It
is a great pleasure to share that Virginia Wesleyan University has
advanced to the top tier Model Level status in the Elizabeth River
Project’s River Star Business program. I’m told that following an annual
review of our documentation, the River Restoration Advisory Committee
unanimously agreed that the University should progress to this top
designation.
The Elizabeth River Project
is an independent non-profit that works with partner organizations to
restore the Elizabeth River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. River
Star Businesses is one of their signature programs, recognizing
organizations that voluntarily reduce pollution and create or conserve
wildlife habitat enhancement. To reach Model Level, an organization must
move beyond wildlife habitat restoration and pollution reduction and
demonstrate that it has become an environmental mentor to others in the
community.
Very special thanks to the President’s Environmental Issues Council,
and in particular, Professor of Political Science William Gibson. Dr.
Gibson has dedicated much of his life to cleaning up the Elizabeth River
and has taken the lead on earning this and other notable designations
for the University. Dr. Gibson and I look forward to sharing our
environmental accomplishments at the River Star Recognition Luncheon on
January 25, 2018.
This is the second significant, environmentally
related honor we’ve received in recent weeks. Last month, I shared that
Virginia Wesleyan University will receive the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation’s top award, Conservationist of the Year, at the “DC on the Half Shell” event on February 26 in Washington, D.C.
The award will jointly recognize VWU and our friends at Washington
College for our vision and dedication to educating the next generation
of Chesapeake Bay leaders.
We have much to be proud of as an
institution, and our environmental efforts and dedication to
sustainability are no exception. Our outstanding faculty, beautiful
300-acre park-like campus, and the new state-of-the-art Greer
Environmental Sciences Center position us firmly as a national leader in
this area.
