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2006 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 24
Commending Dr. Marie V. McDemmond.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, January 12, 2006
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 20, 2006
 

WHEREAS, Dr. Marie V. McDemmond, admired and respected president of Norfolk State University, resigned her position on June 30, 2005, for personal health reasons; and

WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond was the first black woman to lead a four-year public institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth and the first woman president of Norfolk State University; and

WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond earned a bachelor of arts degree from Xavier University in Louisiana, a master's degree from the University of New Orleans, and a doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; and

WHEREAS, before coming to Norfolk State University, Dr. McDemmond served as vice president for budget and finance at Atlanta University, associate vice chancellor for administration at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and assistant vice president for finance at Emory University; and

WHEREAS, when Dr. McDemmond announced that she was leaving Norfolk State University, she also announced that she would complete the final installment of her eight-year pledge to be the first person in the 70-year history of the university to donate $1 million; and

WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond's generous gift will go towards scholarships in all academic majors, as well as to support the Research and Innovations to Support Empowerment (RISE) Center; and

WHEREAS, when Dr. McDemmond came to Norfolk State University in 1997, the completion of the RISE Center, a research-technology campus opening its first phase in 2006, became a special priority and her dream for the school; and

WHEREAS, during her tenure, Dr. McDemmond was instrumental in bringing advanced technology to the university in the form of the university website and Internet information access and exchange, as well as acquiring 25 acres of land and facilities, including the former Norfolk Community Hospital and the land for the RISE Center; and

WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond has held key leadership positions in major education associations throughout her career; she also has served on numerous professional and civic organizations as a board member, including the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., the Lumina Foundation for Education, the Student Loan Marketing Association, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, the United Way of Greater Hampton Roads, and the Urban League of Hampton Roads; and

WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond has been honored with numerous awards for her outstanding accomplishments, including the Pioneer Award by the Outstanding Professional Women of Hampton Roads for 2000, the Administrator of the Year by the Virginia Association of Educational Office Professionals, and was appointed Virginia's Civilian Aide to the United States Secretary of the Army and chosen by President George W. Bush to serve on the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and

WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond plans to finish a book she is writing about higher education and teach courses online in college finance; and

WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond believes in excellence in education for all of the citizens of the Commonwealth and has been a devoted and superb leader for Norfolk State University for eight years; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly commend an outstanding educator and administrator, Dr. Marie V. McDemmond; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dr. Marie V. McDemmond as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for her commitment to Norfolk State University, its students and faculty, and the citizens of the Commonwealth.