News Stories 2007
The gale was certainly harked, and the students' voices rang far and near. Leaving the Daily Grind Coffeehouse to join the Yule Log Ceremony this year, I could hear the William and Mary choir pealing all the way from the Wren Courtyard. "Maybe they found a new use for the siren system," a friend and I joked.
Charles McGovern, associate professor of American studies and history at the College of William and Mary, talks about his book "Sold American: Consumption and Citizenship."
Professor Jeffrey Shields of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, has received a five-year, $2.4 million federal grant to study how fishing pressure and declines in water quality affect the emergence and spread of a blue crab disease in the seaside bays of Virginia's Eastern Shore.
Scott Nelson and Carol Sheriff had a goal when they began co-writing A People at War: Civilians and Soldiers in America's Civil War, 1854-1877. They wanted to make the war 'messier.'
Today, William and Mary students and alumni bleed green and gold-but that wasn't always the case. The school's first colors were actually orange and white.
When Lance Zaal finished up his active-duty commitment to the U.S. Marine Corps and decided to apply for college, he was overwhelmed.
After nearly 30 years, the Williamsburg community is enjoying entertainment on the shores of Lake Matoaka again in a beautifully renovated outdoor theater.
Football squad vies for upset, Women's soccer makes weekend sweep.
From new opportunities for alumni to join forces with students in service efforts at home and abroad to the upcoming challenges of state budget cuts, President Gene R. Nichol briefed alumni on a number of important issues facing the College in the future.
Children sporting painted faces and wearing “Future William and Mary Alumnus” buttons played outside of the Alumni House, stopping momentarily to watch as costumed characters Jack Sparrow, Spiderman and Cookie Monster danced with members of the pep band outside.
With seven published novels, an eighth due out in January, and a ninth in the works, bestselling novelist David Robbins ('76, J.D. '80), has won accolades as an author. As this year's Scott and Vivian Donaldson writer-in-residence at the College, Robbins seeks to inspire aspiring writers.
Theirs is a William and Mary love story -- but with a different kind of epilogue.
Students at the country's oldest law school are now enjoying one of the world's newest libraries as construction on The Wolf Law Library at the College of William and Mary's Marshall-Wythe Law School is completed.
Two College of William and Mary professors were recently awarded Fulbright Scholar Program grants to conduct research abroad.
A professor at the College of William and Mary known for his work in medieval studies and on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage received Spain's highest cultural achievement distinction for foreign nationals on Oct. 11.
Common optical illusions are being used as tools to explore how the human brain works. A group of William and Mary psychologists are conducting experiments based on subjects' reaction to the Ebbinghaus illusion.
More than 1,000 family members registered to participate in this year's Family Weekend. The annual event, which is sponsored by the undergraduate students and the Parents' Association, is intended to allow families to experience a little of what life if like for students at William and Mary.
"Leadership" and "service," two hallmarks of civic-engagement talk, may presuppose civic disengagement.
The future of democracy is not assured say panelists including Jim Lehrer and Sandra Day O'Connor.
With book bags tucked under their seats, they sat in audiences filled with specially invited delegates from around the world, listening to Pulitzer-prize winners and statesmen discuss democracy. But when the panel sessions ended, they became the VIPs.
David Aday, professor of sociology, has pondered the high-end civic-engagement model at the College of William and Mary.
Today's scientists and engineers solve problems whose computational complexities would have amazed their predecessors only a generation ago. Statistical computations reveal that a new cancer drug is remarkably effective for patients with a certain combination of genetic markers, even though it is not particularly effective for the population as a whole. The wings of a new generation of aircraft are designed and tested in a computer rather than in a wind tunnel. Cosmological theories about the early universe are studied using computer simulations of the first billion years after the "big bang." The effectiveness of aging nuclear weapons is evaluated in computer simulations rather than in nuclear test explosions.
The roof swarmed with red T-shirts as the students ripped up six layers of shingles and pushed them flying to the ground.
The five Murray Scholars who are members of the William and Mary Class of 2011 bring impeccable academic credentials that jealously were sought by such notable institutions as Princeton, Yale, Pennsyvlania and M.I.T.
Petersburg is changing. Internally. Deep down. Increasingly, as city administrators and nonprofit leaders intensify their partnerships with the Phoenix Project, their capacity to serve and to reinvigorate their community is growing.
The College of William and Mary will welcome a class with more recorded international and first-generation students than ever before when the Class of 2011 arrives on campus at the end of this month.
Sweat equity is paying its dividends for Steve Archer and his team of student archeologists. Archer and a half dozen William and Mary undergraduates have spent the summer digging for evidence of former gardens in the college's Wren Yard and they've hit pay dirt.
Henry Broaddus, Dean of Admission, published a letter in August 2007 in the Chronicle of Higher Education in response to a July 2007 essay regarding gender equity in the admissions process.
