The University of Virginia’s Office for Diversity and Equity is accepting nominations for the 2014 John T. Casteen III Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Leadership Award. The honor recognizes a student, faculty or staff member who has demonstrated a deep commitment to diversity in the U.Va. community.

Nominations are due Feb. 14 by 5 p.m. A luncheon to honor the recipient will be held March 21 in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom.

Specific criteria for the award include playing a leadership role in increasing diversity, equity and inclusion at U.Va. and making a sustainable and quantifiable impact in these areas.

The award was established in honor of the accomplishments of Casteen, the former president who was the award’s inaugural recipient in 2010.

The second award went to Angela Davis, special assistant to the vice president and chief student affairs officer and former director of residence life for 30 years. Curry School of Education professor Bob Covert received it in 2012. For more than 20 years, Covert has taught what has become his signature class, “Multicultural Education.” Earlier this year, Kim Forde-Mazrui, William S. Potter Professor of Law and founding director of U.Va.’s Center for the Study of Race and Law, received the award.

An award selection committee, chaired by Dr. Marcus L. Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, will review the nominations and select the recipient.

Nominators should complete and submit the nomination form available on the diversity office website; submit a letter describing how the nominee has exemplified the award-related criteria; and coordinate the submission of three additional letters of support, one of which must be from outside the nominee’s department or school.

Nominations can be submitted via e-mail, with supporting materials attached, to gip8w@virginia.edu, or mailed to the attention of Gail Prince-Davis, Office for Diversity and Equity, P.O. Box 400881, Charlottesville 22904-4881. For information, call 434-243-4311.

Note: At the “Honoring Rita Dove: An American Poet” program Jan. 31, violinist Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band will make remarks after the screening of the film, “Rita Dove: An American Poet.” Film director Eduardo Montes-Bradley will attend the premiere, but is not scheduled to give a talk.

The University of Virginia will again commemorate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an array of events from Jan. 17 through Jan. 31. Highlights include a Jan. 23 keynote address from cultural critic, writer and NPR host Michael Eric Dyson and the Jan. 31 world premiere of a documentary on the life and contributions of U.Va. English professor and poet Rita Dove.

Since 2011, the University’s Office for Diversity and Equity has organized a varied series of events to explore King’s legacy, with other units, schools, student groups and community partners co-sponsoring and adding their programs to the roster. All events are free and open to the public; a few of them, such as the events with Dyson and Dove, require registration or tickets.

This year’s schedule kicks off Jan. 19 with the 29th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration, set to begin at 5 p.m. at the Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church. U.Va. President Emeritus John T. Casteen III will be this year’s guest speaker. The celebration will include a performance by the community choir, which is open to all interested singers who are able to attend most of the rehearsal dates.

Following this year’s theme, “Looking Back, Moving Forward,” the film, “King: A Filmed Record ... From Montgomery to Memphis,” will be screened Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. in Newcomb Hall Theater, and Dyson’s keynote speech, on Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. in Culbreth Theatre, will address “Dr. King in the 21st Century.”

Dyson, an American Book Award recipient and two-time NAACP Image Award winner, is a sociology professor at Georgetown University and has been called one of the nation’s most influential public intellectuals. The author of eight books – his first, “Reflecting Black: African American Cultural Criticism,” published in 1993 – helped establish the field of black American cultural studies.

He has written two books about King: “I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King Jr.” and The New York Times best-selling “April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death and How It Changed America.”

In addition, he hosts an hour-long news and talk program on NPR, “The Michael Eric Dyson Show,” where he analyzes the day’s biggest stories, from pop culture to race relations.

Tickets for Dyson’s talk are free but required, and are available online. Beginning Jan. 16, tickets will also be available in-person at the U.Va. Arts Box Office and by phone at (434) 924-3376. Remaining tickets will be available at the door.

“Honoring Rita Dove: An American Poet” will be held Jan. 31 at the Paramount Theater and will begin at 6:45 p.m., after a 6 p.m. reception. Dove, a Commonwealth Professor at U.Va. and former U.S. poet laureate, will be recognized for her contributions as a poet and author. Violinist Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band will give opening remarks, as will film director Eduardo Montes-Bradley, before the screening of his film, “Rita Dove: An American Poet.”

The Dove program requires registration(but not tickets).

The documentary paints the portrait of a woman who emerged from the profound social transformations of the 1960s as a singular voice and went on to become a distinguished bard, decorated with the highest artistic honors of the nation. It features a series of in-depth interviews with Dove – conducted and recorded by Montes-Bradley between September 2012 and October 2013 – as well as still images and clips from the Dove family’s home-movie collection.

Other events include:

• A talk by Marcia Baxter-Magolda, an education professor at Miami University of Ohio, on creating “potent learning partnerships” (Jan. 17, 9:30 a.m., Newcomb Hall Gallery);

• A U.Va. Health System program Jan. 20 during which undergraduates and high school students shadow physicians and learn about health care careers, with an emphasis on the impact of diversity and inclusiveness on health care practice and research;

• A panel discussion on “Life@UVa: On-Grounds Experiences of People of Color” (Jan. 22, 2 p.m., Harrison-Small Special Collections Library Auditorium);

• A lecture by retired justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia John Charles Thomas, a 1975 U.Va. School of Law alumnus, on the significance of the Civil Rights Act and its 50th anniversary in 2014 (Jan. 22, 5 p.m., Caplin Auditorium, School of Law);

• A presentation, “Growing Leaders of Tomorrow: Mindsets, Diversity, and the Dream,” by diversity educator and “positive rapper” Omékongo Dibinga, a visiting lecturer who will teach the Curry School of Education’s popular multicultural education course this semester (Jan. 29, 5:30 p.m., Bavaro Hall, room 116).

 For the full schedule, click here.

From a showing of Spike Lee’s classic 1989 movie, “Do the Right Thing,” to the current Oscar contender, “12 Years a Slave,” Black History Month at the University of Virginia will feature a free film series, among several other events, co-sponsored by student organizations and U.Va.’s Office of African-American Affairs.

The Black History Bowl – a “Jeopardy!”-style trivia game – will take place Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. in the Newcomb South Meeting Room. U.Va. students, faculty and staff will engage in friendly competition for prizes against their peers on topics pertaining to African and African-American Studies.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Kappa Rho Chapter will provide a feast for the annual Soul Food Night on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in Nau Hall, room 211. The night’s activities will include playing cards and games.

The films scheduled for the month:

• Feb. 11, “Do the Right Thing,” 6 p.m., Newcomb Hall Art Gallery
• Feb. 18, “Betty and Coretta,” 6 p.m., Newcomb Hall Art Gallery
• Feb. 21, “Fruitvale Station,” 7 p.m., Newcomb Theater
• Feb. 22, “12 Years a Slave,” 6 p.m., Newcomb Theater

After beginning the month’s events on Wednesday with U.Va. Library research archivist Ervin L. Jordan Jr. giving a talk about African-American history at Thomas Jefferson’s University, Black History Month events will close with the seventh annual Image Awards, with the theme “Leaders as Servants: Guiding the Next Generation.” Modeled after the NAACP’s annual awards program, the ceremony honors U.Va. students and others who have served the black community on Grounds, and will be held Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. in Newcomb Hall Ballroom. George Martin, the first African-American rector of U.Va.’s Board of Visitors, will give the keynote address.  

Awards will recognize student leaders, outstanding first-year and fourth-year students and individuals who’ve provided supportive mentoring or quiet inspiration.

The term “servant-leader” was coined in the 1970s, but the concept is as old as history, George K. Martin, rector of the University of Virginia, said Thursday night. Martin, the first African-American to be elected to lead the Board of Visitors, gave the keynote address at the seventh annual Image Awards on Grounds.

Three student groups – the Black Leadership Institute, Black Student Alliance and U.Va. chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – with the assistance of Dion Lewis, assistant dean in the Office of African-American Affairs, sponsored the ceremony to honor students and others “who create a positive impact and sustainable change” for the University’s black community, said Chelsea Stokes, chair of the awards committee and a member of the Black Student Alliance.

The event, which drew more than 100 guests to an elegant dinner in Newcomb Hall Ballroom, is modeled after the national NAACP’s awards. The winners included seven students, a student organization, an administrator, an employee and Martin, who was recognized as an outstanding alumnus (he graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences in 1975).

