Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
* * *
Sweet Briar, Virginia Tech partner on streamlined program for graduate engineering degrees
Sweet Briar College is the latest school to partner with Virginia Tech on the Direct to Tech program, which allows students to secure admission to Tech’s Master of Engineering graduate programs in computer science or computer engineering before completing their undergraduate degrees.
Sweet Briar students majoring in any field can apply to the programs in their senior year, according to a news release announcing the partnership. They must complete certain prerequisite courses by the second semester of their junior year and maintain an overall minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants will not have to pay an application fee or submit GRE scores.
The partnership agreement will continue for a five-year term, after which it will automatically renew for five-year terms, the release said.
Roanoke College last year became the first school to partner with Virginia Tech on the Direct to Tech program.
Sweet Briar also recently announced a partnership with the University of Virginia that will allow students to begin taking graduate-level engineering classes at UVa during their senior year.
* * *
Southwest, Southside projects receive Virginia Humanities grants for cultural projects
Virginia Humanities on Wednesday announced $274,748 in grants to 30 nonprofit organizations across the state, including several in Southwest and Southside.
Since 1974, Virginia Humanities has been awarding grants to support projects that explore the history, people, communities and traditions of Virginia.
Southwest and Southside projects that received grants from Virginia Humanities between November and March include:
- $20,000 to Community Letterpress Print Shop, Springhouse Community School, Pilot: Support for a community letterpress print shop that aims to preserve letterpress printing tradition and foster community connections.
- $4,512 to Digital Legacy Plan, Old Church Gallery, Floyd: Funding for a project that supports the establishment of a digital repository for the museum’s community archives.
- $13,350 to Interwoven, the Brownsburg Museum, Brownsburg: Support for an exhibit that explores the intertwined roles of slavery and religion, combining descendants’ perspectives, local history and multimedia elements.
- $3,939 to Reflections in Dignity: An Exhibit of Cosmetology and Barbering, Christiansburg Institute Inc., Christiansburg: Support for a new exhibition honoring Black beauty culture and the Christiansburg Institute’s legacy through artifacts, tutorials and interactive learning.
- $5,000 to Southwest Virginia Artisan Conference, Round the Mountain Artisan Network, Abingdon: Support for an initiative for regional artists across 19 counties and four cities.
- $5,000 to The Life of First Lady Wilson at the Fin de Siècle: A 125-Year Educational Retrospective, Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Foundation and Museum, Wytheville: Support for an interactive exhibit that addresses social, economic and political issues of the early 20th century.
- $20,000 to Tribal Truths Podcast: Virginia Tech Foundation Blacksburg: Support for a collaboration among 11 state and federally recognized tribes in Virginia that serves as a platform for Indigenous communities to share their history, culture and current issues through oral storytelling.
- $20,000 to Virginia Children’s Book Festival, Keysville: Support for an annual three-day book festival with the goal to foster a love of reading in children living across rural Virginia.
For a full list of grant recipients, visit VirginiaHumanities.org/grants.
* * *
Library of Virginia brings mobile programming van to Marion
The Library of Virginia will bring its mobile programming van, LVA On the Go, to the Smyth County Public Library in Marion on April 20.
Attendees can register for a library card, discuss regional and family history and discover research and educational materials. Library staff also will present on topics including genealogy, the library’s research materials and Virginia Chronicle, the library’s newspaper database.
LVA On the Go will be at the library at 118 S. Sheffey St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, visit edu.lva.virginia.gov/lva-on-the-go.
