Enjoyed hosting representatives from LifeNet Health to campus for lunch and tour of the new Greer Environmental Sciences Center. We discussed wonderful partnership opportunities between the two organizations. Pictured are Eric Harrison, Superintendent, Hourigan Construction; Dr. Mort Gamble, Vice President for Advancement; Suzanne Savage, Associate Vice President for Advancement; Dr. Maynard Schaus, Chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Doug Wilson (VWC Class of 1986) Executive Vice President, LifeNet Health; Craig Vick, Vice President for Human Resources, LifeNet Health; and Dr. Jing Song Chen, General Manager, Life Sciences Cell Product, LifeNet Health.

Nota Bene: Reaffirmation of Accreditation, New Student Orientation and More

June 30, 2016

I’m pleased to share that Virginia Wesleyan College has received reaffirmation of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Commission on Colleges. Our ten year reaffirmation included no follow up reports or recommendations. Congratulations to all faculty and staff who worked so diligently on this for the past few years.

Our new student orientation on June 24 and June 27 brought incoming freshmen and their families to campus for advising sessions and information about becoming a Marlin. The Class of 2020 was engaged in “Welcome Aboard” sessions focused on topics from financial aid and roommates to the common freshman read and The Lighthouse, and more. Thanks to Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Moore and all faculty and staff who contributed to making the orientation events so successful. A feature and photo gallery is on our website: http://www.vwc.edu/news-a-events/news-releases/welcome-aboard

This week Dr. Soraya Bartol, professor of marine biology and director of undergraduate research, David Waggoner, vice president for enrollment,  and I had a fascinating visit to the beautiful campus of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester Point to discuss collaborative opportunities. We met with Dr. John Wells, Dean of the School of Marine Science and Director of the Institute and Dr. Linda Schaffner, Associate Dean of Academic Studies. The School of Marine Science at VIMS is a graduate school of the College of William and Mary.  VIMS offers both masters and Ph.Ds and has more than 50 faculty.  We discussed collaborative opportunities for undergraduate research, internships, and dual degrees. We hope to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with VIMS in the near future.

I met with staff from The Port of Virginia, including Joe Ruddy ’83, Chief Innovation Officer, and Jim Bibbs, Chief Human Resources Officer. We discussed collaborative opportunities with The Port of Virginia and the outstanding work of two of our student interns at the Port.

I also attended the ACCESS Foundation Luncheon to be a part of the celebration for nearly 200 local high school students who will be attending college in the fall-- several of them are coming to Virginia Wesleyan--thanks to scholarship support from this incredible Foundation. ACCESS Scholars attending Virginia Wesleyan are Lorenzo Austin, Monique Ayers, Kaniah Elkerson, Rickiece Poulson, Jazmine Rogers and Myah Williams. We are happy to welcome them to our campus as members of the Class of 2020.

This afternoon, at the invitation of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, I will be exploring the Lynnhaven River at the Brock Environmental Center. Annie and I will be on the Bay Oyster, a skiff that is trailered at VWC, for about two hours and we are looking forward to this opportunity.

Last Saturday, the City of Norfolk held their Neighbors Building Neighbors Conference and Awards Luncheon on our campus. I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Herbst, senior neighborhood development specialist and many of the attendees. Special thanks to Amanda McKenna in Dining Services for coordinating this special event.

I’m pleased to share that Joanne Renn, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, represented me for three days of meetings at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England -- our newest international partner. I look forward to the information she will bring back to the College.

Finally, our enrollment consultant, John Dysart, will be here tomorrow for a day of consulting and planning with the Enrollment Planning Committee. I am encouraged by the progress we have made with enrollment planning and processes this year. We are on target to meet our goals.

An enjoyable visit with Joe Ruddy '83, Chief Innovation Officer at The Port of Virginia, at his office in the World Trade Center.

Welcoming new Marlin parents Frank and Astrid Schiller (their daughter Miriam is in the class of 2020) at the Parents Council reception at Birdsong Presidential Suite. Frank works for NATO, one of the College's partnering organizations.

Annie and Lori McCarel '94, Executive Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, welcoming new Marlin Parent Amy Imbriaco '01 during the Parents' Council reception in the Birdsong Presidential Suite.

