Academic notes
- Thread starter urfan1
- Start date
What are the odds some of these folks can ply their craft outside the Robins Center today? Or anytime this season?
Was the first to walk across the stage at the ceremony. Proud to finally have some paper from UR! The certificate looked nicer then my actual college diploma.
I got you covered. Bring a propane burner. Even though it’s winter I feel a sour beer would be fitting for our fan base.
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Proud graduate of THE Ferrum College but also took summer classes at UR while obtaining undergraduate degree(roughly a semesters worth). Several football alums of Ferrum when it was JUCO school matriculated to UR, Bruce Gossett probably being the most well known of them. My personal favorite was former Panther/Spider James McGinnis who happened to be my middle school principal at Thompson. Very indebted to the University, thanks to tuition exchange they paid for most of my education and was employed by the school for almost 10 years.
Only thing Ferrum has on Richmond is better moonshine and baseball facility. Enjoyed my time there but glad to be back in the City.
Way to go Ferrum. Ferrum College is in a beautiful setting and had a daughter who was there for a summer camp.
have a bud on the board there, maybe now has rotated off but know he enjoyed it. he was a w&m grad.
could be but since we are the same age, probably not which says nothing about blocking the fams which this was about not my pop
Lead gift will launch fundraising to establish a central destination for well-being at the University of Richmond
https://news.richmond.edu/releases/...ond.html?sma=sm.0000iypt0u1dbyd33wrqe3rmwagyz
https://news.richmond.edu/releases/...ond.html?sma=sm.0000iypt0u1dbyd33wrqe3rmwagyz
Looks like an impressive facility, as is to be expected. I can't figure out where it's going to be built though.
Nice to see the Walraths getting involved in giving back in a big way...they're still relatively young, but they have significant resources.
Edit: Oh wait a minute...this is going to the same building as the basketball facility I think. Main article image seems to show Weinstein Center courts/track in the background, and the little exterior shot thumbnail seems to show Millhiser and the RC peeking over the top of the new building at the right.
Nice to see the Walraths getting involved in giving back in a big way...they're still relatively young, but they have significant resources.
Edit: Oh wait a minute...this is going to the same building as the basketball facility I think. Main article image seems to show Weinstein Center courts/track in the background, and the little exterior shot thumbnail seems to show Millhiser and the RC peeking over the top of the new building at the right.
Very impressive. Wonderful idea.
Any information on other details?
Initial gift amount? Total cost? Size? Location?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Walrath
Michael and Michelle Walrath
A Wealth of Ideas
Any information on other details?
Initial gift amount? Total cost? Size? Location?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Walrath
Michael and Michelle Walrath
A Wealth of Ideas
Looks like an impressive facility, as is to be expected. I can't figure out where it's going to be built though.
Nice to see the Walraths getting involved in giving back in a big way...they're still relatively young, but they have significant resources.
Edit: Oh wait a minute...this is going to the same building as the basketball facility I think. Main article image seems to show Weinstein Center courts/track in the background, and the little exterior shot thumbnail seems to show Millhiser and the RC peeking over the top of the new building at the right.
It does look like it’s going to be near/attached to where the basketball facility is. Any know of updates on how the fundraising for the facility is going? I saw some pictures that recruits posted on Junior day and it looked like there was construction on Milheiser.
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It looks like Millhiser is getting a roof replacement. Not sure if there’s anything else in the works for it at the moment.
You can see in the renderings for the wellness center that it’s the same building as the basketball facility...it’s really quite a large building. Three stories for much of it, and not really any obvious distinction between the uses visible from the outside.
You can see in the renderings for the wellness center that it’s the same building as the basketball facility...it’s really quite a large building. Three stories for much of it, and not really any obvious distinction between the uses visible from the outside.
32, thanks for posting this. I went by the Student Symposium on Friday and was impressed. Not only had the students taken on some very interesting and challenging projects, but they articulated their results very well. I am currently working with a student in biology and am most impressed with his knowledge and thirst for learning. Might also add that it was nice to see Paul Friendshuh at the symposium. Our STUDENT/Athletes at UR are an impressive group.
Dr. Crutcher is visiting houston soon and will be attending. any questions you guys need an answer to, will be glad to ask.
'It's a little bit like the bike race except we're not going to close any streets': Richmond wins bid to host 2020 Menuhin Competition
Bill Lohmann·19 hours ago
The world is coming to Richmond again.
