Mary Baldwin College News

Talk Recaps Missions of Global Outreach

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Those gathered in Francis Auditorium on August 31 to hear about a 2010 May Term trip to El Salvador were themselves transported to Central America, holding a paint brush and hearing the laughter of children.

The presentation was part of peace activist and college Artist-in-Residence Claudia Bernardi's fall visit to the college. In May, Bernardi led a group of students to Perquin, El Salvador, where cooperative art is transforming a community ravaged by that country's civil war.

Assistant Professor and Director of Studios Allan Moyé presented a short student-produced film that documented the group's work in Perquin. Student testimonials about the impact the trip had on their lives included in the video were echoed in the evening's talks.

"This trip was so important to me then. It's so important to me now," said Meagan Bonestle '10. "It changed me as a person."

Kelly Martin '13 said she keeps in touch with two children she met on the trip. Claudia Bowen '11 added that young adults she met in El Salvador left a lasting impression that community is family.

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Catharine O'Connell, who also traveled with the group in May, delivered persuasive remarks on why Bernardi's model of bringing peace to a victimized community through art is an effective teaching tool. Further, O'Connell noted that the work corresponds with MBC's own mission for civic and global engagement. Students were transformed during their trip, she said, "empowered, elated, and engaged," thanks to Bernardi's work and leadership.

"She says she's an artist, not an educator," O'Connell said. "But she's the best educator I've ever met."

Bernardi also shared with the crowd photos and stories from her summer mission to the Guatemalan village of Panzos, where, like Perquin, innocent civilians became victims of a military-led massacre in 1978. By the end of her trip, the artist had helped the indigenous Mayans create what has become a Bernardi trademark - a colorful mural that tells a story of horror, survival, renewal, and hope.

"The mural … is not only a decoration, but a manifestation of community desire," Bernardi said.

The artist's visit concludes this week with classroom visits and a discussion at 3 p.m. Friday in the Spencer Center about a 2011 May Term trip to Perquin. An exhibition of Bernardi's work will be on display in Hunt Gallery through September. 24.

New Sculpture on Campus Links Nature, Modern Art

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

>Mary Baldwin College is celebrating the arrival of Majestad V, a sculpture by internationally recognized artist Betty Gold, an installation that celebrates the connection between art and nature.

Gold joined faculty and staff August 25 to dedicate the sculpture and newly sprouted native grasses and flowers on Cannon Hill.

The college hopes that the combination of the sculpture and the native meadow will continue to bring members of the Staunton community onto campus.

"We're trying to increase interest in the natural environment through the arts," said Bruce Dorries, associate professor of communication and one of the driving forces behind both the acquisition of the statue and the native plantings project on campus. "It's good for MBC, promotes sustainable landscaping, and adds to the city's cultural attractions. We profit - along with other people and the planet - from such innovative partnerships."

A fitting tribute to the project, the 8-foot-tall red steel sculpture resembles a cardinal flower, one of Dorries' favorite native forbs.

"The plateau outside of Pannill student center will, with luck and work, become a setting for more such exciting expressions of innovation, as well as for spiritual renewal," said Dorries of the area around the sculpture that will soon be filled with a new garden, benches, and a walkway.

Majestad V is the second sculpture Gold's patrons, Mr. and Mrs. David Chatkin of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, have donated to the school. The first, S. J. C. IV - a white, intricately folded sculpture and fondly known by students as "Origami" - was installed between the Deming Fine Arts Building and Kable Hall in 2000.

A full-page image of the new sculpture will appear in an issue of Art in America, a contemporary art magazine, sometime in the next year.

Artists-in-Residence Engage Community with Paintings, Music, Language

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Multi-talented creative spirits Claudia Bernardi and Srinivas Krishnan have enriched campus life since they became part of the Mary Baldwin College family several years ago. The college will welcome both artists-in-residence back to campus during the next two weeks for an engaging start to the 2010-11 academic year.

Intercultural Connections Continue with Bernardi
For the first time since she was introduced to the MBC community in 2006, Argentine artist and human rights activist Claudia Bernardi will exhibit her paintings on campus as part of her residency that begins August 30. The pieces Bernardi chose for Intersticial/Interstitial allude to "that which is unseen but present, those spaces of ungraspable reality that are so elusive they appear not to exist but which - indeed - govern the threads of life," she said.

"My art observes these spaces 'in between' that have no name … but that one feels," Bernardi added.

Another event during Bernardi's visit highlights the powerful connections she continues to build between El Salvador and Mary Baldwin. Dean of the College Catharine O'Connell, Professor Allan Moye, and students will join Bernardi to talk about the group's May 2010 trip to Perquin - an El Salvadoran village where cooperative art is transforming a community ravaged by that country's civil war. Bernardi will also discuss how the model of peacemaking and healing started in Perquin is making a difference to the community of Panzos, a village in Guatemala.

"One of the many things about Claudia that is extraordinary is her ability to respect the local people and their knowledge and let them guide the artwork and projects. She does not swoop in to 'fix it,' she teaches residents how to determine what is in their murals," O'Connell said.

The event, held in Francis Auditorium September 1, will include a presentation of the 2009-10 Sustainable Visions and Values Award to Bernardi from International Beliefs and Values Institute (IBAVI)Executive Director Craig Shealy. Recognizing Bernardi's "extraordinary research, education, and service," the award comes on the heels of a seed grant from Trees of the World, which she is employing to reforest the El Salvador countryside. IBAVI recently relocated its headquarters to Mary Baldwin College, reinforcing the college's mission of global service.

Students will find ample time to interact with Bernardi during her appearances in selected classes and an International Cafe dialogue in the Spencer Center. Those interested in traveling with her are invited to a session September 3 when the group will start planning for a trip to Perquin in May 2011.

Read more about Bernardi's work in Perquin at Walls of Hope

Bernardi's schedule at a glance:

August 30: Opening reception for Intersticial-Interstitial: Selected Works by Claudia Bernardi, 4:30 p.m., Hunt Gallery.

August 31: Public lecture, "Xaliha," with Dean Catharine O'Connell, Professor Allan Moye, and students from May Term 2010 trip to Perquin, El Salvador. 7:30 p.m., Francis Auditorium.

September 1: International Cafe dialogue, 12 p.m., Spencer Center. Bernardi also visits MBC classes.

September 2: Class visits.

September 3: May Term 2011 discussion, 3 p.m., Spencer Center.

Krishnan Plans Powerful Week of Shakti
When MBC Artist-in-Residence Srinivas Krishnan returns to campus September 6-12, he is not only bringing Indian music, dance, and intellectual conversation, he also is bringing a message: "Shakti."

"Shakti is a uniquely Indian, philosophical concept of femininity, creativity, and fertility - present in both men and women, but manifest most obviously in women," said Heather Ward, MBC director of international programs. "To me, it is a lot like the international relations concept of 'soft power,' which emphasizes diplomacy over conflict. Soft, yes, but no less powerful."

The week of Krishnan's visit - his fifth to MBC as one of the college's artists-in-residence - is titled Shakti Power: Connecting Women across the Globe. It ties in well with the college-wide theme for 2010&ndash:11: Power. It's a concept, according to Krishnan, that allows for understanding.

"When you open your eyes for visual perspective, observation gives us power," Krishnan said. "With eyes wide open and suspended judgment … we can be surprised by what we will discover."

