I
hope today’s message finds each of you feeling rested and well and that
you are enjoying your Labor Day holiday. This will be a momentous week
for the Virginia Wesleyan community, as we celebrate our annual Founders
Day and highlight the University’s steadfast commitment to the
environment.
Sustainability is a way of life at Virginia
Wesleyan. Anyone who sets foot on our beautiful 300-acre park-like
campus knows it as a green oasis of trees, open fields and flowers. Our
campus also happens to be home to an old-growth beech forest.
Designated
in 1992 as a Natural Heritage Resource by the Commonwealth of Virginia
and listed on the Council of Independent Colleges’ site for Historic
Campus Architecture, this nearly 12-acre forest is a living testament to
Virginia Wesleyan’s past and future commitment to environmental
preservation.
Beech forest is an old-growth hardwood forest which
gives a glimpse into past forest conditions in our region. It
encompasses several acres of mature hardwoods, with a very tall canopy
and an undisturbed understory, making it a sustainable ecological
system.
This Founders Day—Thursday, September 7—we will unveil
new campus signage for the old-growth beech forest at 1:45 p.m. in the
traffic circle adjacent to the Batten Student Center. Dr. Elizabeth
Malcolm, Chair of the President's Environmental Issues Council and
Professor of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, will present the new sign,
which tells the story of this unique and beautiful part of our campus.
I invite you to join us for this meaningful ceremony and to celebrate the environmental commitment it represents on our campus.
Sincerely,