“I believe the most effective leaders are those who are able to guide and inspire others through gentle persuasion, commitment to the greater good, and, perhaps most importantly, compassion,” Martin told the audience during his talk, “Leaders as Servants: Guiding the Next Generation.”

“Servant-leaders achieve results, not through intimidation or top-down authoritarian management, but by serving the needs of their constituents.

“In our culture, compassion or empathy, is an undervalued quality – among other things compassion means we strive to understand the concerns of others,” he said.

From the remarks made about each of the winners, the awardees exemplify these qualities.

Valerie Gregory, associate dean of Undergraduate Admission, received the Faculty Award for her work “to ensure that the University community remains diverse in regard to ethnicity and socio-economic status,” Stokes said in presenting the award to her.

Gregory’s commitment goes beyond convincing students to apply; she’s also a mentor and “surrogate mother” who continues to assist students in their transition to the University, Stokes said. “Many of the undergraduates in the room today are here because of Dean Gregory’s efforts.”

The National Society for Black Engineers was awarded for“Excellence in Cultural Programming.”

“The organization enhances the University community through its programs by encouraging active student participation, educating the student body of diverse issues and cultivating the black community as a whole,” said Martese Johnson, a member of the event planning committee.

In introducing the award to the “Stand-Out First-Year,” Chadia King, Johnson said, “Despite having to adjust to University life, this individual has taken an initiative to actively participate in University activities and programs, specifically ones geared toward the black community.” King has participated in Black Voices, the Sil’hooettes, the Organization of Young Filipino Americans, the Emerging Leaders retreat and the Hancock Hall Association Council.

Jordan Fowler won the Outstanding Mentor award for her willingness to become a source of inspiration for anyone in her path, “with a selfless heart and an embedded desire to see her peers succeed,” said O’Tillia Roberts, another member of both the planning committee and the U.Va. NAACP chapter.

Roberts presented the “Silent Inspiration” award to student Saron Fantahun, recognizing her for furthering progress in the black community, providing opportunities for various groups, creating connections and promoting activities outside of U.Va. Fantahun remains “humble with no regard to acknowledgement for all of her efforts,” Roberts said.

Similarly, Alazar Haregu, who received the “Student Humanitarian” award, “has selflessly dedicated himself to aiding the advancement of others both within and outside of the University community,” said Fritz Bondoa of the Black Leadership Institute.

Along with being an Office of African-American Affairs Peer Adviser whose advisees “rave about his truly caring nature in regard to their academic success,” Haregu participated in the Harvard School of Public Health International Research program last summer to work on health issues in his native Ethiopia and through Global Med, where he participated in organizing child nutrition programs in Cambodia, Bondoa said.

For being an “Outstanding Student Leader,” Byron Nicholas was recognized for his efforts as president of the Black Commerce Student Network in advocating an increase of African-American students in the McIntire School of Commerce. Also a senior peer adviser in the Office of African-American Affairs program, he works closely with assistant dean Kimberley Bassett to ensure the program’s goals are fulfilled, Bondoa said.

Fourth-year student Daniel Artin received the “College Career” award for his community service throughout his years at U.Va. Artin designed a mentorship curriculum for Monticello High School students and coordinated an annual college tour for the mentees. He helped form a similar program for Albemarle High School students and students at Jackson-Via Elementary School. Artin’s service has extended to the elderly residents of the Golden Living Center Nursing Home and many other projects.

Riana Anderson, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, received a new award for a graduate student’s impact on undergraduates.

“She has always found time to support undergraduate students, as a member and president of the Black Graduate and Professional Student Organization and serving as a mentor to several undergraduate students via the Leaders Guiding Leaders program,” said Stokes in presenting the award to Anderson.

One of Anderson’s former mentees said, “It doesn’t take long to realize that giving back is just a part of her very core. She lifts while she climbs. She is the type of person that betters you personally, professionally and spiritually.”

Last but not least, Kathy McGruder, who greets students daily as the card-swiper/cashier in the Newcomb Dining Hall, was recognized with the “Unsung Hero” award for continuing to inspire and lift up several generations of U.Va. students with the kindness she shows them every day.

As if previewing that award, Martin said earlier, “We are not all destined to be heroic and historic leaders, at least at the level of Nelson Mandela, but we can and should live with a sense of purpose and act in accordance with our values.” 

Martin talked about meeting Mandela through a colleague from South Africa who called the anti-apartheid leader and first black president of the country “his spiritual father.”

Martin said when he met Mandela, “I was truly in awe and impressed, because he was humble, gracious and engaging.”  

Martin also mentioned several U.Va. alumni he considers “fine examples of servant-leaders,” among them the late Leroy R. Hassell, the first African-American and youngest to serve as Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice, calling him “a tireless advocate for mental health reform and a champion for the poor in terms of adequate access to the judicial system”; the late Clarence Cain – “a brilliant lawyer who fought against discrimination and whose life inspired the film “Philadelphia”; and Susan “Syd” Dorsey, a former Board of Visitors member “who has been a surrogate parent to many U.Va. students.”

Martin added to his list Leonard W. Sandridge, who worked for the University for more than 40 years, lastly as the executive vice president and chief operating officer, and who serves today as a special adviser to the Board of Visitors. “He did not seek the limelight. He led from behind and promoted the accomplishments of others,” Martin said.

“Leadership opportunities abound. The question, however, is, will you become a leader and adopt Mandela’s style of servant leadership?”

Two members of the University of Virginia, a faculty member and an undergraduate, embody the ideals and spirit of the 2014 John T. Casteen III Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Leadership Award.

The U.Va. Office for Diversity and Equity has chosen Hajar Ahmed, a fourth-year student in politics, and Martin Davidson, a professor of leadership and organizational behavior in the Darden School of Business, to receive this year’s annual award, now in its fifth year. They will be recognized Friday at a private luncheon. It’s the first time U.Va. has named two winners of the annual award, and the first time a U.Va. student has won.

The honor recognizes students, faculty or staff members who have demonstrated a deep commitment to diversity in the U.Va. community. The award was established to recognize the accomplishments of former President Casteen, who was the award’s inaugural recipient in 2010.

Specific criteria for the award include playing a leadership role in increasing diversity, equity and inclusion at U.Va. and making a sustainable and quantifiable impact in these areas.

Ahmed, a member of the Most Passionate Pi Chapter of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Inc. and vice president of the Multicultural Greek Council, led students beginning last year in a campaign, “Restore AccessUVA.”

Davidson literally wrote the book on diversity, said Darden Dean Robert Bruner, who nominated him. His 2011 book, “The End of Diversity as We Know It: Why Diversity Efforts Fail and How Leveraging Difference Can Succeed,” is widely accepted in the business world, Bruner wrote.

“The two award-winners have demonstrated leadership and a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion at the University in substantive ways,” said Dr. Marcus L. Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity. “This is the first time the committee has selected two awardees and the first time a student was selected. We had a record number of nominations this year – all stellar candidates for the award,” he said.

Rukhaiya N. Amir, a fourth-year student in the Curry School of Education’s kinesiology program, also majoring in South Asian Languages & Literature, wrote in nominating Ahmed that her favorite quote is from Malcolm X: “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

“Hajar stands out because she has found a way to effect change in an important aspect of advancing diversity at the University: financial aid,” Amir wrote.

“At the University, Hajar thinks more broadly than just about recruiting diverse populations in a single academic department like law or education or for a single culture like Nubians, but rather access to higher education as a whole.”

Although Ahmed is graduating this year and will not personally be affected by the changes to the AccessUVA program, “She participates in the campaign because of her concern for the students who will come after her, students who may not get the same chances she did to attend this university,” Amir wrote.

In August, U.Va.’s Board of Visitors made changes to the program that will result in capped loans being included in financial aid packages of all students beginning in the 2014-15 academic year. Previously, the lowest-income students received all-grant packages, but the board determined program changes were necessary to place the University’s financial aid program on a sustainable path for the future. Institutional funds allocated for need-based student aid have increased from $11 million to more than $40 million since AccessUVa’s founding in 2004.

 “Hajar possesses a selfless devotion to uplifting others without expecting recognition,” wrote Daniel Driscoll, program coordinator for Fraternity and Sorority Life in the Office of the Dean of Students.