Krishnan's visit literally connects MBC students with women around the globe. On September 9, he will lead Priyanka Chandrasekaran, Sunaina Premkumar, and Archana Balasubramanian - three young businesswomen from India - in a discussion about the emerging role of the female executive in India. The women are part of an ever-growing worldwide movement of women in a traditionally male-driven executive world.

"These women are the global citizens who dominate business today: born in India, educated in the U.S., multiculturally fluent and migratory," Ward said. "In India and many other developing economies, the full potential of women's economic, intellectual, and political power is only now being discovered."

Krishnan's visit is a precursor to a May Term trip planned for 2011. Associate Professor of Business Administration Claire Kent will teach a course in India that will explore how India is changing as women enter the workforce, what it means for gender relations and families, how women executives' management styles different from their male counterparts. Students can learn more at an information session September 10.

Other high points of Krishnan's visit include an Indian-themed dinner in Hunt Dining Hall followed by a presentation of the Indian movie, Roja, and a discussion about its themes. Krishnan will also visit classes during the week.

Krishnan's residency culminates when MBC students join him in a celebration of global music and dance September 11. The Global Rhythms performance will celebrate Indian and Latin American music and will feature Baldwin Charm, Performing Dance Group, VWIL Band, and special guests. The concert is free and open to the public.

Krishnan teaches at University of Vermont, Northern Arizona University, and Miami University of Ohio, where he first met MBC President Pamela Fox. He earned a bachelor's degree in biotechnology from Saint Xavier University and master's degrees in toxicology and environmental management from Miami University. His Global Rhythms World Music Ensemble combines traditional and non-traditional music from all over the world including the Middle East, the Caribbean, India, Africa, Brazil, and Australia.

"Each time that Srinivas Krishnan visits Mary Baldwin College he offers us yet another taste of the wide-ranging palate that is Indian culture," Ward said.

Krishnan's schedule at a glance:

September 6: Class visits and rehearsals with student groups.

September 7: Indian dinner, 5 p.m., Hunt Dining Hall. Presentation and discussion of the film Roja, 8 p.m., Francis Auditorium.

September 8: Class visits.

September 9: Panel discussion: The Emerging Role of the Female Executive in India, 8 p.m., Miller Chapel.

September 10: May Term information session, 4 p.m., Spencer Center.

September 11: Global Rhythms performance with Baldwin Charm, VWIL band, Performing Dance Group, and special guests, 7 p.m., Francis Auditorium.

President Fox Opens Academic Year With 'Grounded Optimism'

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

A balanced budget, record enrollment, and recent national recognition fueled President Pamela Fox's announcement August 25 that the new academic year at Mary Baldwin is beginning with a sense of "grounded optimism." The theme guided Fox's annual State of the College address to faculty and staff, which included praise for the collaborative work that launched four new Schools of Excellence this fall and details about college-wide goals for the next five years.

Looking toward 2015, three objectives will guide MBC: a 25 percent growth in enrollment, attracting resources to transform Hunt Hall into a true student center and to renovate Pearce Science Center, and ensuring academic excellence by creating new graduate programs and strengthening existing majors and minors.

"I believe that no college president in the United States stands before her colleagues today with greater gratitude or with greater certainly that our direction is the right one," Fox said.

Higher enrollment in adult and graduate programs, a successful utilities savings plan, revenue from the on-campus bookstore, and careful expense management in all departments helped the college reconcile a projected $1.3 million budget shortfall for 2009-10, according to David Mowen, senior vice president for business and finance.

Several fundraising efforts also positively impacted the college's bottom line. The 2010 Reunion Challenge contributed more than $403,000 to the Annual Fund - exceeding the goal for the program by nearly $70,000. Student phonathon callers also went beyond their target to raise an additional $188,000 for the Annual Fund. In addition, Mary Baldwin reached a fundraising milestone this spring - the halfway mark of the Campaign for Mary Baldwin.

MBC's largest freshman class to date in the undergraduate residential College for Women will help the college work toward a balanced budget in 2010-11, Fox said. Mary Baldwin welcomed 320 new first-year students for the academic year that begins August 30. The incoming class numbered 278 in fall 2009.

Leveraging our "positional advantage" will all sustain MBC's financial health. The college has a well-established Adult Degree Program, an ethnically diverse student body, and strong graduate programs - programs that other institutions may need to create to attract new groups of students in the coming years. Another advantage is MBC's recognition for academic excellence. Fox noted that the college ranked 27th among regional universities in the South in U.S. News & World Report and 8th in Washington Monthly's list of master's-level universities dedicated to research and service, both released in the past week.

Fox also stressed that MBC's focus on women in higher education is "a major opportunity going forward. It is inspiring to seize the opportunity of being the women's university in the United States in the 21st century."

In closing, Fox encouraged faculty and staff to enjoy each other as they work together. "We are doing important work for our nation and world. And we are doing it extraordinarily well."

Art Exhibit: Claudia Bernardi's work on view August 30-September 24

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

An exhibition of works by internationally acclaimed artist and human rights activist Claudia Bernardi will be on view at Mary Baldwin College's Hunt Gallery from August 30-September 24.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1955, Bernardi experienced first-hand the fear and trauma of living in Argentina during the first three years of the "Dirty War," the seven-year reign by a military junta that inflicted cruelty, injustice, and murder upon its own citizens. Bernardi is a professor at the California College of the Arts. She has also taught at the Universidad del Salvador, Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, Mills College, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Bernardi is in her fourth year as artist-in-residence at Mary Baldwin. During the 2006-07 academic year, she was MBC's Elizabeth Kirkpatrick Doenges Artist/Scholar. Since then, she has led Mary Baldwin College students on two trips to El Salvador where they have participated in the activities of the School of Art and Open Studio of Perquin, which Bernardi founded and directs.

Bernardi has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally at a variety of venues, including: The International World Peace Center in Hiroshima; The Centre for Building Peace, Donegal, Northern Ireland; DAH Teatar in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro; The University of Haifa, Israel; the San Francisco Art Commission Gallery; Center for Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley; Thatcher Gallery at University of San Francisco; Artist's Forum; Palo Alto Art Center; Tucson Art Museum; and, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. She was the subject of a 2000 documentary film directed by Penelope Price, Pasa un Angel/An Angel Passes, which was screened at New York's Margaret Mead Film Festival and at the San Francisco International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Spire Award for Best Art Film. In 2004, Penelope Price created another documentary about the life and art of Bernardi entitled Artist of Resistance, which toured a number of national and international film festivals.

Regarding her art, Bernardi says the following: "f or the last fifteen years I have collaborated with the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team in investigations of violations of Human Rights. The task of AFAT is to perform exhumations of mass graves, investigating crimes against civilian population. I participated in exhumations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Argentina, and Ethiopia. My artwork is profoundly influenced by these experiences - not only in the narrative aspect of each piece but, most importantly, in the conceptual realm of finding images through the searching of layers of colored dust. I scratch the surface of the piece, identifying human figures that interact with the world of the hidden images. The pigments convey the essential material prima. The intensity and the fugitive condition of pigments, so fragile yet persistent, are metaphors of the elusiveness of life and the never-ending determination of hope."

A reception will be held for the artist on Monday, August 30, from 4:30-6 p.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. The Gallery website can be found at: www.mbc.edu/arts/huntgallery.php

Culture of Service Earns MBC Top 10 Spot in Washington Monthly Ranking

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

“What are colleges doing for the country?”

That is the question the editors at Washington Monthly magazine began asking in 2005 to develop a head-turning take on national college ranking.

