VCU magazine (1991-05)

              MAY/JUNE 1991 VOLUME 19, NUMBER 6
Inside this issue:
The Inuaguration
Community Service Associates
Student Commons II
Alumni Extem Program
Alumnae Profile: Consulting
Women
2
3
5
6
2
A publication for alumni ofthe Academic and Medical College of Virginia Campuses of Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU·s Man of the Year
The whirl o f
activity that Dr.
Eugene P. Trani
brought with him
last slimmer to
VCU should have
come as no sur­prise.
He sa id
from the start,
·1 do not intend
to be deskbouncl. " It's common for
the president's days to offiCially start
at 7:30 am and officially end at
7:30 pm--Dr later.
·'1 believe that the future is today. "
More words backed by act ions which
show he doesn't intend to lose the
future by not using the present. Since
.July 2, 1990. it's been ca rpe diem,
weekends included, w ith not a
moment \vasted or an opponun'ity
lost for Trani as he represents the
urban university which VCU
embodies.
Within a few .
mo nths, he'd
managed to
be seen v ir­tuallyevery­where
on
campus, in
Richmond ,
throughout
Virgi nia and
the nation.
colleagues, "and you, w ho are here
evelY day, working and teaching,
exploring and serving, w ill be my
teachers,"
\X!hether as teacher or student. he
learns his subjects, He began w ith his
own turf, making reco nnaisance
missions throughout the University,
from classrooms to administrative
offices. First Trdni gave insiders an
opponunity to see themselves
reflected in the eyes o f an outsider, so
they more clearly could see their
wonh, "~ I want the facu lty to see their
strengths because VCU is better than
they think it is-the high quality is
evelywhere," To do this he meets
with faculty, shows his support of
their efforts, lauds their teach ing,
their scholarship, and their many
awards. And then he takes this mirror
along with him to show those outside
VCU, who inevitably see reOections of
themselves
as well
because the
relationship
between the
urban uni­versityand
the commu­nity
is a
close one.
Trani
continued to
teach at the
University of
\X!isconsin
Dr. Trani looks forward to teaching history this fall and the
chance to "excite undergraduates about my discipline."
He has
made this
interaction a
priority. (See
Cornmunity
Service
until he left his position there as vice
president of academic affairs before
assuming the VCU presidency, and he
looks forward to again teaching
history this fall. His familiarity with
the teaching- learning process makes
him appreciate its d ynamics. "Coming
to VCU has made me, in a very
genuine sense, a student again-a
learner," he told his new VCU
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Associates
Program article on page 3.) As he
went into the immediate Richmond
community, not merely did he
acquaint himself with its needs and
o fferings. He underscored the fact
that vcu takes itself serio usly as an
urban univerSity, a belief w hich
compounds the added div idend o f
teaching he brings to the presidency.
Wherever he spoke, he rei terated that
fa ith. "I cannot overstate how
sign ifica nt it will be to American
higher education in the twenty-fi rst
century. I believe that VCU can
become a role model for excellence,
diversity, and access."
No sooner said than clone. within
two months of his arrival on campus
Trani
announced
six new COI11-
munity initia­tives
for the
University:
concern students, facu lty, and
neighborhoods have to improve the
area's safety and a ppearance.
6. And the Community Service
Associates Program (see page 3)
allows faculty expertise to be directly
of service to community projects, with
each panici­paring
faculty
member
furthering
teaching and
scholarship
in his or her
particular
fi el d.
1. Two
community
advisolY
boards, one
representing
each cam­pus,
to allow
University
and commu­nity
leaders
Reunion's SO-Year Club dinner brought alumni to the Trani's home
from as far away as Palm Beach, Florida, and as far back as the
Class of '29.
Because
VCU's
influence
reaches far
beyond the
to meet regularly and discuss
common concerns and objectives.
2. A Community Assistance
Program, to provide financial
incentives to improve and enhance
neighborhoods surrounding the
Academic Campus.
3. The Community Athletic Recre­ation
Efforts (VCU CARES), to extend
the use of the
Uni verSity'S
recreational
facilities and
programs to its
neighbo rs.
4. The Monroe
Park Statement
reaffirms VCU's
commitment to
jointly maintain
the park along
with the City for
the benefit o f the
community.
city limits,
Trani 's itinerary became filled \vith
o ut-of-town schedules as he pushed
o utward into Virginia to fu rther the
University's message. He met w ith the
national press in New York, founda­tion
executives, and alumni through­out
the nat ion, reiterating the name o f
VCU so that those w ho came to talk
w ith him heard his pro ud announce­ments
o f the
University's
achievement'i.
5. A Grace
Street Task Force
addresses the
When Anne and Frank were 11 and 10, Dad was
primary parent while his wife, lois (r.), pursued her
nurse anesthesiologV degree. Here the familv
celebrates Founders' DaV.
He went out
farther, repre­senting
VCU and
its mission to the
Soviet Union.
With six Soviet
students enrolled
at VCU now and
seveml exchange
agreements w ith
the U.S.S. R.
having been
initiated just
before Trani took
(Continued on
page 4)
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