AROUND CAMPUS

U.Va. theology project gets $2.1 million grant

A University of Virginia project exploring the relationship between Christian spiritual beliefs and social practice has received a $2.1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment.

The grant will finance the Project on Lived Theology for an additional five years, from 2010 through 2014. It is the fourth major grant from the endowment.

Craig Dykstra, senior vice president for religion at Lilly, said the project is helping individuals and communities carry forward the practices and wisdom of the Christian tradition.

The project seeks to forge a closer connection between the study of theology and the experiences of people and groups putting their beliefs into action.

Two Radford dorms earn the Energy Star

Radford University has earned an Energy Star certification for two of its older residence halls.

The Environmental Protection Agency certification went to Floyd Hall, built in 1964, and Norwood Hall, built in 1939, after changes were made to make them more energy efficient.

Commercial buildings that earn the Energy Star use an average of 40 percent less energy and release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than typical buildings.

In Floyd Hall, dorm rooms were updated with infrared motion sensors and magnetic window contacts to reset lights and temperature settings when the rooms are unoccupied.

In Norwood Hall, dual-temperature valves were changed in the building's mechanical systems.

Three VCU students win overseas scholarships

Three Virginia Commonwealth University students have been awarded scholarships to study abroad for spring semester.

Thomas Hedgepeth, a sophomore from Ashland, has been offered a scholarship to study at the University of Hyderabad in India.

Brian McDaniel, a junior from Chester, will study at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Mario Salinas, a junior from Lima, Peru, will study design at VCU's campus in Qatar.

The awards were made through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.

Longwood receives foreign-language grant

Longwood University has begun a three-year demonstration project to enhance foreign-language instruction for students with disabilities.

Project LINC (Learning in INclusive Classrooms) received a $428,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education that began Oct. 1.

The grant was one of 23 awarded to higher-education organizations in the country, as well as the only one in Virginia.

The funding will help develop a curriculum for use by new, part-time and temporary faculty, who nationally make up an increasing percentage of foreign-language instructors.

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