Hobson will visit the Museum of Modern Art, Fritz Museum, the Library of Congress, and other sites specifically to find information about N.G. Fiumi, a member of the Novecento movement and her grandfather.
• VFIC provided $2,000 for MBC rising sophomore Beth Dodson’s work through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program.

Mary Baldwin College and private colleges around the state also wrap up their participation in Virginia Private Colleges Week August 1, another program that comes as a benefit to members of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. Founded in 1952, VFIC is a nonprofit, fundraising, and programmatic partnership of colleges and supporting corporations. On the Web at www.vfic.org. 2009-07-30 http://www.mbc.edu/news/r_detail.php?id=2225 http://www.mbc.edu/news/r_detail.php?id=2225 Tuition at a private college is too expensive. A student at a private college will receive less financial assistance from government sources. Middle-class families can’t afford a private education.

These are some of the most common statements about private colleges and universities. Next week, hundreds of prospective students will discover why they are misconceptions during programs at Mary Baldwin College and dozens of institutions across the Commonwealth.

During Virginia Private College Week (VPCW) July 27-August 1, 25 colleges will sponsor tours and programs to introduce potential students to campus life, academic options, and the more technical aspects of application and admission. Sessions are scheduled for 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 9 a.m. Saturday.

Mary Baldwin, a participant in VPCW for many years, will offer student-guided campus tours, individual conversations with admissions counselors, and other specific information that tailors the visit for each attendee, said Roberta Palmer, director of admissions. Prospective students will also learn about the college’s new Leadership Gateways designed to focus their transition to college and be encouraged to return for an overnight visit when classes are in session, she said.

More than 70,000 students attend private colleges in Virginia, and in-state residents are eligible for up to $3,000 annually through the Tuition Assistance Grant, according to an official VPCW proclamation from the governor.

Brochures, Web sites, and phone and email conversations with representatives at a college are helpful, but nothing compares to walking the paths, sitting in the desks, and feeling the energy of the place where you could spend the next four formative years.

Need added incentive? Students who visit at least three institutions during the week will receive three application fee waivers that they can use to apply to any school in the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia — which sponsors the program — at no cost.

For more information and a list of participating colleges, visit www.virginiaprivatecolleges.org.

“Dear Mary Baldwin Alumnae/i and Friends:

I write today with very sad news about a much-loved and respected professor. We have received word that Professor of Psychology Jack L. Kibler III died early this morning.

In Dr. Kibler’s 28 years as a member of the faculty, he distinguished himself as a stellar teacher, a caring mentor, a collaborative and brilliant colleague, and a loyal friend. We will greatly miss him.

I feel this loss deeply on a personal level, as well as on behalf of Mary Baldwin College. I know many of you feel the same.”

In keeping with the family's wishes, Dr. Kibler's memorial service will be private. His obituary is posted at www.henryfuneralhome.net, through which one can also send private condolences to the family.

Individuals who would like to share memories and thoughts about professor Kibler are invited to post them on Mary Baldwin College’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/marybaldwincollege. If you are not a Facebook member, please send your rememberances to enews@mbc.edu and we will share them with the Mary Baldwin College community.

Eligible veterans, service members, reservists, and their family members can now receive discounted tuition at Mary Baldwin College (MBC) as a result of the most extensive educational assistance program offered to veterans since the GI Bill was introduced in 1944. Mary Baldwin has pledged $9,000 per student per year — which will be matched by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — for qualifying students in its Residential College for Women, and comparable grants are available to both men and women through the college's Adult Degree Program.

The new Post-9/11 GI Bill helps those who have served the country in the military pay for a college degree. The maximum benefit covers full in-state tuition for every eligible veteran who is an undergraduate student at a public institution, according to a recent release from the White House.

The Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, expands educational opportunity by helping to fund tuition expenses at private or out-of-state institutions that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. Institutions can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses, and VA will match this additional funding for eligible students.

Another provision allows benefits to be transferred to an immediate family member, as Brian Cummings discovered when his daughter, Alexandra, applied for admission to MBC in fall 2009. Combined with Alexandra’s scholarships and other financial aid, the Yellow Ribbon Program makes college costs affordable

“I believe this program will encourage families with military backgrounds to provide their children with a first-rate education,” said Brian Cummings, a 25-year veteran in the US Army from Bristow, Virginia.

The program allows colleges and universities to fund up to 100 students each per semester, and there is still time for people to apply for fall 2009 in Mary Baldwin’s Residential College for Women and Adult Degree Program.

“This is a wonderful collaboration in which private institutions partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand opportunities for veterans and their families for whom a private college may be a better fit,” said Crista Cabe, MBC’s vice president for public relations.

Find more information online: www.gibill.va.gov, see information for Yellow Ribbon Program on front page link.

