Well hello there, content-starved readers of Richmond’s admission blog! (Note that I’m assuming you’ve missed me.)

I didn’t exactly intend to take such a long hiatus from blogging, but you know how it goes… one thing leads to another…

It has been a crazy couple of months that have kept me from the world of blogging – crazy in a good way, of course. To fill you in on a couple of the highlights (and the things that have been keeping me busy):

1.    We have a new Dean of Admission and Director of Admission here at Richmond! Gil Villanueva, our new dean, and Michael Kabbaz, our new director, both started on July 15, and we’re thrilled to have them. Both are hitting the road this fall, so some of you may have the opportunity to meet them soon.

2.    The University jumped up to #30 among national liberal arts colleges in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.  As I always say, any ranking is in large part what you make of it – and how closely you look at its methodology. One thing I love about Richmond is that our administration cares far more about a host of other things (the student experience, academic quality, access and affordability) than it does the rankings, yet Richmond continues to rise, up from #42 when we moved to the national liberal arts category four years ago.

3.    On August 19, we welcomed a hugely enthusiastic first-year class to campus. This class broke a number of records; it is the largest class in the university’s history (but not so large that we can’t handle it!), made up of students from 40 states and 27 countries. About 7% of the class is composed of international students; 23% are American students from underrepresented ethnic populations; and 21% are members of the first generation of their family to go to college. You can find out more on our student profile, which will be updated and expanded in just a few weeks (so check back).

4.    The Spider football season is off to a great start, with three successive wins over Duke, Delaware, and most recently Hofstra – extending our record winning streak to twelve games. (In the FCS, the only time you get to extend a winning streak over multiple seasons is – you got it – if and only if you take the national championship. Which, if you’re not aware, we did last year.) The school took seven busloads of students down to the opener at Duke (not including those who drove themselves)… Spider spirit has never been stronger or louder!

So that’s the news from the past few months. I’m already into my first week of travel season – in Pittsburgh at the moment, off to Arizona at the end of the week – so I’ll keep you posted. The Richmond Admission Blog is back in business!

By Tom

Summertime is a great time in the River City. I already wrote a post about the many festivals that go on throughout the Richmond region; today I want to say a bit about the thing that gives the River City its nickname: the James River.

The James flows right through the heart of Richmond, and the city was built around the river, which remains its core to this day. There aren’t any other cities in the United States that have Class IV rapids running through downtown – but Richmond does! The river provides an awesome outdoors scene right here in the in the city itself. Whether it’s kayaking, canoeing, rafting, tubing, hiking, biking, or fishing, you can find it all within city limits.

The James River Park System comprises about 14 miles of trails on both banks of the river. Hiking along these trails takes you completely out of urban space, even though you’re surrounded by it. I love hiking along the James, because you feel like you’re in the wilderness, and then you round a bend and there’s the downtown skyline right in front of you. The juxtaposition of urban and wilderness is really impressive.

The JRPS also includes Belle Isle, a favorite destination for Richmonders. The island is crisscrossed with trails and is a popular spot for walking and jogging, as well as sunbathing on the rocks and swimming during the warmer months. It can get super-crowded during the summer, though, and I personally prefer hiking the trails to a quieter location for swimming.

Downtown Richmond intersects with the James at Brown’s Island, which connects to both the Canal Walk through the city and the Belle Isle trails. Brown’s Island is a park and the site of many riverside festivals (including RiverRock, which I mentioned in my last post, Friday Cheers during May and June, and the Richmond Folk Festival). It’s also right next door to the historic Tredegar Ironworks, home to The American Civil War Center, a phenomenal museum.

Closer to campus, Pony Pasture lies just across the river from UR, and is a popular spot for Richmond students to hike, jog, and hang out by the river. I spent many a Saturday afternoon during college over at Pony Pasture.

Richmond exists solely because of the James and its rapids – the city was founded in 1737 at the fall line of the James, or the highest point that oceangoing ships could sail – and in fact its name is derived in part from the river, since the view of the James from Libby Hill reminded the earliest settlers of the view of the Thames from Richmond, England. And the river remains an active and central part of life in Richmond to this day. I’ve really fallen in love with the river, first as a student and now as a resident of the city of Richmond.

And on a completely different note, I want to give a farewell shoutout on the blog to retiring Dean of Admission Pam Spence, as well as Mary Ann Bagby, Dia Lisner, and Sabena Moretz. Your contributions to the University are greater than you know, and you will be missed.

