AROUND CAMPUS

Va. private colleges set informational sessions

Virginia's private colleges will hold "WRAP Sessions" Jan. 24 to let prospective students know that even during a recession the schools can be an affordable option.

The sessions will be held at 10 a.m. at 25 colleges, including the University of Richmond, Virginia Union University and Randolph-Macon College.

Sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, the sessions are designed to let students know they don't necessarily have to pay the school's sticker price. Funding such as the state's $3,200 Tuition Assistance Grant also lowers the costs.

For information on WRAP, which stands for Within Reach and Personal, go to http://www.cicv.org/withinreach.html or call (540) 586-0606.

College debate teams weigh Obama priorities

The University of Mary Washington and five other schools will debate the priorities of the Obama administration next week.

The university debate teams will take part in the first Inauguration Debate Series, sponsored by the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The debates will be held Monday at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington.

UMW and the University of Southern California will debate health care and the economy.

The 75-minute debates also will include Michigan State and Wake Forest universities on energy and climate change, and Fayetteville State University and Voorhees College on foreign policy.

The debates mark the formal launch of the Debate Consortium, an initiative to help African-American colleges and universities develop high-quality debate on public-policy issues.

The consortium is led by Jeff Porro, who co-wrote the story of "The Great Debaters"; John W. Davis II, former director of debate at Howard University; and Timothy M. O'Donnell, UMW director of debate.

Grants and awards

Saint Paul's College has received a $20,000 grant from the Robins Foundation of Richmond for its development program. . . . Walter M. Bortz, president of Hampden-Sydney College, has received a Meritorious Service Award from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The commission also honored Richard L. Morrill, former president of the University of Richmond, with the James T. Rogers Distinguished Leadership Award. . . . Alenka Luzar, professor of chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society. . . . Elizabeth Jamison has been named the new director of the master of business administration program in Radford University's College of Business and Economics.

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