The 2020 Menuhin Competition, billed as the world's leading international competition for young violinists, will be held in Richmond on May 14-24, 2020.
London and Melbourne, Australia, were reportedly also in the running for the every-other-year event that has been nicknamed "the Olympics of the violin."
The announcement was made Sunday during the closing gala concert of this year's competition in Geneva.
"It's a little bit like the bike race except we're not going to close any streets," Richard Smith, chairman of the board of the Richmond Symphony, said with a laugh, referring to the 2015 UCI Road World Championships that were held in Richmond.
Smith spoke Sunday at a "watch party" at ndp, an advertising and public relations agency in Scott's Addition, where those in attendance kept one eye on their mimosas and the other on a screen at one end of the room where a streaming of the closing gala concert of this year's competition in Geneva was being shown. The formal announcement of Richmond's selection for the 2020 event was made during intermission, shortly after noon Richmond time.
A local delegation led by Mayor Levar Stoney joined competition organizers in Geneva for the announcement of Richmond's winning bid.
"You can expect us to roll out the red carpet for these talented young violinists," Stoney said in a recorded interview streamed during the event. "The UCI bike race put us on the map. Now, we'll be on the map once again."
The competition, for violinists under the age of 22, was founded in 1983 by Yehudi Menuhin, an American-born violinist and conductor who spent most of his career in the United Kingdom and is considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century.
Since 1998, it has been held biennially in different cities around the world. Past host cities include London, Beijing and Oslo. At this year's competition in Geneva, the 44 violinists represented 17 nationalities.
Richmond's joint bid was submitted by a coalition headed by the Richmond Symphony with co-hosts Commonwealth Public Broadcasting (WCVE), Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond with an endorsement from the city of Richmond.
In addition to Stoney, the Richmond delegation that traveled to Switzerland included David J.L. Fisk, executive director of the Richmond Symphony; Betty Crutcher, wife of University of Richmond president Ronald Crutcher; James Wiznerowicz, interim chair of the VCU music department; and John Felton, vice president and general manager for TV for Commonwealth Public Broadcasting.
The Richmond Symphony will be the primary accompanying orchestra for the festival, but the Sphinx Virtuosi ensemble - 18 of the top young black and Latino classical musicians - will also participate.
Several Richmond venues will be used for the competition, which will include recitals, chamber concerts and showcase performances with the Richmond Symphony. Venues will include the Carpenter Theatre at the Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts, VCU's W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, and UR's Modlin Center for the Arts. Commonwealth Public Broadcasting is expected to stream the competition worldwide and will pursue other broadcast opportunities.
"It's a big, big deal," said Ronald Crutcher, who attended the watch party at ndp. "It's only the second time in history of the Menuhin Competition [Austin, Texas, was the first] that it's been in the United States."
Crutcher played a key role in Richmond's winning bid.
An acclaimed cellist, Crutcher performed in April 2017 with his longtime trio, the Klemperer Trio, at UR's Modlin Center. While his fellow trio members, violinist Erika Klemperer and pianist Gordon Back, were in town, Crutcher suggested they attend a Richmond Symphony concert. Back is artistic director of the Menuhin Competition Trust.
"He was effusive about how fine the orchestra was," said Crutcher, a member of the Richmond Symphony board.
Back suggested to Crutcher that Richmond apply to be a host city. Although Richmond is not as big as other cities that have hosted the event, Back told Crutcher that smaller cities can be more appealing. In an interview streamed from Geneva during Sunday's announcement, Back said, "I'd rather go to a smaller city that will totally embrace it and really get behind the event."
"It's amazing how quickly this has gone," Crutcher said.
Symphony officials expect the competition to attract worldwide attention and several thousand visitors. Bid partners will work with local companies, individual donors and foundations to raise the expected expenses of $1.5 million to $2 million to host the competition.
Next steps include the announcement of the guest conductor for the competition and members of the jury that will judge the contest. Judges are typically celebrated musicians who also perform during the competition, which in many ways has the feel of a festival.
From Geneva, the symphony's Fisk said the competition "brings together the best of all that we do.
"The bringing of the best talent in the world to Richmond, but also our deep commitment to music education," he said in a streamed interview during the announcement. "I'm looking forward so much to the chance for the kids ... we work with every day of the week to hear others of the same age and to think, 'This could be me.' "
At the Richmond watch party, Curtis Monk, president and CEO of Commonwealth Public Broadcasting, praised "the audacity" of the Richmond coalition "to dare to think it could actually compete with the likes of London, England, and Melbourne, Australia, and, more importantly, win."
