MAGAZINE VOLUME 85 NO.2 DEAR MEMBERS OF THE SWEET BRIAR COMMUNITY: s our first semester comes to a close, my wife, Jan, and I wish to thank you all A for the exceedingly warm welcome we have received from alumnae, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends of the College. This has been a banner time for Jan and for me, returning after all these decades back where we were when we were so young. It has been one of our life’s greatest blessings to be sure. The New Year will be pivotal for Sweet Briar as we continue the strategic evaluations of all facets of our College started by Dr. Jo Ellen Parker and the leadership of our sterling Board of Directors. Sweet Briar is certainly not alone in the difficulties it faces: A radically different admissions cohort and the simultaneous shift in demographics pose challenges that single-sex institutions have no choice but to confront. For our College, the research and analysis work continues at a robust pace. I am confident it will be completed on time and the Board of Directors will use the findings to guide our way forward. You may read more about the strategic planning on pages 2-3 of this magazine, and we will continue to keep you updated as we progress. Jan and I hope that the New Year will smile warmly upon one and all. Yours very truly, James F. Jones Jr. Interim President Sweet Briar College SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE MAGAZINE POLICY FIND SWEET BRIAR ONLINE The magazine aims to present interesting, thought-provoking material. Publication of material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s sbc.edu viewpoint by the magazine or College. The Sweet Briar College Magazine Twitter: sweetbriaredu MAGAZINE reserves the right to edit and, when necessary, revise all material that it VOLUME 85 NO.2 accepts for publication. Contact us anytime. Facebook: sweet.briar.college MAGAZINE STAFF YouTube: youtube.com/sweetbriarcollege Christy Jackson, director of media, marketing and communications Jennifer McManamay, editor/writer Janika Carey, editor/writer Meridith De Avila Khan, photographer Catherine Bost, designer Contact information Office of Media, Marketing and Communications PO Box 1056, Sweet Briar, VA 24595 (434) 381-6262 [email protected] Visit sbc.edu/magazine. SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Paul G. Rice, chair Please see sbc.edu/about/board-directors for the full Executive Committee and board members. ON THE COVER: What’s the story here? SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE ALUMNAE BOARD See page 12 to find out. Sandra Taylor ’74, president Please see sbc.edu/alumdev/current-board for the full board. Printed by Progress Printing Company Contents Sweet Briar Magazine | Winter 2014 Features 12-15 16-19 20-23 24-25 Geeking Out on Well, Whaddaya Right Turns Nom, Nom, Nom Middle Egyptian Know? Three alumnae 128,000 doughnuts Professor and student Faculty and staff fess navigate fulfilling down the hatch one follow love of up about hidden careers Thursday at a time hieroglyphic whither talents, quirky it goes avocations and what keeps them riveted away from work Departments 2-11 26-65 On the Quad Class Notes & Q&A with President Alumnae News Jones, Library Sweet Tones Reunite, Dedication, Speakers Alumnae Awards, on Campus, LARS Lives to Remember Research Station, Skiffle Visits, Holiday Happenings, Riding & Athletics SBC.EDU | SWEET BRIAR MAGAZINE 1 MEET OUR INTERIM PRESIDENT Interim President James “Jimmy” F. Jones Jr. with wife Jan Sheets Jones ’69 and ”first dog” Colleen at Sweet Briar House hat is your primary hat inspired you to ould you tell us about Wgoal during your Wdedicate your career to Cthe course that you’ll be tenure at the College? academia? teaching spring semester? I hope to contribute to the ongoing I went to kindergarten at the age of five Why is it important to you to strategic planning work started by and fell in love with school. I consider remain in the classroom? President Jo Ellen Parker and the myself the most fortunate of guys since I leadership of the Board of Directors. have had only two love affairs: one that No sane person would ever choose to Like all but a very few women’s colleges, started when I was five and fell in love be a college president! I always wanted Sweet Briar is today confronted by with the idea of school and the other to be a teacher and a scholar, and even intractable issues that have been building when I was nineteen, when Jan was a after I became president at Kalamazoo, for the past 45-plus years: a radically student at Sweet Briar, and I fell in love I always taught at least one course different demographic environment with her. I am the luckiest guy on the every year. It keeps me grounded in coupled