For many hours a week, in sessions sometimes stretching until dawn, students role-play senators, congressional representatives, or lobbyists, debating some of today's most important policy issues-social security, human rights, etc. The class, commonly known as "simulation," provides students a practical, hands-on understanding of the workings of-and politics within-a democratic system.

The scene for these late-night caucuses and strategy sessions is most often the Strasser Academic Village, located on the second floor of Eggers Hall. The "AV" serves as both a living room and a conference room for hundreds of Maxwell's professional master's students each year. The five-room suite includes a quiet-study room, a meeting room outfitted with tables and computers, two less-formal gathering areas with Mission-style sofas and chairs, and a small kitchen.

Occasionally, the AV houses programming, such as career fairs and new-student receptions. But more often it is simply a home away from home for students and, as such, a place where community is built.

"The Academic Village fosters a true sense of camaraderie among Maxwell students," says Michael Burger, an M.P.A. student from Oakton, Va. "It offers graduate students a place of refuge, where we can escape our school stresses and get a chance to mingle with other students."

The AV has been a part of Eggers Hall since its opening, but was recently reborn, thanks to the generosity of alumnus Joseph A. Strasser '53 B.A. (Hist.)/'58 M.P.A of Jacksonville, Florida. Strasser's major gift funded improvements that make the AV more comfortable and conducive to the students' needs. Those renovations include the addition of six computer workstations, a motorized projection screen and data ports, and doors to enclose the kitchenette. Aesthetic improvements include painting; new furniture; the installation of wood paneling and trim; and the addition of bookcases, magazine racks and a filing and mail center.
 

Like many donors, Strasser has made a gift that not only helps the University, but also marks a personal passage. He completed his gift for the AV last year on December 23, marking the anniversary of that day in 1940 when he, as an 8-year-old, landed on Ellis Island with his younger brother. Natives of Austria, the boys had been separated from their parents during the Holocaust and were sent to live with an aunt in the United States. Strasser's mother died, but his father survived and was eventually reunited with his sons. After serving in the Korean War and receiving an M.P.A. from Maxwell in 1958, Strasser enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a public administrator, particularly in the area of local government finance. He was recognized as one of the top budget administrators in the nation, and was the recipient of numerous other honors and distinctions.

Now, he feels it's time to give back to the school where he planted the roots from which his successful career in public service sprang forth.

"I believe in education, and in what Maxwell and the University are doing," Strasser says. "I am pleased to do what I can to help these students to achieve their potential."

                                                                                                        —Kelly Homan Rodoski