We
began this academic year with two prominent new additions that have
secured a “national niche” for Virginia Wesleyan University. With the
completion of the Greer Environmental Sciences Center and the opening of
the Batten Honors College, we have expanded our teaching, research, and
service toward the vital goals of studying and preserving the natural
environment. These efforts have brought us much attention, and the
Virginia Wesleyan name is becoming increasingly recognized.
To that point, it gives me great pride to share that Virginia Wesleyan University will be honored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) with the organization’s top award at their “DC on the Half Shell” event on Monday, February 26, in Washington, D.C. Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Will Baker and Board Chair Harry Lester visited campus last month to invite the University’s participation in this esteemed occasion, which will jointly recognize VWU and our friends at Washington College for our vision and dedication to educating the next generation of Bay leaders.
Virginia Wesleyan University
Board Chair David Kaufman, his wife Kay, and Washington College Board
Chair Larry Culp, and his wife Wendy, have been designated honorary
co-chairs for the event, which raises vital funds for CBF’s education
and restoration efforts. The last Half Shell event raised enough funds
to allow for the planting of 20 million juvenile oysters on
sanctuary reefs in Maryland and Virginia and more than 17,000 trees
across the watershed. In addition, 9,600 oyster shells from the event
were brought back to CBF's Maryland Oyster Restoration Center to be used
on sanctuary reefs in the Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation will recognize Virginia Wesleyan for our Greer Environmental Sciences Center.
This magnificent 44,000-square-foot facility is second to none of any
institution in the study of marine sciences, ecology, and preservation
and sustainability of the natural world. It marks the University’s
commitment to the field of environmental science, and it invites
collaboration with organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s
Brock Environmental Center, the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science
Center, and the Virginia Institute for Marine Science.
Washington College will be honored for its Center for Environment and Society,
which envisions a healthy and thriving Chesapeake Bay and watershed in
which natural systems and human communities are in balance. The Center
promotes environmental issues and social values through various
interdisciplinary academic programs including the Chester River
Observatory and Field Research Station, energy programs, archaeology,
and the unique Chesapeake Semester, in which select students journey in,
on and around the 64,000-square-mile watershed. I am impressed by the
work of this Center and hope to find ways to collaborate with Washington
College on these efforts in the very near future.
There can be
no greater contribution to future generations than a commitment to
preserving our planet. Our investment in environmental programs will
create a priceless legacy for our campus community, our home region, and
our world. We are honored to be recognized by the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, and I look forward to sharing additional information as we
draw closer to this distinguished event.