Virginia’s public and private schools are waiting for special education teachers. Special education has been for several years identified as one of the state’s critical shortage areas — meaning that the demand for teachers outpaces the supply. The problem is chronic. Though the traditional program at Mary Baldwin College (MBC) — and many other colleges and universities in the state — the process for a new teacher to earn licensure and special education endorsement could take six years or more. For many, that process is too long.

A new special education minor at Mary Baldwin will place qualified teachers in the classroom more quickly. Specifically designed for adult undergraduates and career-switchers, the 23-credit hour minor now available allows students to major in a subject area (a requirement for all education minors), minor in special education, work in a student-teaching placement, and be eligible for a Virginia teaching license with endorsement in special education. Special education endorsement was previously only available at MBC after a student had earned a bachelor’s degree and enrolled in the college’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program. With the approval of the new minor, undergraduates and students in the college’s post-baccalaureate teacher licensure program will be eligible for endorsement.

“We see many students who are interested in special education who, for any number of reasons, would like to move more quickly into the classroom. We would like to get them there,” said Pamela Murray, professor of education at MBC’s Roanoke regional center for adult and graduate studies.

A few additional courses beyond the special education minor are needed to complete Virginia teacher licensure. Several new courses that prepare teachers for the unique challenges of special education were added to Mary Baldwin’s curriculum when the minor was approved in fall 2008. Two are offered online this summer: Characteristics of Exceptionality familiarizes students with the definitions, characteristics, and behavior support needs of children with varying levels of disability; and Foundations and Legal Issues provides them with the ability to analyze ethical and privacy issues in the classroom.

John Shaw retired six years ago and is now enrolled in the two online summer courses that qualify for a special education minor. His search for a “new mission” in his life led him to special education — where he knows there is high demand — and Mary Baldwin College.

“Teaching special education will allow me to use my life experiences to provide examples of how to deal with the life’s challenges,” Shaw said. “I can relate to those challenges and know how some people overcome them. My son was born with muscular dystrophy and he went on to teach for 14 years after graduating from MBC.”

Classroom management and collaboration with traditional classroom teachers is an increasingly important aspect of special education instruction as teachers are called on to do more team-teaching, Murray said. A new course required for special education minors addresses those areas, and practicum and student teaching requirements emphasize the practical application of skills.

The minor is also available to students in MBC’s Residential College for Women who are interested in teaching special education, but they will likely opt to follow the five-year BA/MAT program, said Karen Dorgan, professor of education in the college’s Richmond center. The BA/MAT is a relatively new sequence where students can earn their undergraduate and graduate degrees and teacher licensure in five years.

The lull in the national economy is also a factor in people’s decisions to obtain special education endorsement, Murray said. “It is increasingly common for students to go for endorsement in more than one area, so they are prepared to make changes,” she said.

Environment Based Learning (EBL) courses this summer include an introduction to Environment Based Learning, Nature Journaling Across the Curriculum (with author and illustrator Claire Walker Leslie), a storytelling course with nationally known orator Donald Davis, and Trout in the Classroom. The classes not only get students out into the natural environment in Staunton and Augusta County, but Storytelling: A Pathway to Curriculum Integration begins with three days on Smith Island surrounded by the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

In early summer Adult Degree Program (ADP) students in Staunton and Hampton — at of one of MBC’s seven regional centers for adult and graduate studies — earned valuable credits toward their degrees in courses ranging from Introduction to Art Education to Historic Preservation to Multicultural Education during summer institutes.

The South Boston regional center began its fourth annual summer session in early June and continues to accept enrollments for weeklong courses through the end of July, said Wanda Overby, regional operations coordinator.

“Some students registered for one course and then decided they liked the format and material so much that they came back for more,” said Overby, adding that approximately 40 students are registered for summer courses at the center.

“The instructors seem to like it to,” she said about the schedule, which includes one week of intensive classroom time and additional assignments throughout the summer to earn three credit hours.

ADP and Master of Arts in Teaching summer courses are also offered in Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, and Weyers Cave. Visit http://www.mbc.edu/summer/ for more details and course descriptions.

Denise Kinsinger ’08 signed on to Facebook about a year ago to keep in touch with college friends who were graduating, and the graduate-school-bound English major has since adopted it as a primary means of reaching and being reached by friends, professors, and others around the world.

Although most MBC professors do not specifically use Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking tools in the classroom, Kinsinger know that many have active accounts. “I also noticed that several college clubs and organizations set up Facebook pages to communicate with their members and to publicize campus events,” she said. Kinsigner also has a profile on the career networking site LinkedIn, “because you never know who might connect you with an interesting project or job,” she added.

But even those who are plugged in to social media — the term used to categorize the relatively inexpensive tools that allow everyone access to create and share content — might not yet know about Mary Baldwin College’s presence on those sites, so we gathered the college’s links on a new Web page: MBC on the Web. A quick rundown of what you’ll find there:

Join one of the nearly 800 fans (now it's up to 1,200) of MBC on Facebook, the connection engine for college and university students that started our recent social media frenzy. You’ll see when articles are posted on www.mbc.edu/news almost instantaneously and read posts from MBC communication folks, among other features.

