Karen Patterson '73 speaks to Summer Research students

Students conducting research at Randolph College recently gained insight by listening to Karen Patterson ’73 talk about her life and her career.

Patterson, president of the Alumnae and Alumni Association and a member of the College’s Board of Trustees, spoke with Summer Research students while she was on campus for Reunion last week. She explained how her college education prepared her to pursue her multifaceted career.

Karen Patterson ’73 visits with Hart Gillespie ’15 after her
presentation to Randolph’s Summer Research students.

“As a science major at a liberal arts college, you aren’t limited to just science for the rest of your life,” she told them.

Patterson majored in biology at R-MWC. She was a student when the City of Lynchburg purchased land around Blackwater Creek and asked the College to help assess water quality and stayed to work on a summer project that involved taking and testing water samples. “That was my first experience with true research,” she said.

After she graduated, Patterson was hired at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. She got the job thanks to her ability to swim—the job required snorkeling—and because she had attended R-MWC, which happened to be the alma mater of the mother of the man who hired Patterson.

She went on to earn masters degrees at Wake Forest University and the University of South Carolina. Today, she is the environmental sciences group manager and a project manager at the environmental consulting and engineering firm Tetra Tech. Among other tasks, she writes reports for nuclear power plant license renewal applications.

Patterson also chairs the South Carolina Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council and is on the executive boards of Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness (a non-profit dedicated to educating the public about the safety and value of nuclear energy) and the SRS Heritage Foundation. She recently was elected as the president of the R-MWC Alumnae and Randolph College Alumni Association.

Patterson said she was excited to learn about the variety of Summer Research projects students are pursuing this summer, including one project that continues to study water quality in Blackwater Creek.

“You are well ahead of where I was when I was your age, in terms of connecting science with your other studies,” she said. She added that students who are conducting research at Randolph now can play a role in helping communicate science to politicians, policymakers, and the public.

Students tackle real-world research questions in 2013 Summer Research Program

Elizabeth Delery ’14 and Meron Demeke ’15 hope to use compost to keep soft cheeses and fruits free from bacteria that can prove deadly for pregnant women and the elderly.

Meanwhile, Hart Gillespie ’15 will spend much of his summer tracking asteroids through the Winfree Observatory telescope and sending data to NASA.

And Kavya Pradhan ’14 will find out whether the efforts to clean up Lynchburg’s Blackwater Creek are having the intended effect.

It’s all in a day’s work for Randolph College’s Summer Research students.

The 2013 Summer Research Program kicked off this week with a luncheon during which students and professors introduced their research plans. This summer, 24 students are working with 14 faculty members to conduct research in topics ranging from theatre to geology and from biophysics to political science.

Throughout this summer, come back to the Randolph College blog for details and stories about each project. You will find out how the students are doing research, what they discover, and how they are having fun along the way.

Randolph College adds new equine studies minor

When Chris Mitchell left Cornell University to become Randolph College’s director of riding, he called a talented rider he knew and encouraged her to attend Randolph. Meaghan Hynes ’16 listened to his invitation, toured campus and the Riding Center, and decided Randolph was the perfect fit. During the process, she told Mitchell about her desire to prepare for a career in the equine industry.

“I have found a home with horses. They are how I want to spend the rest of my life,” said Hynes, who has been riding for 15 years. “I plan on working with horses as a career.”

Meaghan Hynes '16 in competition

Hynes was excited to learn that a new program at Randolph College will help her meet that goal. The College will add a minor in equine studies in the fall of 2013. As soon as she learned, Hynes called Mitchell to find out how to add the minor, one of few equine studies programs in Virginia.

“It’s going to give me a step up,” said Hynes, who plans to double major in biology and sport and exercise studies. “This is going to give me a solid educational foundation.”

The new minor was created in response to an increase in requests by prospective students and current Randolph students and riders like Hynes. In 2011, several staff and faculty members began to design the program. Mitchell added his perspective when he joined the college in the fall of 2012. Randolph faculty members officially approved the program last week.