Beautiful day at the Parents Council reception on the back patio at the Birdsong Presidential Suite with Eva Yelity and Tiffany Williams, Director of Special Constituencies.

Pictured with Jim and Jennifer Boyd, parents of new Marlin James Boyd at New Student Orientation. James is the grandson of one of the founding trustees of Virginia Wesleyan College. His grandfather is the namesake of the Boyd Dining Center and the VWC Boyd Institute. #VWC2020

Great to welcome new members of the Class of 2020, who are already part of the Marlin Family. Center, Kylea McCarel and John Leitgeb. Joining us for the picture: Lori McCarel (VWC Executive Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations) and Robert Leitgeb (Chief Information Officer). #VWC2020

With four of our VWC vice presidents just before the start of today's opening session at New Student Orientation. Pictured with me: Tim O'Rourke (Vice President for Academic Affairs), Mort Gamble (Vice President for Advancement), Cary Sawyer (Vice President for Finance), Bruce Vaughan (Vice President for Facilities and Operations).

With new Marlin, Maggie Kingora (Sterling, VA), and her family between sessions of New Student Orientation. Maggie's aunt, Mary Ann Whisner Lewis, and I attended West Virginia Wesleyan together many years ago. Also pictured is Dr. Mort Gamble, who was on the faculty of WVWC when we were there. ‪#‎VWC2020

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This week's edition of "@vawesleyan": http://conta.cc/28PSwIw

Featured today in "Power of the Liberal Arts" nationwide campaign

Welcomed the City of Norfolk Neighbors Building Neighborhoods (NBN) Conference to Virginia Wesleyan College this morning. Pictured with Jim Herbst, Senior Neighborhood Development Specialist from the City of Norfolk.

With Lori McCarel '94, our new Executive Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, and Troy DeLawrence '93, VWC Alumni Council, at today's Parents Reception in the Birdsong Presidential Suite in Godwin Hall.

Always a pleasure meeting new Marlin Parents. Jeff Stredler's daughter, Megan, is in the class of 2020. Joining us for the picture is Tiffany Williams, Director of Special Constituencies.

Enjoyed being with Joan Brock, VWC Board of Trustee emerita, and Bonnie Sutton '99, President and CEO of the Access College Foundation, at the Access College Foundation Scholarship Awards Luncheon today. Six of the scholars recognized today will attend Virginia Wesleyan in the fall as part of the class of 2020.

VWC Professor Dr. Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson and Dr. Lawrence Dotolo (President of VTC) at the Virginia Tidewater Consortium's Summer Institute on College Teaching at the College of William and Mary.

Enjoyed visiting with Larry and Carter Bernert, longtime friends and supporters of Virginia Wesleyan College, at today's Access College Foundation Scholarship Awards Luncheon at the Chesapeake Convention Center.

Welcoming the Class of 2020! The first of our three New Student Orientations.

With Bob Marlin.

New Student Orientation is underway!

Nota Bene: Busy Week in Coastal Virginia

June 24, 2016

 

The summer continues to be a busy time at Coastal Virginia’s premier private liberal arts college.  

 

At the invitation of Senator Mark Warner, I recently visited with Dr. Ernest Moniz, the 13^th U.S. Secretary of Energy, and Congressman Bobby Scott at the 2016 Virginia Energy Policy Forum (VEPF) – sponsored by Senator Warner -- at the Hampton Convention Center. VEPF provides an opportunity for energy and climate stakeholders in industry, academia, and local government, as well as interested citizens, to gather for educational panels and seminars that review major state, national and international regulatory provisions, energy-security topics, and other issues that will not only affect the Virginia economy but the way we diversify our energy mix moving forward.

 

I then traveled to Roanoke for the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. It was nice to reconnect with numerous colleagues and friends like Virginia Wesleyan Vice President-Emeritus Jim Bergdoll and Rev. Ned Alderman, Senior Pastor at Epworth United Methodist Church and a 1984 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan, during the conference. Annual Conference is also the time that the Association of Educational Institutions meet to discuss apportionments to higher education, church issues, and to elect officers for the Association of Educational Institutions.  It is an honor to succeed my good friend and long-time colleague, retiring President Jennifer Braaten, President of Ferrum College, as chair of AEI.

