This amazing Photo of the Week was taken by NOVA Fortnightly’s former editor, Joshua Davis.

NOVA’s Loudoun campus will have a new provost come July 30 when Julie Leidig takes the top position at the campus. The provost oversees student services and campus operations.
“Dr. Leidig’s expertise and strong leadership in higher education will be a valuable addition to NOVA,” NOVA president Robert Templin said in a press release. “We look forward to welcoming her as a member of our administration.”
Leidig comes from a position as vice president of instruction at Lone Star College – Montgomery, a community college in suburban Houston. There, she oversaw …

Starting July 1 some of the promised student loan changes that president Barack Obama signed into law at NOVA will take effect.

The main change involves the way loans are handled. In the past, banks were given a subsidy for the loans they made. This left the government with the financial risk if students defaulted and gave banks the profits if the loan was repaid.

Last December’s shooting at the Woodbridge campus opened many concerns on safety issues at NOVA. To address those questions and provide ideas for a safer environment for students, faculty and staff, NOVA president Robert Templin created the Presidential Commission on Safety and Security. The commission was charged with creating a report on the state of safety and security.

Despite a special web page detailing the creation of the commission, neither the final report nor a summary of its findings, are publicly available on NOVA’s web site. However, the NOVA Fortnightly was able to obtain the report through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Road damage along East Campus Drive at the Alexandria campus will be repaired next week resulting in parking lot closures and bus detours until June 3 at the earliest. In addition East Campus Drive is closed to automobile traffic.

During the repairs Metrobus routes 25A, 25B and DASH Bus AT-6 will not pick up passengers along East Campus Drive, including the stops at Dawes Avenue and Beauregard Street. According to an email sent to students, signs will be posted at the affected bus stops. Normal bus service will resume when East Campus Drive is reopened.

A new report from NOVA gives the clearest picture yet of what happened on Dec. 8 when a student shot at a teacher on the Woodbridge campus.
The shooting occurred when a disgruntled student, Jason Hamilton, snuck a high-powered rifle hidden in a duffel bag into his math class. Hamilton fired two shots from a distance of no more than six feet at the professor. His shots missed. As he attempted to reload his rifle, it malfunctioned.

President Barack Obama will sign health care and student loan reform into law on Tuesday at NOVA’s Alexandria campus.

The modified healthcare reform bill contains several new provisions from the one Obama signed into law earlier this week. One of the largest changes is the inclusion of student loan reform, which makes the government more involved in handing out loans. It also caps the maximum loan repayment to 10 percent of a person’s annual income.

Streetcars may one day whisk passengers to NOVA’s Alexandria campus, if current plans hold up.

Planners are working on a streetcar line that would run from the Pentagon City Metro station, down Columbia Pike, and end at NOVA.

The Alexandria campus would be a central part of this new system. A control center, rail yard, and repair shop at NOVA could be part of the new line, according to Dr. Jimmie McClellan, the dean of Arts and Humanities at the Alexandria campus and a board member for the Northern Virginia Streetcar Coalition. Classes in streetcar repair and operation could be offered as well.

Tax season is rapidly approaching, and with it the stress of complicated tax laws. However, with free tax preparation workshops at NOVA and special tax credits for students, there are many ways to make the season easier.

There are several tax provisions that are designed to help students. One is the Hope Credit which can provide $2,500 for education expenses; the other is the Lifetime Learning Credit that affords a broad range of tax refunds for educational expenses.

On a dull rainy day the sounds of Scot Joplin lit up the Alexandria’s campus library. In honor of Black History Month, Professor Harvey Jacobson played the sounds of that famous African-American composer and pianist.
Around 100 students gathered in the lobby of the library to hear the music on Feb. 23. “This was the first time a concert had been held in the library” according to Dr. Jimmie McClellan. While not the first time NOVA’s Alexandria campus has had a concert, the library seemed a fitting place for the late 19th century musical genius.