On the eve of the dedication ceremony for the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences (MDCHS) last week, the Mary Baldwin University Board of Trustees surprised President Pamela Fox by proclaiming that the teaching and instructional wing at the new Fishersville facility will bear her name.
Jane Miller ’76, chairwoman of the Board, made the announcement at a dinner April 16 in the MDCHS atrium.
“There is a person whose contributions to Mary Baldwin are so great that we cannot let this occasion pass without mentioning and honoring them,” Miller said. “From the realization that Mary Baldwin could and should do more to cement its future, to understanding how all the pieces of the institution should come together to create synergy and strength, to creating an overarching strategy and simultaneously managing the minutest details, to sustaining what for anyone else would be a not only punishing but nigh impossible work schedule of continual intensity — our president, Pamela Fox, deserves our praise and our thanks.”
A plaque near the entrance of the wing includes Fox’s photograph and a quotation from her that reads: “We, the community of Mary Baldwin University, throughout our continuous evolution, will never lose sight of our legacy, our core values, and our strengths of perseverance, courageous patience, and innovative tradition that have and will sustain us.”
The rest of the plaque reads: “In recognition of her extraordinary vision, exceptional leadership, and deeply personal dedication to Mary Baldwin University — qualities matched by her gracious manner and caring heart — the Board of Trustees names the Teaching and Instructional Wing for Dr. Pamela Fox, ninth president of Mary Baldwin, who was essential to the establishment of the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences and in positioning the entire institution for a thriving future.”