Their answer: Mary Baldwin College is doing a lot. When compared with nearly 550 master's-level universities in the nation, MBC comes in at No. 8, recognizing that service to community and country is not an option; it is part of campus culture.

Washington Monthly uses measures such as the percentage of students who receive federal financial aid, how many graduates go on to earn doctorates, and hours of community service relative to student population to rank colleges in three categories: social mobility, research, and service. MBC received notably high marks for its ROTC presence (ranked 14th overall) - fueled by the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership - and the percentage of federal work-study funds spent on service (10th).

“I have sometimes remarked that the essence of my job, as president of Mary Baldwin College, is to change the world for the better, one woman at a time. The right kind of college education can do so much to influence a person's impact on others, ” said President Pamela Fox. “It is gratifying that the objective data used by Washington Monthly demonstrate how successful we really are in making a difference, for our students and for all those whose lives they will touch.”

Mary Baldwin is the highest-ranking Virginia institution on any of the magazine's lists. Other Virginia schools on the Top 50 Master's Universities list include University of Mary Washington (19), James Madison University (28) and Hampton University (32). College of William and Mary (10) and University of Virginia (44) cracked the top 50 among national universities.

Service is rooted in MBC's Presbyterian mission, it is a central tenet of the college's approach to the liberal arts and sciences, demonstrated daily in programs that promote local and global outreach. For example, in spring 2010, the college welcomed its first international Social Work field placement when two students worked with the Organization for Youth Empowerment in El Progresso, Honduras.

To complement these efforts, Mary Baldwin refined its core curriculum to enhance students' understanding of how what they learn can have an impact on society. A new minor in Civic Engagement and a business program redesigned under the title Business for a Sustainable Future highlight the college's ongoing mindset of social responsibility. The opening of the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement in 2007 further solidified Mary Baldwin's commitment to engaged learning.

“At Mary Baldwin we try to focus all we do, in and out of the classroom, on empowering our students with the confidence and knowledge to take the lead, the compassion to serve, and the courage to change the world, ”Fox added.

Washington Monthly recently expanded its college and university rankings to include institutions such as Mary Baldwin that are classified as master's universities by the Carnegie Foundation based on the strength of their graduate offerings.

On the web: www.washingtonmonthly.com

Start Scheduling: Students Hit Campus This Week

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Residence halls that have been quiet for a few months at Mary Baldwin College will soon be populated by suitcases, boxes, and eager students. The college's rolling schedule of move-in dates and Weekend of Welcome activities begin this week. Here's a quick guide to the start of the 2010-11 academic year:

August 17: Teachers teach teachers as new graduate students attend orientation for the Master of Education and Master of Arts in Teaching program.

August 17: “Leeft, leeft, left-right-left.” Watch for green-clad students in uniform marching on campus when new students (known as nULLs) in the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership (VWIL) move in … and on to Wilderness, a week-long team-building adventure in the rough.

August 19: Is that the echo of a long pass on the soccer field, the smack of a ball in the Physical Activities Center (PAC) gym, or sneakers pounding the pavement you hear? It might be - volleyball, soccer, and cross-country student-athletes start moving in and begin practice.

* * * * *

Leadership Gateways orientations for incoming students:

August 17: VWIL (see information above)

August 22: African-American freshmen in the Ida B. Wells living-learning community move in and begin their orientation that includes learning about the civil and women's rights figure for whom their group is named.

August 23: International students arrive stateside and begin making global connections.

August 24: New students who selected Spencer Citizens, Global Honors Scholars, or Women for Healthy Lifestyles gateways as their introduction to college get settled and begin their orientation with community service, an exploration of the American Shakespeare Center, and activities at the PAC.

August 25: New students in the Career Academy gateway, the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted, and those who are transfer students 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 25: Faculty and staff powwow at the annual opening meeting for the president's State of the College address.

August 26: New students in the college's unique graduate program in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance (MLitt/MFA) attend their unique orientation. A few days earlier (August 23), the program hosts a free public performance of I Henry VI by the touring troupe Shakespeare at Winedale.

August 27: After getting to know more about the college and each other in Gateways Orientation, the excited members of the Class of 2014 meld together for Weekend of Welcome. Their comprehensive three-day orientation, with its theme The Power to Be, nods to the college's cross-curricular theme Power and includes a costume brunch and a candlelight ceremony.

August 29: New students are officially welcomed to the new year by President Fox and student leaders at Opening Convocation at 7:30 p.m. in First Presbyterian Church, followed by a candlelight ceremony on Page Terrace and singing of MBC's hymn.

August 29: Marching practice is tested for the first time in public at 3 p.m. on the PAC Athletic Field during the VWIL nULL Induction Parade, the first of the academic year.

August 30: And so begins the 2010-11 academic year as first classes are called to order. Returning students in the College for Women will have been streaming into residence halls and houses in the day or two preceding the start of classes.

September 1: “Believing in the principles of student government, I pledge myself …” Freshmen recite the time-honored MBC Honor Pledge and sign their names in covenant to the charter during the annual Charter Day ceremony.

September 8: Students rush, don't walk, to Club Rush to find out more about MBC's varied offerings of clubs and organizations.

September 9: Show your Fighting Squirrels spirit: The first sporting competition on home turf this fall is a soccer game versus Sweet Briar College at 5:30 p.m. on the Lower Athletic Field.

Dates to Note in Your Planner

October 5
Apple Day

October 7
Founders Day

October 8-10
Family Weekend

Top U.S. News Ranking, Once Again

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Buoyed by a laudably low student-faculty ratio, small class sizes, and strong peer assessment, Mary Baldwin College continues to be named among the best colleges and universities in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual America's Best Colleges issue.

MBC ranks 27th among regional universities in the South. In the nine years it has been classified as a master's-level university, MBC has never slipped from the top tier of the category, which was renamed “regional universities” this year to more accurately reflect the makeup of the colleges and universities in the group. The pool includes institutions that provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master's programs, but few - if any - doctoral programs. There are 118 schools in this category in the South in the 2011 listings.

MBC will also be highlighted in the August 24 issue of U.S. News & World Report for being among 15 regional universities in the South recognized as “Great Schools at 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. 10. In 2009, 78 percent of student received need-based aid.

Mary Baldwin College is also featured in Barron's Best Buys in College Education , Forbes' America's Best Colleges listing, and The Princeton Review's online “Best Colleges: Region by Region” listing. The college also been included on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll since the honor roll's inception, and MBC is noted as a “College of Distinction” by Student Horizons, Inc. for excellence in undergraduate education.

“Mary Baldwin has been an outstanding women-centered institution for 169 years. Rankings cannot capture what is best about this college - our emphasis on global leadership and citizenship, our unique programs, our distinctive academic offerings - but they do highlight our commitment to the individual, which results in the low student/faculty ratio and small class sizes that are factored in,” said Mary Baldwin College President Pamela Fox.

The complete 2011 America's Best Colleges guidebook will be available August 31. View the complete listing by U.S. News & World Report : http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college

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

Students are starting to return to campus in preparation for the opening of the 2010-2011 academic year. Overall enrollment - including the College for Women as well as adult and graduate programs - is expected to exceed last year's record of 2303. On-campus classes begin August 30.

Week Highlights Value of Virginia Private Colleges

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Brochures, websites, and phone and e-mail conversations 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.