Welcome to the world of 140 character meta-messages. (In Twitter-speak this article would have ended "...watching videos on”) You could call it a spin-off of Facebook’s “status” function, but Twitter has generated a life of its own and gone far beyond that. According to a recent article in US News & World Report, "... Twitter might not yet be quite as popular among students as Facebook or MySpace, a growing cadre of professors and administrators are embracing it and using it to introduce their classes to a different kind of communication and networking.”

There is no shortage of sites devoted to maximizing the use of Twitter, and classroom uses abound. Suggestions from www.onlinecolleges.net include connecting professors and students through direct Tweets, setting up groups for specific projects through Tweetworks, taking classroom polls, using the Just Tweet It colleges and universities directory to connect with others in academia ... and 46 other ideas.

Did you miss Commencement 2009? MBC posted video of the keynote speech by Karen Sherman, director of global programs for Women for Women International. Also available on MBC’s YouTube channel: interviews with students in the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted, a performance of the MBC fight song, Global Rhythms in concert, and more.

Yet another way to post your resumé, research careers, and connect with people in specific fields. MBC boasts 95 members, but we know there are more out there.

Real Simple Syndication (RSS) offers news junkies a way to stream all their headlines to one location (think: your Google home page). Just like CNN, The New York Times, and your local media outlets, MBC offers an RSS feed for updated news from the college’s news site.

WHEREAS Dr. Edward Scott graciously and enthusiastically stepped into the position of interim vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college in 2006 while Mary Baldwin College searched for a new administrator; and

WHEREAS he remained gracious and enthusiastic (and continued to inspire in his classroom as well) when the original one-year appointment continued into a second year; and

WHEREAS his grace and enthusiasm did not waver, but, indeed, intensified, as his interim post entered its third year; and

WHEREAS during that time he was instrumental in the conception, execution, and celebration of the opening of the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement, which has become the college’s rallying core and inspired life-changing programs; and

WHEREAS his leadership and desire — no, requirement — for collaboration on every level inspired faculty and staff to cull their imaginations and intellects to create a feast of innovative academic programs and projects; and

WHEREAS “he did not use the mechanics of a now virtual universe of on-screen commands and messages to convey his authority, but regularly left his office and traversed effortlessly between administrative space, faculty and staff offices, and classrooms to ‘conduct business,’ ‘solve a problem,’ or ‘work through a conflict’ in the flesh,” saith Dr. Roderic Owen, professor of philosophy; and

WHEREAS his fervent and heartfelt welcoming addresses — and even more significant, personal interaction — with prospective students on college visit days and Future Freshman Fridays made it nearly impossible for young women not to enroll at MBC; and

WHEREAS “this humble and wise man cared enough to make the problems of those in need — be it student, faculty, or staff member — his own; he embodies the characteristics Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu described: ‘Kindness in words creates confidence; kindness in thinking creates profoundness; kindness in giving creates love,’” saith Terri Walker, administrative coordinator of academic affairs; and

WHEREAS he did not falter in his rousing service to community, specifically as pastor of Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church and a member of the Staunton School Board, during his tenure as interim dean, making a real difference in the lives of area residents; and

WHEREAS the Mary Baldwin community recognizes over and again the power of his deep and infectious laugh, specifically during one unmentionable “boa” incident, saith Teri Maerki, administrative assistant to the president;

WHEREAS “fellow faculty have heard aE¦ from their offices aE¦ his passionate proclamations as he tried to awaken a sluggish 9 a.m. class and recognizing that his jazz-style deaning has elevated the integrity of said offices, we do hereinafter welcome him back to the department (which he never really left) and proclaim gratitude for his leadership,” saith Jim Gilman, professor of religion and philosophy; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mary Baldwin College community bestows its eternal gratitude upon Dr. Edward Scott for lifting its spirits, soothing its souls, and lighting its paths. To the gentle soul who has invoked peace on all of us too many times to count, it is our turn to say “peace” to you good Dean, and God bless;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be presented to him and duly entered into the minutes of this meeting.

In July 2006, Dr. Edward Scott stepped into the role of interim dean of the college and vice president for academic affairs while the college embarked on a search for a new person to fill the key administrative position. Scott expected that he might be in the position for the better part of an academic year. Or maybe two. Three years after his appointment — with the selection of Dr. Catharine O’Connell, formerly of Defiance College, to fill the position — he will finally say good-bye to the deanship to return full-time to the classroom as professor of philosophy and religion.

His status may have officially been “interim,” but his trademark baritone and ability to — in the words of a colleague — “traverse effortlessly between administrative space, faculty and staff offices, and classrooms” will leave a lasting mark on the position.

