Around Campus

VCU 11th among 'best neighbor' universities

Virginia Commonwealth University has been ranked No. 11 in a survey of the top 25 "best neighbor" universities.

Among programs cited were the "40 Acts of Caring" project that was part of VCU's 40th anniversary commemoration last year and its partnership with the Carver community.

The rankings were announced last Monday in Philadelphia at the 15th annual conference of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California tied for the top position.

JMU gets grant for nutrition Web site

James Madison University has received a $3.4 million grant to produce content and design for a Web site with nutrition information for families.

The three-year Virginia Department of Health grant will be used to develop the "Health Bites" site, which will support the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

The funding will be used for content development by JMU faculty within the disciplines of dietetics, pediatric nursing, social work and adult education. The site is expected to be available to the public through the VDH in three years.

Grant to VSU focuses on math performance

Virginia State University will receive $1 million to study methods to improve math performance of minority middle and high school students with a goal of increasing their participation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

VSU has been awarded a three-year National Science Foundation grant to study the effectiveness of interventions on mathematics performance.

The study will compare a direct training method and an indirect approach that teaches programming languages and problem-solving skills in the context of video game design.

It will assess the methods by testing and by monitoring cortical changes through brain imaging using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Expert on Jewish studies due at UR

Jon D. Levenson, author of 11 books about Jewish theology and Jewish-Christian relations, will speak Nov. 9 at the University of Richmond for the 23rd annual Weinstein-Rosenthal Lecture.

His talk on "The Binding of Isaac and the Crucifixion of Jesus" will begin at 8 p.m. in Jepson Alumni Center's Robins Pavilion. It is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow.

Levenson is a professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard Divinity School.

Gulati gets fellowship for documentary

Sonali Gulati, an assistant professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Photography and Film, has been awarded a fellowship for her documentary "Out & About."

The film examines what parents do when they find out their child is gay.

Gulati is the first winner of a $7,500 fellowship supporting young and midcareer artists working in photographic media, video or short-form film.

The fellowship was awarded by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, in partnership with the Robert Giard Foundation.

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