We Rule—Here’s How We Know

By Shirley Nuhn and Sharon J. Ritchey with Libby Burns, Elaina Loveland and Warren Rojas

With tuition rates climbing along with energy costs, wise families are choosing the path to higher education that is closest to home. Fortunately for Virginia residents, our state is a bevy of public and private institutions serving the needs of diverse student profiles. In particular, many of our largest state schools own prestigious national reputations.

We gleaned the schools you see on these inside pages from the popular U.S. News & World Report ranking system, and personally visited with the faculty, staff and students of these institutions to find out what makes them so outstanding. We then analyzed each school’s peer list compiled by Virginia’s State Council of Higher Education, which compares institutions based on faculty salary, freshmen enrollment size, research capacity and acceptance criteria, to discover how Virginia schools reign supreme.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg; 540-231-6267; www.vt.edu

Founded: 1872
Undergraduate Population: 21,997
President: Charles W. Steger
U.S. News and World Report Ranking: National Universities – 71

Virginia Tech is situated in the state’s Blue Ridge Highlands. A land-grant university esteemed for research, it is home to the Hokies, a team whose name began as a spirit yell.—SHIRLEY NUHN

Curriculum Spotlight
Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Steer a vessel in the waters. Or launch one to new heights. Virginia Tech’s distinction is in having the only academic department in the United States combining the two engineering disciplines, in which all faculty are actively engaged in research. Currently, 85 externally funded research projects are underway, totaling $6.836 million, including a project funded by the National Science Foundation, according to department head Chris Hall.

Analytical and computational tools developed here help ship designers understand and prevent dangerous phenomena for vessels, such as capsizing. And one of Hall’s projects, funded by the Department of Defense, pertains to developing improved models and control strategies for electrodynamic tether spacecraft, which may be several miles long.

Such research and talent pay off in huge ways for the economy: Virginia boasts about 300 aerospace companies and is home to two National Aeronautics and Space Administration facilities generating $1.24 billion in income and 12,180 jobs (NASA data, 2006).

Famous Alumni
Charlie Camarda, Astronaut, Aerospace Engineering, 1990
VT alum Charlie Camarda flew on space shuttle Discovery in July 2005, the first flight launched after the 2003 Columbia shuttle accident. Over the years, he has received numerous awards from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Camarda, 56, says he chose Virginia Tech on the basis of its faculty and his interest in structural mechanics.

“One thing I’ve enjoyed doing is solving seemingly impossible problems by coming up with innovative solutions,” he says. “Some people view engineering as a process. But I view it more as an art.”

His advice to students considering the university: “Be prepared to work hard and explore the resources available. Undergraduates in engineering are absorbing an enormous amount of information,” adding that he would encourage students to interrogate their professors about their lessons, and for professors to “have students operate in a team mode.”

Notable Professor
Chris Hall, Department head of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Chris Hall made the transition from acting department head to taking full rein last May. Having entered the field of aerospace after joining the Air Force, his 20-year career includes having taught computer technology at Virginia Tech since 1997. “These students are very energizing to be around,” says Hall, 50, of the campus environment. “Many of them have known since they were little that they wanted to build rockets.” This year, Hall was part of the Virginia aerospace sector visiting in Richmond, talking to state legislators and reinforcing the value of investing in aerospace, university-based research.

Campus Legend
Each class designs its own traditional ring, enormous and precious. Urban myth has it that Tech rings above a certain size require registration as weapons.

Program Highlight
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Sun, air, water and a soil sample—all analyzed just for you. With a tailor-made prescription on nutrients for soil, a home gardener saves time and money on fertilizer and goes easier on the environment. Such soil testing, as well as a plethora of other, similar services, come from Virginia Tech, which teams up with sister land-grant school Virginia State University, in an effort that’s part of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture). Plus, here, family and consumer sciences programs dole out advice on financial management, nutrition and physical activity.

How They Compare
Pennsylvania State University
Nanotechnology has been on this university’s scene since 1993. At its heart are the science and engineering of matter at the atomic and molecular levels, whose commercial, computational and environmental applications lie just ahead.