 

Meetings on campus this week included time with Ginger Johnston Philbrick, who visited campus from her home in White Stone, Virginia. Ginger’s father, Dr. Joseph S. Johnston, was the first president of Virginia Wesleyan College in 1965. We enjoyed talking about the College’s history and our future plans.

 

On Tuesday, June 21, it was exciting to welcome former President Billy Greer, his wife Fann, and Trustee Emerita Jane Batten to campus for a ceremonial signing of the last piece of structural steel to be placed on the forthcoming Greer Environmental Sciences Center. The new 40,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open fall 2017, and will be a state-of-the-art facility for teaching and research. Read more about our "beam signing" ceremony on the VWC website: http://www.vwc.edu/news-a-events/news-releases/beam-signing-marks-milestone

 

Dr. David Black, Counsel to the President, and I traveled to Charlottesville, VA, this week to meet with Dr. Allan Stam, Dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. While there we discussed collaborative opportunities between the Batten School and Virginia Wesleyan.  

 

In addition, our campus was proud to host Reinvent Hampton Roads and the group’s new president and CEO, Jim Spore, at VWC for a briefing and discussion session on the Industry Cluster Analysis currently underway for the region. I was pleased to welcome the group and provide an overview of the College as they began their meeting. Reinvent Hampton Roads is a community leadership initiative focused on generating high-paying, satisfying jobs to underpin a vibrant economy for the region.

 

Finally, congratulations are in order for Judy Tinsley who is retiring from VWC after 26 years as the Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A campus wide celebration was held in her honor and many members of the VWC community gathered to wish her well.  Judy’s sons, Matt Conrad ’97 and Jon Conrad ‘03, are alumni of Virginia Wesleyan.

 

I hope the summer is going well for all of you.

Fascinating visit to the beautiful campus of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester Point to discuss collaborative opportunities. Pictured with: Linda Schaffner, Associate Dean of Academic Studies; John Wells, Dean of VIMS; and Soraya Bartol, VWC Professor of Marine Biology, Director of Undergraduate Research and Supervisor of the Research Vessel.

Our own Joanne Renn after day three of meetings at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England -- our newest international partner.

Joanne Renn is representing me this week at the annual partners meeting at Harlaxton College in England. Harlaxton was the number 1 study abroad location in the world for American students last year. I've been fortunate to have a relationship with them at two other institutions and have been invited to extended that relationship to Virginia Wesleyan College. Joanne is pictured with Wes Milner, Harlaxton's Executive Director of International Programs, and Holly Carter, Director of Harlaxton College Programs.

Judy Tinsley is retiring after 26 years as the Assistant for the Vice President for Academic Affairs. She is pictured here with her sons, Matt Conrad, VWC class of 1997, and Jon Conrad, VWC class of 2003.

A campus wide celebration was held today in honor of Judy Tinsley, who is retiring after 26 years at the College. Dr. Tim O'Rourke, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and I were honored to celebrate with Judy, who devoted her entire career here to serving as the administrative assistant in the Dean's office.

Enjoyable visit today with Dr. Allan Stam (Dean) at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.

IKEA coming to our Virginia Wesleyan neighborhood in 2018: http://goo.gl/xsy9Bl

Local coverage of today's "beam signing" ceremony: http://www.vwc.edu/news-a-events/news-releases/beam-signing-marks-milestone

Exciting to welcome former President Billy Greer, his wife Fann, and Trustee Emerita Jane Batten to campus today for a ceremonial signing of the last piece of structural steel to be placed on the forthcoming Greer Environmental Sciences Center. The new facility is scheduled to open fall 2017, and will be a state-of-the-art facility for teaching and research. Joining us for the picture is Hourigan Construction President Mark Hourigan and Executive Vice President Chris Brandt.

Enjoyed meeting Ginger Philbrick, who visited campus from her home in White Stone, Virginia. Her father, Dr. Joseph S. Johnston, was the first president of Virginia Wesleyan College in 1965.

