Mary Baldwin University. Courtesy of Mary Baldwin.

Here’s a roundup of education briefs:

Mary Baldwin names new dean, VP of health sciences

Todd Telemeco has been named the new vice president and dean of Mary Baldwin University’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences and professor of physical therapy, the school announced this week in a news release.

Todd Telemeco. Courtesy of Mary Baldwin University.

Telemeco will formally begin his new role July 1 and will spend the interim consulting for the college. He replaces retiring dean Lisa Shoaf.

Telemeco is a licensed physical therapist and holds doctoral degrees in anatomy from Virginia Commonwealth University and in physical therapy from Shenandoah University. He has more than 20 years of professional higher education experience as a professor and in leadership roles at various universities, including as dean of the School of Health Sciences at Methodist University, founding dean for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s College of Health Sciences and, most recently, vice president of academic affairs at the University of Mount Olive in North Carolina.

He also has led efforts around reaching rural and underserved populations, including Native American tribes.

In the news release, Telemeco said his goals at Mary Baldwin include strengthening existing relationships with Augusta Health and other health care and corporate partners, seeking grants and new donor support, and leading the efforts to determine the next phase of new programmatic development.

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Experimental print collection comes to Radford University

A new exhibit at Radford University will explore art created at the end of World War II, including nine prints by American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock.

“Pollock & the Artists of Atelier 17: Experimental Printmakers in the Age of World Conflict” features a selection of prints by artists who worked at Stanley William Hayter’s famous Atelier 17 in New York in 1944-45. 

An untitled work by Jackson Pollock, circa 1944, that is part of an upcoming exhibition at Radford University. Courtesy of Radford University.

Pollock’s work was part of the landmark 1944 Museum of Modern Art show “Hayter and Studio 17: New Directions in Gravure,” which subsequently toured the country and brought national attention to avant-garde printmaking. 

In total, more than 30 artists are included in the Radford exhibition, with 24 prints that were featured in the original MoMA show nearly 80 years ago. The collection features the work of several women artists, reflecting the female presence at the 1944 exhibition. 

The exhibition, which will be hosted in the university’s art museum in the Covington Center, opens at 5 p.m. Feb. 8 and runs through April 1. Arthur Jones, guest curator and former chair of Radford’s art department, will discuss the collection prior to the opening at 4 p.m. in Davis Performance Hall in the Covington Center. 

All events are free and open to the public. 

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VTC School of Medicine to host Black History Month panel focused on family health

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine will host a special event called Black Family Health on Feb. 7 as part of its Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Series and in honor of Black History Month.

Physicians across a range of specialties — including family medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry and pediatrics — will provide their expertise as it relates to Black family health and will answer audience questions. 

The free event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Auditorium M203 at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke. Registration is available online.

For more information on this event or other events in the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Series, visit medicine.vtc.vt.edu/events.

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New River CC hosts Black History Month speaker, music program

New River Community College and the college’s Black History Committee will sponsor a guest speaker and music program at 3 p.m. Feb. 19.

Dr. Abraham Hardee III, who’s on the faculty of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, will discuss “Chasing Purpose While Maximizing Your Boundaries.”

Dr. Abraham Hardee III. Courtesy of New River Community College.

In addition to serving as department chair for rural medicine and underserved primary care at VCOM, Hardee is on the core faculty of the Family Medicine Graduate Medical Education Clinic at LewisGale Medical Center. He graduated from VCOM and completed his doctor of philosophy at Virginia Tech in international health education.

Musical performances will be presented by Jami Martin, an NRCC alumna; Donna Slaughter and Josiah Williams from Spirit of Life Worship Center; and Drumbeat from Randolph Avenue United Methodist Church.

The event will be held in 117 Edwards Hall at NRCC in Dublin. It’s free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served following the program. For more information, call Elaine Powell-Hawkins at 540-674-3600, ext. 4478.

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Giles County announces changes to ACCE community service program

Giles County has announced changes to the student community service component of its Access to Community College Education, or ACCE, program.

Students now will participate in ACCE All In, which will replace the Muddy ACCE Race and will build on existing service projects, according to a news release.

The ACCE program has provided a tuition-free community college education to more than 400 Giles County students since 2016. As part of the program, participants must complete 100 hours of community service annually.

The Muddy ACCE Race, an annual 5K mud run, was a “tremendous success,” County Administrator Chris McKlarney said in the release. But it required 3,000 to 5,000 volunteer hours to construct the course each year.

“While it brought a lot of notoriety to the program and was a tremendous fund-raising tool, the only people really benefiting from all of that volunteer labor, were those running the race,” McKlarney said. “We began to consider all the good we could do if we pour that much effort into our community every year. We also see an opportunity to connect kids with their community, to develop a sense of place and pride, to teach them some life skills, and to help them understand how important it is to volunteer in your community.”

Projects currently planned or underway include handicapped ramp construction, homeless shelter improvements, events to support foster parents and senior citizens, landscaping and maintenance projects on community facilities, and community cleanup efforts.

For more information, visit GilesACCEAllIn.com, or on Facebook and Instagram @ACCEAllIn.