The program offers new classes on equine studies and veterinary care and also includes existing classes in biology, zoology, business, and economics. Students minoring in equine studies will be required to complete internships related to their particular interests. The equine studies minor will serve students interested in becoming veterinarians, horse trainers, barn managers, or other equine professionals—or even those who want to develop skills helpful in horse ownership and care.

This addition of the program will give new opportunities to students in the College’s strong pre-veterinary program, said Doug Shedd, the Catherine Ehrman Thoresen `23 and William E. Thoresen Professor of Biology. “Randolph College trains students for vet schools around the world, and many of those students also are riders,” he said. “The new equine studies minor will give these students the opportunity to greatly enhance their pre-vet experience and to develop skills that will be of use should they choose to go into equine-related areas of veterinary medicine, research, or business.”

“It’s going to give me a step up. This is going to give me a solid educational foundation.”

— Meaghan Hynes ’16

Amanda Rumore, biology professor will lead the new minor. In addition to recently earning a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Virginia Tech, Rumore is a lifelong equestrian who has competed in the hunter/jumper class.

“Horses are a passion not only for me, but also for many of my students,” Rumore said. “I am just delighted to be able to help them integrate this passion into their academic and career pursuits.”

The equine studies minor is one of several recent additions to the College’s academic program, which offers students more opportunities than ever before. “We see this as one of the profoundly positive outcomes of a strong strategic planning process that seeks to assure the continued success of the College,” said Carl Girelli, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College. “This new minor honors a long tradition of equestrian programming at Randolph College and provides students an interdisciplinary academic program that will enrich their lives.”

Randolph already has seen interest in the new program from prospective students. “There are lots of students who have a lifelong interest in horses, and who will welcome being able to add it to their studies,” said Michael Quinn, vice president of enrollment management. “The new equine studies minor will enable students to deepen their interest in the equine field.”

Hynes looks forward not only to minoring in equine studies, but meeting new students who will join the program. “The riders coming in are interested in furthering their education in any way about horses. This is going to help them with whatever they want to do,” Hynes said.

Randolph's Wes Fugate named the winner of the 2013 CASE Alice L. Beeman Award

Randolph College’s own Wes Fugate has earned national honors from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

CASE recently named Fugate the winner of the 2013 Alice L. Beeman Award for Outstanding Research in Communications and Marketing for Educational Advancement for his dissertation entitled, “Alike but Different: How Three Private Liberal Arts Colleges Communicate Prestige, Legitimacy, and Differentiation during the Student Recruitment Process.” 

Fugate serves as executive assistant to the president and secretary to the Board of Trustees.

The selection process for the CASE dissertation award is highly competitive. In fact, the organization only gives only one dissertation award per year. 

The Beeman Award recognizes the work of scholars exploring advancement trends in communications and marketing in the areas of public relations, government relations, marketing, issues management, and institutional image enhancement. The dissertation must be helpful to educational advancement practitioners in devising strategies and tactics for accomplishing their work in communications and marketing.

Winners are announced each year in May. Each program carries cash awards and brings the award recipients international recognition.

Fugate earned his undergraduate degree from Centre College, his M.Ed. from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, and his Ph.D. from the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.

The Klein Years: A Celebration of Renewal

The Randolph College community joined together this afternoon to celebrate the renewal the College has experienced during the service of President John E. Klein and his wife, Susan, who will leave Randolph this summer when President Klein retires.

Randolph College President John E. Klein and his family see the newly-
unveiled presidential portrait during a reception at Lipscomb Library.

While there were many points to celebrate—such as growing enrollment, improved facilities, and a stronger financial position—the personal touch that the Kleins have had upon the College became a dominant theme.

“John, your impact will live on in our students’ lives, and your good works will continue to influence generations of students,” said Lucy Williams Hooper ’73, former chair of the Board of Trustees. “We would never be where we are without you, your boundless energy, and your leadership.”

The College community, including alumnae, alumni, and friends of the College, gathered in Smith Hall Theatre for a series of videos about the Kleins’ influence, musical presentations by a cappella groups Songshine and Voices, and speeches from community members who have worked closely with President Klein.

Each portion of the presentation expounded on the ways the College has changed since Klein became president with the assignment to lead the College through a transition to coeducation.

