Nota Bene: Weekly Update

 

October 5, 2020 Good Morning,

I am pleased to share our plans for our May 2020 Commencement, which was rescheduled for December 5-6. In keeping with the Governor's order of gatherings no larger than 250 people (or 50% of room capacity), we plan to hold five Commencement Ceremonies, one for each academic school. Graduates and their guests are welcome to return to VWU for the appropriate in-person ceremony:   VWU Global Campus (MBA and MaEd graduates) Saturday, December 5, 2020 5:00 p.m.   Birdsong School of Social Science Sunday, December 6, 2020 9:00 a.m.   Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities Sunday, December 6, 2020 11:00 a.m.   D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies Sunday, December 6, 2020 2:00 p.m.   Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Sunday, December 6, 2020 4:00 p.m.   All ceremonies will be held in either TowneBank Arena in the Jane P. Batten Student Center or Joan and Macon Brock Theatre in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. The location for each ceremony will be confirmed once the number of graduates attending each ceremony is determined. Information regarding ceremony location, tickes, and cap and gown pick-up will be posted on the University’s website as these details are confirmed.   As long as there are no changes to the current guidelines for group gatherings, I hope our most recent graduates will return to VWU for their formal Commencement and the recognition they deserve.

Congratulations to Alisa Crider ’10, who has accepted the role of Chair of the VWU Alumni Council. Alisa is the Director of Investor Relations at the Hampton Roads Alliance. She joined the Alumni Council in 2018 after receiving the VWU Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award that same year. She gave the Alumni Welcome at the 2019 December Graduate Recognition Ceremony, where she encouraged our newest alumni to stay connected to their alma mater and to pursue lives and careers in a spirit of service, leadership, achievements, and contributions of many kinds. We look forward to her tenure as Chair and thank her for her leadership.

ET CETERA

Campus 757 With the presidents of Tidewater Community College, Norfolk State University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Old Dominion University, I'm proud to have played an active role in the founding of Campus 757. Modeled after Philadelphia's highly successful Campus Philly, leaders of the five campuses have been working since 2015 to develop a similar concept for Coastal Virginia. Campus 757 is a talent development initiative that markets to current and prospective students the diverse range of opportunities and offerings available to those that live, study, and work in the Coastal Virginia area. While the area’s universities seek to attract and retain the best and brightest students from around the country, Campus 757 works with these universities to keep recruited students in the Coastal Virginia area long after graduation. Special thanks to Kurt Krause, President and CEO of VisitNorfolk, for getting this worthwhile initiative off the ground, and the City of Norfolk and the Hampton Roads Workforce Council for providing seed money. Jason Seward ’05, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Operational Management, will serve as our institutional representative to the organization. I look forward to this collaboration that highlights the wonderful opportunities Virginia Wesleyan and the region has to offer. Read more here.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Robert Nusbaum Center Last spring we announced the renaming of Center for the Study of Religious Freedom as the Robert Nusbaum Center. A celebration and dedication was planned in conjunction with the annual Justine L. Nusbaum lecture but unfortunately COVID-19 altered those plans.

The Center continues to receive widespread recognition as a national niche program of Virginia Wesleyan University. Led by Dr. Craig Wansink, Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr., Director, and Kelly Jackson '86, Associate Director, the Center held its annual Justine L. Nusbaum lecture virtually on September 24. It was also an opportunity to pay tribute to Robert “Bob” Nusbaum, who inspired the establishment of the Center in 1996. This year’s Justine L. Nusbaum lecture was given by international peace educator Paul K. Chappell, who used Virtual Reality (VR) in an avatar presentation that focused on peace literacy and hope. His presentation, “Human Needs, Trauma, and the World of Electric Light: A Multisensory Experience in Virtual Reality,” introduced a new paradigm for waging peace that frames peace not merely as a goal, but as a practical skillset that addresses the root causes of human problems. Read more about Chappell on the Peace Literacy website. Through lectures, civil dialogues, and skill-building training events, the Robert Nusbaum Center seeks to inform minds, transform hearts, and equip hands, in strengthening both students and community members to be engaged citizens who are effective in acting together to make positive change. Watch an outstanding video about Bob Nusbaum and the history of the Center, produced by Teddy Wansink, here.

VWU Celebrates Virtual Homecoming and Family Weekend  Over the weekend Marlins everywhere celebrated Homecoming and Family Weekend virtually through a variety of online events. Kudos to the alumni and advancement staff, led by Associate Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of Alumni Relations Lori Harris ‘94, for putting together this Homecoming and Family Weekend under most unusual circumstances. I hope our Marlin alumni, students, families, and friends had fun connecting with the University through virtual events like the Marlin 5k, our 4th Annual Chili Cook-Off, pub trivia, campus tours, and much more. A special facet of Homecoming and Family Weekend was the Marlin Fringe Festival, which showcased the works of students and alumni from the fine and performing arts at VWU. Watch recordings of many of these performances on our VWU Digital Broadcasting Network.