Check back on MBC News for more about new dean O’Connell, and, in the meantime, enjoy these reminisces and honorarium - one from Scott himself and the other written in recognition of his service.

The following message is an amended version of Dr. Scott’s final annual Board of Trustees report in April 2009.

"This final year of my service as dean of the college has made me more wistful than I could have imagined. From the beginning, I dared not to believe that I might do any better than simply to do no harm. Had I thought I might star gaze for a year I was quickly and alarmingly made to understand that Mary Baldwin College could least of all abide the will to simply watch a comet. She would prefer to catch it by the tail. President Fox is a comet chaser and had determined that the chief academic officer of the school must chase the comet too.

"Throughout my ride I have been more boastful than modesty will permit of all that we have birthed through the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement. I remain resolved that it captures our best instincts and molds our finest impulses for sustaining local and global relationships ordered by shared concerns.

"I have watched too, with growing admiration, collective ambition to grow an intentional program to address the needs of first-year students. I am especially grateful to co-directors, Dr. Carey Usher and student life staff member Lynn Gilliland ’80, who assume responsibility for fostering the success of this new initiative. The search to find a location for the Center for First Year Experience is underway.

"The remaining areas for which the dean exercises supervision, from graduate programs to library resources, amplify my earlier sentiment about the comet. Each embodies a momentum achieved even in the crucible of devastating economic distress. It has been my good pleasure to mark the headlong flight of the MLitt/MFA program, to relish the tale that is woven by the ascendancy of our athletic program, and to honor the stirring research of our undergraduates.

"In the end, I am blessed among men to have lived without regret, though my vision may have been on occasion impaired by the dust of our comet. I am grateful for these past three years and the grand view they have afforded of a college headed toward a future uncertain but a future it shall surely master. I trust I did small harm during that time, and greater good than I might have hoped. I have fastened my grip upon the comet’s icy core and wait for the relief that new dean, Dr. Catharine O’Connell, brings after spring has run its course and summer brings the uncommon heat of our comet so near the sun."

For more than 20 years, Shirley Craft scoured newspaper clippings, court records, institutional databases, Lexis Nexis, and countless other sources for information about people who were potential contributors — financially or otherwise. She did it all while maintaining high standards for confidentiality and the person’s privacy.

In January 2009, Craft left her position as director of prospect research and records with more experience and opportunities than she could have imagined.

“I was already pretty adept at genealogy research — just through my own curiosity and teaching myself how to do it — so performing searches for people the college was interested in was an extension of that, like putting a puzzle together. The position took me beyond the routine and I was able to trace family histories and relationships and I discovered the influence of MBC on Staunton and the wider area,” she said.

One of the accomplishments in her late career was obtaining up-to-date or new research for 350 fundraising prospects in 2004-05, a task she completed with Joan Clark, former research associate. She also supported the cause during two major fundraising efforts, the Sesquicentennial Campaign and Leadership Initiative.

Aubrey Jackson had talked for years about retiring from his post supervising the delivery of about 3,500-4,000 pieces of mail that pass weekly through the MBC campus mail system. In December 2008, at age 75, he made it official.

It was during 26 years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force that Jackson became acquainted with the federal mail system when he was assigned to work in the United States Postal Service. “I’ve always loved working with mail,” he said.

“It’s rewarding to me to know that I’m helping students receive word from home or a package they’ve been looking forward to,” Jackson said in 2006, when he first started thinking about retirement. The busiest days for campus mail are Valentine’s Day and Halloween, he added.

“People depend on the mail system, and I hope I helped them feel that they can rely on the campus system,” said Jackson, who trained Billy Coffey to take over his role as mailroom supervisor at the beginning of spring semester.

In addition to Craft and Jackson, the Mary Baldwin College community will feel the spaces left by these faculty and staff members who left the college for various reasons:

• MARY ALTIZER, housekeeper, 2005-2008. Altizer passed away this year after saying goodbye to MBC in December 2008 due to health.


• PEGGY (PEROZZO) ANKNEY, associate professor of physics, 2001-2009


• CARRIE DOUGLASS, professor of anthropology, 1988-2009


• VLADIMIR GARKOV, associate professor of chemistry, 1992-2009


• JULIE GARKOV, instructor of Spanish, 1993-2009


• ANNE HANGER, visiting professor of art, 2002-2009


• MONIQUE JOHNSON, a dedicated member of the housekeeping staff for 23 years, also retired in August 2008.


• EIKO MAUZY, housekeeper, 1988-2008. A beloved fixture in the Administration Building for many years, Mauzy was on campus to receive her 20-year service award, but retired in June 2008 and passed away shortly after. The housekeeping staff honored her with the planting of a Japanese cherry tree and plaque near the college greenhouse on Coalter Street.