“Today we are celebrating the fact that John Klein said yes when we asked him to become our president,” said Becky Morrison Dunn ’70, chair of the board of trustees.

As a surprise honor for Klein, Dunn also announced that the Board of Trustees is naming its beautiful conference room in the Student Center the John E. Klein Conference Room.

Klein said he was honored by the presentations, but most of all he was honored by the opportunity to have led the College and worked with trustees, alumnae, faculty, staff, and students at Randolph. “While there are many aspects of Randolph that we will miss, it is really the people that will make leaving Main Hall the final time so difficult,” he said.

After retiring on June 30, the Kleins will live in Washington, D.C., and they plan to return to Randolph for future events, including the inauguration of the new president, Bradley Bateman. He also looks forward to seeing the College’s progress continue.

“I am hoping that history will record that Susan and I left Randolph much better than we found it,” Klein said. “Our intent has always been to transform Randolph for the better and transform the lives of students who attend the College.”

Alumna and her husband with inspiring story in national contest

Megan McLeod Cutter ’98 and her husband, Barton, spend their days teaching people how to overcome the challenges of disabilities or how to make their organizations more accessible for those with disabilities. Now Barton is among the “Local Heroes” in a contest to win a wheelchair-accessible van, and some of Megan’s classmates and other alumnae hope to help him win.

The contest, sponsored by National Mobility Awareness Month and the National Mobility Equipment Dealers of America, asks people to nominate and vote for inspiring people with mobility impairments. The winner will be chosen from among entrants with vote totals in the top 5 percent.

Megan and Barton, who was born with cerebral palsy, met at a martial arts seminar several years after she graduated from R-MWC; they fell in love during nine months of exchanging poetry across the country from each other. Today, they own Cutter’s Edge Consulting. They recently published Ink in the Wheels: Stories to Make Love Roll, a memoir about their relationship and the challenges faced by inter-ability couples.

Unfortunately, the week after the book’s release, they experienced vehicle trouble and learned that Megan’s car was beyond repair. Barton entered the National Mobility Awareness Month contest this spring, and he has garnered more than 11,000 votes.

Kate Leaming Goldberg ’98 learned about Barton’s involvement in the contest after she read Ink in the Wheels, which she said transformed her views regarding people with disabilities. “It was inspiring to see how they faced adversity and made it through,” she said. She started reaching out to other alumnae and friends to encourage votes for Barton.

Megan said they were surprised by the reaction they have seen. “We were unaware of the support we would find, particularly in my college community,” she said. “At first, I saw just a few classmates re-posting our funny pictures, but then several people got their hands on our memoir and a wave of support began to spread. I am so grateful to have reconnected with classmates, honored to be part of our college community and so thankful to feel the support from friends.”

Learn more about Barton, and cast a vote for him, on his National Mobility Awareness Month profile. Each person can vote once per device each day, and voting closes at the end of the day on May 10.

L.A. Times highlights photography exhibition curated by alumna

The Los Angeles Times recently gave its readers an inside look into a war photography exhibition curated by Anne Wilkes Tucker ’67. The exhibition and a Q&A with Tucker are featured in reFramed, part of the Times’ art and photography blog.

Tucker and two colleagues at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston spent years working on the exhibition War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath, which includes 480 objects and photos documenting heroism and horror in armed conflicts decades old and more recent. They also created a 620-page catalog featuring essays and interviews. After opening in the Houston museum, a scaled down version of the exhibition is on view at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.

The Q&A with Tucker reveals a lot about the story behind the exhibition and what she and the other curators learned from it. You can read the L.A. Times feature here. Randolph magazine published a story about Tucker and the exhibition in September 2012.

Tucker, named America’s Best Curator by Time magazine in 2001, recently donated two photographs to the College to honor two other alumnae. In honor of Lucy Williams Hooper ’73, Tucker donated an untitled photograph picturing a male and female samurai in Japan, stating that the confident pose of the female warrior was reminiscent of Hooper’s service and leadership on the College’s Board of Trustees. She also gave the College a print of Joseph Rosenthal’s famous photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima in honor of Lynn Hume Stuart ’60, who used to share patriotic images with Tucker and exhibited significant dedication and service to the College.