“I
am pleased to share some of the ideas that are transforming independent
higher education,” said CIC President Richard Ekman. The following
Virginia Wesleyan innovations were highlighted in the report:
- Curricular Reform: The University undertook a curriculum-mapping project to streamline academic programs, closing the gap between 100- and 200-level courses and 300- and 400-level courses; the project highlights the importance of advising and using this scaffolding approach to enable more students to benefit from experiential learning, including study away.
- Experiential Learning: The University is using a curriculum-planning grant from the Teagle Foundation to identify new ways for students to benefit from experiential leading, including study away, research, internships, and service learning.
The
report is based on the results of eight CIC focus-group workshops held
across the country to discuss how colleges can remain relevant and
continue to grow. A team from Virginia Wesleyan University took part in
the gathering hosted by McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, in
April 2017. Special thanks to the Arthur Vining David Foundations,
Carnegie Corporation, Endeavor Foundation, Gladys Krieble Delmas
Foundation, Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, Lumina Foundation for Education,
National Endowment for Humanities, Teagle Foundation, and TIAA Institute
for funding the focus groups and preceding initiatives.
Last
semester, Virginia Wesleyan was featured in the fall 2017 Dwyer
Strategies publication as one of the most “amazing transformational
stories” of the past 13 years. And in February, the University was
honored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation with the organization's top
“Conservationist of the Year” award.
During this period of
unprecedented growth on our campus, with new construction and
enhancements of many facilities, we are honored to be recognized for the
strength of our curriculum, our emphasis on student success, and our
commitment to leadership as Coastal Virginia's Premier University of the
Liberal Arts and Sciences. The CIC report highlights the heart of our
enterprise—teaching our students to be change agents themselves by
equipping them with leadership skills for lives of meaningful purpose
and continuing personal and professional development.