The pulse quickens, however, when you see what Virginia Tech has been up to. In fall of 2003, the school hailed System X, a 10-plus teraflop, 2,200-processor cluster. A terascale computer, System X stands amongst the world’s most powerful supercomputers—the equivalent of 1,100 Macintosh G5 computers running in parallel. As terascale and teraflop refer to trillions of operations per second, for computer science students and faculty alike, Virginia Tech’s supercomputer powerfully enhances research capabilities.

New and Noteworthy
Collaboration is the watchword at Tech. A degree from the Myers-Lawson School of Construction blends architecture and engineering within the walls of its new home, Bishop-Favrao Hall. This building honors Richard Bishop, a 1967 graduate in building construction, and William Favrao, who established Virginia Tech’s construction program in the 1940s. Its grand opening came in May, when state-of-the-art laboratory spaces awaited students with testing labs, wet labs, material handling, tool and welding labs and workshops for the assembly of construction systems.

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James Madison University
Harrisonburg; 540-568-5681; www.jmu.edu

Founded: 1908
Undergraduate Population: 16,013
President: Linwood H. Rose
U.S. News and World Report Ranking: University-Master’s (South) – 4

James Madison, which celebrated its centennial on March 14, claims the natural beauty of the Shenandoah Valley. Known for a wealth of arts, sciences and athletics, the university began as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg in 1908, then went coed in 1966.—SHIRLEY NUHN

Curriculum Spotlight
Music Industry
“Students may find jobs in the recording industry, management of artists, music publishing and work with symphonies and other venues,” Marilou Johnson, JMU’s interim dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, says of her students’ career potential. Copyright management is also of the moment for artists. According to Johnson, 49, the Music Industry major is the college’s second most popular, after Music Education. To complete the degree, studio work is a must, though students who minor in the study don’t have the same performance requirements. Faculty members for the major include David Cottrell, an Emmy Award-winning composer and French horn performer, and Joseph Taylor, founder and keyboard player for the rock group Undercover. In July, the college welcomed George Sparks as its new dean.

Notable Professor
J. Barkley Rosser, economics
J. Barkley Rosser, 60, currently serves as editor for the Journal of Economics Behavior and Organization. His research includes complexity, catastrophe and chaos theory, plus environmental economics that deals with such phenomena as the collapse of fisheries, and the Chesapeake Bay as what was once one of the most productive estuaries in the world. “Today it is one-tenth of what it had been. But we don’t understand everything that’s going on—not the total picture.”

Famous Alumni
Ken Bartee, Mcdonald Bradley, Inc.; Information Systems, 1983
For the president and CEO of Herndon’s IT-solutions provider McDonald Bradley, Inc., education at JMU sparked his confidence about entering the business world. His words of advice today? Think teamwork, says Bartee, 47. Think a balanced life in the incredibly fast-paced D.C. area. Think of giving back, too. For four years, McDonald Bradley has supported Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children’s Teardrops to Rainbows program, bringing major upgrades to the pediatric oncology unit and lots more for families to smile about.
For students who are considering JMU, he says, “Make sure it’s the right fit for you. All schools are different.” What other career could he see himself enjoying? “Sports. As an agent or in behind-the-scenes management. I was a wrestler in high school and college.”Campus Legend JMU’s Kissing Rock shields couples from watchful eyes, so was once considered a romantic spot back when female students were closely supervised. The prediction is that those kiss there will wed.

New and Noteworthy
Center for the Performing Arts
Artistic expression unlocks something deep within, for performer and audience alike. Those bold dreams are coming to life for the arts at JMU. Following the creation of the College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2005, construction began last year for the Performing Arts Center, set to open in 2010. And the purchase of sumptuous instruments, thanks to a generous $1 million anonymous gift, has enabled JMU to become an All-Steinway School.

Program Highlight
Biotechnology
Whether a natural born problem-solver, or just a couscious citizen, you’ll be interested to know this interdisciplinary program offered between JMU’s Departments of Integrated Science and Technology and Chemistry is bringing the direct benefits of next-generation vaccines and biofuels to life.

Within this department, faculty-student interaction is vibrant. “It’s a rigorous science program—very lab-intensive,” says Robert McKown, professor and biotechnology program coordinator. And according to A. Jerry Benson, dean of the school’s integrated science and tehchnology programs, “We have a good track record of students presenting at (professional) programs,” including four for 2008.

How They Compare
University of Maryland
To the competition, Maryland says, “Fear the Turtle.” The university is home to 12 sports for men and 15 for women. No surprise that JMU’s women’s sports also outnumber those of men, 11 to 6. The women’s athletic tradition here goes back almost to the university’s founding year. Since the 1970s, the mascot for any school team event has been the tenacious Duke Dog, known to lead the crowds in fight song: “Fight for Glory—Honors Won. Brighten the Lights of Madison. Madison, James Madison, Show Your Colors Proud and True, We are the Dukes of JMU!”

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University of Virginia
Charlottesville; 434-982-3200; www.virginia.edu

Founded: 1819
Undergraduate Population: 14,676
President: John T. Casteen III
U.S. News and World Report Ranking: National Universities – 23

The University of Virginia, in central Virginia, embodies Thomas Jefferson’s vision for an academic village. Pavilions, elegant landscape and breadth of scholarship are among this historic university’s hallmarks.—SHIRLEY NUHN

Famous Alumni
Tina Fey, Actor/Writer, drama, 1992
Originally, TV writer and actor Tina Fey had planned on an English major. In 2001 Fey told the school’s student-run newspaper, “I read about (UVA) and found out what a good school it was, and I ended up deciding to come here before I even visited.” Once there, she was won over by theater and playwriting courses, where she was known for encouraging other students. Since graduating, Fey’s given back to UVA, presenting improv workshops at the school’s Culbreth Theatre and offering career insights—after performing with The Second City troupe in Chicago, she penned for “Saturday Night Live,” ultimately achieving the status of the show’s first female head writer and joining the cast as Weekend Update anchor. “30 Rock,” a sitcom for which Fey is producer, head writer and co-star, won a 2007 Emmy for best comedy series.

Curriculum Spotlight
Political Philosophy, Policy and Law
This major, which embraces the perspective of the study of law having a rich humanistic tradition, will delight a scholar tightly focusing on political theory. Loren Lomasky, Cory Professor of Philosophy, Policy and Law, directs PPL. Born in UVA in 2004, the program is distinctly interdisciplinary. “Several of us collaborate—in a program, not a department,” says Lomasky, 61. Only about 30 students are admitted annually, so they get to know one another in an inherently intimate environment. Lomasky says, “I won’t say we’re the crown jewels, but we’re proud of what we’ve been doing and hope to do this better in the future.”

Campus Legend
Treading on the Z Society’s “Z” that marks the footbridge near Ruffner Hall induces pregnancy before graduation. Myth origin is a mystery.

Notable Professor
Larry J. Sabato, Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics
Larry Sabato, 56, puts civic education on the map: Spot his academic and analytic perspective in print, radio, TV and the blogosphere. A 1974 UVA grad, he has spearheaded the school’s Center for Politics since 1998; among his students these days are children of office holders and the diplomatic corps.

“This year has been a wonderful opportunity,” he says of the presidential campaign’s educational opportunities. “A laboratory.” According to Sabato, many students consistently following the primaries are finding that their hard work is now paying off.

New and Noteworthy
Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
University founder Thomas Jefferson embraced experimentation’s place in public service. Through a recent $100 million gift by UVA alumnus Frank Batten, Sr., a new school is to be built to tune into emerging demands of leadership. In 2007, Batten explained his vision as undergraduate curriculum “focused on developing leaders who understand the responsibilities and opportunities of public life and have a bias for action.” The school, to open in fall 2009, will serve about 225 undergraduate and 165 graduate students.

Program Highlight
AccessUVa
We’ve all seen the headlines about tuition spikes. But planning for college doesn’t have to be a financial headache. Since 2004, UVA’s financial aid program has made higher education—and the entire academic experience—affordable for all admitted students, no matter their economic situation. Quite a few options are in store to assist, including a commitment of $20 million in need-based grants to undergraduates and the ability for low-income students to obtain loan-free packages. UVA states that this program offers help with need-based loans and strives to meet 100 percent of need for undergraduate students. Middle-income families feeling adrift in a sea of budgetary and tuition concerns couldn’t find a brighter harbor.

How They Compare
Princeton University
The tally of books at the Princeton library is more than 6 million, including about 200,000 that are rare or historically significant. UVA’s library has 4.9 million books; more than 300,000 are rare. A nod to the past is in order. Since 1992, UVA has been home to the Rare Book School, an independent nonprofit educational institute supporting the story of the history of books, as well as printed and related subjects.

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University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg; 540-654-2000; www.umw.edu

Founded: 1908
Undergraduate Population: 4,183
President: Richard V. Hurley
U.S. News and World Report Ranking: Universities-Master’s (South) – 9

Previously known as Mary Washington College, honoring George Washington’s mother, the University of Mary Washington celebrated its centennial during the 2007-2008 year. In 1862, the Battle of Fredericksburg raged along the high ground that today forms the main campus.—SHIRLEY NUHN

Curriculum Spotlight
Historic Preservation
You are a doctor, and your patient is a building. What measures will restore it, enabling your patient to again thrive in the community? Bricks and mortar aren’t the only components. Historic architecture, architectural conservation, folklore, archaeology, planning and museum studies are key. UMW was one of the nation’s first institutions with an undergraduate curriculum in historic preservation, and the first to establish an independent department of Historic Preservation—now the nation’s largest. W. Brown Morton III, professor and Prince B. Woodard Chair of Historic Preservation, has been on the department’s faculty since 1986. He describes how some American cities contemplate reuse of historic buildings. The style preferences of a preservation professional isn’t the main point, Morton, 70, says. “Instead, let’s ask, ‘How does the community want to keep something?’”

Famous Alumni
Judy Muller, journalist, Dramatic Arts, 1969
TV news correspondent, Emmy winner and National Public Radio commentator Judy Muller is currently a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication. Her high-profile stories include the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials (ABC) and 1988 political conventions (CBS). Has she come full circle, attending college to broadcasting to teaching? “I don’t think my circle is ever full. I’m still taking detours,” says Muller, 61, who’s also working on a book about small-town newspapers. To potential students, she advises, “Really take advantage of the variety there.” Students gain when involved with the college newspaper, drama or whatever else takes them outside of the classroom, according to Muller, who says she wishes she’d also studied more history and political science. “I’ve had to learn about those subjects on my own. But that’s how the critical thinking skills help,” she explains. “You teach yourself. You’ve got to be curious.”

Notable Professor
Gary W. Stanton, Historic Preservation and Director of the Center for Historic Preservation
A folklorist, Gary Stanton, 61, says he doesn’t necessarily stand out. He came to UMW in 1989, during a period of government interest in history and historical artifacts. Stanton, who enjoys vernacular architecture, explains, “It’s important that we have a continuity of living artists.” Ask nicely, and he’ll point out the Civil War sites on campus, too.

Program Highlight
Charitable Giving
Last year, students who were enrolled in the Economics of Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Sector course, taught by professor Robert Rycroft, awarded $7,500 and $2,500 in grants, respectively, to the National Housing Trust/Enterprise Preservation Corporation and Fredericksburg Counseling Services, Inc.

Even more: In 2006, UMW grad Shin Fujiyama, with sister Cosmo, cofounded Students Helping Honduras, expanding the economic and educational prospects in Honduras by getting U.S. students involved in the initiative. Earlier this year, the organization won $50,000 through a Parade magazine and Case Foundation contest for charitable organizations, plus $28,000 in other donations.

New and Noteworthy
The Peace Corps names UMW on its list of Top Producing Colleges and Universities. Currently, nearly two dozen alumni volunteer for the worldwide organization, ranking the institute sixth among colleges and universities with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates. Since the Peace Corps’s inception in 1961 as a call to service, 173 UMW alumni have contributed time and talent.

How They Compare
Georgia College and State University
Here, esteemed alumni include writer Flannery O’Connor. Known best for fiction, O’Connor was a skilled cartoonist, too, and this university is the repository for her collection of exquisite work. But for creative writers who savor poetry, UMW is likely a strong pull. Claudia Emerson, associate professor of English, received the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in the field for her book “Late Wife,” an account of the end of her 19-year marriage and the start of her life with a new husband.