“As vice president of the Multicultural Greek Council, Hajar helped to elevate the vision and mission of the council by developing strategic and action-oriented plans to more seamlessly connect a values-based fraternal experience with rich cultural identities at the University.

“One quality that I particularly admire in Hajar is her commitment to embodying a consistent values-based lifestyle. Her commitment to scholarship, service, equity, leadership, multiculturalism, inclusion and empowerment are personified in her daily walk as a servant leader,” Driscoll wrote.

The same can be said of Davidson: The U.Va. community has also benefitted from his daily walk, bringing the concepts of diversity and inclusion from intellectual ideas into action. He served as Darden’s associate dean for diversity from 2008 to 2011. In 2012, the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs recognized him with an EOP Champion award for his efforts to improve diversity and equity on Grounds.

“Martin is the quintessential example of an educator/change agent whose passion is making his world a more inclusive place,” Bruner wrote in his nomination. “Since joining the faculty in 1998, Martin has actively taught M.B.A. and executive students in the field of leadership. In these courses, he has been able to introduce the topic of diversity and managing differences. His skill allows students to find a voice to discuss sensitive topics, including gender, race, country of origin and sexual orientation, and to respect the variety of perspectives of their classmates.”

Davidson has served as a resource and adviser to other U.Va. schools and units, in addition to outside businesses and organizations. He has worked with Student Affairs, the School of Nursing, the Curry School and the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

“Diversity is not an easy topic to address,” wrote Kellie Sauls, Batten’s
director of admissions and financial aid, “laden with historical pain-points as it relates to race and gender, and more recently a virtual landmine as it relates to religion and sexual orientation. Not only does Martin navigate this space with adeptness, but he also uses it to teach students, business leaders and colleagues how to think about diversity differently.

“His work has been lauded by his peers and has garnered great attention for the University and the Darden School. Darden was actually recognized in 2013 with a grade of ‘A’ for its diversity work and climate, due in large part to Martin’s efforts,” she wrote.

Davidson’s drive to raise awareness and his academic rigor makes the case for inclusion unavoidable and yet relatable, wrote Peter Rodriguez, associate dean for degree programs and Darden’s chief diversity officer.

“His arguments are thoughtful and targeted. His effortless charisma powers a deeply important message about who we are, who we should be and how to get there. He’s neither quiet nor loud, neither zealous nor tepid. He’s an artist with words and just the type of leader who makes big changes that endure,” Rodriguez wrote.

The second Casteen Award went to Angela Davis, special assistant to the vice president and chief student affairs officer and former director of residence life. Curry School professor Bob Covert received it in 2012. Last year, Kim Forde-Mazrui, William S. Potter Professor of Law and founding director of U.Va.’s Center for the Study of Race and Law, received the award.

In the United States, only 13 percent of Native Americans have earned a bachelor's degree or higher, well below the national average of 27.9 percent. At the University of Virginia, less than 1 percent of the student population is Native American.

Now Virginia colleges, in collaboration with the Virginia Indians Pre-College Outreach Program based at Virginia Tech, are trying to recruit more Native Americans to institutions of higher education.

As part of that effort, the U.Va.'s Multicultural Student Services program has compiled a two-phase video series to inform American Indian youth about college life and admissions.

The first phase of videos, divided into six parts averaging about four mintues in length, has been posted online and focuses on student life in college. Through interviews with American Indian students at several different Virginia colleges and Valerie Gregory, associate dean of admission at U.Va., the videos seek to give Virginia Indian youth an idea of what to expect from institutions of higher learning.

Julie Roa, multicultural student services coordinator in the Office of the Dean of Students, said that the video series was conceived at the Virginia Indian Nations Summit on Higher Education, an annual meeting between college representatives and tribal leaders held at U.Va., Virginia Tech or the College of William & Mary.

"The idea came up that it would be good to show and not just tell what life is like at college," Roa said, "and so we put the videos and interviews together."

Rising second-year student Aaron Lu, a multicultural program intern, designed and edited the videos under Roa's direction. Over the course of last winter, Lu contacted Native American student organizations at several Virginia colleges to help him record interviews with Native American students, who answered questions such as "How do you feel about the community in college?" and "Why did you choose a college education?" Lu presented the final product in March at the higher education summit, held at U.Va.

The videos have been shown throughout the summer at powwows and camps hosted by the Virginia Indians Pre-College Outreach Initiative, where tribal leaders, college representatives and current college students encourage Native American youth to consider applying to college.

"We have set a very clear goal of this video initiative at the very beginning of the project, which is to send a message of welcome and provide essential college-preparation information for Native American high school students and their parents," Lu said in an email.

The second phase, set to be completed by the start of the new school year, will include interviews with tribal leaders, parents and university professors explaining why it is important to receive a higher education degree. It will also explain the admission process in greater detail, elaborating on Gregory's earlier video, which went over basic admissions information.

U.Va. is also stepping up its effort to lure top American Indian students to Grounds.

The University is revitalizing the Oliver Linwood Perry Jr. Scholarship, to be awarded each year to one incoming student. The four-year scholarship, originally awarded to Native American students, was shelved after a Supreme Court decision rendered race- and ethnicity-based scholarships illegal, said Megan Raymond, director of academic community engagement. The newly amended scholarship language designates it specifically for U.Va students who have "demonstrated a history of service with Native American communities" and will be awarded according to the following order of preference: first to students from Virginia, then those on the East Coast, and last within the United States, Raymond said.

U.Va admission counselor Jason Puryear said the scholarship honors Perry's intent and maintains the values of the original scholarship by awarding those who serve the community Perry cared about so much.

"Mr. Perry wanted to do all that he could to help Virginia's Native Americans," Gregory said. "One of the best ways to improve the community is through higher education, and the best way to encourage that is through financial support."

The amended scholarship is broader, but still emphasizes tribal connections and improvement of the Native American community, she said. It can also continue to encourage young American Indians to pursue higher education. "Even people who are involved in service with the tribes can also help us to recruit more Native Americans," she said.

Currently less than 1 percent of the U.Va student body is Native American, Roa said, a statistic the video initiative and the return of the Oliver Linwood Perry Jr. Scholarship hopes to change.

"As a Virginia institution, we want to make sure we serve the entire commonwealth," Roa said. "Diverse perspectives enrich the environment, and just as we value other students' origins and beliefs, the Native American perspective is one we want to make sure we bring to the University."

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Countless people walk the brick path every day that winds in front of the University Chapel. Now if they pause, they see a plaque installed there that recognizes a fixture of the University of Virginia community in its first century: Henry Martin, the University's bell ringer from 1847 to 1909.

A project installed this summer by Facilities Management staff and the Office of the University Architect, the plaque was sponsored by a new group formed to support diversity efforts at U.Va., the IDEA Fund.

Placed in its permanent spot this July, the plaque reads, in part:

“Henry Martin rang the bell at dawn to awaken the students, and rang it during the day to mark the hours and the beginning and ending of class periods. He was beloved by generations of faculty, students, and alumni, and he remembered them all when they returned for visits.”

The U.Va. IDEA Fund – which stands for “Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access” – is an organization, founded in 2010, of alumni and friends dedicated to supporting the University’s overall mission related to those four words and the Office for Diversity and Equity in particular.

Martin has been recognized on Grounds this year in several ways, especially as a focus in U.Va.’s two-week commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.

“In a real sense, Henry Martin was the hub of the wheel for the University community and for Charlottesville,” said Coy Barefoot, a 1997 alumnus, local radio host and author of “The Corner: A History of Student Life at the University of Virginia.”

Barefoot participated in a January panel discussion on the role of enslaved laborers in the University’s early history. University of Virginia Magazine published an article about Martin, also in January.

Although Martin was born into slavery at Monticello on July 4, 1826 – the day Thomas Jefferson died – and was freed sometime after starting work at U.Va., around 1847. Before the 1895 fire, he rang the bell hourly, starting at dawn, in the Rotunda. Afterward, the bell was relocated to the University Chapel.

When the IDEA Fund Board of Trustees meets on Grounds Oct. 13, its members will walk to the chapel and stop to read and reflect on Henry Martin and his place in the U.Va. community.

