Judd Kennedy has a lot to smile about. He has just been announced as a Marshall Scholar. This is a scholarship that will finance his studies at any U.K. university of his choice next year. Judd was also recently initiated into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. These accolades are just the beginning of describing Judd: eloquence, unassuming intellect — he is fluent in Arabic — passion, and of course, his beautiful eyes and gentle demeanor. That Guy discusses his journey, which includes his passion for social justice, his studies and his plan to eventually live and work in the Middle East.

p. **What is your proudest accomplishment during your tenure at the College?**

p. It’s hard to say because I don’t think that the things that mean the most are always tangible, so to levy them as such is difficult. Personally, I think my greatest accomplishment, or the one that has meant the most to me, has been the Gentlemen and kind of finding my place within that group. It’s not specific, but I came in not knowing my place and not sure of myself at all, and it all changed one moment when I was singing with the group of guys and realized I belonged … I finally got it. That was probably one of the key moments I am going to look back on and think, “Wow … it was amazing to be a part of that.”

p. **What is your favorite Gentlemen historic fact?**

p. Well my favorite, and least well known, fact would be that there was a period of time in the mid-90s when the Gentlemen had a long tradition of streaking the Sunken Garden together after the spring final concert. Sometimes they would do it running, other times they would do it walking. They were crazy. The tradition has since died out but there have been talks of bringing the tradition back. I can’t tell you the rest or I’d have to kill you.

p. **What have you done that you would consider crazy?**

p. I wouldn’t call this so crazy, but I definitely turned a lot of heads when I went to the West Bank to study Arabic. A lot of people were just like, “Really Judd? Are you crazy?” It was during the Gaza disengagement, so there was a large presence of political and military tension at the time. Retrospectively, I thought I was much safer than I actually was, but the trip definitely defined my experiences as a Middle Eastern studies major.

p. **And what is it you want to do with your life?**

p. Especially after my four years at college, I have gained an appreciation for the immense amount of suffering, disparities in status of living and the degree to which much of the world population does not have the resources I have received. I have been given a heart for social justice to help those that can’t help themselves: the weak, poor and oppressed. Wherever I go, I want to be centered on that. Not on self glory or the latest fad, but the idea that I am trying to change the conditions of the world with the gifts that I’ve been given and that I won’t become complacent or satisfied because the world has to and needs to be changed.
I just learned I am going to be attending the School of London next year. While there, I am going to work toward two master degrees there through a Marshall Scholarship: one in international law and diplomacy and the other in management in the Middle East. I will be trying to build on my background on the Middle East and my expertise outside of those two degrees.

p. After that, I’m not sure what I will do. I could see myself working with USAid or another government agency that does work in the Middle East. I know I want to live in Middle East and I want to be able to work and live with people, while actively contributing to help our world’s problems.

p. **Can you tell me a little about the Marshall Scholarship?**
Sure. It is a scholarship for 40 American students each year and is a partnership between the United States and British government to bring students from America to study in the U.K. It’s a sign of friendship; after World War II, England wanted to give it as a sign of goodwill back to America. The scholarship finances your tuition at any of the U.K. universities and I decided to go to London.

p. To be honest, I really wanted to be able to get the scholarship, but I was not entirely sure that I would. It is really difficult to attain, and I was surprised when it actually happened. I was in the football stadium for the JMU game and I got a call from a random number. I checked the voicemail and there was a British accent that said, “Congratulations, you got it.” I was in shock because I couldn’t believe it would actually happen.

p. **Do you believe in fate?**

p. I don’t believe in fate the way it would be expressed as fate. I do think that life is driven [by] a specific purpose and from my faith perspective, it is God working [in] my life to bring about certain ends. I don’t think you should wait for certain things to happen. There has to be a human motive to go out and do things, but much of [what] is determined is God’s will. A case in point is the Marshall scholarship. I spent 12 hours redoing my essay the day before it was turned it in. I didn’t think there was any possibility I would get it and suddenly, I got called back for interview. The last question of my interview was actually about how faith and politics should be intermixed, if at all. I guess I don’t believe in fate, but that a purpose exists behind every action and consequence.

p. **What spurred your passion for social justice and Middle East affairs?**

p. I actually had two different professors that had a truly profound impact on me. Through the Sharpe program, I had the opportunity to take Social Justice and Engagement with professor Schwartz of the Charles Center. He totally rocked my world and really made me think about what it means to be a citizen and how I am going to serve other people. He colored the way I talk and think about things today and put me on the path of everything I’ve done at the College. The second, Annie Higgins, was my freshman Arabic professor. She is now teaching at University of Florida, but she is one of the most phenomenal women I have ever met. She was so passionate and incredibly engaging in class. She is the only professor I know of that would go to all of the cultural dances and then set up five-to-six-hour long coffee sessions with her students. I attribute her mentorship to why I am so interested and want to work in the Middle East.

p. **How have your parents reacted to your desire to work and live in that region?**

p. Well, they were incredibly worried for my first summer. That summer I pushed the limit as far as I could so the next summer, when I traveled to France was kind of a, “Well that’s easy,” type of thing. I think it was after that first year that my parents weren’t as worried about me. They always want me to keep in contact and in touch wherever I am. I would e-mail or Skype to talk to [them] when I was abroad to try and ease their fears. They are still worried but they realize that I’m passionate about it and that’s where I want to live and do my work and they’ve accepted that.