By Tom

If you’re familiar with the University of Richmond website, you’ve probably noticed that it suddenly looks a lot different! Phase 1 of our University-wide web redesign went live yesterday at noon, and this phase includes the admission and financial aid websites.

The new site is designed to make things easier to find, and to tell more stories – stories about the amazing things Richmond students and professors are doing all the time – as well as giving you more opportunities to interact and to customize the site, if you want (check out the Widgets bar!)

We’re looking for feedback, so please let us know what you think! You can comment on this post or send me an e-mail. Tell us everything, from the good to the ugly. Can you find everything you need? Any trouble or confusion at certain points? Things that you don’t think should be there? Things you absolutely love? We want to build the best site possible, and your feedback helps greatly.

I look forward to hearing from you!

(Oh, right, the “new season” part. I thought that “new website” looked kind of silly on its own as a title, so I alluded to the fact that summer is about to officially begin. Didn’t really tie it into the post very well.)

By Tom

Another video for your perusal this week. Photographer Doug Plummer created this one, which was filmed back in February in the University Forum at the center of campus. I was there for the shoot – pulling aside random students and getting them in front of the camera – so I can testify personally to the candidness of their answers!

And on a completely different note, if you happen to be in Richmond this weekend, make sure you check out Broad Appétit, back for its second year! The event brings together dozens of local Richmond restaurants in preparing samples of their cuisine for public enjoyment and for a panel-judged competition.

By Tom

Okay, so there are actually too many reasons to cover in just one post. I think I’ll probably be doing a series of posts this summer detailing why I love this city so much – and the phenomenal weekend I just had is a great place to start. Before I go there, though, let me tell you my own story.

I think it’s an unfortunate truth that students rarely pick the University of Richmond because of its proximity to the city for which it is named, though they tend to fall in love with the city after they arrive (and benefit significantly from its status as a center of politics, law, and business). That was certainly the case for me – I chose UR for its academic quality, campus feel, and financial aid, but not for its location near the city. During my first year of college, I had lots of opportunity to explore the city, and that’s when I fell in love. I regularly spent time off-campus throughout my four years at UR (though I lived on campus all four years), and when it came time to graduate, I just didn’t want to leave; I felt like there was still so much left unexplored. Luckily, I landed this job, and I’ve had the chance to live and work in Richmond for two years now. My love of the city has only grown with time.

One thing I love about Richmond are its festivals. With May comes the start of the summer festival cycle, and this weekend brought two excellent events, or a chance for myself and friends to double-fest, if you will. (Okay, that was corny, I acknowledge it.)

Friday night and Saturday was the Riverrock festival, held on Brown’s Island downtown by the James River. It’s an outdoorsy festival with numerous bands playing (Rusted Root headlined this year) and all sorts of activities, including a Mud Run, 10k trail race, mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, freestyle bike competition, and competitive dog jumping. Lots of fun, whether you’re participating or watching – and it’s a free event, as are many of Richmond’s festivals. I met up with some friends (including coworker Ruth Marie!) on Friday night for Rusted Root, and went back on Saturday to hang out and enjoy the wonderful weather. Riverrock also kicks off the Friday Cheers concert series held on Brown’s Island – free concerts every Friday during May and June.

This weekend was also the annual Lebanese Food Festival, held at a Lebanese Maronite church in the West End of Richmond. This is the third year I’ve attended, and it’s some of the best food I eat all year. I went with friends on Saturday afternoon (ran into coworker Maria while there!) and stuffed myself with shawirma, falafel, cheese pies, and zalabia, as live Lebanese music wafted through the air. It’s a huge event, with thousands attending – probably one of the largest of Richmond’s many food festivals.

So there you have it: one reason I love the city of Richmond are its festivals. I’ll close out with a list of some of my favorites, starting in the summer and moving through the fall and spring:

• Greek Festival (two weeks away!)
• Armenian Food Festival
• Richmond Shakespeare Festival (for all English geeks out there, myself included)
• ¿Que Pasa? Festival of Virginia (celebrating Hispanic cultures)
• 2nd Street Festival (celebrating jazz and African-American heritage)
• Italian Street Festival
• Festival of India
• Richmond Folk Festival (possibly my favorite all year)
• French Film Festival (the largest French Film Festival in the country)
• Church Hill Irish Festival (my neighborhood!)
• ShamRock the Block (also Irish)