"When our guests arrive and we are placed on the world stage," Monk said, "I will be honest with you and say we will dazzle them."
back is correct, a smaller city will do more, much more, than a larger one to see that it is first class and given all the support and enthusiasm it deserves. saw this when we hosted a ncaa basketball round at the coliseum and it was much better than atlanta or several other larger cities that i have attended. we wanted it more and it showed big time. great job by all those involved and as long as they did not pay off the committee, ala, the olympics, all is great.
at this point, am sad to see any more ground going, trees or no trees though understand yours is tongue in cheek SF. is attractive like most of our structures.
Dear Members of the University Community,
In a little over a week, I will join with professors, staff, families, and friends as we celebrate this year’s commencement ceremonies for the undergraduate Class of 2018, Richmond Law, the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, and the graduate business program. Sometimes, people describe these ceremonies as a culmination, and it’s true that we use the occasion to congratulate our newest alumni on arriving at this important milestone.
Yet, “culmination” is, for me, not quite the right word because it suggests an end to something. It’s been my experience that commencement is, at its core, forward-looking. What we are really celebrating is our shared confidence, with our graduates, that they are equipped to go forth with the capacity to lead lives of purpose, of thoughtful inquiry, and of responsible leadership in an increasingly complex world. Being part of the enterprise that prepares them to do so throughout their lives as fellow Spiders is a profound and fulfilling joy.
Student excellence
This year has offered remarkable evidence of the academic caliber of our students. We can readily see this quality demonstrated with a look at the highly successful first year of the Office of Scholars and Fellowships. More than 100 students applied for national scholarship and fellowship opportunities this year. As of this writing, eight Richmond students and recent alumni were offered grants from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, making this our most successful year ever for this program. In addition, three students were named Critical Language Scholars, the most in any year since the program began in 2006. We also had one Goldwater Scholar and two honorable mentions, our first-ever finalist for the Gaither Junior Fellowship, and our first Truman finalist since 2013. We launched this new office to help our talented students seek these sorts of honors and the opportunities they present. Reporting our student applicants’ high degree of success this year is deeply gratifying.
The academic excellence of our students was also on full display at this year’s School of Arts and Sciences Student Symposium, where an all-time high of nearly 400 students across North Court, the Modlin Center, and the Jepson Alumni Center presented their research and creativity to the University community. Their projects were grounded in everything from evolutionary biology to early Christian art, from gender inequality in Uganda to biodiversity management on UR’s campus. The range of their work spoke to the range of opportunities our approach to liberal arts affords students to pursue and the confidence with which they pursue them.
Spider Talks
The commitment to academic excellence is first among equals of the pillars of our strategic plan, and our faculty are at the heart of our efforts to infuse it into everything we do. This spring, we launched the first four episodes of Spider Talks, an ongoing series of my conversations with accomplished faculty from across the University. In these monthly videos, we often explore what inspired a particular faculty member to pursue his or her discipline. The joy of discovery and revelation that they share mirrors the inspiration our students feel in their classes as they are introduced to new knowledge, ideas, and ways of seeing the world. Our conversations always leave me impressed by the scholarship, teaching skill, and deep mentoring relationships that are at the heart of Richmond’s distinctive educational environment. The series will conclude for the semester with a conversation with physics professor Jack Singal in the coming weeks and then resume with new interviews in the fall.
Divergent views
In March, we concluded our 2017–18 Sharp Viewpoint Speakers Series with a talk by Karl Rove, a columnist, political strategist, and the former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush. We invited Rove to campus for the same reason we invited immigration activist Jose Antonio Vargas, both of Virginia’s major-party candidates for governor, and the former president and CEO of the Newseum, Jeffrey Herbst. By design, the Sharp Series presents competing views on topics crucial to our nation and global society. Our students tell us that they want the opportunity to hear different perspectives from across the political spectrum. As campus leaders, we are and must be unapologetic champions for the free and open exchange of ideas and for the potential of debate and discussion to transform society. When the Sharp Series resumes in the fall semester, I look forward to another diverse group of speakers who will spark thoughtful conversations in an environment that models substantive disagreement and dialogue that stimulates thought and expands perspectives.