Hundreds of high school students will discover the value and affordability of a private college education in the Commonwealth during Virginia Private College Week (VPCW) July 26-31. Mary Baldwin College is one of 25 institutions across the state holding tours and programs this week to introduce potential students to campus life, academic options, and the admission process. Sessions are scheduled for 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.

Mary Baldwin College, 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 Leadership Gateways designed to focus their transition to college and be encouraged to return for an overnight visit when classes are in session,” she added.

More than 70,000 students attend private colleges in Virginia, and in-state residents are eligible for up to $2,600 annually through the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant, according to an official Virginia Private Colleges Week proclamation from Governor Bob McDonnell.

Need added incentive? Students and high school guidance counselors 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 event - at no cost.

Prospective students can schedule a visit during VPCW or at another time at www.mbc.edu/visit or by stopping by the Office of Admissions in the Administration Building.

Student Researchers Represent MBC at National Conference

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Mary Baldwin College students made an impressive showing at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology in Toronto. Kate Polak '10, Naianka “Naka” Rigaud '11, and Lindsay Wenger '10 were accompanied by Associate Professor of Psychology Louise Freeman to present research they conducted with her at MBC.

Wenger garnered runner-up honors in the undergraduate poster category for her study, “Sexual Behavior Differences Based on Experience and Gender of the Asian Musk Shrew.'

Polak's research also focused on sexual differentiation in the Asian musk shrew, and Rigaud looked at the effect of birth control on female perceptions of attractiveness.

Fox Elected VFIC Vice Chairman

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

MBC President Pamela Fox was recently elected vice chairman of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Board of Trustees.

At the July 2010 meeting, where the foundation announced nearly $3 million in annual fundraising, Fox said, "The VFIC's support has a tangible impact on Virginia's independent non-profit colleges and universities."

Sowing the Seeds of Change, Literally

Thu, 27 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Austin Jamison of Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage uses a seed drill to sow native grasses and flowers on Cannon Hill on May 26. The seeds should take a few weeks to germinate, with the first sunflowers starting to bloom in late July. The effort is part of Mary Baldwin's native plantings initiative, whose participants hope to eventually transform several acres of non-native fescue grass on campus to more sustainable and economical indigenous plants over the next few years. The project has been made possible with help from the United States Department of Agriculture.

MBC Employees Honored

Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Retirees Recognized for more than 500 Combined Years of Service to the College

Mary Baldwin College celebrated the retirement and hard work of 20 faculty and staff members May 20 in Hunt Dining Hall. MBCnews caught up with them - and those who worked with them - for a few parting words.

Susan Britton, assistant director, MAT, 18 years of service

Special MBC memories: “I will always remember and be grateful to Dr. Lesley Novack and Dr. Patty Westhafer for hiring me as a Teaching Partner. They gave me the opportunity to share my knowledge and teaching experience with our graduate students.”
What she will miss most about MBC: “I will miss the students and my co-workers in the Graduate Teacher Education Program.”

Becky Dick, director, Teacher Education Service, 14 years of service

Has capably navigated the complexities of setting up teaching practica and student teacher placements for both RCW and ADP teacher education students, developing and maintaining good working relationships with regional school districts
Special MBC memories: She participated in MBC study abroad, traveling with Vladimir Garkov to Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

Ginny Francisco '64 , professor of theatre, 41 years of service

What she will miss most about MBC: “I will miss terribly seeing the light bulb flash in students' eyes as they grasp a concept or a new idea, and then seeing it flash again as they connect that idea to our own lives and realize the amazing continuity of the human experience, perhaps particularly women's experience.”
Also: “MBC is a very special college, one that provides a wonderful and distinctive education for women (and some smart men) at all levels. I'm a missionary about Mary Baldwin, which made me the woman I am, for better or for worse. Thanks to my MBC education, I've had an amazingly rich, varied, fully engaging life. I'm grateful for that, and especially for wonderful students and colleagues.”

Mike Gentry, associate professor of math, 28 years of service

What will he miss most about MBC: “The people at Mary Baldwin College are its greatest asset. It's been a privilege to be associated with individuals of such high caliber.”

Bob Grotjohn, professor of English, 17 years of service

Recognized on the “Wall of Honor” among the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” for his support of minority students and multicultural curriculum and co-curriculum. One truly unforgettable moment when he wore a curly black wig to read a poem during his “last lecture” in January 2001, sparking howls of laughter and delight from the sardine-packed crowd in Hunt Lounge.
His service to MBC has included various faculty committees, Division Coordinator, Chair of Division Coordinators, Freshman Advisor, Parents Council participation, President's Advisory Team, a number of faculty and administrative search committees, VWIL promotion board, General Education Revision Taskforce; helped develop African-American Studies minor

Carole Grove, director of the Graduate Teacher Education Program, 10 years of service

Favorite MBC memories: “The deja vu feeling I get each time I go into the Administration building that takes me back to my days attending an all female college in the 1960s. The great satisfaction of having a number of my students I taught at Bridgewater College come through the MAT program, and some now finishing their PhD work. Being completely submerged in hot silky “marsh mud” on a trip to the Chesapeake Bay with the Environment-Based Learning program. Mostly, the wonderful people I have been privileged to work with in the Edmondson House and beyond. Mary Baldwin is a great place to work and I have nothing but fond memories of my time here.”
What she will miss most about MBC: “Lugging computers and tote bags of books up and down the steps at Edmondson House to the second floor! I will miss that, but I will miss the people the most. Great, great people here.”

Marion Hart, administrative assistant for Advancement Services, 24 years

Marion worked in Institutional Advancement her entire time at MBC, under 6 vice presidents and interim vice presidents; assisted with Advisory Board of Visitors and Parents Council for many years and is fondly remembered by those who served on those boards during that time. She was also for many years the personable voice of the department, charming donors and volunteers who called.
Marion is a creative and generous soul who has delighted staff, alumnae, and students with her artwork, jewelry, sculpture, masks, roses; one alumna from the early 1990s recently reported with pride that she cherishes the drawing Marion did in honor of her graduation.

Pat Hunt, chaplain, 25 years of service

What she will miss most about MBC: “I will most miss the people. It has been the best education I could possibly have had. MBC is fortunate to have such truly fine employees regardless of the area in which they work. It has been a privilege to live and work among the people here. My children were 4 and 7 when I arrived. They literally grew up on the campus.”

Nancy Keaton, assistant registrar, 22 years of service

Nancy continued the registrar's office tradition of great longevity and great service. According to Lew Askegaard, Dean of Institutional Research, Associate Dean of the College and Registrar: “The Registrar's office at Mary Baldwin has always been remarkable for good people who do a good job and stay a long time. When Betty Beard left in 1988 , everyone said she was irreplaceable. But Nancy was the same sort of person, did a wonderful job, and served for over 20 years.”

Diane Kent, associate vice president for Enrollment Management/Student Affairs, 29 years of service

Special MBC memories: “Because of the many, many good experiences and occasions, I have laughed a lot during my career at MBC...that is a special memory of mine and one for which I am very grateful.”

Wanda Morris, administrator and operations coordinator for Institutional Advancement, 32 years of service

Favorite MBC memories: “32 years I have a life-time of memories! I have attended more baby showers, bridal showers and even weddings than you can even imagine. In the 90's we had a baby born almost every year to one of our staff members. It has made for some exciting times!”
What she will miss most about MBC: “I will miss having daily contact with my co-workers, especially Marion whom I have shared an office with for six years. She is a remarkable person and I will really miss seeing her on a daily basis.”

