A new year is upon us, which promises to be our best one yet. Campus is abuzz with pre-semester activities. A warm welcome to our first-year students who arrived yesterday and to our transfer students who arrive today. We’re so glad you’re here!
I am pleased to share a glimpse of our newest members of the Marlin Family for the Fall Semester.
Undergraduate Liberal Arts and Sciences………437
University College……………………………… 118
*VWU Online, Evening and Weekend, 76
*Non-Degree 13
*Early Enrollment 29
Total New Students......................
Overall, the University received 2,667 traditional undergraduate applications and accepted 1,876 (70.3 percent acceptance rate) with 355 freshmen and 82 transfers enrolling. First-year students had a 3.2 cumulative high school grade point average (4.0 scale) and 1065 SAT.
The highly selective Batten Honors College enrolled its second cohort of 40 students in 2018-19 with a cumulative high school grade point average of 4.2 (4.0 scale) and 1340 SAT.
I am pleased to see this demonstrates that more students are finding a fit with Virginia Wesleyan University. This can be attributed to many factors, including the greater visibility of the University and the growing academic reputation, as evidenced by increasing numbers of out-of-state students.
The majority of VWU’s undergraduate students come from Virginia, with 64 percent of undergraduate day students coming from the state. Of this figure, 40 percent come from Hampton Roads communities.
Please note that this only includes new students through the first registration of the Fall Semester. With the addition of VWU Online and University College a year ago, the University now has six starting points each year including two starts in the Fall Semester.
State of the University
Thanks to all who attended or watched the State of the University on VWU Online or local cable. For those who couldn’t join us, the address is archived here.
Many thanks to Hourigan, The Franklin Johnston Group, The Bonnewell Group at Morgan Stanley, Townebank, and Sentara for sponsoring a wonderful event!
Facebook Live: Ask Me Anything
I’m excited to share that tomorrow night at 7 p.m. I will host “Ask Me Anything,” live on VWU’s Facebook page and VWU Online. In the first half of the program, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Jason Seward '05 will interview me about the State of the University. In the second half, I’ll respond to questions from our audience with a panel including Provost Timothy O’Rourke, Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Moore, and Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tina Hill.
VWU Board of Trustees news
With the recent passing of long-time Trustee and friend Anne B. Shumadine, J. Tim Bailey '83 has been named Treasurer of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee. Tim is Division President for Compass Group/Canteen, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. David L. Kaufman, Chair of the Board, will also serve as Chair of the Investment Committee.
The Board has welcomed four new Trustees since the May meeting:
*Jean T. Jenkins '89, Community Leader, Virginia Beach, Virginia
*Robert W. McFarland, Partner, McGuireWoods, Norfolk, Virginia
*Eric C. Nyman '94, President, Hasbro North America, Providence, Rhode Island
*James H. Shumadine, Co-President, The Employment Guide, Norfolk, Virginia
New faculty dinner
I enjoyed getting to know two of our new faculty members, Dr. Nadia Nafar and Dr. Robert Ariel, last week over dinner. Dr. Nafar joins us from Alfred University in Alfred, New York, as our new Assistant Professor of Management, Business, and Economics. Dr. Robert Ariel, our new Assistant Professor of Psychology, joins us from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Unable to attend was Dr. Modupe Oshikoya, Assistant Professor of Political Science, who arrived in Virginia just last Wednesday from London. I am proud that we continue to attract highly qualified colleagues who offer unique perspectives. Please join me in welcoming all three of our new full-time faculty to the Marlin family. I know I can count on our campus community to enhance their experience here.
New fountains
Through private resources, new fountains will be coming to two of our campus ponds. The pond in old Marlins Park at the entrance to the University (Wesleyan Drive and University Avenue), home of the Marlin Statue, will be getting three new fountains with lights surrounding the statue. The old fountain will move to Renn Reserve Pond along Marlin Way.
Broyles Field at TowneBank Park
Demolition work began last week on old Marlins Park that will become Tom and Betty Broyles Field at TowneBank Park. The new complex located between Perry Field and Chesapeake Bay Academy will include new dugouts, stands, press box, bullpens, batting cages, and fencing.
The TowneBank Foundation is the primary donor on this project, benefiting our NCAA National Championship Softball Team.
Around town and across campus…
On August 13, we welcomed Tiveeda Stovall, Director of Virginia Campus Compact, to campus. She started as our statewide director in July and will be based at James Madison University.
On August 16, Oceana Naval Air Station celebrated their 75th Anniversary with a stimulating panel discussion as well as an enjoyable dinner and reception.
It was wonderful to see so many of our alumni, faculty, staff, and friends who joined us for Wesleyan Wednesday on August 15.
It was great to visit with our friends at Broadwater Academy on the Eastern Shore this month. Broadwater and VWU have been good friends and partners for three years and counting.
We recently had the opportunity to show off our campus and discuss collaboration with Howard Hoege III, President and CEO of The Mariners' Museum and Park. Last month I had an opportunity to visit the museum for the first time.
Virginia Beach City Councilman Ben Davenport and I recently met to discuss economic development in the area. Councilman Davenport has been a wonderful friend and supporter of Virginia Wesleyan University for many years. Ben is currently a candidate for mayor of Virginia Beach.
Improvements and construction across campus continue!
University branding standards
Virginia Wesleyan's Office of Marketing and Communications supports the mission of the University by leading our promotion and branding initiatives. The department utilizes a variety of platforms to distinguish VWU in the higher education marketplace and effectively communicate our story to key constituencies, including prospective and current students, alumni, donors and friends, faculty and staff, the broader public, and the media. They are also tasked with protecting our brand and guiding our community in using our logos and likeness appropriately. For your convenience, the University's brand guidelines are available on the Marketing and Communications web page. Be on the lookout for a VWU
Athletics style guide, featuring the newly designed Marlin, in the near future. As we work with our University trademarking process, protecting our brand will continue to be a priority, and we thank you for your support of these important efforts. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Marketing and Communications staff directly.
Dominion Energy Foundation visit
Made possible by funding from the Dominion Energy Foundation, the Environmental Explorers program brought meaningful, inquiry-based environmental science experiences to over 100 elementary-aged children through a partnership between Dominion Energy Foundation, YMCA's Camp Red Feather, and Virginia Wesleyan University. After training, VWU Elementary Education students led environmental science experiential sessions based on a curriculum developed by education and science faculty at VWU. Activities included, but were not limited to, water-quality monitoring, species identification, and engineering design challenges.
Representatives of the Dominion Foundation visited campus last week to present the check. C. Max Bartholomew, Jr., Dominion Energy Regional Policy Director, was one of the executives visiting campus. Max shared that 48 years ago to the day, he visited our campus for the first time. He was in his second day of work, knew very little about the energy business, and was faced with assisting Virginia Wesleyan with an unexpected campus-wide power outage.
Max is a wonderful person and has become a good friend during my time here. We appreciate his continued interest and philanthropic support of our campus initiatives.
Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
Earlier, I shared our participation in the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. This update includes recent developments in the DACA court cases and an overview of recent and anticipated national-level immigration policy developments.
News and notes
I hope you enjoy my monthly higher education column from Sunday’s The Virginian-Pilot (also carried in the Daily Press).
Enjoy the following links to stay current on all news and features at VWU:
Highlights from my weekend reading
From time to time, I come across topical articles of interest to the campus community. I hope you find them insightful:
- United Methodist News reports top court sets October oral hearings.
- College-cost increases are driven by economy-wide forces that are identified in a new report published by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact.
- "In the last decade, average student spending on required course materials has decreased by more than 30 percent, according to the National Association of College Stores. A decade ago, students spent an average of $701 per year on required course materials." Today, that number is less than $500, reports Inside Higher Ed.
- Advocacy groups expect uptick in college student voter turnout, reports Inside Higher Ed.
- Colleges tapping into untraditional programs to attract more students, reports Education Dive.
- The Virginian-Pilot reports The Dome is making a comeback of sorts. Venture Realty Group, developer of The Wave, a project that will include a surf park on 10 acres between 18th and 20th Streets, is calling its proposed entertainment venue "The Dome."
Presidential events
Most of you are aware that I've made communication with our alumni and friends a top priority. As such, I travel the country sharing exciting updates and our vision for the University. I invite you to stay updated on these activities here.
Connect with me on social media
Twitter: @vawesleyanprez
Facebook: @ScottDMillerprez
Instagram: @prezscottmiller
LinkedIn: Scott D. Miller, Ph.D.
Flickr: Scott D. Miller
Dialogue: prezscottmiller.blog
(Be sure to subscribe to Dialogue for daily updates via email)
# # #
It is sure to be an exciting week on campus as we greet new and returning Marlins.
