News @ Swem

See how local students are making a difference in the African AIDS crisis. AIDSTanzania is a student-run organization from the College of William and Mary dedicated to providing free, easily accessible, and sustainable HIV/AIDS education and testing to the diverse rural communities of eastern sub-Saharan Africa. They will be screening a film about their project and answering questions in a free program on Wednesday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Williamsburg Library Theatre, 515 Scotland Street.

W&M Students in Tanzania

According to a 2006 UN report, nearly two-thirds of all people living with HIV are found in sub-Saharan Africa, although this region contains only 10% of the world’s population. The student-run project emphasizes prevention in all of their programs, and seeks to empower community members, providing them with the tools and resources to develop and deliver programming and testing to their peers. While the students are not doctors or health professionals, they work effectively with other students in Tanzania. This year, they tested 238 individuals over three days and initiated a successful peer education program at a local secondary school, held roundtable discussions with women from the community, and discussed condom use with young men.

The Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary and Williamsburg Regional Library jointly sponsor this program. The AIDSTanzania program is presented free of charge, though donations will be accepted for entry into a raffle for door prizes.

For more information on the program call (757) 259-4070 or visit http://aidstanzania.wordpress.com/

Note: Interviews with the students involved in AIDSTanzania can be arranged by contacting Meghan Dunne at Mtdunn@wm.edu.

(Williamsburg, VA) – The College of William and Mary announced today that alumna H. Elizabeth “Bee” McLeod ‘83, M.B.A. ‘91, and her husband, J. Goodenow “Goody” Tyler III of Norfolk have committed $2.5 million to provide students, faculty and the greater community access to information through state-of-the-art library systems.

McLeod and Tyler’s gift provides $1.5 million to the Earl Gregg Swem Library — the largest gift in the library’s history — and $1 million to the Mason School of Business. The business school’s future facility, Alan B. Miller Hall, will include a library named in honor of McLeod.

“I grew up in a house packed with books,” explained McLeod, who retired in 2007 as director of Network Operations at Cox Communications. “William and Mary is doing tremendous things in the digital area, but traditional books and materials are irreplaceable.”

“Because a library is the heart of any academic community, Bee and Goody’s support for libraries at William & Mary is especially meaningful,” said William and Mary President Taylor Reveley. “We are very grateful for this gift and the good it will do now and far into the future.”

The gift of $1.5 million to Swem Library will support the library’s first named position, the Marian and Alan McLeod Director of the Special Collections Research Center. In making the gift, the couple is honoring McLeod’s parents for their dedication to academic research and passion for great libraries. With an extensive collection of manuscripts, rare books, and other original sources, the Special Collections Research Center is a learning lab for students in the humanities, much like physical laboratories are for students in the sciences.

“This gift will directly impact the faculty, students and researchers who rely on Swem to provide unique research materials in the Special Collections Research Center,” said Connie Kearns McCarthy, dean of university libraries. “This gift also recognizes the outstanding work of Swem’s librarians such as Dr. Beatriz Betancourt Hardy, who will hold this named position.”

Through McLeod and Tyler’s support of the Mason School of Business, McLeod celebrates her special connection with the School, where she received two degrees, and her lifelong love of libraries. Upon completion of the business school’s new facility, the Elizabeth “Bee” McLeod Business Library will be located off the main public space on the building’s second floor, a prime location that will elevate the services that the school provides its students. The library will provide patrons with access to electronic and print business research resources, as well as research assistance by a professional business librarian. The McLeod Business Library will also have such library-style services as course reserve materials, electronic catalog with access to all campus libraries, study areas and copy services.

“The Mason School of Business has long been dedicated to ensuring that its community has fast access to the most accurate and up-to-the-minute business information,” said Larry Pulley ‘74, dean of the business school. “Bee and Goody’s generosity will go a long way in providing resources that matter when our new building is completed.”

Swem Library, which completed a major renovation and 100,000-square-foot expansion in 2005, is among the leading academic research libraries in the Southeast, and students across the country recently ranked it the eighth-best College Library in the country, according to the Princeton Review. Through its collections and services, it plays a critical role in supporting the teaching and research missions of the College of William and Mary.

The Mason School of Business is an AACSB-accredited school of business. The school was named for William and Mary alumnus Raymond A. “Chip” Mason in November 2005. It will move into its new state-of-the-art building, Alan B. Miller Hall, in fall 2009. Miller Hall was named for William and Mary alumnus Alan B. Miller in March 2007.