CELEBRATING 340 YEARS OF SERVICE

Congratulations to the following individuals celebrating the indicated years of consecutive service to the college.

30 years

• Patty Davis

25 years

• Joyce Franklin

20 years

• Becky McCray
• Beverly Askegaard
• Lucy Crews
• Anne Holland ’88
• Lydia Petersson

15 years

• Jeff Bennett
• Donna Bowyer
• Donna Crowe
• Tina Kincaid ’93
• Sue Howdyshell

10 years

• Deborah Fisher
• Lori Johnson
• Kay Rexrode
• Sylvia Strother
• Lonnie Wallace
• Michael Bissell
• Debra Camden
• Nelson Sanchez

5 years

• Angela Alltop
• Richard Arnold
• Melinda Brown
• Dedra Johnson
• Carol Larson
• Kim Robinson
• Heather Ward
• Roger Wilborn

Here is a look at Commencement day through the eyes of a few graduates we profiled as they prepared for their big day:

The drive from Roanoke, Virginia, didn't hold Judy Sgroi back from attending Commencement ceremonies in Staunton. She had been in the audience for her daughters' college graduations, and today they grabbed a seat on the hillside, along with other family members, to watch their mom receive her master of arts in teaching degree. The students in Sgroi's elementary school class may not have been in attendance, but they sent plently of well-wishes with her

Serving for her final time as a class marshall, Cytha Stottlemeyer ushered most of her classmates through the line-up before she took her place to recieve her own dipolma. Graduating summa cum laude with honors and distinction in her major made her walk across the terrace worth the wait.

It took Alan Carter 27 years to earn his undergraduate degree at Mary Baldwin - sandwiching classes between raising children and entrepreneurism - but the hour or so from the start of Commencement to his name being called probably felt like one of the longest stretches. In the audience, beside other beaming family members, was daughter McCall Carter '07, whom he proudly noted will be taking off in just days for a summer fellowship in India.

Christie Hamilton traded her Fighting Squirrels uniform for the traditional black robe and yellow-and-white Mary Baldwin hood for Commencement ceremonies. Hamilton had just returned days earlier from an MBC May Term trip to Cyprus, which was made possible by her earning a scholarship for study abroad.

There is no doubt that Elizabeth Dattilio wished one more person could have been in the audience for her graduation ceremony. It had been just over a year since the passing of her father, but Dattilio held her head - and her diploma - high and headed for a future that includes graduate studies in clinical social work, inspired by her father.

Ashley Mitchell made the trip from Richmond, Virginia - where she has been working with youth for the past few months and reently accepted a full-time position - to ceremoniously cap a challenging educational experience. Her excitement was evident on her face and in her cheers for fellow graduates

FIFTH YEAR SPELLS SUCCESS: Ashley Mitchellknew two important things when she began her education at MBC: She was not a straight-A student and she was not straight. “My professors had faith in me academically, and I found that being an “out” lesbian was seen as a courageous thing at Mary Baldwin,” said Mitchell. “Without those factors, I’m not sure if I would have made it.” Mitchell needed a little extra time to complete her degree; she finished her classroom work in December and headed to the non-profit Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth (ROSMY) in the state capital to fulfill her final internship requirement for a degree in social work. She was recently offered a full-time position there as youth programs coordinator and plans to stay with the organization. “I wish there had been a program like this when I was younger,” she said.

Images of the grads we profiled at Commencement 2009:

Update 5/24/09: Karen Sherman's Commencement 2009 Remarks

Thank you for that kind introduction, and my thanks to Mary Baldwin College for the honor of speaking to you today. Even though you’re sitting out there, and I’m standing up here, we have something in common: all of us are about to start something brand new. You are about to start your post-graduate life. I’m about to deliver my first commencement address - ever. I’m sure you’re feeling what I’m feeling - a lot of excitement O mixed with just a little bit of fear.

I’m excited because today I have a double privilege. It is a privilege to speak to you - the next generation of leaders, and especially women leaders. And it is a privilege to share with you some of what I have learned since I sat where you are — listening to a commencement speaker as my undergraduate life ticked down. My hope is that my experience may help in the life that awaits you.

After my graduation day, I moved to Washington DC from Portland, Oregon with a degree in political science. I began a short internship and then landed my first job with a non profit organization, Peace Links, which would set me on the path to my lifelong career and passion - international development.

I might have been the luckiest new grad in history: Peace Links gave me the chance to go to the Geneva Summit Talks in 1985 where I met then-President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev.

That meeting inspired me to get a master’s degree in Russian and East European studies, to set up a small business in the former Soviet Union and to start on a career focused on developing the skills and resources of women entrepreneurs and leaders.