with the massive consequences planet. why I have loved school all my life. I am of coeducation to all-women colleges. looking forward to teaching the honors The work we are undertaking is to help course The Emergence of the Modern us respond to these issues and chart the Mind in the spring. Together, we will best path forward for our College. investigate some of the texts illustrating the evolving construct of modernity in Western civilization, including Descartes, Montesquieu and John Locke. We will combine these readings with analyses of art and music to explore how it is that we know something to be true. 2 SBC.EDU | SWEET BRIAR MAGAZINE ou’ve been a college hat do you believe n the Working Group’s Ypresident for nearly two Wis today’s biggest Irecent report, it indicates decades. What is the most challenge facing higher that the research is evaluating important lesson you’ve education? How does that options in both a single- learned from that experience? extend to Sweet Briar? sex and coeducational It would have to be to surround myself Every institution has to make the financial environment. Does this mean with really smart people. There is algorithms work if one’s school does the school is going coed? a perhaps apocryphal story told of not have the massive endowments the Winston Churchill. Someone once told wealthiest institutions today enjoy. This Again, all options are on the proverbial him that he was a great leader and asked is Sweet Briar’s moment in her long table. We cannot rule out anything that what the key to his leadership abilities history writ large. For an institution to might help us steer the ship to a safe was. He is said to have replied that he not only survive but thrive in today’s harbor. That said, we do not pretend had no leadership abilities of any kind, higher education landscape, it must have to know what the research will show that all he tried to do was to keep up enrollment attractiveness, financial aid us and we will not make any decisions with those whom he appointed. I did not dollars galore, dedicated faculty — which until it is complete. We are looking into appoint any of the administrators here we obviously have — and a well-cared- every possible option for a college in our at our College, but I try to keep up with for physical plant. The latter is one of position. To do anything less is to jettison these revered colleagues every day. our own looming issues with the cost our moral obligation to our founder and surrounding deferred maintenance. to all those who have come before us at this beautiful site. hat is the biggest o you believe a liberal difference you’ve found hat is the status of the W arts degree is still at Sweet Briar today versus D research; and when valuable in today’s world? W when your wife, Jan, was a can alumnae expect to know Why? student here? more? I would go back again to the radical shift Absolutely. Our students will change jobs time and again over their adult lives. The work is underway, and our in demographics that colleges, including consultants and administrators at the ours, have seen in the past few decades. To be successful, they need a toolbox filled with excellent communication College are working on it every day. We Financial aid was almost unheard of will continue to update our constituents in 1969, when I was last here. Today, skills, judgment, ethics and a strong work consciousness. Where else is one when more information is gleaned and nearly every student receives some analyses are completed. type of financial assistance, whether it to get such tools but in a liberal arts is a Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant, a environment? Pell Grant or a merit-based scholarship. hat is your favorite Also, our student body today is much aul Rice, chair of the Board Wexperience (so far) more diverse. We have first-generation of Directors, recently as Sweet Briar’s interim students — 37 percent of our first-year P class — and a laudably high percentage shared a report from Elizabeth president? of students of color. Sweet Briar is doing Wyatt ’69, chair of the Of the myriad examples I could cite, I in its own way the equivalent of the Strategic Planning Initiative will provide one. A few Mondays ago, GI Bill: opening doors that had never when Scott Shank, vice president for been opened to students and facilitating Working Group, with the finance and administration, and I were in socioeconomic mobility. It is exactly what entire Sweet Briar community. Prothro to have lunch with our students, higher education should be doing. At the Why is it important the College a member of one of our sports teams, same time, it presents different financial whom I know well, stopped me and told challenges to the College.