The College of William & Mary will mark the 320th anniversary of its charter by honoring faculty, students and alumni with awards at the Charter Day ceremony on Friday.
Chancellor Robert Gates, a W&M alumnus and former Secretary of Defense, will be the featured speaker for the event, which begins at 4 p.m. in the Kaplan Arena. During the ceremony, he’ll help recognize the accomplishments of Teresa Longo, dean for educational policy; Michael Tierney, government professor; senior Brian Rabe; and senior Taylor Nelson. Lois Critchfield will receive an honorary degree from the university.
On Saturday morning, three alumni – D. Bruce Christian, Nancy W. Mathews and Donald G. Owens – will receive the Alumni Medallion, an award given by the Alumni Association to alumni who have “distinguished themselves through exemplary professional accomplishments, service to the community, state or nation, and loyalty and dedication to the College of William & Mary.”
Thomas Jefferson Award
At Friday’s ceremony, Longo will receive the Thomas Jefferson Award, annually presented to a person who “has demonstrated a deep devotion and outstanding service to the college and whose life, character and influence on the college exemplify the principles of Thomas Jefferson.”
Longo, an associate professor of Hispanic Studies, joined the college’s faculty in 1988. She serves as co-chair of the college’s Curriculum Review Steering Committee. In a recommendation letter, her colleague said her leadership to transform the Hispanic studies curriculum enabled faculty to take advantage of research grants. She also played a significant role in the creation of postdoctoral positions in the Global Studies program and the establishment of the Confucius Institute, according to a W&M News release.
Jefferson Teaching Award
Michael Tierney, a professor of government and international relations, will receive the Jefferson Teaching Award. Tierney, a 1987 graduate of the university, was nominated for his devotion to students, something heralded by former student James Long, now a professor of political science at the University of Washington.
“There is no professor at William & Mary who devotes more time to the mentoring and teaching of students than Professor Tierney,” Long wrote. “Mike’s students recognize and appreciate this commitment, frequently noting his responsiveness to their questions and concerns and his willingness to meet with them and hold extra office hours, even on weekends.”
An honors thesis project by Tierney’s former student, Brad Parks, grew into AidData, a collaborative initiative between W&M, Brigham Young University and Development Gateway to provide reliable, timely and detailed information about foreign aid projects. Tierney and Parks were invited to Washington, D.C. last November to receive a $25 million award from USAID for the establishment and launch of the Higher Education Solutions Network.
Thomas Jefferson Prize in Natural Philosophy
When senior Brian Rabe graduates this year, he will have finished degrees in biology and chemistry and served as both a teaching and resident assistant. His contributions to the college and to research will be recognized with the Thomas Jefferson Prize in Natural Philosophy, which awards excellence in the sciences and mathematics.
For Rabe, it will be the latest in a series of honors. In 2012, he was named one of three Goldwater Scholars, as well as one of two Beckman Scholars. He aims to become a molecular biologist.
“Brian is perhaps a once-in-a-career find and I have never in my career given any student a higher, more enthusiastic, less reserved recommendation than I give Mr. Brian Rabe,” wrote Mark Forsyth, professor of biology, in a recommendation. “He may be the best we’ve ever had in the biology department!”
He discovered his passion for developmental neurobiology on a molecular level after joining the Howard Hughes Medicate Institute Freshman Research Program. He has already co-authored a number of papers in peer-reviewed journals, and won the award for best undergraduate poster at the National Society for Developmental Biology conference. In the residence halls, he’s known for enticing students with baked goods to join his study sessions.
Rabe has received some acceptances from graduate schools, but is waiting to hear from more. He aims to eventually enter a Ph.D. program in developmental neurobiology.
James Monroe Prize for Civic Leadership
Fellow senior Taylor Nelson will be honored for her volunteerism with the James Monroe Prize for Civic Leadership. The importance of service was a lesson learned early. Nelson was 3 years old when her mother became the founding executive director of the Northern Neck Free Health Clinic; she learned to count by calling out prescription numbers.
The Monroe Prize is presented annually to a student “who has demonstrated sustained leadership of an unusual quality, leadership combined with initiative, character and an unfailing commitment to leveraging the assets of the College community to address the needs of our society.”
Nelson, a sociology major and community studies minor, credits William & Mary with showing that community service and academics can be entwined. Since arriving at the college, she has volunteered at the Lackey Free Clinic, writing four grant proposals to benefit diabetic patients and conducting research on the impact of healthcare reform on free clinics. She created an options comparison chart that was eventually distributed to all members of the Virginia Association of Free Clinics.
In 2011, she partnered with the School Health Initiative Project in Williamsburg-James City County Schools and psychology professor Catherine Forestell, director of the Center for Eating Behavior and Child Development, to conduct a study of nine WJCC elementary schools.
Nelson has served on the executive board of Branch Out Alternative Spring Breaks, as an intern with Global Playground (a D.C.-based nonprofit) and with Ashoka in Dublin, helping to coordinate the Change Nation summit focused on social entrepreneurship for Ireland’s economic recovery. She is considering pursuing a degree in social entrepreneurship in graduate school.
Honorary Degree
She’s not a graduate of the college, but Lois Critchfield has been a longtime friend. Her friendship will be recognized Friday with an honorary degree.
For many years during her 28-year CIA career, Critchfield worked in the Middle East, where her husband, James, once served as an economic development advisor to the Sultan of Oman. With her encouragement, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman presented the university with a gift to establish a professorship in Middle East Studies in 2011.
She has served as a member of the advisory council and steering committee for the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies. In 2003, she created the James H. Critchfield Memorial Endowment for Middle East Studies. Since then, the endowment has supported a variety of activities on campus and in Washington, D.C. and has supported 48 W&M students studying in Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf. In addition, W&M hosts the Critchfield Conference in Middle Eastern Studies every two years.
In 2005, Critchfield received the college’s Lord Botetourt Award, which is given to non-alumni friends of the college who have contributed to its success. The following year, she was named an honorary alumna.
The 2013 Charter Day ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. in the Kaplan Arena. On Saturday night, singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw will headline a Charter Day concert in the same venue.