Pamela Murray, professor of education, coordinator of the Roanoke Center, 25 years of service

Special MBC memories: It has been a joy to work with such excellent colleagues over the years, particularly in the Adult Degree Program
What she will miss most about MBC: Her students and colleagues: “I have always felt that being an ADP faculty member at Mary Baldwin was the best job I could have imagined for myself, and I wish that feeling for my colleagues who are continuing.”

Judy Neff, assistant director of Information Management and Gift Processing, 22 years of service

Has worked here since 1988 in Institutional Advancement, first in the Alumnae/i Office and then in Advancement Services

Thomas Reed, utility worker, Food Service, 37 years of service

Students adore him and always have; a number cried and hugged him goodbye earlier this week when they found out he wouldn't be here next year. At reunions, alumnae/i are so glad to see him.
According to Dining Services Director Mary Van Nortwick: “Thomas serves as an example of a life lived right.”

Glenn Smith, facilities, 33 years of service

According to Director of Building Services Marty Weeks: “Glenn is just a really good human being. His co-workers will really miss their daily interactions with him. They love to kid around with him and get him “riled up.” It is always in good fun, and he takes it with grace.”

Sandy Sprouse, admissions coordinator, ADP, 29 years of services

Special MBC memories: She loved working on the top floor of the old Academic Building, before its renovation. “Most of the faculty was housed there then, and Linda Fry and I did typing, typing, typing for them (before the days of computers) on Selectric and daisy wheel typewriters and sometimes using the 'purple monster' in the hall at the top of the front stairs. We did syllabi, tests, exams, papers, even a few dissertations.”
What she will miss most about MBC: The world of academia, her ADP House family, and interaction with friends and co-workers. “I've enjoyed so much being part of a community within a community. From ADP House, my mind's eye can see how the concentric circles go from that small nucleus, really to the ends of the earth. In retrospect, I see how amazing it is to have touched so many lives through my years at MBC, to have played even a small role in an organization whose purpose it is to help people fulfill their dreams and aspirations through education. In the end, I would reiterate what I have said many times along the way, Mary Julia has certainly been good to me and my family.”

Sara Talbott, coordinator of student jobs, over 30 years of service

Has been at MBC since birth: “The local hospital where I was born was located at the time where the PEG Center is now!” When she was a child, her parents often brought her to plays and concerts at the College, and she decided to attend MBC after high school. She graduated in 1960, majoring in music and just celebrated her 50th reunion!
What she will miss most about MBC: “I've been blessed to work with wonderful people over the years, and I would miss my current co-workers very much - that is, if I were not actually still going be working a few hours a week! I just can't seem to get away from this place!”

Brent Taylor, instruction technology specialist, 23 years of service

According to Vice President for Public Relations Crista Cabe: “He has gone out of his way many times to provide needed service. For example, he delivered a new phone to my home 25 minutes from Staunton, on his own time, when I was sick and without a college phone.”
Brent will miss the people at MBC the most.

Patty Westhafer, professor of education, 26 years of service

Patty was instrumental in the design and creation of the Master of Arts in Teaching program.
She established tutoring program for area at-risk students, marshalling MBC students to serve as tutors.
She received the Mednick Fellowship and numerous other awards in her tenure at MBC.

Dorita Wharton, housekeeper, 24 years of service

The students in Spencer Residence Hall, where she has worked in the past few years at MBC, have gone out of their way to let her supervisor know how much they like and appreciate her.

Pinning and grinning:
Current MBC employees were honored at the annual appreciation breakfast May 24 for 380 years of service to the college.

30 Years
Jeff Wagner, supervisor of grounds

25 Years
Patricia Hunt, college chaplain
Margo Leach, faculty resource coordinator

20 Years
Bill Betlej, director of computer information services
Linda Fretwell, student accounts coordinator
Diane Fridley, housekeeper
Marion Ward, director of ADP

15 Years
Billy Adkins, housekeeping
Martha Clark, cashier
Kathy McDaniel, assistant to the associate vice president of enrollment management
Allan Moye, assistant professor and director of studios
Brenda Bryant, senior vice president for enrollment management administration and dean of students
Gretchen Newman, director of design

10 Years Sue Armstrong, accounting administrator
Drema Hernandez, administrative assistant for ADP
Christy Baker, director of student life, Program for the Exceptionally Gifted
Lynn Gilliland '80, director of first year experience
Carole Grove, director of Graduate Teacher Education
Christy Shelton, athletic events coordinator
Morgan Alberts Smith '99, web producer/operations manager

5 Years
Mary Almarode, pub manager
Lance Bell, campus support
Todd Collier, painter/maintenance technician
Debra Galvez, telecounselor
Julie Chappell, director of career development services
Robin Dietrich, director of financial aid
Jennifer Hagen, director of annual giving
Jennifer Brillhart Kibler '91, executive director of alumnae/i and parent relations
Kerry Mills, academic advisor ADP
Jessie Moyers, senior accountant
Susannah Via, donor relations coordinator
Lisa Wells, executive director of student life

Keynote Speaker Inspires Students to 'Tend One'

Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

'Co-Creating a World that Works For Everyone'

To the graduating Class of 2010, I say congratulations! You made it! This passage is no small event and we are here as the family and community of Mary Baldwin College to witness and cheer you onward. In short, we are the seeds of your network for change-making ahead.

The world cherishes and awaits you. Today you are launched as one of the most privileged and challenged classes of our century. We live like queens and kings for the most part, with independence, and mobility, and connectivity unlike any generation before.

It is essential, given that privilege, that we see and remember injustices and consider what fuels our passions. For me it was seeing the civil rights workers, a group of African Americans when I was about 12 years old, who were marching peacefully in Birmingham Alabama hosed and then had dogs set upon them. This I found shocking and it has propelled me to action. Know what fuels your passion and is at the root of what drives your commitment to justice.

One of my favorite things to do is to go to grassroots nonprofits and do site visits, to listen deeply to the community and what they say they need. I have gone on about 3,000 of these often weekly over many years now.

A community leader working with gangs asked of me and his peers, as different as we were, recently: “How then can we transform that which we have been given?” It took a while for me to appreciate all that I had been given, and to find purposeful work and to listen and respond to what I was uniquely called to do. Born on third base to a wealthy family committed to service, I was taught as you have been to lead and to shape a changing world, to give back and to step up to the realities of differences around us, while seeking how best to bridge and find common ground.

These are the skills of you, the changemakers.

May you know fully your resourcefulness, the assets you have, and all forms of your capital: creative capital, social capital, financial capital, knowledge capital, and influence capital, your heart capital ... and use them well.

For you are charged, as the cover of Time Magazine this month says, of three whistle blowing women of Wall Street, “to clean up the mess.” This, we all find a disturbing deferral of responsibility. For it is all of our charge. My generation, as the generation before us, has made a mess of some things and caused breakthroughs in others, like the technology we share. Least you forget that we do not expect you to shift this future ahead of you alone. We stand shoulder to shoulder with you, intergenerationally committed to figuring out the survival of our species and planet, which hangs now in terrible imbalance.

Oil spills endlessly in the Gulf, while corporations and government point fingers, meanwhile our natural resources die.
Coal mining and other disasters crumble families' hopes.
Over $700 billion, or twice the level as a decade ago, is spent on by our Defense Department to secure this democracy.
And you enter a job environment when recovery feels like a house of cards.

And yet, it is you, the changemakers. I have heard that you are passionate, articulate and sensitive and determined to take on the world. I say women and men graduates take off! And do it well.

