A Publication for Alumni and Friends SPRING ISSUE 2006

DEAR RIO GRANDE ALUMNI,
Please let me introduce myself as your
very proud Interim President of the University
of Rio Grande. Dr. Dorsey departed
in January after 15 years of excellent
service to Rio Grande. During
the last 12 years I have served Rio’s
faculty and students as Provost and Academic
Vice President, My wife’s name
is Jane (the “other Dr. Sojka”) and we
are blessed with three daughters, Laura,
20; Ann, 17; and Joan, 16. My new position
will enable me to meet both on
and off campus with many alumni and
friends of Rio Grande.
Although snowflakes are flying
across the sky as I am writing, spring
cleaning will soon begin both in our
homes and at your alma mater!
Several campus improvement
projects are underway this spring. Dirt
will be moved and temporary inconveniences
will occur, but the results will
add many beautiful features to our campus
to serve students, faculty, staff, alums
and guests.
These projects are benefiting from the
current “Lighting the Way” Capital
Campaign which has raised $16 million
of the $21 million goal, with 18 months
to conclusion.
Through the generosity of Jack and
Jane Kidd, their son, Larry, and daughter-in-law,
Cindy, a totally renovated
greenhouse will sparkle in the Kidd
Math and Science Center. Other improvements,
including new classroom
furnishings and a comfortable lounge
with wireless Internet access will also
serve the many students who attend
classes in this facility.
Our swimming pool is undergoing a
complete infrastructure renovation.
Around 800 swimmers each week use
the pool, and all the lifeguard training
for local pools takes place at Rio
Grande. We also teach swimming lessons
for children and adults who fear
the water. A local community group,
headed by Tom Blodgett, M.D., his wife
Heidi, and Naci Bozkir, M.D., has volunteered
to chair the Swimming Pool
Campaign to raise the money for the
renovations.
Another project involves the expansion
of the Evan E. and Elizabeth E.
Davis University Center. Cafeteria seating
will increase from 350 to 500, and
additional student meeting and game
rooms and an open terrace will revitalize
the campus core. A Great Hall and
other special features will enable Rio to
host larger campus and community
events.
The admissions staff has moved into
new offices in a renovated home across
from Lyne Center.
The Campus Beautification Committee
works hard at making our campus
an even more attractive place for
living and learning. I plan to join them
in planting some additional perennials
and annuals around the President’s
Home!
I had the privilege to attend several
alumni meetings in Florida this February,
and enjoyed meeting our friends
there. This May, many former Rio
Grande basketball players will participate
in a “roast” hosted by Bob Leith,
honoring Bernie Bickerstaff, currently
head coach and general manager of the
NBA Charlotte Bobcats, and his former
coach, Art Lanham. Commencement
will follow on May 6, with a record of
500+ graduates receiving their diplomas
in a ceremony held on the Campus
Green.
For all the success we have had to
date with the Capital Campaign, we
must continue to “light the way” for future
projects. Included on this list are
equipping a psychology laboratory,
funding an endowed faculty chair in
technology, creating a simulated “trading
floor” in our School of Business, and
forming a School of Allied Health Sciences
with a new building to follow.
None of these projects can take place
without your assistance. When asked,
please volunteer your time, energy, and
resources. Accept my sincere thanks on
behalf of your alma mater. I look forward
to meeting with you in the future!
Dr. Gregory Sojka
About the Cover: Drs. Greg and Jane Sojka
are shown in the living room of the President’s
Home. The home, located on the URG campus,
has undergone a thorough and professional
cleaning, including a repainting of both
the first and second floors, carpet shampooing,
and drapery cleaning. The Presidents’
Home opened in 1994.
Pool Under Repair
Campaign Makes Upgrades Possible
More than two months ago, Rio Grande
was forced to close its swimming pool located
in Lyne Center.
The pool, built in 1969, is in good shape
structurally, but needs immediate repair of
its filter, filter houses, intake pipes, and circulation
pipes.
When operable, the pool is used by numerous
people on a regular basis, including
Rio’s athletic teams who use the facility
for training, conditioning and rehab, area
seniors for exercise and the ease of their
arthritis, and a competitive community
swim team.
While not an original part of the Lighting
the Way Campaign, the raising of
$500,000 has been undertaken by the
Campaign’s leadership and a committee
formed to assist in this effort.
Petrea
Brown
Named To
University
Board
Petrea Brown, Jackson, was named to
the University of Rio Grande Board of
Trustees on February 4.
The wife of the late Dean S. Brown
’65, Petrea received her Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1974, and her master’s degree
in classroom teaching, also from Rio
Grande, in 1995. Petrea is a teacher in
the Jackson City School District, where
she has taught for the past 20 years.
“I go back a long way with the University.
It’s been a major part of my life,”
said Petrea.
“I will do whatever I can (to help),
wherever I can.”
2/www.rio.edu A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
SPRING ISSUE 2006