For a few students at the College, the start of a typical day involves walking to the Recreation Center at 5 a.m. ­— not to exercise, but to work.

p. But not all student employees wake up so early, and there are also several on-campus jobs with later shifts. Swem Library has shifts that last until 11 or 12 p.m.

p. “Hours are based on seniority,” University Center Information desk employee Baiyina Atkinson ’08 said. “You basically pick your schedule.”

p. Students said that it is fairly easy to study while on the job.
“It depends on what shifts you get,” Meg Dailey ’08, a Rec Center employee, said. “[It’s pretty easy] if you work in the morning or late at night.”

p. Students who work for e-SWAT, Swem’s information technology team, and at the UC information desk agree.

p. “It’s hard because people are always stopping to ask questions,” Atkinson said.

p. Ed Irish, director of the Office of Financial Aid at the College, said that there were many benefits to getting a job on campus instead of off campus, and Dailey agreed.

p. “If you have a test, on-campus employers might be more understanding,” she said. “It’s a lot more flexible [than off-campus work] because everybody’s in the same boat.”

p. While on-campus work may be more attractive than off-campus employment, off-campus jobs often pay more. Some older students who work off campus waiting tables, for example, say they can earn as much as $8,000 per year. Irish pointed out that a wage like that can cover all living expenses for the year.

p. IT and research assistant wages are $8 per hour, whereas box office staff and student assistants earn $6 per hour. Resident assistants are also considered employees of the College.
“RAs get a free room and money on their debit card,” Irish said.
However, difficulties may arise when trying to apply pay toward tuition.

p. “We really do not have any provisions for that,” Irish said. “The billing system does not coincide with getting paid.”

p. This issue seems to be of little concern to student employees, since most students tend to use their wages for other costs.

p. “My parents said that I have to pay for gas, food and extra expenses,” Brittany Bynum ’10, a Rec Center employee, said.
Atkinson said that her income helps pay for clubs and other activities.

p. “You get a paycheck like everybody else and you can use it how you want to,” e-SWAT employee Huy Ho ’10 said.

p. Students do not have too many complaints about the double life of being a student employee.

p. “It’s a nice way to spend your time,” Ho said.

The College’s Six-Year Institutional Plan, submitted to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) Sept. 27, focuses on maintaining prior high faculty standards, having a diverse student body, keeping the student body small and keeping the College affordable.

p. Changes proposed in the projection include enhancing research productivity, boosting quality and increasing external funding and revenue. In order to meet these goals, the College has created a financial plan that aims to increase external funding for the main campus by 5 percent, from roughly $23 million to $37.5 million, by 2014.

p. The Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Act of 2005 requires that every two years public colleges and universities in Virginia submit a six-year plan including an academic plan, financial plan and six-year enrollment projections. The College first submitted a plan in 2005 and has made progress in fundamental state goals regarding access, enrollment, affordability and student retention.

p. Its goals include enhancing science programs and research, along with building new arts, business and education facilities.
These changes are being made in the hopes of enhancing faculty and student research productivity.

p. In order to meet these goals, the College set up a number of objectives, including meeting research space needs for the physics department and the School of Education.

p. “As budget deficits in Washington get larger, colleges are getting more aggressive, and more people are chasing fewer dollars,” Vice President of Finance Sam Jones said.

p. To increase support for research, the College will place emphasis on augmenting research start up funds. Applied science, computer science and neuroscience gain the most attention from the plan because the College has determined that they have insufficient faculty and research space to be competitive for federal grants.

p. In addition to increasing external funding, the plan hints at a successor campaign to the $500 million Campaign for William and Mary. Jones said that a future campaign is several years away, and would involve reviewing the campaign for some guidance with regard to immediate fundraising needs.

p. The financial plan is critical for the implementation of many of the College’s other goals, including raising faculty and staff salary and maintaining heavy need-based financial support for students.
The College’s goal of attracting and retaining a high-quality faculty and staff has led to a plan to raise the average faculty salary over time to a nationally competitive level.

p. The plan stressed maintaining the College’s high student standards and retention rate. Projected enrollment rates show that the College has no intention of increasing its size and aims to increase its total enrollment by only 1 percent over the next six years.

p. “We are committed to the size of the College. It is very important to maintaining undergraduate research and opportunity,” Jones said.

p. While enrollment numbers may not change, the source of students may. One of the goals of the plan is to increase the number of students admitted from community colleges.

p. Additionally, the plan named supporting low-income students as one of its highest priorities over the next six years. The College hopes to enroll more than 600 students of lower socioeconomic status by the end of the six-year planning period.

p. Future tuition numbers were absent from the plan due to the difficulty involved in predicting the tuition increases over the next six years.

p. “Projected tuition is completely based on whether there is state support or not. We have to plan for both conditions,” Jones said.
Jones pointed out that most of the plan is based on the state’s fundamental expectations for the College, including a commitment to the growth of teacher education and physical, mathematical and biological sciences — areas of “critical need” for the commonwealth.

p. The College has promised to maintain close collaborative relationships with public elementary and secondary schools
“[In the plan] there are not many new ideas or priorities; it’s just focusing our resources,” Jones said.