鶹Ƶ trustees have named campus facilities in honor of emeriti faculty and staff members Russell Gill, Smith Jackson, Nan Perkins and Susan Klopman for their distinguished service to the university.
The 鶹Ƶ Board of Trustees has named three residence halls in the Global Neighborhood and the graduate admissions suite in Inman Admissions Welcome Center in honor of emeriti faculty and staff members who provided long and distinguished service to the university. The buildings will be named in honor of Professor Emeritus of English Russell B. Gill, Vice President Emeritus G. Smith Jackson and Vice President Emerita Nan P. Perkins, and the graduate admissions suite will be named in honor of Vice President Emerita Susan C. Klopman.
“These four remarkable leaders have made a lasting impact on 鶹Ƶ and shaped the lives of thousands of students through their hard work and dedication,” said 鶹Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book. “Russ Gill, Smith Jackson, Nan Perkins and Susan Klopman exemplify the best of our community, and future generations of students who will make the Global Neighborhood their home on campus will have the opportunity to learn about the contributions of these 鶹Ƶ role models.”
Located on the shore of Lake Mary Nell, the Global Neighborhood opened in two phases in 2013 and 2014 and features five residence halls and the 50,000-square-foot Global Commons building.
President Book announced the namings during her Aug. 20 address to faculty and staff to mark the opening of the 2018–19 academic year. The entire 鶹Ƶ community is invited to celebrate the building namings at a formal ceremony and reception at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 9. A ceremony to mark the naming of the suite in the Inman Admissions Welcome Center will be held Nov. 26.
Russell B. Gill Hall
Russell B. Gill served the university for nearly four decades in many important leadership roles, including Maude Sharpe Powell Professor and Distinguished University Professor, before his retirement in 2014.
He joined the 鶹Ƶ faculty in 1976, serving as chair of the department of literature, languages and communications, the predecessor to the Department of English, from 1983 to 1988. True to his commitment to academic excellence, he spearheaded revisions to the General Studies curriculum in the 1990s as part of 鶹Ƶ’s change to the four-credit-hour system.
Gill held many significant leadership roles at 鶹Ƶ, serving as coordinator of humanities and director of general studies in 1994. From 1996 to 2000, Gill served as dean of arts and sciences. He also served as Faculty Fellow for the university’s living-learning community initiative.
A respected and accomplished scholar and teacher, Gill instilled a love of learning in thousands of students, whether he was teaching basic composition or 17th and 18th century British and European literature. In recognition of his dedication to students and learning, he was chosen to receive the Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1986. His unwavering dedication to intellectual inquiry made him the ideal choice to chair 鶹Ƶ’s Phi Beta Kappa Steering Committee and successfully lead the university’s quest to shelter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, achieved in 2010, and to serve as the first president of 鶹Ƶ’s Eta chapter. For his many contributions to 鶹Ƶ, he was awarded the 鶹Ƶ Medallion, the university’s highest honor, in 2015.
G. Smith Jackson Hall
A charismatic administrator, Smith Jackson served 鶹Ƶ’s students with integrity and dedication for more than 24 years. He joined 鶹Ƶ in 1994 as dean of students and was promoted to vice president in 1998. As a member of President Emeritus Leo M. Lambert’s senior staff, Jackson was responsible for all aspects of student life, including 15 departments that provided student services and co-curricular programs for student learning and development.
Jackson was instrumental in shaping the modern 鶹Ƶ, building a student life program that is a national model, fully integrated with the intellectual life of the campus. He was also a highly visible leader on campus, communicating regularly about issues of safety and security and providing a calm and comforting voice in difficult times.
Jackson, who stepped down from his role as vice president for student life and dean of students in 2017, currently serves as assistant to the president. In addition, for the past two and a half years he coordinated the design and launch of the new Master of Arts in Higher Education program housed in 鶹Ƶ’s School of Education, which launched this year.
Among the many recognitions Jackson has received are the Residence Life Golden Key Award; the Phillips-Perry Lifetime Service Award from the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity and the Black Student Union; the LGBT Alumni Community Enrichment Award; and the Civic Engagement Professional of the Year Award from North Carolina Campus Compact.
鶹Ƶ’s Student Government Association created the Outstanding Student Mentor Award in his name and the 鶹Ƶ chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary bears his name.
Nan P. Perkins Hall
Nan Perkins served 鶹Ƶ for 32 years as a valued member of the senior staff, a close adviser to two presidents and as vice president for enrollment management and vice president for university advancement, guiding the institution to new levels of national visibility and excellence in academics, communications and philanthropy, and helping to shape and tell the 鶹Ƶ story.
Perkins began her 鶹Ƶ career in 1976 as a part-time English instructor before joining President J. Fred Young’s staff as director of communications. In 1985 she launched the Office of Publications, the predecessor of today’s Office of University Communications, where she managed internal and external communications as director of publications and public information. Under her leadership, 鶹Ƶ received numerous awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, setting a new standard for college and university publications nationwide.
In 1988–89 Perkins conceptualized and coordinated 鶹Ƶ’s Centennial celebration before becoming dean of admissions and financial planning in 1990. During her tenure in admissions, applications increased 30 percent and the SAT average for incoming students increased more than 100 points, enabling 鶹Ƶ to emerge on the national scene and achieve recognition in national college and university rankings and guidebooks.
Perkins was named vice president for institutional advancement in 2000, presiding over the conclusion of the $47 million 鶹Ƶ Vision campaign and laying the groundwork for the $100 million Ever 鶹Ƶ campaign, the largest comprehensive fundraising effort in 鶹Ƶ’s history.
Perkins and her late husband, Ed, have been generous supporters of 鶹Ƶ, including endowing the Edward T. and Nan P. Perkins Scholarship. She was awarded the 鶹Ƶ Medallion in 2011 for her outstanding leadership and distinguished service to 鶹Ƶ.
Susan C. Klopman Graduate Admissions Suite
Susan Klopman served 27 years in several leadership roles at 鶹Ƶ prior to her retirement in 2011. She began her career in 1985 as assistant director in 鶹Ƶ’s Department of Publications and Public Relations, converting the college’s alumni publication from a newsprint tabloid to a magazine. She later became director of foundation and corporate relations in the development office before joining the president’s office in 1993, serving as assistant to President J. Fred Young and the board of trustees.
In 1996, Klopman joined the admissions office as assistant dean. She was named dean of admissions in 2000 and was promoted to vice president in 2006, leading all of 鶹Ƶ’s undergraduate and graduate enrollment, financial aid and admissions marketing operations.
Klopman played a key role in developing 鶹Ƶ’s Fellows programs for outstanding students and led creation of numerous new scholarship programs. In developing a sophisticated admissions strategy under Klopman’s leadership, 鶹Ƶ’s annual applications for admission grew from 5,600 in 2000 to more than 9,000 in 2011. The size of the freshman class increased during that time from 1,140 to 1,400 and 鶹Ƶ’s total enrollment increased from 3,900 undergraduates to 5,225. In addition, 鶹Ƶ expanded its graduate admissions operations as well as its programs to recruit international students.