In a few minutes you will graduate ... I too was launched also at a time of many disturbances in the early 70's after the deaths of so many leaders we had cherished, I had seen as we hope you have the power of intergenerational mentors. May you not forget how important these partnerships can be.

In 1977 a mentor took me to my first national conference of some 700 women from all fifty states to discuss the national agenda for women's human rights in Houston.There I heard this passage from a community leader named Jill Ruckelshaus:

We are in for a very, very long haul.
I am asking for everything you have to give.
We will never give up.
You will lose your youth, your sleep,
Your patience, your sense of humor,
And occasionally the understanding and support of people that you love very much.
In return, I have nothing to offer you,
But your pride in being a woman, (or man or gender neutral we might say today)
And all the dreams you ever had for your daughters, and nieces, and granddaughters - your sons, nephews and grandsons,
Your future and the certain knowledge that at the end of your days, you will be able to look back and say that once in your life you gave everything you had for justice.

I left this meeting and dedicated the next 30 years of my life to growing women's foundations and women's leadership and money for women and girls and to building social justice philanthropy. It has been just a wonderful path and we've raised together millions of dollars and raised consciousness.

This was my rallying call. May you give everything you have for justice.

There are now some 165 women's foundations worldwide. These small powerful centers of women's influence await you and welcome you wherever you are likely to land.

In thinking about what you want to change or preserve or do as you find your way, know that we have figured out one noble truth:

Women and supportive men working together hold the keys to true security. Our theory and experience of change shows that when you assure a woman's security you assure her family's security. When that family is more secure, their community benefits from their security and is more secure, and when communities are more secure countries are more secure. When nations have economic security the world will be secure.

And so we invest in women to support micro loans, and to help them get and start jobs, and so that water systems are fixed, and childcare cooperative are founded, so the education of young women and men happen. And the world changes.

Remember as you go to invest in women and their families, as they are the peacekeepers and the engines of leverage.

In helping the Global Fund for Women, an astounding organization which raises and gives over $10 million per year to nonprofits in some 175 countries, I travelled with others to eight differently developed countries. What we saw about the condition and violence of women and their families was just awful. I awoke the next day hearing a second rallying call.

A voice, and who knows whether these voices are from within or without ... said to me: The only way to counterbalance, exponential greed, violence and destruction is with exponential love, generosity and care.

It repeated in me: The only way to counterbalance, exponential greed, violence and destruction is with exponential love, generosity and care.

And so, you are charged today to go forward with all your resources to a world that may seem more divisive and crazier than ever. But you have tools that assure your success. For you have come from this place.

Part of the education you have received from Mary Baldwin is as to be bold, confident, compassionate moral leaders.

From the Earth Summit moral leaders are described as “building unity while cultivating diversity; and serve on the institutions of society in such a manner that these institutions are actively encouraged to empower the individuals whom they serve, to express their talents in service to humanity.”

It's a tall order AND so satisfying. But may you be sure you have your mentors, and family and community ahead and know to whom you are accountable. For there are ethical dilemmas' ahead and your conscience and heart and soul must with others be in dialogue regularly. Foster your inner life and this vital connection to some Higher Power. You will have tough decisions to make and we need ongoing community, nurturance and guidance to keep on the path set here.

You leave this nest today and you will encounter ahead now, remarkable people making a difference. Whether the CNN Hero of the Year who started push cart schools for street kids, or the mother sitting before you in your plane home with the child who is crying endlessly, or the businessperson who might just help you create a breakthrough.

Remember that your greatest satisfaction may be not only from the diligent and persistent reaching for systemic reflection and change, but also along the way, the evidence of your being simply caring and kind. Offer to rock that crying baby or lend a hand to that struggling elder, or youth, around you. Pray for that solider that sacrifices on behalf of our democracy. Teach someone to read and lift while you climb. These are the things that help us and the world around us thrive.

In Rwanda after the genocide in 1994 that killed some 900,000 citizens, the women were placed in charge of the country. There is now in Rwanda the largest percentage of women leaders, 51 percent, to run the country. At the first meeting of the new cabinet the women and men there faced what they thought was the countries most pressing problem: the hundreds of thousands of orphaned children.

And do you know what they did? They started a Campaign called Each One Tend One, asking each household in Rwanda to take a child in to their already struggling families. They could think of no greater step for healing. And so it was. Rwanda now stands as on its recovery.

And what are these lessons? What if each one of us tended one? What if you helped each other find jobs and housing and community? What if we helped you in some amazing network for life offered by Mary Baldwin? What if we committed to tending each other, and then we reached to then the neighbors and alumnae of Mary Baldwin, the community of Staunton and beyond and all the people whose hearts and minds you will touch over your lives?

How then can you transform and tend to that which you have been given? Look around now to this community here. Can you unleash further your generosity? Open wider your hearts? If someone had told me that giving with all our hearts would give back to me the sense of utter abundance, I might not have believed it, but givers know this.

Could we give more to each other? Indeed Mary Baldwin College is a kind of organic garden that keeps on giving but we must fertilize her and commit to continuous care, as she has cared for us.

I have heard that some 96 percent of this student body receives some tuition reduction. This is a remarkable figure for a small school. Wow! And it means that those of you in the audience today and those alumnae/i who have come through Mary Baldwin have stretched to help and give generously so as to help others have the same leg up! May you, this class, pay it forward, remembering that your education has been supported by so many! Let us help the next class and the future ones as well. May we double the number of alumnae/i who give and come back to this place for reunion days and tend to each other for a life time of learning co-creating that future - a future that works for more people, a future that works for all.

May you go forth from this place as the changemakers you are, tending always this place as the place that deepened your world view and grew your call for justice, your leadership, and your love.

Congratulations to the Class of 2010.

This speech was given by MBC 2010 Commencement Speaker Tracy Gary, philanthrophist and author of Inspired Philanthropy, on May 23, 2010.

Students and College Chaplain Honored

Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Part of a longstanding tradition at Mary Baldwin College, two individuals were recognized during the college's 168th Commencement for their service, character, and spiritual qualities. Recipients of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award were 2010 graduate Erin Spencer Paschal and Chaplain Patricia Hunt.

The Definition of Grace
Hunt receives the honor at the end of her 25-year career at MBC, which has been marked not only by the countless prayers offered before faculty meetings and sermons during Christmas Cheer worship services, but by the meaningful talks she has had over the years with students. As Hunt nears her retirement at the end of June, those students reflect on her valuable insight and perspective, including Kristen Barner '90, who is associate pastor at Shepherd of the Hills United Church of Christ in Phoenix.

“As my professor, mentor and colleague, Pat has taught me some invaluable lessons that consistently help me to navigate through the world,” Barner said. “The first is that there just might be two sides - or more - to every story and everything we learn. When my mind and heart assure me that I have discovered some truth about something, Pat has always been able to cajole me into exploring other possibilities. That, I believe, is the definition of Grace: there is, perhaps, more truth to be found and uncovered.”

Hunt, an ordained Presbyterian minister, created the Quest Program of spiritual exploration at MBC in 1996, which encourages students to pursue spiritual meaning through religious growth, intellectual honesty, and service to the community. She has published a book of her sermons and prayers and writes a weekly column for The News Virginian. A Baltimore native, Hunt grew up in High Point, North Carolina, and received her education at Peace College, Wake Forest University, and Union Theological Seminary in Richmond.

