University of Richmond hosts internationally renowned scholars, business leaders and artists to interact with students this spring

December 15, 2017

Each year, the University of Richmond hosts a number of artists, executives and leaders, as well as visiting scholars, to enhance the campus’ environment of both intellectual and personal engagement. These scholars and mentors spend a significant amount of time interacting with students, faculty and staff in a variety of ways. 

Artists- Executives- and Leaders-in-Residence and visiting scholars for the spring semester include:

Jepson School of Leadership Studies

  • Vivian Pinn, M.D., is the 2017-18 Leader-in-Residence. Pinn was the first full-time director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health from 1991 until her retirement in 2011. Pinn will present as a spring lecture, “Women’s Health & Biomedical Leadership: From Tradition to Equity,” on Feb. 13 at 4:30 p.m.
  • Riddhi Bhandari, who is from India, has been serving as the Leadership and Ethics visiting scholar. This spring, Bhandari will be teaching a special topics course called “Informal Leaders: Poetics and Politics of Leadership in Postcolonial Societies.” The course will examine forms of informal and quasi-political leadership in postcolonial, developing countries.
  • Mara Caden, a historian of money, manufacturing and political economy in the early modern British Atlantic World and Early America, is serving as a visiting research fellow. Caden will teach a special topics course on “Money and Constitutional Crisis in Britain and Early America” in the spring.

Robins School of Business

The Robins School hosts several Executives-in-Residence each year. These mentors meet with students, get to know them and give them advice. Participating executives have included corporate presidents, CEOs, vice presidents and other leaders of the business world. Executives-in-Residence for 2017-18 include:

  • John Adams, chairman of The Martin Agency, an award-winning advertising agency based in Richmond.
  • Katherine Busser is a seasoned executive in the financial services industry with almost 30 years of general management experience leading large scale transformational change in business, operations and technology.
  • Jim Brady, a UR alum, is an Operating Partner at Marlin Equity Partners focused on conducting operational due diligence and providing operational support to portfolio companies across the healthcare sector.
  • Michael Page is serving as Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Page is co-founder and principal of RunRate, a financial and strategic advisory firm; co-founder and managing partner of Gum Tree Properties, a commercial and multi-family property roll-up; and co-founder and co-managing partner at Trefoil Ventures, a multi-brand retail, e-commerce and investment company.
  • Tom Kemp is the MBA Executive-in-Residence. As a senior executive, he has built a reputation for successfully navigating uncertainty and leading organizations through major transformational change.

School of Arts & Sciences

As part of the Tucker-Boatwright Festival of Literature and Arts, the following artists will be in residence:

  • Universes Theatre Ensemble, a company of multi-disciplinary writers and performers, creates work that challenges and inspires social change. During their residency Feb. 17-23, Universes will teach master classes and offer a public performance of “Party People Salon,” which explores the complicated legacies of the Black Panthers and the Young Lords.
  • Nora Chipaumire, a dancer and choreographer from Zimbabwe, will create her new piece, “self, un contained” during her residency March 26-April 15. She will host open rehearsals, giving students insight into her creative process and ultimately present a preview presentation of the work.

Richard J. Evans, widely considered the world's greatest living historian of modern Germany, is a visiting professor in the history department. Evans will teach a course on the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. Evans is the president of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge.

Daniel Guzmán Loyzaga, a Cuban composer, arranger and conductor, will be an Artist-in-Resident in the music department March 19-April 27. He will perform pieces and lecture on topics including jazz and music composition. Students will perform three original chamber works written by Loyzaga for UR.

School of Professional & Continuing Studies

Hip-hop artist and rapper, Mad Skillz, will be an artist-in-residence starting in January 2018. He will be co-teaching “The Voice of Hip Hop in America” with SPCS liberal arts professor Erik Nielson, a hip hop culture expert. Mad Skillz got his start performing on UR’s radio station.

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