...Malcolm Gladwell, author of "The Tipping Point" and "Outlier" and a former Washington Post reporter, had an interesting piece in The New Yorker recently about [teacher quality]. ...He dropped in on a group of education researchers at U-Va. who have determined that teacher feedback, or the ability to respond meaningfully to each student, is linked most strongly to academic success. ...
... An exhibit of 14 paintings in [Lois Scott] Kannensohn's 'Historic Downtown Mall Series' opens today at the UVa Hospital. ... It will remain in place through March 6.
Gesel Mason, an award-winning choreographer and educator, will lead a master class at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Culbreth Theater at the University of Virginia. Observers can watch Mason lead a class of 30 to 35 dancers from UVa and the community. Mason will be in residence through Jan. 17, and there will be other opportunities to catch her at work.
Two Virginia colleges were named top values among public universities nationally yesterday. The University of Virginia was ranked first in the Princeton Review list, which noted the school's efforts to keep education affordable, its strong faculty and its high-caliber academics. The College of William and Mary was ranked third.
The University of Virginia Health System says it broke all previous records at the three-day 2008 Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise. The Health System reports that it sponsored 217 volunteers at the 2008 RAM clinic held last summer, a 31 percent increase from 2007. ... The total value of care provided by UVa at RAM 2008 was $1,048,942, a record amount. ...
James Loeffler
Assistant professor of European Jewish history, and research director of Pro Musica Hebraica-a project to revive forgotten Jewish classical music from a century ago
New Life for Lost Jewish Music
Moment Magazine / January/February 2009
http://momentmag.com/Exclusive/2009/2009-02/200902-JewishEnterprise.html
Larry Sabato
A politics professor and director of the Center for Politics
Obama Says He Cannot Take Stand on Gaza Until He Takes Office
Voice of America / Jan. 8
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200901/200901080013.html
and
Union-card check bill sharply splits bus...
CHENNAI, India: Former No. 1 and two-time champion Carlos Moya was stunned in the second round of the Chennai Open on Thursday by a local player ranked No. 202 in the world. Unheralded Somdev Devvarman of India, a two-time U.S. collegiate champion, upset the sixth-seeded Moya 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Gilbert J. Sullivan, who headed the University of Virginia's Alumni Association for 35 years, has died. He was 80. Sullivan worked for the Alumni Association for 45 years before retiring in 1993. ... A memorial service will be held at noon Saturday at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 190 Rugby Road, followed by a reception at 1 p.m. in the Alumni Hall Ballroom.
... according to a new study by the Virginia Transportation Research Council at the University of Virginia... The total damage to state roads caused by overweight trucks came to $211 million in 2007, but overweight permit fees raised only $2.7 million.
The University of Virginia Medical Center and Culpeper Regional Hospital have launched their partnership. UVA will invest $40 million in Culpeper Regional Hospital over three years, which will equate to a 49% share. Culpeper Regional will remain an independent, not-for-profit hospital with an independent board of trustees. The action follows approval by the operating boards of the two institutions and a public hearing.
Virginia's public universities may have to change their rules if a proposed bill passes this year. The legislation would require the schools to reserve at least 70 percent of their spaces for in-state students. This topic has come up before in the General Assembly. Some say it's more of an issue this year, because of the economy. So we asked students and officials at the University of Virginia, would a quota system be beneficial?
... Accomplishing such a Herculean virtual building project required a number of [computer graphics] innovations, not only in modeling and rendering, but also in the management of enormous datasets and the ability to easily update and display such information. Also noteworthy is the fact that Rome Reborn 2 will establish a new form of scholarly communication, and its technological innovations can be used to further modern-day urban-modeling projects. ...
... [The Princeton Review's] No. 1 Best Value for a public university is the University of Virginia in Charlottesville; No. 1 among private campuses is Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pa. ... The selection criteria looked at academics, costs and financial aid, using the most recently reported data from each institution for its 2008-09 academic year. Additionally, 160,000 to 175,000 student surveys provided input for the academic ratings. ... The average grant UVA offered (including scholarships) totaled $9,531. The average 2008 graduate's debt was $16,847.
... a look at the facts of in-state vs. out-of-state enrollment shows that [Del. Clay] Athey's bill, while sounding valiant and righteous, wouldn't actually change anything. That's because the schools he's targeting are already pretty much in compliance with his goal... The very same legislature that will now debate forcing the schools to admit more in-state candidates is the body that forced the universities to go fishing for more out-of-staters in the first place.