“They told us that there have been astrochemists who work their whole life and never find new molecules, and we did this in our first experiment of the summer,” said David Vasquez, a student in the Virginia-North Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation, based at the University of Virginia.

Vasquez, a biochemistry student at Virginia Tech, attended the alliance’s summer research program at U.Va. this year and was one of four students on a team that discovered a new interstellar molecule, called cyanomethanimine.

That kind of experience demonstrates the alliance’s success and led the National Science Foundation to recently award the program a second five-year grant for $3.5 million.

U.Va. initiated and leads the alliance, a multiple-school consortium whose goal is to increase the quantity and quality of underrepresented minority students who pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – collectively known as the “STEM” fields.

The VA-NC Alliance, comprising eight colleges and universities in its first phase of five years, recently added Piedmont Virginia Community College to its group. Along with U.Va., the seven original partner schools are Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.; Elizabeth City State University in the N.C. system; George Mason University in Fairfax; Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.; St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, N.C.; Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

Kristin Morgan, U.Va.’s program director, provided data from the first five years that shows progress: The total number of underrepresented minority students graduating from VA-NC Alliance partner institutions with STEM degrees increased by 67 percent, from 488 to 815. The number of Hispanic/Latino students who obtained STEM degrees almost doubled in five years, from 124 to 238.

During the same time period, minority student enrollment in STEM subjects at the allied schools rose from 3,469 to 4,837, a 39 percent increase. The number of underrepresented minority students in STEM fields who participated in alliance activities – including symposia, tutoring, professional conferences, summer research programs and graduate school preparation meetings – increased by 93 percent, from 911 to 1,763.

The National Science Foundation provides funding to the VA-NC Alliance through its national Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program. There are currently more than 40 alliances nationwide. The NSF grants are awarded for three levels: new, mid-level and senior.

In the mid-level phase, the VA-NC Alliance has several goals, Morgan said.

“Our goals for the mid-level phase include boosting the enrollment of underrepresented minority students in STEM subjects by 60 percent. The baseline from year four was 4,244, so the goal is 6,790,” she said. “We also propose a 60 percent increase in the number of underrepresented minority students in STEM receiving their baccalaureate degrees, from 641 in 2011 to 1,026 in the next five years.

“A third goal is to surpass the national average of underrepresented minority students entering STEM graduate degree programs,” Morgan added.

Each of the institutions in the VA-NC Alliance offers individually tailored recruitment, retention and enhancement activities to support their students. These activities include annual symposia, bridge programs, stipends, tutoring, mentoring, research programs, workshops, faculty exchanges, opportunities for professionalization in the disciplines and U.Va.’s annual summer research program, created specifically for alliance students. A program such as this enables students from the smaller institutions to visit a major research university and to conduct hands-on research in state-of-the art laboratories.

“A hallmark of the proposal to NSF was the VA-NC Alliance Summer Research Program that for the past three years has brought underrepresented minority students to U.Va. for interdisciplinary and collaborative research experience,” said Dr. Marcus Martin, U.Va.’s vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, who oversees the project and heads the management team.

The summer research program is an intensive eight-week session during which students work with either the Center for Chemistry of the Universe or the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Department of Systems and Information Engineering.

The students who found the new molecule, for example, conducted experiments in the astrochemistry lab of Brooks Pate, a chemistry professor in U.Va.’s College of Arts & Sciences, and used data from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Green Bank Telescope in Green Bank, W.Va., to verify their finding.

In addition to support from NRAO, the Va.-N.C. Alliance and the Department of Chemistry, the students were supported by a grant from the Jefferson Trust.

The diversity and equity office co-sponsors the alliance program with the University's Center for Diversity in Engineering. The center’s director, Carolyn Vallas, assistant dean for diversity, and Linda Columbus, assistant professor of chemistry and of molecular physiology and biological physics, fill out U.Va.’s alliance team.

Vallas said the VA-NC alliance is successful due to the devoted mentors and advisers who work “day-in and day-out” with the students.

“These persons motivate, encourage and provide guidance for alliance students, so that they can successfully pursue their dreams of becoming a future STEM professional,” she said.

Morgan lauded the collaboration between the partners, their commitment to the common goal of graduating more underrepresented minorities in the STEM fields, and “the creativity it takes to develop new research opportunities and pathways for students’ professional development.”

In the future, with the third phase in mind, the alliance intends to gain commitments from corporate partners and its nine colleges and universities in order to sustain progress beyond the NSF grant, Morgan said.

“This is important work, and the stakes are high,” Martin said. “The United States is falling behind other nations in the number of men and women earning college degrees, especially those who receive training in the STEM fields. The alliance is creating opportunities by helping students earn degrees in these fields while building strength for the nation.”

The American Indian Student Union at the University of Virginia presents several events to celebrate Native Heritage Month this month.

The movie, “The Only Good Indian,” a Sundance Film Festival selection, will be screened Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. in Newcomb Hall Theater. The movie, set in Kansas during the early 1900s, looks at the past practice of white people taking American Indian children from their parents to distant “training” schools, aimed at purging them of their native culture and forcing them to adopt white American society. 

An “anti-Thanksgiving” Thanksgiving potluck dinner will be held Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. in Minor Hall, room 125. Bring a dish and share free food. Attendees will discuss Thanksgiving from a Native American perspective. 

Finally, on Dec. 1, the second annual American Indian Fair will be held from noon to 6 p.m. at Random Row Books. The event features crafts, seminars, independent films, workshops, traditional dress and fry bread.

UPDATE, JAN. 15, 2013: The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery has cancelled his scheduled Jan. 24 appearance for health reasons. A replacement has not yet been announced.

The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and fought for black civil rights alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will be the keynote speaker in this year’s commemoration of King at the University of Virginia.

With the theme, “Montgomery to Main,” the 2013 Community MLK Celebration spans a month of events, beginning with the 28th Annual Martin Luther King Community Celebration at Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church on Jan. 13 and concluding with a screening of “Walk On: the Rosa Parks Story” on Feb. 8 at the Paramount Theater.

Other special guests include Julian Bond, the comedian Akintunde and historian James Patterson. For information about all the events, click here.

In addition to the Rosa Parks film, several others are on the schedule. The recent documentary, “Julian Bond: Reflections from the Frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement,” will be screened and followed by a conversation with Bond Jan. 30. U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan and other distinguished guests will also make remarks.

The University Library will present a selection of oral histories from the William Elwood Civil Rights Lawyers Project on Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. in the Harrison/Small Auditorium.

The William Elwood Civil Rights Lawyers Project tells the legal history of the civil rights struggle. The online interviews, which filled 273 tapes left to the library, are available through the library's Virgo service. Elwood, a former College of Arts & Sciences administrator who died in 2002, worked with students through the 1980s to capture the interviews for a documentary film, “The Road to Brown: The Untold Story of the Man Who Killed Jim Crow,” which aired on public television in 1990.

The film, “Slavery By Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II,” based on the 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning book by journalist Douglas Blackmon – now the moderator of the forum series at U.Va.’s Miller Center– will be screened and followed by a panel discussion on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. in Nau Hall auditorium.

Other panel discussions will focus on topics such as workplace equality and disparities in access to health care. Guest speakers also will talk about education, war and history.

The Miller Center presents speakers at two of its forums, Kimberley L. Phillips and James Patterson.

Phillips, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Brooklyn College, will give a talk Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. about her most recent book, “War! What Is It Good For?: Black Freedom Struggles and the U.S. Military From World War II to Iraq.” The book examines how blacks’ participation in wars and their struggles for equal citizenship galvanized an antiwar activism that reshaped their struggles for freedom.

Patterson will speak about “The Eve of Destruction: How 1965 Transformed America” on Jan. 28 at 11 a.m. His 30 years of research includes books on political, legal and social history, as well as the history of medicine, race relations and education.

On a lighter note, Akintunde, dubbed “the Minister of Comedy,” will appear Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Piedmont Virginia Community College’s performing arts theatre. He has written for “It's Showtime at the Apollo” and comedians Monique and Chris Tucker. Akintunde has appeared on The Word Network, TBN, The Gospel Music Channel and the Stellar Gospel Music Awards..

U.Va.’s Black Voices Gospel Choir and other choruses will provide music at a few of the events, including Lowry’s speech.

