VN_SPR SUM_06 covers FINAL.indd - Villanova University

Campus UpdateA New Name for aTop Business SchoolOn June 6, Villanova Universityannounced the official renaming of itsbusiness school, the College of Commerceand Finance, to the Villanova School ofBusiness (VSB), following approval byVillanova’s Board of Trustees during itsregular session.The renaming came less than onemonth after BusinessWeek magazineranked the school among the nation’s Top20 undergraduate business schools.“We are proactively working to move ouroutstanding business school to even higherlevels of excellence and national recognition,”said James M. Danko, who becamedean in August 2005. “The VillanovaSchool of Business name conveys a moreaccurate, modern, sophisticated image of thebusiness education we provide.”The business school, founded in 1922,is housed in Bartley Hall. Its seven undergraduateand seven graduate degree programsare accredited by the Association toAdvance Collegiate Schools of Business.Center EngagesStudents in Understandingthe Liberal ArtsBY KATE SZUMANSKI ’95A&S, ’97 M.A.Villanova University’s College ofLiberal Arts and Sciences (A&S)in June announced the creation of theVillanova Center for Liberal Education(VCLE). This innovative academic centeris dedicated to interdisciplinary teaching,research and learning in the liberal arts forundergraduates. It is a place where all studentsand faculty can join in the academicconversations that lie at the heart of anAugustinian university in the 21st century.Although Villanova is widely regardedas a top-tier comprehensive university,offering more than 30 master’s programsand several Ph.D. programs, its coreenterprise remains the liberal educationof undergraduates.“The opening of the center marks aturning point,” said Dr. John Doody, thecenter’s director. “Now, for the first timein the University’s history, the liberalarts, which form the heart of Villanova’sacademic mission, will be presented to ourstudents in such a way as to enable themto see the interconnections between themany disciplines,” he added. Doody alsoholds the Robert M. Birmingham Chair,is associate dean for the Core Curriculumand is a professor of philosophy.In today’s interconnected world, studentsneed to realize the importance of interdisciplinarystudy and the value of a liberaleducation. The Rev. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A.,Ph.D., ’69 M.A., dean of A&S, noted thatthe VCLE “takes a holistic and an innovativeapproach to the education of today’scollege students, who will be brought into anongoing dialogue with some of the College’sfinest teacher-scholars.”The VCLE began as an extension ofthe Core Humanities Program, whichin recent years has expanded its activities.It offers Augustine and Culture:The Villanova Seminar, which in twosemesters introduces first-year students tothe humanities and the life of the mind.Among the program’s other activities aresponsoring faculty development workshopsand scholarly conferences and publishingboth an academic journal (Expositions: AnInterdisciplinary Journal in the Humanities)and a book series (Augustine in Conversation:Tradition and Innovation).According to Father Ellis, “The centerwill provide a valuable forum for faculty tocontribute to their profession, inspire studentsto become more active and engagedparticipants in the learning process andadvance the importance of the liberal arts.”Doody noted that “What in essencebegan as a freshman writing program hasgrown and evolved through the years intowhat is now a truly interdisciplinary centerin the liberal arts.”The new center strives to fulfillVillanova’s mission by providing acollegial atmosphere where studentscan search for knowledge inopen, intelligent, responsible andmutually respectful interactionof varying points of view withina community of student- andteacher-scholars. It also serves theCollege’s mission by providing anatmosphere of responsible learningto a varied group of studentsIn recognition of Nursing’s HealthPromotion for Women withDisabilities Project, Dr. SuzanneC. Smeltzer, professor of Nursing(left), received a 2006 InglisAward for Innovation from JanetRies Stern, who chairs the InglisFoundation’s Innovation AwardsReview Committee.who will be called to intellectual, moraland professional leadership.For more information, e-mailjohn.doody@villanova.edu.Subscribe to theA&S E-newsletterAre you looking to stay connectedto the College of Liberal Arts andSciences at Villanova University? Thenwe invite you to subscribe to its monthlye-newsletter by visiting the Web site(www.villanova.edu/subscribe/enews)and entering your e-mail address.In the e-newsletter, you’ll find A&Snews, special events and other happenings.We welcome your feedback, too.E-mail your comments to Kate Szumanski’95 A&S, ’97 M.A., director of collegecommunications for A&S, at kathryn.szumanski@villanova.edu.Inglis Award HonorsNursing’s Women withDisabilities ProjectVillanova University’s College ofNursing is one of four organizationsthat each received a $20,000 Inglis Awardfor Innovation for 2006 from the InglisFoundation in Philadelphia. The awardshonor the enterprise of nonprofit organizationsin the region that enhance the qualityof life for people with physical disabilities.At a ceremony on June 20, the foundationrecognized the College for its HealthPromotion for Women with DisabilitiesProject. The project, initially funded bya grant from the Bristol-Myers SquibbFoundation, is directed by Dr.Suzanne C.60 Villanova Magazine