Travels to alumni
A significant focus of mine this academic year has been to advance the commitment to alumni engagement in the current strategic plan. Staff recently reported to me just how much traveling I have been doing as I meet with alumni, donors, prospective students and their families, and participate in programs and interviews to advance the University’s reputation. They tell me that through May, I will have logged nearly 20,000 miles as I visited 11 states, attended 12 receptions, and held 52 meetings with the specific purpose of engaging our alumni. I wrote earlier in this letter of commencement as a celebration of the promise of each year’s graduates. In my meetings with our alumni, I see that promise unfolding. Their enthusiasm in its many forms supports all of us, from their conversations about Richmond with prospective students, their willingness to help current students, their cheering for our athletic teams, their participation in our events, their communication with us, and their personal philanthropy.
Continued-
Volunteers fuel our progress
One important source of the University’s strength is the alumni and friends who support our mission and express their confidence in Richmond by sharing with us their time and remarkable talents. Many of them serve quietly but powerfully by providing mentoring opportunities for students, hosting events for alumni and parents, serving on advisory groups, or making important career connections for graduates. Still others provide leadership and guidance as members of the University’s Board of Trustees.
I want to thank two outstanding alumni volunteers who will soon conclude their service as rector and vice rector of our Board of Trustees: Patricia L. Rowland, W’77 and GB’81, and Leonard W. Sandridge Jr., B’64, respectively. I also extend my gratitude to two dedicated and extraordinarily generous volunteers who have agreed to serve as the next rector and vice rector following an election by the board: Paul B. Queally, R’86, and Allison P. Weinstein. Paul and Allison have distinguished themselves as leaders in business and philanthropy, and have long tenures of generosity and service to Richmond. I look forward to continuing to work with them and the entire board, and also with the many other volunteers who do so much each year to support the University and provide opportunities for our students.
Well-being and Spider success
I’m pleased to report on two recent lead gifts from a pair of alumni couples. These gifts will significantly advance the well-being of our students and the academic and athletic experiences of our student-athletes. A lead gift commitment from the Walrath Family Foundation — established by Michael and Michelle Walrath, ’97 and ’98, respectively — has launched fundraising for a new Well-Being Center. In their conversations with me, the Walraths emphasized their desire that Richmond become a leader in the campus health and well-being movement so that our students now and in the future may graduate healthier and happier and live better lives. Their commitment positions us to do so as we build on the longstanding impact of the Weinstein Center for Recreation and the new Health and Well-Being Unit in Student Development.
Paul and Anne-Marie Queally, both 1986 alumni, continued their significant investment in a variety of areas across campus with a lead gift commitment in February to construct a new men’s and women’s basketball training and performance facility. The new Queally Athletic Center will enhance the day-to-day experience of our basketball players, coaches, and staff, and assure prospective recruits of our commitment to excellence. Its benefits will extend to all student-athletes by becoming home to academic support areas, a sign of Richmond’s strong record of commitment to their academic success.
Go Spiders
This spring has brought impressive success by our Spider athletic teams. Congratulations are in order for the women’s golf team, which won its third consecutive Patriot League Championship. Two players were particularly outstanding. Junior Sophie DiPetrillo won the program’s first-ever individual conference title, and Lizzie Reedy was the tournament’s top first-year player, finishing in third place overall. The men’s lacrosse team got its second consecutive win over No. 14 University of North Carolina, a five-time national champion. Both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have just won their regular season championships and enter their conference tournaments this weekend. We’re very pleased the Robins Stadium will host the Atlantic 10 Women’s Lacrosse Championship. On Saturday, the New York Giants drafted Kyle Lauletta, the first Spider quarterback selected in the NFL draft since 1975. With their achievements on the field and in their studies, our players and coaches are excellent ambassadors of the University as they embody our dual commitment to the athletic and academic success of our student-athletes.
Richmond’s community
Two important threads run through the specific topics that this letter addresses. The first thread is the unparalleled breadth and quality of the experiences Richmond offers students in the classroom, on the playing field, in research labs and internship placements, far afield in countries around the world, and through the lifelong bond that develops between all who walk these grounds and become Spiders. We are in many ways already an exemplar of the best that higher education has to offer.
The second thread is the many ways that the entire University of Richmond community comes together to make these experiences possible. This gathering of faculty who teach and pursue new knowledge, the staff who provide, the alumni and friends who guide and support, and, of course, the ambitious, hard-working students themselves signifies an important truth. The University of Richmond is not a place; it is a vision and a purpose. It can reach its potential only through the dynamic support, steadfast dedication, and active engagement of all of us. Knowing this, we do not sit still and contented. Fueled by our energy and resolve, we continue together to put the University of Richmond on a powerful upward trajectory.