The MLK Celebration is a collaborative effort involving the University’s Office of Diversity and Equity, several U.Va. schools and offices, community partners, Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Paramount Theater.

UPDATE, Feb. 1, 2013: The nomination deadline has been extended through Feb. 14.

The University of Virginia’s Office for Diversity and Equity is accepting nominations for the 2013 John T. Casteen III Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Leadership Award. The honor recognizes a student, faculty or staff member who has demonstrated a deep commitment to diversity in the U.Va. community.

Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 14. A luncheon to honor the recipient will be held March 22 in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom.

Specific criteria for the award include playing a leadership role in increasing diversity, equity and inclusion at U.Va. and making a sustainable and quantifiable impact in these areas.

The award was established in honor of the accomplishments of Casteen, the former president who was the award's inaugural recipient in 2010.

The second award went to Angela Davis, special assistant to the vice president and chief student affairs officer and former director of residence life for 30 years. Curry School of Education professor Bob Covert received it in 2012. For more than 20 years, Covert has taught what has become his signature class, “Multicultural Education.”

An award selection committee, chaired by Dr. Marcus L. Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, will review the nominations and select the recipient.

Nominators should complete and submit the nomination form available on the diversity office website; submit a letter describing how the nominee has exemplified the award-related criteria; and coordinate the submission of three additional letters of support, one of which must be from outside the nominee’s department or school.

Nominations can be submitted via e-mail, with supporting materials attached, to gip8w@virginia.edu, or mailed to the attention of Gail Prince-Davis, Office for Diversity and Equity, P.O. Box 400881, Charlottesville 22904-4881. For information, call 434-243-4311.

Black History Month at the University of Virginia this year features events, all free and open to the public, that highlight black history and community through different media of artistic expression and entertainment. They range from an Australian artist’s interpretation of Thomas Jefferson and slavery to U.Va.’s step team giving a performance that pays homage to black achievement in the arts.

The complete schedule is available here.

When Judy Watson, an Australian Aboriginal artist, visited U.Va. in October 2011 as an artist-in-residence at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, she was inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s architectural drawings of the Academical Village. What resulted: her exhibition, “experimental beds”– six etchings that explore the shared experiences of African-American people in Virginia and Aboriginal people in Australia. The prints incorporate Jefferson’s drawings of the Rotunda and pavilions and Watson’s sketches of artifacts unearthed at Monticello’s Mulberry Row and vegetables grown in Jefferson’s “experimental beds.”

Watson’s exhibit is displayed in the South Gallery of the Mary and David Harrison Institute for American History, Literature, and Culture in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library through May 11.

Henry Wiencek, author of “Master of the Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves,” will discuss Watson’s perspective on Jefferson and slavery on Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Harrison Institute/Small Special Collections Library.

Through the artistic forms of stepping, dancing, acting in skits and oral poetry, U.Va.’s step team, “Step It Up” and several other student groups will give performances Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. in the Student Activities Building. The event’s theme is African-American contributions in the arts that have had tremendous impact throughout the world.

On another evening, Feb. 21, spoken-word artists from U.Va. and the Charlottesville community will display their talents at the “Just Lyricz Open Mic and Poetry Jam.” To be held at 7 p.m. in Newcomb Hall Ballroom, the event features Joshua Bennett, a 24-year-old, award-winning performance poet from Yonkers, N.Y., who has recited his original works at events and venues such as the Sundance Film Festival, the NAACP Image Awards and the White House. In addition to film and television, Bennett has also performed alongside former U.S. poet laureates Billy Collins and U.Va. English professor Rita Dove.

Sponsored by the Office of African-American Affairs’ Luther P. Jackson Black Cultural Center, the month’s events were selected “to attract individuals to programs that serve as media for academic exchange and continue to resist the ideological approaches traditionally used to illustrate blacks in America,” Dion Lewis, the center’s director, said.

Other co-sponsoring groups include the Black Student Alliance, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, University Dining, Black Leadership Institute, U.Va. NAACP Chapter, Office for Diversity and Equity and Student Council.

Lewis said he hopes this year’s theme, “Creating and Defining the African-American Community,” will demonstrate the importance of a cultural education, which in many ways speaks to an imbalance in ethnicity, class and gender in American society.

Other events include a “Jeopardy!”-style black history bowl on Feb. 15, “Who Wants to Be Enlightened,” to be held at 5 p.m.in the Newcomb Hall South Meeting Room. University students will participate in the game about facts relating to black history in Virginia and the world.

U.Va.’s Black Voices Gospel Choir will host a winter benefit concert on Feb. 23, from 4-6 p.m., at the First Baptist Church on Main Street to support a Charlottesville community charity.

A closing ceremony Feb. 28 will include the sixth annual Image Awards at 7 p.m. in Newcomb Hall Ballroom. Fashioned after the NAACP Image Awards, the ceremony celebrates outstanding achievements, as well as individual or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors. Students, faculty and staff will be honored for their commitment and service to the black community at U.Va.

Spoiler alert: At the end of the recent documentary, “Julian Bond: Reflections from the Frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement,” Bond, emeritus professor of history in the University of Virginia’s College of Arts & Sciences, tells the interviewer that he firmly believes people will come forward to continue the civil rights work that needs to be done, just as he and so many others rose up to fight for civil rights in the 1960s.

Wednesday’s 30-minute film screening and discussion at the Paramount Theater, part of U.Va.’s Community MLK Celebration, honored Bond – named “A Living Legend” by the Library of Congress in 2008.

The Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, comprising about 30 events, is a collaborative effort involving the University’s Office of Diversity and Equity, several U.Va. schools and offices, community partners, Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Paramount Theater.

U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan, Sen. Henry Marsh (D-Richmond), Del. David J. Toscano (D-Charlottesville) and Dr. Marcus Martin, U.Va.’s vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, also made remarks to honor Bond, who taught more than 5,000 students at U.Va. over 20 years about the Civil Rights Era, drawing from his firsthand knowledge.

Interspersing Bond’s personal story with news footage and photographs, local filmmaker Eduardo Montes-Bradley’s documentary encapsulates the history of African-Americans and the Civil Rights Era. Bond’s great-grandmother was a slave whose master took her as his mistress. His grandfather walked from Georgia to Kentucky during Reconstruction to attend Berea College. Bond’s father also took the road to success via education and became president of Lincoln University in Chester County, Pa.

Bond met many historic figures at his parents’ house, including poet Langston Hughes and historian W.E.B. DuBois. As a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, he became a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and a spokesperson of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and took part in the March on Washington, where King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.

When Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1965, its members initially prevented him from taking the seat because of his opposition to the Vietnam War. He went on to serve four terms in the House and then six more in the Georgia Senate.

After the film, Bond, 73, sat down with Phyllis Leffler, a U.Va. history professor who heads the Institute for Public History for a short interview. Bond and Leffler co-produced an audio series over the past 13 years, “Explorations in Black Leadership,” but Bond always did the interviewing. Wednesday night, he took the other seat while Leffler asked him questions – what he learned from being in SNCC, the significance of President Obama’s elections, what’s needed to improve race relations and what he thought about the film.

Bond said he hoped to interview Obama for the oral history project, but had not heard back from his administration since sending an invitation. He and Leffler will publish a book in 2014 based on interviews with almost 50 black leaders.

Leffler mentioned the film’s depiction of black life in America and asked if Bond thought racism is still an ongoing problem in America.

When he responded, “Yes, I do,” he said W.E.B. DuBois talked about a “double consciousness” that black Americans had – “a consciousness built on a racial divide ... a separateness from other people and a closeness with other people.” Bond said, “That’s what I’ve felt all my life. The feeling has begun to diminish as I’ve grown older, as time has passed.”[

Asked if Obama’s election made a difference, Bond said that it seems to have made things worse in terms of racial enmity, according to public opinion polls, despite “all the hopes and expectations that this would create a racial nirvana in the United States.”

“On the other hand, I do think Obama’s election is important, and his reelection is even more important,” he said. “The first occasion was a great milestone – to do something that had never been done before and that most people thought could not be done ... and the fact that he did it a second time is a greater accomplishment.”

Thus, Obama’s elections are both good news and bad news, Bond said; “Good news that it happened twice; bad news that it made things worse. How both of those things could be true, I do not know.”