The Advocate
Hailing from Athens, Georgia, Paschal graduated Sunday with a degree in political science and a minor in economics. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and has been selected for membership in Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society, and Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international economics honor society. In addition, Erin presented her senior project, “Taking the Initiative: A Case Study of Proposition 8 in California” at MBC's Capstone Festival, a showcase of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity.

Paschal began her career with the Student Government Association as a senator for her residence hall. During her junior year, she served as the president of College Democrats and as lead advocate for the student advocates, guiding students accused of offenses related to the honor or judicial codes through the processes, with, remarked Diane Kent, associate vice president for enrollment management/student affairs, “sensitivity, confidentiality, and sound judgment.”

In her senior year, Paschal served as SGA president, representing students to the Board of Trustees, faculty, and administrators; creating a budget allocations process; and often participating in admissions events to recruit prospective students the college.

Paschal worked as a field intern with the Democratic Party of Georgia and as a government relations intern with the General Electric in Washington, D.C. In addition, she has coached swimming in both Georgia and Virginia. Paschal eventually plans to work on Capitol Hill.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards were established by the New York Southern Society in 1925 in memory of Sullivan, a southerner who became a prominent lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist in New York in the late nineteenth century. The Society and carefully selected colleges and universities jointly arrange for the issue of medallions which are to be perpetual reminders of Sullivan.

Special Award Winners

Kathryn L. Stephens of Leesburg, Virginia: Martha Stackhouse Grafton Award, which recognizes the senior with the highest cumulative grade point average. Stephens graduated with a degree in health care administration with a minor in leadership studies and has commissioned into the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant.

Kathryn A. Reyna of Stuarts Draft, Virginia: Adult Degree Program Outstanding Student. This mother of two not only works a full-time job but also found time to travel to England for six weeks on the Virginia at Oxford program last summer to conduct research on her senior thesis. She hopes to either teach English to middle or high school students.

Martha Williams “M.J.” Robinson of Waynesboro, Virginia: Master of Arts in Teaching Outstanding Student. As co-founder of the nonprofit organization, One Child at a Time, Robinson has provided tutorial help for approximately 900 high school students from Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County.

Christine Schmidle, a native of Germany: MLitt/MFA Ariel Award. In addition to her excellence in the classroom, Schmidle proposed, produced, and directed a German version of Hamlet last January at Blackfriars Playhouse.

Graduating Seniors Illustrate Unique College Community

Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Among the 331 students who graduated from Mary Baldwin College on May 23, you could find an array of experiences, the multiple avenues to a degree, diverse interests, and varied cultures. Meet a few members of the Class of 2010:

REAL-WORLD READY: They went from enjoying hot meals at Hunt Dining Hall to cold showers in Central America ... and loved every second of it. Social Work students Jeincy Paniagua and Vanessa Lancaster spent spring semester in El Progreso, Honduras, working with underprivileged children and families and putting into action what they've studied in textbooks and in the classroom. Their graduation will mark the first time students have received a bachelor's of social work at MBC. And their placement in Central America marked MBC's first international internship experience. The pioneering duo blogged their way through their work, as they learned how to be more culturally sensitive and take on leadership roles. Lancaster plans on finding a job in her hometown of San Diego before applying to graduate school to earn a master's degree in social work. Paniagua, originally from Alexandria, is applying to AmeriCorps but also plans to pursue her master's in social work.

AN MD OR MICHELANGELO?: Never underestimate the power of a liberal arts education. Since she was 7 years old, Margie Bivans was going to be a doctor. All that changed in May 2009 when Bivans, then a junior, took a course in art restoration. After that, the idea of four more years of medical school followed by seven years in residency began to sound unappealing. Learning more about Michelangelo and foreign languages, on the other hand, started to inspire her. And although the biology major spent her senior year studying the CB8 molecule and its potential in cancer research, Bivans spent much of May in Italy, immersed in Renaissance art and architecture. The Maryland native is a Global Honors Scholar, has been inducted into five honor societies (Alpha Lambda Delta, Beta Beta Beta, Iota Sigma Pi, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Beta Kappa), was named Outstanding Biology Student of the Year, and received the Ulysse Desportes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art History. She plans to attend graduate school to pursue a degree in fine art conservation.

Shaterika Parks chose Mary Baldwin because of its competitive co-op nursing program, but the Health Care Administration (HCA) major was why she stayed. Mary Baldwin's HCA program is the only endowed undergraduate program of its kind in the United States and Canada. As a patient care technician on the psychiatric unit at Augusta Health, Parks spent her last semester in college learning what it takes to make it in the health care field. “I admitted patients and did phlebotomies, EKGs, and bladder scans,” said the Greensboro, North Carolina, native, who also assisted patients with their daily activities like bathing, eating, and walking. Active in the Mary Baldwin community, Parks was cultural support chairwoman and president of the Black Student Alliance and a member of Ajani and the economics honor society Omicron Delta Epsilon. She is a Global Honor Scholar and graduated cum laude.

WELL-ROUNDED TRIPLE THREAT: Miranda Uphoff has packed a lifetime of experiences into her four short years at MBC. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Uphoff began her college career with an interest in political science, but a successful audition for a musical changed her plans: “I love the theatre; it's my home. It's such a welcoming environment, and the cast and crew were very accepting of my age.” The Theatre major and vocal performance minor was barely 14 when she entered MBC's Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG), giving her “a leg up” for her future career as an actor. “It's never a bad thing to have more time on your hands, especially since youth is such a big part of acting,” said Uphoff, who, in addition to being a peer advisor and student director the college's a cappella singing group, Madrigals, spends four to five hours in rehearsals every evening. Though she admits to needing more years of dancing under her belt to consider herself a true “triple-threat,” the 18-year-old is talented beyond her years in terms of overcoming obstacles. A diagnosis of chondrocarcoma in her shoulder, a type of bone cancer rarely found in young people, did not slow Uphoff's resolve for MBC success in the least. “I just didn't have time to be torn-up about it,” she said. Two years and three surgeries later, Uphoff is a cancer-free MBC senior ready to tackle the next item on her list: the New York acting scene. “I've spent some time there already; at first I thought I would be nervous and scared,” said Uphoff of her future home, “but my experience as a PEG has made me much more independent, an individual. I've gotten used to doing things on my own.”

Professor Made Dreams Come True

Fri, 21 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on June 5 at MBC's Miller Chapel. Burial services will be held in Corinth, Kentucky.

Imagine spending your junior year in Madrid, one of Spain's most culturally diverse and beautiful cities. It would be a year spent living with Spanish families, eating Spanish food, being invited to parties and weddings thrown by professors, exploring the country's art and architecture, and learning from some of the most respected professors in Spain, all for the purpose of absorbing the Spanish language and culture.

Sounds like a fantasy doesn't it? Dorothy Mulberry made this dream become a reality for many lucky Mary Baldwin College women.

Mulberry, who passed away May 18 at the age of 82, taught Spanish and international studies at Mary Baldwin for 36 years and served as dean of the college for five years. When the news of her death reached her former students, it became clear that she had created a legacy all her own.

Mulberry came to Mary Baldwin in 1958 with a mission: to develop and promote international studies. She firmly believed that these areas of study were too insular and needed to expand beyond the MBC campus. In 1962, with the support and vision of then-MBC president, Dr. Samuel Spencer, Mulberry created the Academic Year in Madrid. It was a program of the highest excellence, conducted by the best professors in Spain, and it wasn't just limited to Mary Baldwin women.