Best wishes,
Ronald A. Crutcher
President
Volunteers fuel our progress
One important source of the University’s strength is the alumni and friends who support our mission and express their confidence in Richmond by sharing with us their time and remarkable talents. Many of them serve quietly but powerfully by providing mentoring opportunities for students, hosting events for alumni and parents, serving on advisory groups, or making important career connections for graduates. Still others provide leadership and guidance as members of the University’s Board of Trustees.
I want to thank two outstanding alumni volunteers who will soon conclude their service as rector and vice rector of our Board of Trustees: Patricia L. Rowland, W’77 and GB’81, and Leonard W. Sandridge Jr., B’64, respectively. I also extend my gratitude to two dedicated and extraordinarily generous volunteers who have agreed to serve as the next rector and vice rector following an election by the board: Paul B. Queally, R’86, and Allison P. Weinstein. Paul and Allison have distinguished themselves as leaders in business and philanthropy, and have long tenures of generosity and service to Richmond. I look forward to continuing to work with them and the entire board, and also with the many other volunteers who do so much each year to support the University and provide opportunities for our students.
Well-being and Spider success
I’m pleased to report on two recent lead gifts from a pair of alumni couples. These gifts will significantly advance the well-being of our students and the academic and athletic experiences of our student-athletes. A lead gift commitment from the Walrath Family Foundation — established by Michael and Michelle Walrath, ’97 and ’98, respectively — has launched fundraising for a new Well-Being Center. In their conversations with me, the Walraths emphasized their desire that Richmond become a leader in the campus health and well-being movement so that our students now and in the future may graduate healthier and happier and live better lives. Their commitment positions us to do so as we build on the longstanding impact of the Weinstein Center for Recreation and the new Health and Well-Being Unit in Student Development.
Paul and Anne-Marie Queally, both 1986 alumni, continued their significant investment in a variety of areas across campus with a lead gift commitment in February to construct a new men’s and women’s basketball training and performance facility. The new Queally Athletic Center will enhance the day-to-day experience of our basketball players, coaches, and staff, and assure prospective recruits of our commitment to excellence. Its benefits will extend to all student-athletes by becoming home to academic support areas, a sign of Richmond’s strong record of commitment to their academic success.
Go Spiders
This spring has brought impressive success by our Spider athletic teams. Congratulations are in order for the women’s golf team, which won its third consecutive Patriot League Championship. Two players were particularly outstanding. Junior Sophie DiPetrillo won the program’s first-ever individual conference title, and Lizzie Reedy was the tournament’s top first-year player, finishing in third place overall. The men’s lacrosse team got its second consecutive win over No. 14 University of North Carolina, a five-time national champion. Both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have just won their regular season championships and enter their conference tournaments this weekend. We’re very pleased the Robins Stadium will host the Atlantic 10 Women’s Lacrosse Championship. On Saturday, the New York Giants drafted Kyle Lauletta, the first Spider quarterback selected in the NFL draft since 1975. With their achievements on the field and in their studies, our players and coaches are excellent ambassadors of the University as they embody our dual commitment to the athletic and academic success of our student-athletes.
Richmond’s community
Two important threads run through the specific topics that this letter addresses. The first thread is the unparalleled breadth and quality of the experiences Richmond offers students in the classroom, on the playing field, in research labs and internship placements, far afield in countries around the world, and through the lifelong bond that develops between all who walk these grounds and become Spiders. We are in many ways already an exemplar of the best that higher education has to offer.
The second thread is the many ways that the entire University of Richmond community comes together to make these experiences possible. This gathering of faculty who teach and pursue new knowledge, the staff who provide, the alumni and friends who guide and support, and, of course, the ambitious, hard-working students themselves signifies an important truth. The University of Richmond is not a place; it is a vision and a purpose. It can reach its potential only through the dynamic support, steadfast dedication, and active engagement of all of us. Knowing this, we do not sit still and contented. Fueled by our energy and resolve, we continue together to put the University of Richmond on a powerful upward trajectory.
Best wishes,
Ronald A. Crutcher
President
SF, recall the huge deal over the big oak at the edge of Robins Stadium when being constructed which they fought for but eventually lost and thought that you were making your statement based on that. wonder if this "wellness" center is code for a safe place for the snowflake students who collapse if things don't go their way?