Campus Legend
Stepping on the university seal, which is embedded in the floor in Trinkle Hall, is said to result in the offending student not graduating. (But sources suspect a wider swath is just more respectful.)

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Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond; 804-828-0100; www.vcu.edu

Undergraduate Population: 21,260
Founded: 1968
President: Eugene P. Trani
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: Tier 3 schools

With some of the nation’s strongest art programs, Virginia Commonwealth University is often seen as the state school for creative types. The institute offers a variety of degrees, however, including Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry and Social Work. It is an urban school, and the largest in Virginia, located on two campuses in Richmond. The school encourages cross-disciplinary studies and urges its students to explore their world through their chosen field, whether it be arts or medicine.—SHARON J. RITCHEY

Curriculum Spotlight
Visual Arts
The Department of Sculpture and Extended Media at Virginia Commonwealth University includes more than 100 undergraduate sculpture majors. It is the largest of its kind in the United States, and U.S. News & World Report ranks the program as the best in the nation. Students are not only exposed to traditional sculpture media, but also are encouraged to explore technology’s parameters and to pursue interdisciplinary activity. Additionally, it’s not uncommon to see students from other disciplines collaborating with the School of the Arts on projects that tie in engineering and other sciences.

Notable Professor
Elizabeth King, Fine Arts
Elizabeth King is an award-winning sculptor who has been honored by both an Academy Award and Guggenheim Fellowship. Her work is in permanent collections around the nation, including the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She has been a faculty member for 23 years and said she feels she has been a part of a “dream team of academia and students.” King added she loves being part of the VCU community because “there is a high-level conversation about art. VCU is a deeply collaborative community.” According to King, the school’s student body is more varied as a result of lower tuition costs, thus fostering a distinctly unique environment in its diversity.

Famous Alumni
David Baldacci, Author, Political Science, 1983
Hailing from an alma mater known for its creative bent, it’s not surprising that blockbuster author David Baldacci is a political science graduate. According to Baldacci, “In one of my novels, I described VCU as the Stanford of the East, and that wasn’t fiction. How many universities are there with No. 1-ranked art programs and a premier medical school? Or nationally ranked engineering and business platforms standing proudly alongside one of the best liberal arts curriculums in the country, all tethered to an entrepreneurial spirit second-to-none? When you experience the immense footprint this world-class university has—not only in bricks and mortar, but in the hearts and minds of its students, faculty and leadership—you will quickly realize that you are in the presence of an educational powerhouse that truly has no peer.”

New & Noteworthy
Da Vinci Center
The School of Engineering’s da Vinci Center for Innovation in Product Design and Development is where engineering, business and art students work entrepreneurially on product-development projects for major corporations and government organizations. Collaborative projects created here range from packaging technology for overseas markets where food often spoils during extended transport to affordable medical equipment in third-world countries. Students work together on a product from its conception to its marketing strategy, without ever leaving the architecturally circular room—think Etruscan man meets the Industrial Revolution.

Program Highlight
Homeland Security
In 2005, VCU became the first major research university in the nation to offer a Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness degree, the program for which was expanded in 2007 to include a master’s. The program prepares students with both theoretical and practical knowledge for careers in national security or emergency planning and response. Courses include emergency planning, terrorism, legal and constitutional issues, strategic planning, intelligence, risk and vulnerability assessment, international relations and U.S. government.

How They Compare
Boston University
Both Boston University and Virginia Commonwealth University reside in the heart of colonial cities that are now the capitals of their respective home states. Each school offers a range of degrees and study options and has a large student body. But for the student looking for the edge when it comes to arts, VCU is the place to shine. Undergraduate students have access to programs and faculty from the No. 1-ranked graduate school. There is a strong energy of collaboration in the arts department at all levels that inspires students to work harder and push the limits of their creativity.

