Around Campus

Take tours; apply to private colleges free

High school students can waive some college application fees by touring three Virginia private schools July 27 through Aug. 1.

Open houses and information sessions on financial aid will be offered on 25 campuses during Virginia Private College Week. Locally, those schools include the University of Richmond, Randolph-Macon College and Virginia Union University.

The event, sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, allows students to waive the application fee at any three institutions belonging to the council. Application fees range from $25 to $50.

For information on tour times, go to http://www.cicv.org or call (540) 586-0606.

Session highlights using sites for good

The University of Richmond will hold a conference on leadership and social change July 24 for representatives of nonprofits and government agencies.

The keynote speaker for "Strategic Leadership and Social Media for Social Good" will be Gradon Tripp, who founded the Boston-based group Social Media for Social Change.

The program will include a panel discussion and conversations with experts during lunch.

The morning conference is free, with registration restricted to one representative per nonprofit or government organization. The buffet lunch and table discussions cost $18. The registration deadline is July 17 or when the conference reaches capacity.

For information, call (804) 287-6522.

Awards and honors

Virginia Military Institute's program to recruit female cadets will receive a grand gold medal today from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education at its annual Summit for Advancement Leaders in San Francisco. The grand gold award is the top award in CASE's Diversity Programs category. . . . Emory F. "Ted" Bunn, associate professor of physics at the University of Richmond, has been awarded a five-year, $187,178 research grant from the National Science Foundation. He will study the design of the next generation of cosmic microwave background polarization telescopes.

Karin Kapsidelis reports on higher education. Contact her at (804) 649-6119 or .