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TODAY’S EDITION See page 5 for Commencement SPECTRUM information. VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY VOLUME 21 NUMBER 31 THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1999 Presidential search now enters candidate-identification stage By John Ashby education-related publications, Madigan said, Tech,” said Larry Hincker, assistant vice by which presidential candidates may be According to Robert Madigan, the committee will be in contact with president for University Relations. chosen and evaluated. A recurring theme associate professor of management and knowledgeable persons and organizations “The best candidates for top executive cited by speakers at the forum was diversity, executive secretary of the Presidential Search regarding possible candidates for the position. positions will typically not submit applications both in regard to the makeup of the Committee, the next 60 to 80 days of the “We are encouraging nominations by faculty in response to advertisements,” Madigan said. university’s student body and to the search for university’s next president will and staff members, alumni, and other interested “The type of people we are seeking are not composition of the faculty and staff. Virginia emphasize recruitment activities. parties, preferably in writing,” Madigan said. actively looking for another position and thus Tech should be an institution which should Specifically, Madigan said, the priority Nominations should be sent to VT Presidential need to be encouraged to apply. For many effectively prepare its students to live in an during that time will be to develop a roster of Search Committee, mail code 0472. senior executives, confidentiality is very international society, one speaker said. The qualified and interested candidates. Earlier this spring, the university, using important for them to even consider being a next president should understand A draft statement describing the qualities private funds, hired the executive search firm of candidate; otherwise they risk undercutting internationalism and diversity for the and qualifications of the president has been Baker, Parker and Associates of Atlanta to their effectiveness in their current position. university to achieve its potential. developed, and a summary of the statement assist in conducting a nation-wide search for a Search firms overcome these barriers to Other speakers called for candidates will soon be used to advertise the position, new president. identifying high-quality candidates,” Madigan who embody the imagination, energy, and Madigan said. The draft statement will also “Hiring an outside search firm is said. commitment to address difficulty issues in be accessible on the committee’s web site. increasingly common when you’re looking for The search committee held a forum the university’s future. In addition to advertisements in higher- a president of a major university like Virginia Saturday to solicit input regarding the criteria (See PRESIDENTIAL on 7) Motorola donates Summer intern semiconductor tools program assists to university minority students By Liz Crumbley Motorola Inc. has made a gift to Vir- By Stewart MacInnis ginia Tech of $1.3 million worth of semicon- When opportunity knocked last ductor manufacturing processing tools, which summer, 24 students from across the country the university will use in new “clean rooms” answered with enthusiasm. This summer, to be constructed with funds from Motorola, 34 students are expected to answer. the Virginia Microelectronics Consortium The opportunity: to be a part of the (VMEC) and the Pratt Fund. Virginia Tech Minority Summer Research “Virginia Tech made a pledge to edu- Internship Program. Now in its sixth year, cate students for the microelectronics indus- the program aims to increase the percentage tries in Virginia, and our construction of of minorities professionally involved in fields clean rooms and use of this equipment from with historically low numbers of minorities Motorola is part of that pledge,” said Robert or females. At the same time, it seeks to help Hendricks, professor of electrical and com- some of the keenest undergraduate students puter engineering (ECpE) and materials sci- COMMENCEMENT TIME Commencement exercises are scheduled to begin Friday, to decide whether research and science is a ence and engineering (MSE). Hendricks and May 14, with graduate exercises, followed by the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday. life they want to pursue. Richard Claus, also a professor of MSE and See page 5 for details on Commencement activities. (R. Griffiths) “This is helping me to narrow down ECpE, coordinated the equipment donation which areas of study I like, and to gain with Motorola. research experience that will help build my Virginia Tech received 25 semiconduc- resume,” said Ayonda Moore, a mathematics tor manufacturing tools, which became avail- student at Elizabeth City State University able when Motorola began shutting down Fifth-graders work to raise money who participated last summer. obsolete plants and opening new ones. “The Ahnekii Johnson, a history major at equipment we received is in top condition for Tech’s Center for Civil War Studies Hampton University, was looking for an and perfect for our use,” Hendricks said. educational experience to gauge whether The $1.3-million estimation of the By Clara B. Cox of fifth-grade students, who gathered in the she wanted to enter graduate school. Motorola gift is from the book value placed Fifth-grade students at Gilbert Linkous elementary-school library for the presentation. “I knew the program would give me a on the equipment. “If we had to buy these Elementary School in Blacksburg have spent He said he hoped that other fifth-grade classes taste of what graduate school would be like. tools new,” Hendricks said, “we would prob- the past month raking leaves, pulling weeds, in Virginia would follow the example set by There are also sessions on how to be accepted ably pay 10 times the book value.” planting flowers, babysitting, washing cars, and those at the Blacksburg school. to graduate school that would help,” said Two clean rooms will be built at the doing other odd jobs to raise money for Virginia Joan Nunnally, a fifth-grade teacher who Johnson. university for use by students and faculty Tech’s proposed Virginia Center for Civil War spearheaded the project, said that the students During the summer program the interns members in MSE, ECpE, physics and other Studies. were impressed with Robertson, who talked to spend 10 weeks on the Virginia Tech campus, engineering and science disciplines. One On April 20, the children presented James them in January about the Civil War. Fifth- working 40 hours a week on original research projects supervised by faculty advisers. The room in Whittemore Hall will be used for I. Robertson Jr., Tech’s alumni distinguished graders spend 14 weeks studying the war as part research is on a subject of the students’ teaching introductory undergraduate courses professor of history and noted Civil War author, of their history class. choice within one of the university’s six in semiconductor technology. The other, in with a metal milk can filled with their hard- When Virginia Tech announced plans to colleges that are part of the program. Hancock Hall, will serve as an advanced earned cash—$268.07. In March, Virginia Tech establish a Civil War center, Nunnally asked the Since the program began in 1993, 84 undergraduate and graduate research facility. initiated a $3-million campaign to raise money students if they wanted to help. The idea of students have participated. Two-thirds of The clean rooms will have a combined space to establish the center, which Robertson will doing odd jobs to raise money came from the these students are from Virginia or Virginia of more than 4,000 square feet, said head. students. colleges. Students from 15 institutions in 10 Hendricks, who expects the facilities to be “Regardless of how much money we raise, When Robertson heard about the project, states participated in this summer’s program. in operation by fall semester 2000. none will mean as much to me as what you have he said he was “moved to tears.” He recalled (See MOTOROLA on 7) given today,” Robertson told the three classes (See FIFTH-GRADERS on 8) (See SUMMER on 7) 2 SPECTRUM THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1999 NEWSMAKERS Virginia Tech faculty and staff members and students are Richmond Times-Dispatch (March 29): Agricultural and (Washington, DC) WUSA-TV (April 16): A story outlined often the subject of significant national and state-wide news Applied Economics Professor Wayne Purcell’s Rural Economic Virginia Tech’s preference for on-line admissions applications coverage. To better inform the university community about Analysis Program report on agricultural industrialization was from high-school seniors. these accomplishments, the Office of University Relations has profiled in the business section. compiled this monthly report. This report excludes coverage Virginia News Network (April 18): Agricultural and in the Roanoke news-media market. For more information Montreal Gazette (April 3): Don Chance, First Union Applied Economics professor Wayne Purcell discussed the about the articles mentioned, call Julie Kane, university public- professor of financial risk management, was quoted in the article “Wal-Marting” of American agriculture and the problems of relations specialist, at 1-9934, or contact your college public- “The Chicago Option: Montreal Exchange Faces Fierce small farmers trying to keep their operations going. relations office. Competition