Happy "official" first day of summer!

With Robert Lindgren, President of Randolph-Macon College, Jennifer Braaten, President of Ferrum College, and John Peters, Executive Director of the Association of Educational Institutions of the United Methodist Church after today's higher education business session of the Virginia Annual Conference of the UMC in Roanoke. Dr. Braaten is the retiring Chair of AEI, and Dr. Lindgren is Immediate Past Chair. I become Chair for 2016-17 next month.

So nice to visit with Virginia Wesleyan Vice President-emeritus Jim Bergdoll and Rev. Ned Alderman, Senior Pastor at Epworth United Methodist Church at the Virginia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church today in Roanoke. Rev. Alderman is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan.

Attending the business session of the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church

Talking energy policy at lunch today with Ernest Moniz, United States Secretary of Energy. He has served in the Obama Administration as Energy Secretary since May 2013.

Great to visit with Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA 3rd District) at lunch today. He has represented our area since 1993 and is a good friend of Virginia Wesleyan College.

So nice to visit with Bryan Stephens, President & CEO of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, at today's Virginia Energy Policy Forum hosted by Senator Mark Warner in Hampton.

Nota Bene: A Busy Summer Week on Campus

June 17, 2016

 

It's been a busy summer week on campus. We've been working to establish a relationship with a new auditing firm. The College's new auditing firm is KPMG, a national certified public accounting firm with an office in Norfolk. KPMG will conduct our external financial statement audit, as well as the audit of our federal financial aid and grants programs and retirement plans. KPMG will also prepare our annual federal and state tax returns. We look forward to a long relationship with KPMG.

 

Many members of our community and beyond will visit the College this summer. We recently hosted 45 participants in the United Methodist Licensing School on our campus from Friday, May 27, 2016 until Friday, June 3. We are also pleased to be hosting about 100 college baseball players from across the country on campus this summer. They are participating in the Virginia Beach Collegiate Baseball League for six weeks. The five teams in the League play 40 games per week, most of them at Virginia Wesleyan.

On June 23, we will host Reinvent Hampton Roads for a briefing and discussion on a regional industry cluster analysis. The goal of the analysis is to pinpoint specific growth targets and needs for the region’s existing industry clusters within a five year period. At the meeting, Stephen S. Fuller of George Mason University and Larry “Chip” Filer of Old Dominion University will review accomplishments to date, highlight the requirements for regional economic growth, and present a draft action plan to address the requirements.

And, at the end of June, we will host the Norfolk Neighborhood Planning and Development group, which will bring about 250 people to Virginia Wesleyan for a meeting and lunch.

I’ve recently met with several city leaders. I had an enjoyable visit with the Mayor-elect of Norfolk, Kenny Alexander, and the Vice Mayor of Virginia Beach, Louis Jones. I am appreciative of both of them for their continual interest and support of Virginia Wesleyan College.

I’m pleased to announce that Virginia Wesleyan’s Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR), Dr. Larry Hultgren, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Portfolio, has been selected as a 2016 NCAA Division III FAR Fellow. The FAR Fellows Institute was launched in 2010 and aims to increase the effectiveness of Division III FARs at the campus, conference and national levels. Dr. Hultgren will participate in a three-day professional development program at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis from Friday, October 14 to Sunday, October 16.
 

Finally, I’ve attached my monthly column in the Virginian-Pilot entitled “Why Arts Education Matters.”

http://pilotonline.com/opinion/columnist/guest/scott-miller-why-arts-education-matters/article_343e416f-a7cf-5232-bf6b-54ebe7145403.html

I hope your summer is going well.

Productive meeting with Tymoff & Moss Architects and Hourigan Construction to review plans for a proposed new Fine & Performing Arts Center at Virginia Wesleyan College. The College has reached $7 million in gifts and pledges on the $14 million project.

Great to visit with Reinvent Hampton Roads President and CEO Jim Spore, former Virginia Beach city manager, on campus today.

Honored to have VWC alumni who work for the Access College Foundation on campus this morning. We celebrated their success and I updated them about current College initiatives. Pictured (left to right) are: (front row) Sara Gastler '97, Jordan Brown '03, Gabby Alexander '11, Devin Allen '04, and Ashley Woodous '05; (back row) Adria Phillips '05, Cheryl Jones '05, Megan Ulanich-Overby '04, Bonnie Sutton '99, Jenny Hechtkopf '04, and David Kidd '11.

Dr. Mort Gamble, Vice President for Advancement, and I enjoyed being with Bonnie Sutton '99, President and CEO of the Access College Foundation, this morning for breakfast. She has 11 Virginia Wesleyan Alumni that work with her.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Leo Bridge '72. He was visiting from out of town and was on a personal tour of the campus with Dr. Stephen Mansfield and his wife Dawn.

Great to visit with Ron Kuhlman, Vice President for Tourism Marketing & Sales at the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. He is a 2002 graduate of the College. Dr. Mort Gamble, Vice President for Advancement, joined us for the discussion.

My monthly column from today's The Virginian-Pilot -- "Why Arts and Humanities Matter": http://pilotonline.com/opinion/columnist/guest/scott-miller-why-arts-education-matters/article_343e416f-a7cf-5232-bf6b-54ebe7145403.html

Enjoyable visit this morning with Norfolk's Mayor-elect Kenny Alexander.

Nota Bene: Working the Summer Circuit for Virginia Wesleyan College

June 10, 2016

Good morning,

 

Summer continues to be an eventful time for me as I reach out to various partners of the College. I had two very productive meetings with our partners at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center. Our collaborative efforts provide valuable experiences for our students and faculty. We look forward to greater engagement in the future.

 

Our Master Planning Committee met to continue its work. Professionals from Aramark Engineering Solutions and Derck & Edson provided valuable information on our facilities, their condition and other assessment findings. They have conducted a space and a parking study and are beginning to design scenarios for campus improvements. We hope to have more details to share with our community in the fall.

 

I spent two productive days in Washington, DC, this week, as the Boards of Directors of Academic Search (AS), Inc., and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI) held their summer meetings there. I currently serve as chair of the AS, Inc., board and Vice Chair of AALI.  During my time there I was able to personally reconnect with old friends like Jay Lemons, President of Susquehanna University and President-Elect of Academic Search, Inc., and Tom Kepple, President of American Academic Leadership Institute, at the new headquarters.

 

It was also nice to visit with Susan Whealler Johnston and Joseph Johnston, Jr., during my visit to Washington, DC.  Joe is the son of Virginia Wesleyan College's first president and is currently Director of Consulting Services at the Association of Governing Boards (AGB). His wife, Susan, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AGB.

 

Virginia Wesleyan was pleased to welcome Kenjiro Tsuji and Professor Kazunori Yamaguchi from Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan, to campus this week. They met with members of our faculty and staff to discuss a potential relationship between our institutions for the future. Thanks to Dr. Steven Emmanuel, professor of philosophy, for connecting them to VWC.

 

Finally, Annie and I were excited to welcome our second granddaughter, Abigail Rose, on June 5 at 4:54 a.m.

 

I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer!

Enjoyed lunch and a tour of the College's fine arts building today with entertainment writer Mal Vincent and Trustee Susan Goode.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Louis Jones, Vice-Mayor of Virginia Beach, on campus today.

Virginia Wesleyan College is pleased to welcome Kenjiro Tsuji and Professor Kazunori Yamaguchi from Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan to campus today. Joining us for the picture is Tim O'Rourke, Vice President for Academic Affairs.

So nice to visit with Susan Whealler Johnston and Joseph Johnston, Jr. during my visit to Washington, DC. Joe is the son of Virginia Wesleyan College's first president and is currently Director of Consulting Services at the Association of Governing Boards. His wife, Susan, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AGB.

Productive two days in Washington, DC as the Boards of Directors of Academic Search, Inc and the American Academic Leadership Institute held their summer meetings. Serve as Chair of the AS, Inc. board and Vice Chair of AALI.

With old friends Jay Lemons, President of Susquehanna University and President-Elect of Academic Search, Inc., and Tom Kepple, President of American Academic Leadership Institute, at tonight's AS, Inc./AALI Board of Directors reception at the new headquarters in Washington, DC.