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George Mason University
Fairfax; 703-993-1000; www.gmu.edu

Undergraduate Population: 18,221
Founded: 1972
President: Alan G. Merten
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: Tier 3 schools

George Mason University is a suburban school established to meet the research and employment needs of the region; most notably, public policy, technology and the arts. Today, its mission continues with the expansion of The Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering, an internationally renowned public policy school, and world-class performing arts centers by way of The Patriot Center, The Center for the Arts, two experimental theaters, three dance studios and music and fine arts studios. Recently, Mason achieved national fame when it made the NCAA Final Four. According to Mason professor Robert Baker, after the noteworthy basketball season, applications soared by 350 percent, with out-of-state applications increasing by 40 percent. Today, out-of-state students make up 25 percent of the university’s student body. —SHARON J. RITCHEY

Curriculum Spotlight
Conflict Analysis and Resolution
GMU’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) is the first graduate program of its kind in the nation and the only one at a state university. Founded in 1981, ICAR now offers graduate and undergraduate programs with approximately 250 undergrads and 250 graduate students. ICAR is also home to the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution. The Center mobilizes resources of religion, diplomacy and conflict resolution to support more effective interventions in global problems. “Many of our faculty members are involved in back channel programs in places such as Guatemala, Bolivia, Ukraine and North Korea,” says Sara Cobb, ICAR director. ICAR is also developing a retreat complex that currently houses the graduate program and hosts workshops and training. “Eventually this retreat will function like a teaching hospital where students and faculty can interact with visitors wanting to learn how to resolve conflicts.” Cobb also points out that ICAR serves domestic issues and has worked locally on issues of gang violence and immigration matters for Manassas.

Program Highlight
Nursing
This program, now 30 years old, serves as a feeder program for the area’s hospitals, including the Inova Health System, which also provides nursing scholarships. Current undergraduate enrollment is 240 students. Nursing students are prepared to take the NCLEX, the computer-assisted licensing test necessary to become registered professional.

The school welcomes a new director this summer, Dr. Robin Remsburg, the former chief of the Long-Term Care Statistics Branch and deputy director of the Division of Health Care Statistics at the National Center for Health Statistics.

How They Compare
Georgia State
The Department of Computer Information Systems at Georgia State University is a leading technology program. Like George Mason University, Georgia State boasts ties to the business community. Both programs offer students world-class faculty and research facilities. However, the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering offers students more employment opportunities, as the Volgenau School corporate partnership program invites local businesses—coincedentally, some of the hottest technology companies in the nation—to work directly with students and faculty.

Notable Professor
Stephen Fuller, School of Public Policy
Stephen Fuller joined the George Mason School of Public Policy in 1994 and was named to the Dwight Schar Faculty Chair in 2002. He is a prolific writer producing 60 publications a year, 45 of which are monthly newsletters in the field of urban and regional economic development. Fuller only teaches one doctoral seminar a semester. But he is accessible and always willing to offer advice to consumers, as well as private companies. He says he feels that the school has a unique role in the region. “Back in 1975, I was asked to track how the federal government influenced our local regional economy. No one was doing this type of work. Forty years later, I’m still researching this … (Mason is) like the little engine that could, and I’m the engineer.”

Famous Alumni
Anousheh Ansari, Space Tourist, Electrical Engineering, 1988
Anousheh Ansari became the first woman tourist in space when she joined the Soyuz TMA-9 crew at the International Space Station. She is vice president and general manager of the INtelligentIP division of Sonus Networks, a company that she founded and turned into a force in the telecommunication industry. “I have fond memories of my years at George Mason,” Ansari says. “The university has grown and expanded significantly, but I feel it maintains the same level of attention to students and their lifestyle and education. I found many friends who were not just students, but faculty members, who really cared about giving their students an opportunity for a brighter future. The university pays special attention to its international and women students and, as such, was an ideal place for me to start my education in the U.S.” 

New & Noteworthy
The Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering
When completed, this school’s new building, Academic VI/Research II, will be the largest on campus and the first building with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. “This building shows our commitment to our campus and our environment,” dean Lloyd Griffiths shares. “It will help us attract the outstanding students and faculty who will create the engineering innovations that drive our economy.”

