It
was wonderful to welcome the Virginia Wesleyan University Board of
Trustees to campus on Wednesday, October 18, for their fall meeting.
Special thanks to Board Chair David Kaufman for the continued leadership
and strength he brings to our campus.
The Board heard a special
presentation from Vice President for Enrollment David Waggoner on the
implementation of Virginia Wesleyan University Online, as well as
progress reports and actions from the Committees of Academic Affairs,
Administration and Finance, Advancement, Enrollment, and Student
Affairs. Among the actions for the day, the Trustees approved FY 2018-19
Tuition and Room and Board for the University: 0% for tuition and 3.5%
for Room and Board for an overall increase of 0.7%; approved an outside
evaluation of the institution’s banking services; and approved
participation in the CICV Multi-Employer Retirement Plan. We reviewed
the importance of a 12-month operational and enrollment model as well as
plans and progress on current capital projects, including the Susan S.
Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center and the Coastal 61 at Oxford
Village housing development across from the main entrance to campus.
The
Board adopted a resolution honoring Virginia Wesleyan’s 2017 NCAA
Division III National Softball Championship, and Mr. Kaufman and I had the honor
during the meeting of presenting the framed document to Head Coach
Brandon Elliott ’03 and members of the team. The resolution, along with
the championship trophy and several other accolades, will be displayed
in the Jane P. Batten Student Center near the entrance to the
Convocation Center.
Dr. Larry Hultgren (Professor of Philosophy)
gave a presentation during lunch about the introductory Batten Honors
College course, “Complex Global Challenges,” which he co-teaches with
Dr. Bill Gibson (Professor of Political Science) and Dr. Elizabeth
Malcolm (Professor of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences). Students
Max Peters and Jennifer Vega followed with eloquent sentiments about the
meaningful experiences they have had thus far as part of the first
cohort of the Batten Honors College. Thank you to Dr. Hultgren, Max and
Jennifer for joining us for this special occasion.
We are
grateful to our Trustees for their dedication to Virginia Wesleyan
University. They are generous with not only their time and wisdom, but
also their financial support—and they ensure that the University remains
committed to its mission as we chart our strategic course for the
coming years. We look forward to the winter meeting of the Board in
February.