Asked what he would advise Obama if he could, Bond said he thinks the president is a different person now from his first presidential run and doesn’t need any encouragement from him. He did encourage young people to join forces and work for social justice.

Sullivan lauded Bond’s influence at U.Va. and discussed the campaign to establish an endowed professorship of civil rights and social justice in his name, saying it is important for students to know about and understand the Civil Rights Movement.

“Endowing a chair in Julian’s honor will enable future generations of students to study civil and human rights,” she said. “I can’t imagine a more appropriate tribute for a man whose character and influence have touched so many lives over the last half-century.”

In conjunction with the University of Virginia’s celebration of Black History Month, the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center in Charlottesville is presenting its inaugural exhibition, which will run through March 24.

“Civic Meditations” consists of three video installations by Jefferson Pinder, an acclaimed Washington, D.C.-based video artist: “Passive/Resistance” (2008), on view now through through Friday; “Afro Cosmonaut/Alien (White Noise)” (2008), which will be on view Saturday through March 1; and “Elevator Music” (2012), which will be on view March 2 through 24.

On Feb. 8, at a well-attended lecture in the Heritage Center Auditorium, Pinder shared the narrative of his artistic career with insightful anecdotes and powerful imagery.

Andrea Douglas, curator of the exhibit and executive director of the center, moderated the presentation, which was its inaugural event.

Pinder’s experimental videos explore black identity through minimal performances that reference pop culture, physical theater and African-American history.

Inspired by the connection between music and the moving image, Pinder’s work provides personal and social commentary utilizing hypnotic rhythms and surreal performances to underscore themes dealing with blackness.

“Afro Cosmonaut/Alien (White Noise)” is an escapist video reflection on Cold War space travel featuring NASA color footage, underscored by a speech from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and American jazz poet/musician Gil Scott-Heron’s “Whitey on the Moon” as the soundtrack.

In the video, the protagonist in a white-faced, Butoh-inspired performance plummets back to Earth after a mystical space journey – an Icarus metaphor for the civil rights legacy. Utilizing time-lapse animation, “White Noise” consists of more than 2,000 photographs, each frame an individual pose that cumulatively forms a continuous narrative flow.

Inherent in this work is the idea of space, Pinder said, where as a youth he imagined all things could happen. As with all of Pinder’s work, “White Noise” contains a prominent biographical element – the Saturday afternoons he would spend as a boy with his family watching the televised groove of “Soul Train,” followed by “Star Trek.”

Regarding “White Noise,” Pinder reminded the audience about the role of Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura on “Star Trek,” one of the first black women featured in a major television series. As Uhura, Nichols famously kissed white actor William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk in a November 1968 episode, “Plato’s Stepchildren.”

This episode, Pinder observed, is often cited as the first example of an interracial kiss on United States television and a groundbreaking moment in television history. For Pinder, it represented the idealized fantasy of space as a place where anything could happen.

A member of the MTV generation, Pinder discussed how he witnessed firsthand a video revolution that changed the way people looked at culture. “I spent my youth watching music videos on Friday night,” Pinder said. “I instinctively connected music with the moving image.

“There is a wonderful sense that music has to nostalgia, a feeling of a particular time, place and personal relationships. Music has allowed me to creep into that space – it’s kind of like the heartbeat of most of my work.”

The first installation of the center’s Pinder exhibit is “Passive/Resistance,” evoking Gandhi and King’s social doctrines of nonviolent action.

The controversial video shows a physical exchange that demonstrates the essence of the passive-resistance techniques used in the Civil Rights struggle of the 1960s, as fellow artist, Matt Ravensthal, a white man, repeatedly slaps Pinder. As Pinder endures the brutality and the confrontation intensifies, the viewer, by the video’s end, becomes aware of a voyeuristic complicity.

“Elevator Music,” the third installation of “Jefferson Pinder: Civic Meditations,” depicts a comical examination of the common experience of riding an elevator with a stranger in silence, as composer Dave Grusin’s “Sun Porch Cha Cha” on the soundtrack tempers anxieties often experienced in close quarters.

The video’s title takes its name from the unobtrusive – sometimes catchy, sometimes annoying – melodies often heard in small and large public spaces.

In this confined environment, Pinder’s figure stares directly at the viewer; the viewer, in turn, stares back at the figure, blurring the distinction of who is a fellow passenger in which elevator.

At the lecture, Pinder described his current art project. To mark the anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963, Pinder is working with two choirs – one bluegrass, the other gospel – in a once-segregated Birmingham theater, the Lyric.

The black singers will be situated in the balcony, while the bluegrass ensemble will be in the orchestra pit. The audience will be present on the stage to witness the event.

“The groups will be working together in two different spaces with two different genres of music that exemplify a connectivity – in essence, recreating a phenomena that is representative of an American experience,” Pinder said.

Pinder received his master of fine arts degree in painting and mixed media and bachelor’s degree in theatre from the University of Maryland, College Park. His work has been featured at the Studio Museum, Yale University Art Gallery, High Museum of Art, the National Portrait Gallery and the Wadsworth Athenaeum, among others. Pinder is currently an associate professor at the School of the Art Institute Chicago.

Hundreds of people from the University of Virginia and surrounding communities gathered at more than 30 events over several weeks in January and early February to discuss and celebrate the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Beginning Jan. 13 with the 28th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration at Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church and concluding Feb. 8 with a screening of “Walk On: The Rosa Parks Story” at the Paramount Theater, guest speakers, panel discussions, workshops, film showings and musical performances commemorated King’s influence in a variety of arenas from public service to health care.

Dr. Marcus Martin, U.Va. vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, attributed the success of the King celebration to “the strong collaboration between community and University, the enthusiastic planning committee members, the Office for Diversity and Equity staff members’ diligence and the support of President Sullivan.”

More than 100 individuals, including members of student, academic and civic organizations, participate each year in planning the celebration, Martin said.

The theme for the 2013 Community MLK Celebration was “From Montgomery to Main,” referring to the impact of King’s work here in Charlottesville on our own Main Street, he said.

Black leaders extended King’s messages to present-day issues, featuring Kweisi Mfume, former president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Robert M. Franklin Jr., visiting scholar in residence at Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute and former president of Morehouse College; and Julian Bond, professor emeritus of history in U.Va.’s College of Arts & Sciences and one of the foremost leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

On Jan. 30, Bond was honored at an event in the Paramount Theater, which included a screening of “Julian Bond: Reflections from the Frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement,” a film by Eduardo Montes-Bradley, followed by a conversation between Bond and U.Va. history professor Phyllis Leffler.

Sullivan lauded Bond’s influence at U.Va. and discussed the campaign to establish an endowed professorship of civil rights and social justice in his name, saying it is important for students to know about and understand the Civil Rights Movement.

“Endowing a chair in Julian’s honor will enable future generations of students to study civil and human rights,” she said.

On “Shadow a Health Professional Day,” U.Va. undergraduates followed physicians in clinical settings, while high school students heard about career and academic options in health care practice and research. 

Faculty member Ervin Jordan, an archivist in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, curated an exhibition titled “Embracing Equality: Before and Beyond Brown v. Board of Education, 1950-1969: An American Civil Rights Exhibition.” The exhibit depicts local, state and national Civil Rights events through selected legislation, letters, reports, speeches and photographs. “Embracing Equality” will remain on display on the first floor of the Small Special Collections Library until March 1.

The accompanying video highlights King celebration events.

Two panelists at a forum Monday night said a recent apparent decline in the number of African-American students coming to the University of Virginia is primarily due to financial conditions, along with related factors.

Valerie Gregory, associate dean of admission, and Deborah McDowell, director of U.Va.’s Carter G. Woodson Institute of African-American and African Studies, discussed with an audience of about 75 people in the Minor Hall auditorium long-term changes in the economy, politics and education that present obstacles to African-American enrollment.

The scope of the issue is not clear, due to changes in how the race of students is counted.

Determining the number of African-American undergraduates at U.Va. was relatively straightforward in the years prior to 2009. According to University records, there were 1,366 black undergraduates in 1991, for example, and 1,199 in 2008.