Twenty-plus years later, I’m still just as inspired and impassioned about my work with women. (And of course I’m passionate about men, too, starting with my husband and three sons - Sam, Eli, and Kai

In 2003 I joined Women for Women International, which works with women survivors of war in conflict and post-conflict zones around the world. We tripled in size over the next five years, and today we have served over 195,000 women survivors of war with our core program of rights awareness, leadership training, vocational skills and income generation assistance. We have distributed more than $79 million in direct aid and micro-credit loans to socially excluded women.

Almost 25 years of work in developing countries and embattled parts of the world have taught me many lessons. Some of the most important have come from people living in the midst of war. Most of these people have been women - women who have never had the luxury to expect anything from life and yet confront each day with strength and determination. Most of us here today have spent our lives assuming that if we work hard we will achieve our goals, that we will lead comfortable lives. Most of the women I work with have been taught to expect O nothing. And because of this, many people assume they have nothing, and especially, that they have nothing to teach us.

Simply not true.

My hope is that I can share with you some of the lessons I have learned from women in war.

Let me start with one of my favorite quotes: “You are what you do. Not what you think. Not what you want. Not what you dream. Not even what you believe. You are what you do.” (Anonymous)

And what do we do?

Early in life, we start out with big dreams about what we want to accomplish, the kind of person we want to be, how we want to change the world.

Over time, many people become more cynical through the normal ups and downs of everyday life — stress, disappointment, heartbreak and loss, even the pressure of expectations. Life has a way of clouding our thinking and calling into question the things that we were once most sure of about ourselves.

Many people gradually let go of their dreams, their ambitions because it’s just too hard, too inconvenient, too risky, too unrealistic, or just simply too much.

The lesson I’ve learned from my work is that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can be the change that you want to see. You can be the shining example of how you can hold onto your sense of hope, of optimism, of passion, your sense of self. That is true even in a sometimes cynical world, during the stresses of everyday life, even in an economic crisis.

I’ve seen it happen with women all over the world, in the midst of the most difficult and horrific circumstances — from Afghanistan, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Sudan and Rwanda. I’ve worked with women who have truly lost everything — husbands, children, livelihoods and had their dignity stripped away by atrocities on a scale most cannot even imagine. Still they smile, they dance and their stories of resiliency, courage and strength inspire me everyday.

Take Azada’s story from Afghanistan. Azada was the third wife of an Afghan car dealer who went back and forth between wives in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “I endured the cruelty of my husband because I didn’t have other choices,” says Azada. Exiled in Pakistan, Azada eventually got permission from her father to divorce her husband and returned to Kabul to support her two growing children. There she enrolled in rights awareness classes and, with the help of Women for Women International, learned a trade. Her most prized possession is her certificate of employment. “I never thought that one day I would have the opportunity to support myself without a man,” she says. “Now I can do it. I am doing it!”

In the Congo, where every month 45,000 people die as a result of violence, a Women for Women participant describes her life this way: “I wake up each day and say a prayer for safety, then sweep the house, wash the dishes, and fetch water at the river O 1.5 kilometers from where we live. I use the water to cook for my children a meal if possible but sometimes they go without food. I now have a small business selling soaps, sweets, charcoal and flour near my home.” In a place where it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier, this woman and others like her, are struggling not just to be recognized as equal to men but for justice, peace and development for all. If she can do this, you can too.

Part of what limits how we see the world is the day-to-day reality of our lives. It is like the Talmudic saying, “We see things as we are. We don’t see things as they are.”

If you were anything like I was in college, I’m pretty sure at one time or other you found it hard to study or pay attention in class, because you were distracted by your rumbling stomach or parched mouth. Imagine if you were always hungry O if you couldn’t remember a time when you didn’t feel this way, and if you couldn’t be sure you would ever stop feeling this way. It’s no surprise that, without basic amenities, democracy, political representation and civic participation are luxurious afterthoughts.

In a recent speech, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated: “You cannot expect a country to develop if half its population are underfed, undereducated, under cared for, oppressed, and left on the sidelines. That’s not in the interests of Afghanistan or any country, and it certainly is not part of our foreign policy or our strategic review.”

The half of the population that Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton is referring to is women. Her message is that women’s empowerment is strategically important.

And, you know, experience in every corner of the world has proved that, when you invest in women, they are much more likely to invest in the health, education and nutrition of their families. At Women for Women we say, “Stronger Women build Stronger Nations.”

At the end of every 12-month Women for Women program, the participants gather together, much like you are today, for a graduation ceremony. You will shortly hold a diploma from Mary Baldwin; our participants hold a certificate from us. The certificate does not guarantee they will have food to feed their children or that violence and conflict will not continue to terrorize their lives. It does mean the woman who holds it knows her rights — her right to earn an income, to be educated and to have a life free from violence. She will also have learned a new skill, perhaps in carpentry, tile-making or organic farming. And, most importantly, she has the confidence and support of other women to help her put this new knowledge and skill to use.