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The College of William and Mary
Williamsburg; 757-221-4000; www.wm.edu

Founded: 1693
Undergraduate Population: 5,734
President: W. Taylor Reveley, III
U.S. News and World Report Ranking: National Universities – 33

William & Mary is often called a “public Ivy” school. U.S. presidents and diplomats have sought their education on this historic campus since its founding in 1693. This small university is ideal for students seeking to engage in their communities during their undergraduate years, rather than wait for graduation. It is an academically challenging school, but also a creative place where the liberal arts can mean anything from studying the classics of language and literature to raising funds to promoting health and education programs in another country.—SHARON J. RITCHEY

Curriculum Spotlight
International Relations
In 2005, faculty at William and Mary set out to restructure the International Relations program at the college and “create the best undergraduate IR major in the country.” Mike Tierney, assistant professor of Government explains that the new program is truly interdisciplinary, as students must now complete coursework in economics, history and political science, along with their chosen electives. The program also requires extensive foreign language proficiency, study or research abroad and a capstone honors thesis. Tierney says, “When we changed the program we expected students to drop out and pursue other avenues. We’ve been surprised that students have embraced the change. It’s now the largest interdisciplinary major on campus.” The subject matter is so popular at the school that the IR Club is the largest student club, and its Model United Nations team is world champion.

Program Highlight
Student-led and designed outreach programs
William and Mary encourages students to use the world as their classroom and to make a difference. One goal-facilitating student program is Students Helping Honduras, founded by W&M grad Cosmo Fujiyama and her brother Shin, of the University of Mary Washington. The organization has raised more than $350,000 to help an orphanage in the remote village of El Progresso, Honduras, and is now supported by student groups across the nation.

Notable Professor
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Government
Today, this retired Army colonel and noted author is a visiting professor of Government teaching two classes, one involving case studies of global power, and the other on the U.S.’s national security policy. He says, “I simply try to be honest and straightforward with my students about my 35 years in government service, both in the military and at the Department of State.” His years of service include: Special Assistant to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell; faculty member of the Naval War College; Deputy Director and Director, Marine Corps War College; and former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. He says he is as impressed with the school and the students as they are with him, remarking, “I learn as much or more from my students and from my various audiences as they ever do from me or the readings I give them.”

Campus Legend
Sneak a smooch from your sweetheart on the Crim Dell bridge, and nuptials are guaranteed.

How They Compare
Dartmouth
If you had to choose been historic Ivy League Dartmouth College in picturesque Hanover, NH, and the historic College of William and Mary in picturesque Williamsburg, you would be hard-pressed. Both have a strong liberal arts tradition and exemplary faculty. But a look at the schools by the numbers shows a year’s tuition at Dartmouth to be $47,000, and a year’s total tuition and fees, excluding room and board, at W&M for in-state residents to be $9,164. Who’s smarter now?

Famous Alumni
Mike Tomlin, Steelers head coach, Sociology, 1995
This school’s alumni listing reads like a who’s who of notable leaders from the nation’s earliest history to today. Four presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Monroe and Tyler. Cabinet members and diplomats, including current U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. But as a liberal arts university, the school lists many of today’s most recognizable faces as its alums, including actors Glenn Close, Scott Glenn, Linda Lavin, Bill Lawrence, Patton Oswalt, Andrew Pang and blockbuster political satirist Jon Stewart.

Further, the school recently welcomed back Mike Tomlin, a Sociology major from the class of ’95, now head coach of the Pittsburg Steelers. Tomlin delivered this year’s commencement speech, saying, “One of the things I do remember about sitting where you sit is, when we walk the grounds of this great college, we’re told repeatedly that when we get re-released into the wild, we’ll have the skills to win. I’m here to tell you today that that’s very true. And it is not just in the field that I’ve chosen to pursue, but in every field of human endeavor.”

New & Noteworthy
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant
The college’s Environmental Science and Policy Program started 2008 on a positive note with a $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The funding will allow the school to establish two new programs: a Center for Geospatial Analysis and a “teacher-scholar” postdoctoral program in the interdisciplinary environmental science program. The school reports that “the new center will expand the college’s use of geographic information systems … an emerging technology that uses computers to plot, layer and organize data.”

(August 2008)

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