Alumna leads United Way fundraising campaign

Maggi Keyes Beckstoffer ’86 plans to jump out of an airplane for the United Way this spring.

As the campaign chair for the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg, Beckstoffer promised to go skydiving along with other local United Way campaign leaders if the organization met certain fundraising goals. They are on target to raise more than $13.5 million by the time the campaign ends, so she is looking forward to the jump in May.

“We’re doing very well,” she said “We’ve had some challenges along the way, but between jumping out of an airplane as a way to raise money and using direct mail, we’re going to be very successful.”

Maggi Keyes Beckstoffer ’86 has been leading the fundraising
campaign for United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg.

Beckstoffer, who majored in psychology and philosophy at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, volunteers with numerous causes, and has served on her local United Way board for more than six years.  She is the first woman, as well as the first small business owner, to chair the campaign for this United Way chapter.

She has owned MBM Marketing, a company that organizes and executes marketing campaigns for small and medium-sized businesses and community banks, for about 15 years. Her background in philosophy and psychology helps her see business problems from different angles and motivate her clients’ target audience, she said.

“Understanding how different people think and where they’re coming from is critical to success in any business,” she said. “The College gave me confidence, wisdom, and the ability to think for myself, which has allowed me to build relationships with my clients and leaders in the community and be successful.”

Beckstoffer put those skills to work for the United Way campaign last summer. As campaign chair, she threw the opening pitch at a Richmond Squirrels game to kick off the fundraising,  and then she began meeting regularly with community and business leaders to promote the campaign. Her marketing expertise helped her craft a direct mail effort to complement other forms of fundraising.

The volunteer work requires a lot of time and dedication, but Beckstoffer said it is worth it to help the community. “I feel like I’m very fortunate in my life,” Beckstoffer said. “People have helped me and my family along the way. I am in a position where I can use my skills and talents to help others, and it just feels like the right thing to do. It’s a privilege.”

First 2014 Star Party scheduled for Saturday

The Winfree Observatory at Randolph College will be open Saturday with views of the moon and Jupiter available for astronomers.

The first Star Party of 2014 will begin at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. During Star Parties, Randolph students open Winfree Observatory for members of the campus community and the general public to use the telescope to view celestial objects.

Hart Gillespie ’15, the student who organizes the events, said the full moon will be the main focus of Saturday’s Star Party. Jupiter will be visible, and attendees may also get the chance to look at the Pleiades star cluster and the Double Cluster in the Perseus constellation, he said.

In case of inclement weather, check http://randolphscience.org to confirm whether the event is still being held.

Other Star Parties this semester will be on March 29 at 8:30 p.m., part of the Randolph College Science Festival, April 12 at 9 p.m., and May 10 at 9:30 p.m.

Science Festival wins Programs that Work award

A statewide organization recently honored the Randolph College Science Festival for its effectiveness in teaching people the value of science.

The Virginia Math and Science Coalition gave the Science Festival a Programs that Work award, which recognizes effective educational programs around the state. Physics professor Peter Sheldon, director of the Science Festival, received the award along with Sarah Lawson, a physics and environmental studies professor, and Amanda Rumore, director of the Summer Research Program.

This is the second time in recent years that a program of the College has received a Programs that Work award. A summer institute that trains local teachers in hands-on approaches to teaching science was recognized in 2012.

The Science Festival grows every year. This year, new activities include remote-control drone races and a photography competition. For more information and a schedule of events, see this blog post.

Broadway singer Marcus Nance to perform at Randolph

UPDATE: Due to flight cancellations caused by forecasts of impending snow, the master class and recital with Marcus Nance have been canceled.

A renowned Broadway baritone will teach Randolph students how to improve their vocal performance as well as give a public recital of his own next week.

Randolph College is hosting Marcus Nance, who frequently performs in musicals and operas, for two public appearances Feb. 12–13. Randall Speer, a Randolph music professor, invited Nance to perform and also to teach Randolph students about the realities of a music career.

Speer and Nance actually attended college together. “He was always the consummate performer,” Speer said. “At the undergraduate level, he had already demonstrated a lot of potential, and within a few years he was performing professionally.”

When Speer took the Randolph College Chorale to perform in Carnegie Hall in 2012, he arranged for students to meet with Nance, who was performing the role of Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway, and learn about what it is like to be a professional singer. Speer wanted to invite Nance to campus so more students could interact with him.

Nance’s public performances will begin with a master class at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 12. Four students will perform works from musical theatre or opera. In front of the audience, Nance will work with each student to immediately improve aspects of the performance.