Junior Marjorie Russell recently led a group of William and Mary students to serve at an orphanage at Dr. Nicolaescu Hospital in Tutova, Romania.
The two admissions committees had a choice to make. Four applications lay before them, each stronger in different areas. However, the university could only admit one student and wait-list one other. Just as committee members made their decisions, new information came in about one of the applicants. He had been working full time to support his family while attending school and taking advanced classes.
Prospective students and their families are getting a fresh first look at the College of William and Mary campus through the doors of the new undergraduate admission building.
Alan Fuchs does not have to look far to see the deteriorating state of conversation in the United States. In terms of politics, he said, "So much of our rhetoric tries to almost give a caricature of your opponent's point of view, or you reduce it to an absurd position, which makes it difficult to communicate." In terms of the media, he said, "One side tries to shout the other down—that's not going to make any progress."
Hundreds of the College's classified and hourly employees gathered in the Wren Building courtyard June 6 to celebrate the service of their coworkers.
Faculty and students are honored at the 2007 Commencement Awards
As the featured guest told them during a special ceremony in the Wren Chapel just hours before William and Mary's commencement ceremony, the new Army lieutenants were about to join a proud legacy of ROTC graduates from William and Mary.
They entered William and Mary with Hurricane Isabel at their heels, and ended it with one of the most exciting months in the College's history. Today, they received a blessing from one of the highest ranking alums in public office, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.
The relationship that grew between Jack Borgenicht (1911-2005), a New Jersey businessman, and Ken Kambis, professor of kinesiology at the College, could inform an epic. Bob Kohl, chairman of the kinesiology department and associate professor of kinesiology, summed it up during brief remarks at the dedication ceremony for the Jack Borgenicht Altitude Physiology Research Facility held in Adair Hall on April 24.
As soon as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England began her walk along the red bricks leading from the College's President's House to the Sir Christopher Wren Building, the buzz among the crowd of more than 7,000 students, alumni and friends of the College subsided and gave way to murmers of delight and surprise.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, a member of the Class of 1965, is scheduled to deliver the 2007 commencement address at the College of William and Mary on May 20.
To hear Peter Bechtold tell it, media reports that connect a "death-of-diplomacy" theory with recent foreign-policy initiatives undertaken by the United States are exaggerated.
The William and Mary community joined together at noon today in a gathering outside of the Sir Christopher Wren Building to honor the memory of the Virginia Tech students and faculty members who were killed Monday.
In Tidewater Virginia these days, when people think of Jamestown, they are as likely to think of archaeologist William Kelso ('64) as they are of Captain John Smith.
James Whittenburg, associate professor of history and chair of the Lyon Gardiner Tyler Department of History, is a constant visitor to Jamestown. We asked him to help us understand who the first settlers were, what their motivations were and to tell us about the significance of new discoveries at James Fort led by alumnus William Kelso. He told us...
Simple signatures in maroon. Notes of concern in green. Promises of prayer in orange. Messages of goodbye in yellow. The colors of William and Mary and the colors of Virginia Tech are mixed together inextricably across the banner, symbolic of just how close students at the College feel to the Tech community.
Learning about autism from a book is one thing. Learning about it from the back of an autistic teen's bike at break-neck speeds is something different altogether.
Former Supreme Court Justice and current William and Mary Chancellor Sandra Day O'Connor braved bone-chilling winds and driving snow on April 7 to tour the College's Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester Point.
The College of William and Mary has accepted a record number of first-generation college students among its equally diverse and academically excellent group of admitted students for the Class of 2011.
A new chapter in the history of the William and Mary Mason School of Business began March 30, as more than 200 students, faculty, staff, community members and invited guests gathered to break ground for the new Alan B. Miller Hall.
In 2006, the country witnessed an historic shift in the control of the U.S. Congress to the Democratic Party. The jury is still out on how the new congressional majority is doing, said noted political scientist Thomas E. Mann in a public forum on March 27 at the College, but there have been signs that the "broken branch" can be fixed.
The College's recreation center, which reopened last fall after an extensive renovation and expansion, is the first building on campus to officially be recognized by the federal government for its environmentally friendly design.
As he weighed the fallout from his recent appearance on the highly publicized History Channel special, "Dark Ages: 600 Years of Degenerate, Godless, Inhuman Behavior," Philip Daileader, professor of history and the University Professor for Teaching Excellence at the College, counted the pros and cons. On the positive side, he is getting e-mails from people around the country who want to know more about the Early Middle Ages. On the negative side, some viewers who have watched the program think they know all there is to know.
When Anna Kijanowska came to the United States from Poland in 1995, all she had was her parents' life savings of a few hundred dollars, a ticket for a three-day bus ride to Idaho and a dream.
