SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2017 SESSION

17105573D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 433
Offered February 20, 2017
Commending Nancy Oliver Gray.
----------
Patrons-- Newman and Edwards; Delegates: Boysko and Carr
----------

WHEREAS, Nancy Oliver Gray, who set high standards for student achievement and helped Hollins University earn national accolades, retires in 2017 after more than a decade of service; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Gray joined the Hollins University community in 2005 as the university’s 11th president; she brought to the university a strong belief in the ideals of a liberal arts education, and the need for women’s colleges in higher education; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Gray guided the university through two strategic plans during her tenure; the current plan, Connecting Liberal Arts Education and Experience to Achieve Results, focused the university’s efforts through 2018; and

WHEREAS, under Nancy Gray’s leadership, Hollins University has operated without debt and with a balanced operating budget for the past decade; she led Hollins University during the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in school history and the largest ever undertaken by a women’s college in the Southern United States, the Campaign for Women Who Are Going Places; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Gray has spearheaded the creation of a number of new academic programs, including majors in environmental studies and environmental science, a certificate program in leadership studies, an extensive seminar program designed for first-year students, a Master of Fine Arts degree in children’s book writing and illustrating, and a faculty-designed honors program; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Gray has been a driving force in deepening the university’s commitment to environmental sustainability; in 2007, she reaffirmed Hollins University’s pledge to protecting the environment by being a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Agreement; and

WHEREAS, in addition to her duties as president of Hollins University, Nancy Gray has served the Roanoke community and the entire Commonwealth as a member of numerous boards and commissions, including the board of directors of The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Princeton Theological Seminary, the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, Mill Mountain Theatre, and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Gray holds degrees from Vanderbilt University and North Texas State University and an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Presbyterian College; prior to joining Hollins University, she was president of Converse College; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Nancy Oliver Gray, the visionary and highly admired president of Hollins University, on the occasion of her retirement in 2017; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Nancy Oliver Gray as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for her commitment to the students of Hollins University and for her leadership in the field of higher education.