I have attended dozens of Women for Women graduation ceremonies. The women always radiate; they radiate with the potential they have realized within themselves.

As one graduating woman in Kosovo proudly said, “I have no fears to speak now.”

These gatherings are celebrations of the possibility of change; celebrations of the potential that comes from living one’s truth every day.

Today is one of those celebrations, too. I began by saying I was honored to be asked to speak today. That was not just a polite cliché. I am truly honored because Mary Baldwin is committed to helping women and girls at risk around the globe. I am honored because as I look out at your faces today, I can see how Mary Baldwin has transformed itself into one of the most diverse colleges anywhere. Finally, I am honored because of your deep commitment to social responsibility and global citizenship. It’s a commitment you’ve renewed by establishing the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement.

It all kind of makes me wish I’d gone here, too.

So let me close my first ever commencement speech by saying that, after your years here, each one of you has what it takes to be an agent of change — whether it’s working in the developing world, in the executive suite, or as parents, as friends, colleagues and employers. As Christine, the woman who runs Women for Women’s program in the Democratic Republic of Congo often says: “One woman can change many things, many women can change everything.”

Of course, change carries risks — risk of failure; risk of breaking someone’s heart or perhaps your own; risk of not finding the right job, the right pay, the right position. Sometimes you just have to jump without knowing right where you will land.

You will have to make many choices — about your career, about your family, about whether you want to combine work and family and all the tradeoffs involved.

Embrace your choice, and celebrate your ability to have and make choices. Remember making life choices is a luxury that is not shared by too many women around the world.

And don’t choose out of guilt or regret or a sense of obligation. Choose because it is the right decision for you, because it is your right and because that right is really a gift.

And know that whether you choose to invest your time, energy and passion in your family, your career, your community or in the community of nations or some combination thereof, you are a beautiful example of the change you seek.

Thank you.

Original article 5/12/09:

Karen Sherman helps “stronger women build stronger nations” as executive director for global programs at Women for Women International. The phrase, used frequently by the social entrepreneurism organization that Sherman has been a part of since 2003, is not a hollow promise.

“We are committed to working with the most socially excluded women in those populations because they are not being served by other organizations,” Sherman said in a presentation for the World Affairs Council. “We are motivated to move them from victim to survivor to active citizen in their communities.”

After earning an undergraduate degree in political science at University of Oregon — near her hometown — Sherman packed up and drove cross-country to Washington DC for an internship she had set up while still in school. That work led her to a position with Peace Links, an organization founded at the height of the Cold War by the wives of US congressmen, and to her first international job experience. Sherman worked as development coordinator and development director of the organization’s International Peace Walk, spending significant time in the former Soviet Union. Her passion for that work convinced her to earn a master’s degree in Russian and East European studies at George Washington University, which she did while launching and managing a small homestay tourism business in the former Soviet Union, identifying entrepreneurial opportunities and finding partnerships in that region.

“One of the pieces I hope will come across in my address is how to capitalize on opportunities in your life,” Sherman said. “Right out of college, I had the chance to meet Mikhail Gorbachev [then general secretary of the Communist party of the Soviet Union]; it was unbelievable.”

Prior to joining Women for Women International, Sherman worked for 10 years at Counterpart International, a global development organization that operates in more than 60 countries. She began as a program officer and held several positions leading to executive vice president.

Sherman has spoken to large crowds before, but this will be her first Commencement address, and she plans to make the most of it. “I am thinking now about the stories I will share about women from around the world who have turned their lives around. I really want to leave them with a message of women as change agents, women as doers,” she said.

Graduates in Mary Baldwin College’s Class of 2009 were greeted by a warm spring Commencement morning May 24, the humid air punctuated again and again with proud shouts and applause. When it wrapped up more than 330 undergraduate and graduate degrees had been conferred, including the college’s largest graduating class, 51, of Master of Arts in Teaching students. Watch the slideshow for images that capture the spirit of celebration on Page Terrace during MBC’s 167th Commencement. Check back for additional pictures!

Commencement award winners:

• Louise McNamee ’70,Algernon Sydney Sullivan Non-Student Award, honorary doctorate of humane letters
• Robyn Stegman ’09,Algernon Sydney Sullivan Student Award and Mary Keith Fitzroy Award
• Devon Burke '09,Martha Stackhouse Grafton Award
• Crystal France ’09,Adult Degree Program Outstanding Student
• Amanda Fertile ’09,Master of Arts in Teaching Outstanding Student
• Robert Jones ’09,MLitt/MFA Ariel Award

Local news coverage of Commencement 2009:

McNamee was also honored with a second award, an prestigious honorary doctorate. Her first major moment on the Page Terrace stage where Commencement is held was in 1970, when she earned her bachelor’s degree in English, with honors, after just three years at MBC. She was the guest of honor as Commencement speaker in the mid-1980s and again in 2004, both times imparting invaluable lessons from her career and life. Her awards and accolades for advertising campaigns are numerous — including industry awards and being included in prestigious national lists, such as Fortune magazine’s “Women to Watch.” But it is her intense personal connection with clients in the advertising world that built her reputation as a “steel magnolia” in the field and created the phrase “McNamee magic” from at least one national magazine writer.