A master class offers a unique opportunity to the audience, Speer said. “It’s sort of like getting a glimpse on the voice or performance studio,” he said. “The audience glimpses the nuts and bolts of the craft, in addition to seeing some fine performances.”

At 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, Nance will present a recital in cabaret style.

Both the master class and the recital will be held in Wimberly Recital Hall, and both are free and open to the public.

Play authored by alumna tells story of African American women

This weekend, Randolph College is hosting the debut of a play written by an alumna to shed light on the experience of African American women.

From the Valley to the Peak and Still Climbing consists of four monologues representing four generations of African American women, from a newly freed slave in the Civil War era to the modern president of a historically black college. It deals with injustice, domestic violence, education, and feminism.

“I want people to understand that although we may project many differences, we have a lot of similarities, and we go through a lot of the same trials and tribulations,” said Teresa Harris ’80, who wrote the play. “I hope that the audience will understand better what African American women are about.”

Harris said that she developed a love for writing while attending the College, but this is the first play she has written. She undertook the project after Dee Brown, a local playwright, wrote a similar play for Lynchburg’s Black Theatre Ensemble. His play, Climbing the Mountaintop When There is Nowhere Left to Walk, featured monologues from four male African American characters. Brown told Harris that he felt a woman should write a companion play from a female perspective.

Each character in the play presents a unique perspective on issues that African American women faced at different times in history. “Education is emphasized throughout the play. That’s a big part of it,” Harris said. “It also deals with the stereotypes that have plagued the black community ever since slavery.”

The play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Smith Hall Theatre. The Office of Multicultural Services is hosting the play as part of the College’s Black History Month celebration.

The cast includes two Randolph students—Sonja Cirilo ’15 and Lexus Morton ’16—and an alumna, Leslie King ’06. Taylor Obeng-Amponsah rounds out the cast. Admission is free.

In addition to the four monologues, the performance will include dance routines to help set the stage for the eras represented. Harris said the entire show should last about two hours, including an intermission.

Harris, who works in the Randolph College Office of Student Success, said writing the play has been an emotional journey, but she is excited to see it performed. “I’m eager to see how people will connect with it and relate to it.”

Love at the Maier 2014

The Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College will host its 11th annual Love at the Maier this weekend to continue celebrating the connection between love and art.

On Friday, members of two Randolph College student clubs will present “The Love that Dare Not Speak Its Name,” including presentations about the art and the relationships of artists who had same-sex relationships and whose work is represented in the College’s art collection.

Love at the Maier

Schedule of Events

The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name

Friday, February 7, 5:30 p.m.

Maier members $5, others $10, Randolph College students free.

Family Program: Birds of a Feather

Sunday, February 9, 2 p.m.

Maier members $4, others $5. All materials provided.

On Sunday, the Love at the Maier Family Program will include bird-themed Valentine crafts for children.

Melissa Halka ’14, president of FRAME, Randolph’s student docent club, said the students considered several themes for the educational presentations for Friday’s event. They decided to focus on queer artists because the topic had never been covered in Love at the Maier before, although the College’s art collection includes works by several artists who were not strictly heterosexual.

“We want people to learn more about their lives and their artwork, which were just as interesting as all the other artists we have presented on,” Halka said.

Four students will give presentations and slideshows about the lives of four artists. Several students from Bridges, a club for LGBT students and advocates, will be dressed as famous artists and deliver first-person presentations about those artists.

Sunday’s family program is titled “Birds of a Feather,” inspired by the birds in art professor Jim Muehlemann’s exhibition Fear and Wonder, which is showing in the Maier this semester. Children ages 5 through 12, with accompanying adults, will be able to make Valentine crafts inspired by birds. All materials are provided.

(“Queer” is an accepted term used especially in academia to refer to anyone who doesn't self-define as heteronormative.)

Buck graduation centennial continues with documentary viewing

This week, Randolph College will continue its celebration of the centennial anniversary of Pearl S. Buck’s graduation with a viewing of East Wind, West Wind, a documentary about her life.

East Wind, West Wind: Pearl Buck, the Woman Who Embraced the World will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday in Nichols Theatre. Frances Webb ’77, Lipscomb Library’s reference librarian, and Elizabeth Lipscomb, a former English professor from the College, will host the screening and will be available to take questions afterward.

The documentary, about 85 minutes long, tells the story of Buck’s life through interviews with Buck’s contemporaries and scholars of Asia. It includes fascinating footage of rural and urban China.

Buck, a member of the Class of 1914, was one of the best-known authors of the 20th century. She won the Nobel Prize for Literature as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

The College started a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Buck’s graduation in November, when Anchee Min, author of Pearl of China, spoke at the College. For more information about the celebration, see www.randolphcollege.edu/buck