Teaching about early American music does not generally draw much attention, noted Ruth van Baak Griffioen, assistant adjunct professor of musicology and director of the Early Music Ensemble at the College. "I teach early music-medieval and baroque. Normally, who cares what I teach or when it gets taught?" she said.
Richmond high school senior Darryl Stephens was not nervous about his upcoming college admissions interview. But when he walked confidently into the conference room Monday morning and saw 17 people-including the College of William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol-staring back at him, his heart started to beat a little faster.
Bringing a staged version of a Hindu epic to a theatre audience at Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall took some courage, Francis Tanglao-Aguas, assistant professor of world and multicultural theater at the College, admitted following the successful run of "Ramayana La'ar" (Rama's Journey) in March. The presentation, a creative combination of dance, multilinguistic dialogue and evocative scoring, was billed not as a play but as a sacred performance. Judging from the record-setting audiences, the enthusiastic reviews and the lingering discussion generated on campus, the professor's courage was well-applied.
The William and Mary Committee on Religion in a Public University held its first meeting Friday and members immediately agreed on one thing-time is short.
The following statement was made by Kate Slevin, Chancellor Professor of Sociology, upon receiving the Thomas Jefferson Award during Charter Day ceremonies.
Until she came to William and Mary as part of a high school program and met Jim Whittenburg, Ashley Whitehead was unsure of which college to attend. A few weeks into the early American history program, Whitehead had no doubts.
On a cold Saturday morning hours before the students sleeping in the sorority houses were awake, Conrad Brown was outside cleaning up. As he approached a dumpster, a bright pink folder that was lying on the pavement grabbed his attention.
A 14-person committee will address the challenging questions surrounding religion's role at a public university, including the use of the historic Wren Chapel, William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol announced to members of the Board of Visitors last week.
A William and Mary senior was recently recognized by the college for her service to disadvantaged youth in Honduras as well as her attempts to make a positive difference in the local area.
As America presses further into the 21st century, the world looks to it for the type of leadership that can confront issues of "the human condition," Sen. Chuck Hagel (R.-Neb.) said during his keynote address at William and Mary's Charter Day celebrations on Feb. 10.
Kate Slevin, William and Mary's chancellor professor of sociology, has been named the recipient of the college's 2007 Thomas Jefferson Award.
Vladimir Bolotnikov changes his classroom technique to match the abilities and background to students enrolled in each of the math classes he teaches.
(Williamsburg, Va.) - Two faculty members at the College of William and Mary have received the Commonwealth's highest honor for professors.
Romare Bearden (1911-1988), who was called America's greatest collagist after his death by a New York Times obituary writer, remains unacknowledged in the 34-volume, 32,600-page Grove Dictionary of Art. Puzzled by that perceived hint of racism, Sally and Richard Price, the Dittman professors of anthropology, American studies and history at the College, questioned two of Bearden's closest friends.
Drowsy students, some wrapped in blankets and others napping against the walls, lined the hallways of the campus center on Jan. 30 hoping they had made it out early enough. The students were not waiting for tickets for the next big concert or sporting event. Instead, they had fought the cold and forsook sleep just for the opportunity to serve others.
Ever since the William and Mary Medical Mission Corps' (WMMMC) first excursion to the Dominican Republic village of Paraiso three years ago, students have been determined to do more than "duffel-bag medicine."
Increased support for growing research efforts, a commitment to fairly compensate staff members and a continued drive to open the institution's doors to persons representing diverse ethnicities and circumstances are among the challenges to be faced as the College continues with its commitment to being "great and public," President Gene Nichol told more than 350 people attending the inaugural State of the College address on Jan. 25.
Ensuring state monies for construction of a new building for the College's school of education and for increases in faculty salaries were the primary issues advocated by College officials and more than 70 students who participated in the 2007 Road to Richmond lobbying effort on Jan. 23.
Maria Ivanova, assistant professor of government at the College, calls for bold leadership among governments regarding the environment.
Cosmo Fujiyama ('07), who won the College's James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership during Charter Day ceremonies earlier this year, continues to lead Students Helping Honduras, the nonprofit venture she started with her brother, Shin, in 2005.
Seeds four centuries old, found in a well at Jamestown and analyzed in William and Mary's Surface Characterization Lab, are sprouting new clues about the early days of the Jamestown Colony.
People from across Hampton Roads came to William and Mary Jan. 4 to share their thoughts on the state's upcoming budget talks and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's proposed amendments to the 2006-2008 state budget with members of the Virginia General Assembly.
Globalization, one of the most talked-about terms of the last 15 years, is neither new to our generation nor is its progression assured, Carl Strikwerda, professor of history and dean of arts and sciences at the College, told a Christopher Wren Association audience last semester.
