During its June meeting the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors conferred the emerita title on Patricia Lavender, associate professor of theatre arts.

Lavender brought significant visibility to theatre at Virginia Tech through numerous publications and presentations, by marketing and publicizing the theatre program and theatrical productions on campus, and through active participation with regional and national arts and education organizations. She taught a range of undergraduate courses in theatre, including arts management, community engagement, nonprofit structures, audience development, and arts marketing, advising and supporting hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, as they prepared for successful careers in diverse fields. Lavender joined the Virginia Tech community in 1984; she earned her bachelor’s degree from Maryville College and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland.