I am pleased to share the naming of two of our campus villages. With the
start of the 2017-18 Academic Year, Village II will become Allen
Village, named for the late Dennie Allen ’70, and Village IV will become
the Honors Village.
By virtue of his place in the alphabet,
Dennie Allen received Virginia Wesleyan's first diploma at our first
Commencement in 1970. He passed away last fall on September 1, just one
week before our first Founders Day. His obituary described the day he
graduated as “the happiest of his life,” and said that he “loved to tell
people that he was the very first person to receive a diploma from the
College.” On his death, Dennie left his estate to Virginia Wesleyan. We
are so grateful for his generosity and proud to honor our first graduate
in this most fitting way.
This fall, we will welcome our first
cohort of the Batten Honors College. Over time, the Honors Village will
begin housing these students. It will be a living-learning community,
serving to expand the student experience beyond the classroom,
strengthen engagement in campus life, and help develop meaningful social
connections. This inclusive community-centered environment will support
the personal and intellectual growth of our Batten Fellows and
Shumadine Scholars.
The College is currently separated into four
villages over its nearly 300-acre campus. Bray Village and Village II
feature residential space, classrooms, and faculty and staff offices.
Brock Village and Village IV are solely residential complexes.
Construction
is expected to begin in 2017-18 on a fifth village on College-owned
land on the north side of Wesleyan Drive. Oxford Village will be named
in honor of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and the namesake of
Virginia Wesleyan College, who attended and was laid to rest at Christ
Church in Oxford, England. The facility will be designed to house
faculty, staff, students—most likely upper-level, graduate, or
international students—from Virginia Wesleyan or even other nearby
organizations.
The naming of our campus buildings tells the story
of those who have come before us and stood beside us. Please join me as
we integrate these special names into our campus culture and celebrate
our institution’s rich history.