But in 2009, new federal guidelines changed how records are collected and maintained about the race of students. Beginning in that year, students were able to select more than one race on University enrollment records. If, for example, a student checked off both “African-American” and “Asian-American,” that student would be recorded in a new category called “Multi-Racial American.” Students who did so were not included in the count for the African-American category.

Partially as a result of the new method, the number of students who solely selected African-American as their race dropped to 946 in 2012. Meanwhile, the number of students reported in the multi-racial category has risen from 273 in 2009 to 588 in 2012.

The group University and Community Action for Racial Equality sponsored the meeting out of concern for the dropping numbers of African-American students. UCARE describes itself as a grassroots community organization with a mission to understand and remedy the University’s legacy of slavery, segregation and discrimination within and outside the University.

UCARE looked at data from the U.Va. Institutional Assessment and Studies office and found that in 1991, 12 percent of the student body self-identified as African-American, compared to 6.5 percent last year.

Gregory, who has directed the Admission Office’s outreach efforts to attract minority students to U.Va. for 12 years, said the 2008 recession and weak economy has disproportionately hurt African-American families. Some students who’ve been accepted to the University go elsewhere for better financial aid, she said. Parents and students are more worried than they used to be about paying for college, and are less willing to take out loans to help.

In addition, there is still a perception among some African-Americans that they shouldn’t even apply because they can’t afford rising tuition costs, Gregory said. Although the AccessUVa financial aid program implemented in 2003 has made a dramatic difference in attracting students, U.Va. is competing more than ever with elite schools, such as Harvard and Princeton universities, for the top black students.

Like Gregory, McDowell said she has a sense that more students are anxious about covering college costs. “The economy is playing a major role,” she said.

Audience member Claudrena Harold, a history professor in the College of Arts & Sciences, said the change in numbers is not just about the economy. “It has to be a priority of the administration, the Board of Visitors and the state,” she said.

Also in the audience, Maurice Apprey, director of U.Va.’s Office of African-American Affairs, said although some students might be having more trouble with finances, there is not a retention problem here. Academically, black students are performing better than ever, and the University has maintained its successful graduation rate, he said.

Gregory said the pool of well-qualified black high-schoolers is shrinking both on the national level and in Virginia, because of the achievement gap between white students and minority students in kindergarten through 12th grade. She quoted Virginia Department of Education statistics that, of the high-school graduates last year, only 25 percent were African-American students, and of that group, 16 percent pursue more education.

The Office of Admissionhas programs to reach parents and potential students in earlier grades than in the past to advise them on the path to college, Gregory said, adding that her office needs to do more. “We have a public obligation to make sure African-American students know the process,” she said. She and McDowell agreed the University should try to reach younger students and families to get them thinking ahead about college.

Over the past two decades, some of the University’s options have changed, Gregory said. As a result of judicial challenges to affirmative action, the University cannot offer race-based scholarships; they must be supported by private funding and offered through University foundations. Black alumni have helped by endowing scholarships, such as the Holland and Ridley programs, and she called for more fundraising to increase the number of scholarships.

If the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the use of race in the University of Texas’ undergraduate admissions process in Fisher vs. University of Texas, Gregory predicted the number of students applying and being accepted will decrease. Under the current legal interpretation, at issue in the case, U.Va. does use race as one of many factors in deciding who to accept into U.Va.

“It’s a holistic process” in determining the makeup of each class of students, she pointed out.

Audience members asked about other possible factors in how black students make their college choices. What about the number of African-American faculty? Could the University save money, and thus charge less for tuition, by reducing the size of the administration? Could faculty exert more pressure on the University to work on the numbers? What do we mean by diversity?

Gregory encouraged students to help her office by getting involved.

“We need your help,” she said. “Students are our greatest asset. You could go back to your high school or church and talk about U.Va.”

UPDATED, May 6, 2013, to add mention of homophobic comments also painted on the bridge.

University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan on Thursday emailed a statement condemning racist and homophobic comments painted on Beta Bridge, adding her voice and those of two vice presidents to student groups who condemned the graffiti.

The bridge, which carries Rugby Road over railroad tracks, is frequently painted with various messages ranging from the mundane (birthday wishes and party announcements) to the inspirational (a “Hoos for Hokies” message painted after the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings remained undisturbed for weeks, a rare occurrence).

Derogatory slurs used to describe homosexuals and African-Americans appeared sometime Wednesday, alongside a crudely drawn pornographic image. Others soon painted over the offensive material, and two student organizations, the Black Student Alliance and the Student Council, swiftly issued statements condemning the original defacement.

On Thursday, Sullivan; Dr. Marcus L. Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity; and Patricia M. Lampkin, vice president and chief student affairs officer, released the following statement in an email to the University community:

On the morning of Wednesday, May 1, a display of hate and bias was discovered painted on Beta Bridge.

The individuals responsible for this derogatory message were trying to intimidate and isolate members of our University community. We reject this expression of hatred, and we stand by the University’s commitment to promote an inclusive and welcoming environment that embraces the full spectrum of human attributes, perspectives and disciplines.

There is no place for intolerance, bigotry or hatred in such an environment. We condemn this abhorrent act, which is disruptive to civility and community life, is not representative of our values and will not be tolerated.

The administration supports the statements issued by the Black Student Alliance and the Student Council condemning this incident.

As of Thursday, those responsible for the racist graffiti had not been identified, University spokesperson McGregor McCance said.

In broad terms, the undergraduate class that will enter the University of Virginia in August strongly resembles those of other recent years.

Completed applications for the Class of 2017 increased compared with the previous year, a pattern in place for a decade. Test scores and high school ranks for those offered admission occupy the highest percentiles among their classmates – also a common characteristic for incoming classes.

Indeed, the fabric of a U.Va. class features a consistent texture.

“Across all the schools, from the College to Nursing to Engineering, we’ve admitted poets and performers, scientific researchers and military veterans, social activists and technological innovators,” Dean of Admission Greg W. Roberts said. “These bright, promising scholars, from a broad range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, are eager not only to contribute to the U.Va. community, but also to change the world.”

A closer look, however, at the class composition as it stands today – accepted offers of admission will shift a time or two before the new semester begins – shows that U.Va.’s incoming class is anything but stale or predictable.

The Office of Undergraduate Admission continues to see a return on targeted and sustained efforts to build diverse incoming classes to complement an already-diverse student body.

Overall minority student enrollment among the first-year entering class is projected to increase from 26.5 percent in the just-ended academic year to 27.5 percent in 2013-14. Hispanic enrollment is on track to increase by 20 percent compared with this year. African-American enrollment is projected to increase by 8 percent. And enrollment of Asian students is expected to increase from 11.3 percent to 11.7 percent of the total first-year class.

Today’s snapshot of the incoming class also shows that 9.7 percent of first-years in 2013-14 will represent first-generation college students, an increase from 9.4 percent a year ago. Students from low-income families are projected to make up 6.9 percent of the class, unchanged from the current year.

“The University promotes an inclusive, welcoming environment that embraces the full spectrum of human attributes and perspectives,” said Dr. Marcus L. Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity. “I applaud the outreach efforts of our Office of Undergraduate Admission, Student Affairs, Dean of Students and the Office of African-American Affairs to enhance the success of minority students.”

Assigning accurate numbers to categories of race and ethnicity has grown more complex since new federal reporting standards for students began in 2009. Prior to that year, incoming students could select only a single race when reporting ethnicity for University records.

Starting in ’09, students were able to report more than one ethnicity. A student who selects more than one race is not included in the tally for any individual race, but instead is counted in a category called “multi-race.” (The sole exception is the Hispanic ethnicity category. Those who select Hispanic and another race are counted in the Hispanic column.) Students may also opt not to specify a race. The new process provides more flexibility for the growing number of students reflecting more than one ethnicity, but also makes record-keeping more complicated and the results more difficult to interpret.

The new approach has created some confusion regarding enrollment of African-American students, for example. Comparing African-American enrollment before 2009 with years thereafter shows what appears to be a dramatic decline in numbers. U.Va. enrolled 1,199 African-Americans in 2008 and 946 in 2012, according to records. However, that comparison does not account for the effect of the multi-race category.

The number of students in 2012 who identified themselves only as African-American (946) combined with those who identified themselves as African-American and some other ethnicity (206) totals 1,152.