“There would not have been a program if it wasn't for Dorothy,” said Mary Pickett Craddock '65. “She created a community of professors and students that was the finest junior year abroad learning environment that I have heard of.”

The women who participated in the Year in Madrid program came away with so much more than an increased awareness of the Spanish vocabulary and global issues. Their experiences changed many of their lives forever.

“I met my husband, Manuel Cordero, in our program,” said Harriet Lane Cordero '75. “He and another student from Haverford College were part of our program. For 10 years after graduation, I worked for an international bank, traveling Spain and South America, and my success had a lot to do with my year in Madrid. Our love for Spain lives on today, and we try to return as often as possible.”

When asked what the big deal about her year in Spain was, Anne McGeorge Mickerson '69, told her children, “My year in Madrid was a year when I was completely carefree, when I learned how much fun it was to dig deeply in exploring another culture, when I gained much self-confidence by not only learning another language and culture but by forming lasting friendships there, and finally, when I came home with a sense that my life was going to be much more exciting than I have ever imagined.”

For Meredith Carter Patterson '65, the year she spent in Madrid is still impacting her today. “My daughter married a wonderful fellow from Barcelona. They have an 8-month-old boy, my grandson, who will grow up speaking English, Catalan, and Spanish and will be living in Spain for at least the next 16 years,” she said. “I think if it had not been for the program that Miss Mulberry set up, my daughter would probably be living in the United States, and she probably would have married an American. Her husband is a great guy, and I am very grateful to Miss Mulberry for all she did for us.”

Mulberry certainly holds a special place in the hearts of all the students who spent a year in Madrid with her. To that end, many of them came together in 2004 to establish the Dorothy Mulberry Travel Scholarship to help students interested in the Spanish language and culture to study abroad.

“Many, if not most, of us feel that our year in Madrid was the most significant event in determining our future direction in life,” said Sara Jane Hartman '65. “The Dorothy Mulberry Scholarship grew out of gratitude for such a valuable opportunity, which, to my knowledge, has not been equaled. It was dedicated and presented at a banquet when approximately 15 of us returned to Spain with Dorothy for a reunion.”

“Dorothy was dedicated to her students and to Mary Baldwin College. She served both with excellence and devotion. She had a deep love for Spain and the Spanish people and always missed them,” Hartman said.

Friends who wish to make a contribution in Mulberry's memory may give to that scholarship by designating “Dorothy Mulberry Scholarship” c/o Office of Institutional Advancement, P.O. Box 1500, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton VA 24402. To make an online gift, please use the online giving form, indicating in the comments section on the second page that the gift is for the Dorothy Mulberry Scholarship.

Dorothy Mulberry 1928-2010

Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

To the Mary Baldwin College Community:

With great sadness I share the news that Dorothy M. Mulberry, a member of the MBC Spanish faculty from 1958 until her retirement in 1994, passed away this morning (May 18, 2010). Professor Mulberry will be remembered for her charisma and her love of the 'Maribalduinas' with whom she traveled to Spain and who, to honor her, established the Dorothy Mulberry Travel Scholarship. Her dedication and spirit blessed us richly.

Arrangements are being handled by Henry Funeral Home in Staunton. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on June 5 at MBC's Miller Chapel. Burial services will be held in Corinth, Kentucky.

Mary Baldwin invites friends, colleagues, and former students to post tributes and memories to Facebook at www.facebook.com/marybaldwincollege.

Sincerely,
President Pamela Fox

Students Reach Goal for Women Survivors of War

Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

They set out to reach a goal and they achieved it.

A group of Mary Baldwin students who have worked to raise enough money to support five women who have survived war reached their fundraising goal at a tea held Sunday night.

About 30 attendees - including many local women who brought their daughters - enjoyed tea and finger foods inside MBC President Pamela Fox's House on campus to support the students' goal to support women. All year, the students have been working with Women for Women International, a group that has served nearly 200,000 women survivors of war, providing rights awareness, leadership training, and vocational skills.

In November, students set the goal to raise $1,620 to support women from war-torn regions. Yesterday's donations put their efforts over the top.

In February, more than 50 supporters gathered at Grafton Library to rally around the students' cause. More recently, students sold Mother's Day cards that bore the likeness of and a quote from Anna Jarvis, Class of 1883, who founded the holiday.

So far, students have raised about $600 on the card sales, not including sales made by students who sold them at home or abroad for May Term.

Beloved Professor Connected With, Challenged Students

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Every now and then college students get the opportunity to learn from a professor who is special. This is a teacher that the student, when looking back on her college career, even 20 or 30 years later, will not only remember vividly, but will still be able to pick up the phone and call. One the student will invite to her wedding or into her home for dinner. These types of teachers are of a rare breed, in the “once in a blue moon, ” variety. Dr. Joseph M. Garrison, Jr. was the epitome of this type of professor.

The professor emeritus not only taught English, but changed lives at MBC for 35 years. Fondly known as Joe by many former students and colleagues, Garrison passed away May 9, at age 75. His legacy and his passion for poetry will be remembered for years to come in the English department.

“Joe was amazing; they don't make 'em like that anymore,” said Molly Petty, assistant professor of English and director of the writing center. “He challenged decades of English majors to read, re-read, think, and re-assess their written interpretations of literature.”

Margo Leach, faculty resource coordinator, who was long charged with the duty of deciphering and typing Garrison's detailed and lively junior and senior English appraisals, remembers Garrison's time at MBC fondly. “He and his wife Sandra mean the world to me and my family,” she said. “I'll always remember him as a kind and compassionate man.”

While at MBC, Garrison taught courses on literature, poetry, and creative writing. He had a reputation as a highly demanding, and for some, even a fearsome teacher. One former student, Abby Peterson '98, posted on the college's Facebook page: “To Joe Garrison, who told me, 'If you perform as everyone else, you'll get a C. C's are average. If you excel, a B. If you teach me something I've never heard, an A.' He scrawled 'Honor Grade' next to the only B+ he ever gave me, and it remains a cherished triumph in my memory.”

When Garrison retired in 2000, another former student, Ginger Mudd Galvez '73, organized a surprise lunch party for him. “About two dozen of his students from all over the country came back to Staunton for a party,” she said. “I went to his home and brought him out onto his porch to talk. Every minute or two, a former student would appear up the sidewalk. For the first couple, he would burst with delight at seeing each one, whispering her name in a kind of wonder, amazed that each was standing before him. After a few minutes, he realized this was a set up to delight and surprise him, and we all enjoyed a long lunch filled with toasts, poetry, and songs.” Galvez and other former students also created a special fund to buy poetry volumes marked by a special bookplate honoring Garrison and his long career. The collection now resides in Grafton Library.

Garrison was a true renaissance man. In his free time, he played classical guitar and built musical instruments, including Celtic harps, mountain dulcimers, and lyres. He held poetry workshops for teachers, students, and even prison inmates. He published more than 90 poems and essays in journals, anthologies, and books.

Garrison was fond of saying “there's a poem in there, somewhere,” about just about anything. Looking back at his time at Mary Baldwin and the contributions he made to the college and community, one could certainly find at least one poem in there somewhere, perhaps even two or three.

A celebration of Garrison's life was held at 1 p.m. May 20 at Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Staunton, Virginia. Contributions in his memory can be made to the poetry collection in Grafton Library. To make an online gift, please use the online giving form, indicating in the comments section on the second page that the gift is for the Garrison Book Fund.

Read tributes to Garrison from students, colleagues, family, and friends below: