Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

Friday was another great day in Virginia Wesleyan history. During the State of the University, I was proud to announce record enrollment and fundraising, groundbreaking on a new housing complex, and the establishment of a donor-funded program dedicated to the study of African-American history. Thanks to all who attended or watched live. For those who couldn't join us, the address is archived on our VWU Broadcasting Network. Our gratitude to The Franklin Johnston Group, The Bonnewell Group at Morgan Stanley, TowneBank, Sentara, and Signature Family Wealth Advisors for sponsoring a wonderful event.

# # #

We welcomed incoming students over the weekend, beginning with our third cohort of the Batten Fellows and Shumadine Scholars during the Batten Honors College Matriculation Ceremony on Friday, and welcomed our first-year students yesterday at the First Year Convocation and Honor Induction Ceremony. We look forward to transfer students arriving tomorrow and embarking on their journey at VWU. I am pleased to share a glimpse of our newest members of the Marlin Family for the fall semester, which begins on Wednesday.

Undergraduate Liberal Arts and Sciences.........445

University College................................................168

--VWU Online, Evening and Weekend 83

--Non-Degree 34

--Early Enrollment/Advanced Scholars 51

Total New Students.................................................613

For the Fall Session, the University received 2,579 traditional undergraduate applications and accepted 1,960 (76 percent acceptance rate). A total of 445 new students will be enrolling in traditional programs. First-year students had a 3.44 cumulative high school grade point average (4.0 scale) and 1075 SAT.

The highly selective Batten Honors College enrolled its third cohort 2019-2020 with a cumulative high school grade point average of 4.17 (4.0 scale) and 1357 SAT.

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 our excellent academic reputation, as evidenced by increasing numbers of out-of-state students.

The majority of VWU's new undergraduate students come from Virginia, with 72 percent of undergraduate day students coming from the state.

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 two years ago, the University now has six starting points each year, including two starts in the Fall Session.

# # #

It is my pleasure to announce that William "Will" Baker, President of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and nationally renowned conservationist, has accepted our invitation to deliver the 2020 Commencement Address. He has dedicated 43 years to CBF, starting as an intern just a few weeks out of college. He has been President since 1982, leading the largest non-profit conservation organization dedicated solely to preserving, protecting, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay, one of the largest estuaries in the world. The Bay is a Coastal Virginia treasure and one of Virginia Wesleyan's "classrooms," the perfect setting for our students to engage in research and study. It has been excellent to collaborate with the CBF through our national nice program in environmental science and the Greer Environmental Sciences Center. Will's passion continues to inspire us, and we share in his mission and commitment to our precious environment. During the Commencement Ceremony on May 16, 2020, we will proudly bestow upon him the Doctor of Science, honoris causa. Read more about Will here.

ET CETERA

Robert "Bobby" Williams '75

During Friday's State of the University, we paused for a moment of silence to reflect on the recent unspeakable tragedy that claimed the lives of 12 individuals, engaged in nothing more than their daily jobs. Among those lost was one of our own, Robert "Bobby" Williams, class of 1975, with whom we had interacted as we secured approvals for our campus construction. As I announced on Friday, in recognition of his dedicated 41 years of service to the City and to us, we will name in his memory one of the trails traversing our campus, a place where he loved to walk as a student, and he will be honored by the Alumni Council with a posthumous award for his leadership at Founders Day, on September 5. I ask that you keep Bobby's family and those of the other victims in your thoughts.

Ask Me Anything

Next up, I invite you to tune in tonight at 7 p.m. as I answer questions live from the Greer Environmental Sciences Center during a Facebook Live chat. Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and VWU graduate Jason Seward '05 will host the program with a special environmentally themed guest panel. If you are unable to watch live on the VWU Facebook page, the chat will be archived on Facebook and on the VWU Digital Broadcasting Network for later viewing. Learn more about our guest panelists and submit your questions here.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Eleanor & Henry Watts Conservation Speaker Series

As part of the Eleanor & Henry Watts Conservation Speaker Series, Research Assistant Professor John Cook from George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication will be speaking at the Virginia Aquarium on September 17. Don't miss this talk which will focus on key beliefs around climate change and how we can work together to remove roadblocks to climate action. This event is free and open to the public. More information can be found here.

Campus Disc Golf Course

I am happy to share that this summer, following the completion of several campus construction and beautification projects, the University's 9-hole disc golf course is back together and ready for golfers. Our par 3 course, totaling now over 2,000 yards, provides a challenge for beginners and experts alike. While much of the course may look familiar, several targets have been updated and redesigned. The course begins just behind Clarke Hall. More information can be found here.

New Faculty

Recently, Annie and I enjoyed dinner with new faculty of the University. We welcome to Coastal Virginia and VWU Frank Futyma (Business), Greg Snyder (Library), Felipe Hugeno (Hispanic Studies), Marielle Poltava-Davignon (Biology), and Loren Loving Marquez (English).

STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES

Features

News Briefs

VWU Athletics

Virginia Wesleyan University Magazine

Faculty Focus

REFLECTIONS

I hope you find these links useful to my recent columns and publications:

The Virginian-Pilot

Daily Press

Enrollment Manager

College Planning & Management