Other trends have also developed that provide good news about African-American enrollment at U.Va.: The number of African-Americans completing applications for U.Va. admission has increased dramatically over the past few years. The number of applicants who selected African-American as at least one of their racial categories increased from 1,021 in 2004 to 2,180 in 2013 – outpacing the growth of the overall application pool.

In addition, the number of African-American students offered admission to U.Va. represented a larger percentage of offers than their share of the applicant pool. This spring, 8.8 percent of offers of admission were extended to African-Americans, who constituted 7.5 percent of the applicant pool.

“Misunderstanding about how race and ethnicities are reported has led to some conclusions that don’t compare apples to apples,” Martin said. “At the same time, it’s reassuring to know that so many are committed to growing minority enrollment and that any level of decline in African-American enrollment is an opportunity for improvement.”

“We welcome and encourage this dialogue, and I feel strongly that U.Va. is committed to diversity and supportive measures to enhance student success and the numbers of African-American and other minority students will continue to rise here along with the changing demographics of our society,” Martin said.  

Statement of University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan:

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 31, 2013 -- On Wednesday, May 29, the provost issued a statement to faculty who were concerned by some comments made by Paul Tudor Jones during the question-and-answer segment at an April 26 symposium at the University. That statement has now become public through reporting by news media.

The University respects Mr. Jones’ right to state his personal views as a fundamental exercise of free expression.

As part of his response to a question about the lack of diversity on the all-male symposium panel, Mr. Jones observed that the emotional highs and lows that accompany life events such as childbirth and divorce, particularly when these events occur during the formative years of skill acquisition (20-30 years) for a professional in the narrow field of macro-trading, can be impediments to success.

Mr. Jones’ comments do not represent the views or policies of the University with regard to marital or parental status and its effect on employment or success in the workplace.

I have reached out to Paul and have spoken at length with him about this issue. He has assured me that he believes fervently as we do that having a family should not disadvantage a woman's performance in the workplace.

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Nothing calms the spirit like music, especially gospel. And one artist in Virginia, who celebrated her 83rd birthday July 4, is considered “queen” of the genre.

She’s evangelist Maggie Ingram, who’s not only known for her voice and message, but for her community service.

Jon Lohman, director of the Virginia Folklife Program, recognized the significance of Ingram’s work and set out to record it.

Ingram is “a true national treasure,” said Lohman, whose program is part of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, based at the University of Virginia.

“She has been a stalwart of Richmond’s gospel music scene and African-American cultural life since her arrival 50 years ago,” he said. “Her life is a testament to perseverance and community service. Her current group, ‘The Ingramettes,’ composed primarily of family members, is incredibly powerful.”

The Virginia Folklife Program is dedicated to the documentation, presentation and support of Virginia’s rich cultural heritage. It was established in 1989, with support and funding from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Folk Arts Program, a collaborative effort initiated by the Virginia Folklore Society.

One of its programs is the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, which pairs an experienced master artist with an apprentice for a one-on-one, nine-month learning experience, to help ensure that a particular art form is passed on in ways that are conscious of history and faithful to tradition. Maggie and one of her daughters, Almeta, participated in the 2009-10 program. Almeta used her apprenticeship to record the story of her mother’s life.

Since then, “we have presented Maggie and the Ingramettes at numerous festivals across the state,” Lohman said. “We chose to record the CD live at the Fifth Baptist Church in Richmond, in front of Maggie’s own and others’ congregations.”

Lohman’s instincts were spot on regarding “Mama Ingram.” The CD project he led, “Live in Richmond: Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes,” is nominated for the Independent Music Award’s Gospel Album of the Year, which Lohman calls “quite an honor.”

In addition to industry-determined winners, music fans from around the world have until July 19 to cast their votes at The IMA Vox Pop Jukebox to determine the fan-selected program winners whose music will be promoted to nearly 1 billion music fans worldwide, according to Lohman. (Read more about the competition here.)

Working with Ingram and the Ingramettes on this project was “wonderful,” Lohman said. “An interesting thing is that Maggie has early onset of Alzheimer’s. When you talk to her off-stage, you can definitely tell. But when she gets on stage, she completely locks in. My favorite part of the show is during ‘Working for Jesus,’ when the Ingramettes get her up and they all start pantomiming work – digging with imaginary shovels,” he said. (Watch their performance at the end of this video.)

“Working for Jesus” and “Standing on the Promises of God” are fan favorites, Lohman said of the band’s work, which is largely a family affair. In addition to Almeta Ingram-Miller, Cheryl Beaver, another Ingramette, is her granddaughter, and several members of the rhythm section are relatives as well.

The Virginia Folklife Program’s live recording of Ingram and the Ingramettes was released Dec. 14. Produced by Lohman for Virginia Folklife Recordings, which he also directs, the album features classic Ingramette songs “Help is on the Way,” “Wide River,” “When Jesus Comes,” “A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.,” “The Family Prayer,” “Conferring of Honorary Doctorate Degree on Maggie Lee Ingram,” “Standing on the Promises of God,” “Praise Break” and “Work Until I Die.”

This CD is for anyone who loves gospel music or cares about preserving the musical traditions of Virginia, Lohman said.

The project was funded from a variety of sources, including the National Endowment for the Arts and private donations. The majority of CD sales have been in the city of Richmond, Lohman said, and all proceeds thus far have gone to “The Ingramettes.” 

“We would love to have more people aware and supportive of this CD,” he said. It is available online, through the UVA Bookstore and at the Plan 9 music store.

Ingram is a self-taught musician, who also taught her children to sing and play. The Ingramettes have performed for more than 50 years at such illustrious stages as the Kennedy Center and the National Folk Festival. But …

‘Singing Ain’t Enough’

That’s what Ingram said in February in a Virginia Living magazine article. And in her life, she has walked the talk.

According to the article, liner notes written by Don Harrison on the Virginia Folklife Program’s “Live in Richmond” album, and a Kennedy Center bio, Ingram …

• … may be known in Richmond as much for her red van as for her singing. For years, she drove it around town dispensing free food to the needy, and hauling visitors to prison as part of the family day events she helped establish in Virginia correctional centers through legislation she initiated.

• … turned her home into a halfway house for women released from prison – “my babies,” she called them – as they re-entered society and the workforce.

• … became an ordained minister in the early 1980s. (Her children have followed in her footsteps, Christine was ordained in 1995 and Almeta in 2003). 

• … received the prestigious 2009 Virginia Heritage Award for lifetime of excellence in the folk and traditional arts.

• … was awarded a doctor of music degree from Virginia Triumphant College and Seminary in 2011.

Ingram was born July 4, 1930, on Mulholland’s Plantation in Coffee County, Ga. As a child, she worked in the cotton and tobacco fields with her parents. At 16, she married Thomas Jefferson Ingram, also a sharecropper from Georgia. They had five children: John, Lucious, Tommie, Almeta and Christine, and moved to Miami, Fla.

After her husband left the family and returned to Georgia, Maggie Ingram moved to Richmond. She arrived on Christmas Eve 1961, “in that little green-and-white ’56 Chevy with her five little children,” Almeta recalled in the liner notes of the “Live in Richmond” CD.

Ingram first found employment in the home of an energetic attorney, Oliver W. Hill Sr., who at the time was working on behalf of Virginia plaintiffs in what would become the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

Years later, the Queen of Gospel turned down an invitation from the Godfather of Soul to tour with his band, telling James Brown, “We don’t sing rock ’n’ roll.”

Ingram and her Ingramettes will be performing this summer and fall, including an Oct. 13 stop at the Richmond Folk Festival; their touring details are here.

Virginia Folklife Program’s Mission

“Whether sung or told, handcrafted or performed, Virginia’s rich folklife refers to those ‘arts of everyday life’ that reflect a sense of traditional knowledge and connection to community,” Lohman said.

Robert Vaughn, president of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, said, “The Virginia Folklife Program is the only state folklife program grounded in the humanities, engaged in research, scholarship and teaching, as well as in documentation, publication, public performance and education. In short, it’s comprehensive, involving extraordinarily diverse artists and audiences.”

Lohman, who’s been at his job since 2001, “is simply the finest folklorist and folklife director in the nation,” Vaughn said. “He’s also in demand internationally.”