McNamee has displayed graciousness, encouragement, and generosity in all her dealings with Mary Baldwin College, and she is, above all, a believer in the liberal arts as the best preparation for life and career.

Stegman is just starting her post-graduate career journey. For her, seeing the world is just the beginning — and she has been to nearly two dozen countries already. Translating travel into action is the true value of international experiences. For example, Stegman connected a year-long study abroad experience in India with MBC when she and several other students created the Mary Baldwin Global Initiative to raise awareness of human trafficking and at-risk young girls around the world. A commitment to support Dhamma Moli girls school in Nepal, founded by nuns Stegman had met while in India, is the product of her attendance at the first-ever Clinton Global Initiative University. She also volunteered to mentor a student from Japan, becoming the college’s first MBC Ambassador, which is now a growing program.

This year, she served as the resident advisor for the International Hall Living-Learning Community, and took advantage of breaks during the academic year to teach computer literacy in Uganda and learn about the peace process in El Salvador with MBC Artist-in- Residence Claudia Bernardi. She was one of the first students to enroll in the college’s Semester of Service, and through that practicum she organized a social entrepreneurism speaker series, interfaith dialogues, and MBC’s first Global Awareness Week. Not surprisingly, Stegman recently became one of the first to be inducted into the college’s Global Citizens Society.

After a month of summer work with the Phoenix Project engaged in social entrepreneurship as a strategy to address poverty in Virginia, Stegman will start a year-long placement as an English teacher in South Korea through English Apple.

“My goal is to be a part-time worker or student and a full-time traveler,” said Stegman, who is applying for a Rotary scholarship for graduate studies in social entrepreneurism in Mumbai, India.

Special Award Winners

• Devon Burkeof Dover, New Hampshire: Martha Stackhouse Grafton Award, recognizing the senior with the highest cumulative grade point average. Not only did Burke maintain a perfect grade point average and earn distinction in her Asian studies major, she took advantage of study abroad opportunities - Japan in 2008 and Hungary in 2009 - and was involved in theatre productions at MBC. Her commitment to international study and understanding, including her Honors thesis, “Between Love and Marriage: Personal Choice and Romantic Love Within the Marriage Systems of India and Japan,” earned her a place in Mary Baldwin’s inaugural group of Global Citizenship Society inductees, and she is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She signed on to teach abroad through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program after graduation.


• Crystal Franceof Martinsville, Virginia: Adult Degree Program Outstanding Student. France distinguished herself as an outstanding communication major by going the extra mile — literally driving the extra miles from Martinsville to Staunton — to meet with communication faculty on campus and broaden her education with participation in Summer Week. France left a successful professional position to enroll full-time at MBC, and was named to the Dean’s List and inducted into the communications honor society Lambda Pi Eta for her efforts. During her MBC education, she also continued her involvement in community service organizations, such as Martinsville’s Democratic committee and Helping Empower Youth, a group dedicated to steering children and teens toward healthy choices.


• Amanda Fertileof Keswick, Virginia: Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Student of the Year. Fertile is a licensed elementary teacher who came to MBC to earn her master’s degree with an add-on endorsement in special education. She took courses through the Staunton, Charlottesville, and Richmond adult and graduate centers to complete her degree and easily grasped the program’s inquiry method and techniques for diverse learners and adapted them to her classroom. One employer noted, “Parents trust her because they can sense her genuine concern for their child’s progress.” We’re not sure if she will make it to Commencment May 24 or not — she’s due with her first child at almost the same time!


• Robert Jonesof Staunton, Virginia: MLitt/MFA Ariel Award. Jones showcased his mastery of comedic characters onstage as The Nurse in American Shakespeare Center’s high school touring production of Romeo & Juliet in fall 2008, and demonstrated his directing skills in his MFA directing production, Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II. Jones attended University of Texas at Austin before enrolling at Mary Baldwin, and he performed and directed numerous times in that university’s Shakespeare at Winedale summer touring company. He has traveled with the Winedale troupe to London several times, including a performance with the troupe at Gray’s Inn in fall 2008.

May 22-24

Mary Baldwin CollegeCommencement Weekend

• May 23: Ajani Ceremony. 12:30pm, Rose Terrace Lawn.
• May 23: VWIL Change of Command Parade. 2pm, Upper Athletic field.
• May 24: Commencement. 10am, Page Terrace.

May 23

Staunton Contra Dance: 7:30pm, beginners’ workshop, 8-11pm, dance. PAC Dance Studio. For more information, call Irene Sarnelle at (540) 887-7162