Wesleyan Sacred Music Institute Presents “Infecting Faith and Art” The Wesleyan Sacred Music Institute, directed by Sandi Billy, presents “Infecting Faith and Art,” an exploration of the influence on faith and the arts by plagues, pandemics, and periods of isolation. This series began on September 30 with a presentation by Dr. Joyce Howell, Professor of Art History, and VWU Class of 2003 alumna Mary Charlotte Elia, pastor of Holmes Presbyterian and scholar of the earliest centuries of Christianity.

Upcoming lectures in the series include “Exploring Laughter and Music in Times of Tragedy and Loss” by Dr. Terry Lindvall, C.S. Lewis Chair of Communication and Christian Thought, and Doug Brown, music director at Ginter Park Presbyterian, on October 28 and “Music of the Mayflower” presented by Dr. Biana Hall on November 12. Read more about the series and the Wesleyan Sacred Music Institute here.

Tunnel Entrance Added to TowneBank Arena  Thanks to Joe ’94 and Lori ’94 Harris and Pepsi for support of our new players' tunnel entrance in TowneBank Arena (from the locker room hallway to the court). This will add to the excitement of men’s and women’s basketball games when competitive play resumes in January. The former Convocation Hall was fully renovated over the last six months to become TowneBank Arena, a modern, beautifully equipped and furnished venue with 2,000 spectator seats. The new space includes 360-degree seating, a design that accommodates growing attendance, creates a greater competitive atmosphere, and enhances the experience for athletes, students, and fans. Many thanks to TowneBank for their continued support of Virginia Wesleyan University.

Windscreen added to Perry Field Thank you to former Marlin and current Trustee Tim Bailey, Class of 1983, for funding the new windscreen on the outfield fence at Kenneth R. Perry Field at TowneBank Park. After a shortened season in 2020, we anxiously await the new season in 2021.

COVID-19 Update VWU CovidSafe has been created to provide information about the current number of confirmed cases impacting our community. It will be updated weekly on Wednesdays to keep the campus informed of our current situation. It’s up to each of us to make smart choices every day to safeguard our Marlin community. Thank you for your continued efforts to keep yourself, your classmates, and your coworkers safe.

Kudos to Bill Brown and April Christman ’14 Special thanks to Bill Brown, Director of Counseling Services, and April Christman ’14, Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, for their dedicated assistance with managing our campus response to the coronavirus. Bill and April have been working diligently with our partners—Virginia Beach Public Health and Sentara Medical Group—in meeting the needs of our students. Their efforts are without a doubt a valuable contributor to our ability to mitigate the virus.

Support the Marlin Athletic Fund Now, more than ever, it is important to support the Marlin Athletic Fund. With all 22 intercollegiate athletics slated for play between January and May 2021, the University will need the contributions of its loyal Marlin fans to support our teams and help cover the costs of additional regulations put in place to keep our student-athletes safe. Gifts can be made to the Marlin Athletic Fund or to individual athletic programs at www.vwu.edu/maf. Go Marlins!

VWU / Norfolk Botanical Garden Partnership—Kudos to Brian O’Neil and Marisa Cousin Visitors regularly comment on the beauty of The Gardens at the Greer Environmental Sciences Center. Since the facility’s opening in 2017, Virginia Wesleyan University has partnered with Norfolk Botanical Garden to maintain the unique landscape of gardens and over 25,000 plants that surround the building within its 145,000-square-foot site area.

On the exterior of Greer Environmental Sciences Center, visitors will find a series of teaching gardens created with native plants inspired by the ecosystems of the Eastern Shore, two upland meadow gardens, three wetland gardens, and nearly 60 different plant species, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, ferns, perennials and aquatic plants. Brian O’Neil serves jointly as the VWU/NBG Director of Living Landscapes. Marisa Cousin is the horticulturist. They are supported by students from our Work and Learn Program. The partnership is also intended to be of a scholarly nature, as both organizations jointly pursue the development of research, educational and outreach programs in the botanical sciences. Cooperative activities include: Virginia Wesleyan faculty may conduct research at Norfolk Botanical Garden in association with NBG staff. Faculty may carry out teaching activities and field trips at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Norfolk Botanical Garden staff may be speakers in Virginia Wesleyan classes. Students may carry out educational and advocacy internships with the support of Virginia Wesleyan faculty and Norfolk Botanical Garden staff. Students may carry out sea-level rise research and environmental monitoring research in the waterways surrounding Norfolk Botanical Garden. Virginia Wesleyan undergraduate students may conduct research at Norfolk Botanical Garden under the supervision of VWU faculty and NBG staff. The partnership has flourished since its inception, and I am thankful for NBG’s continued commitment to Virginia Wesleyan University and our students. This is another amazing benefit of our location in Coastal Virginia.

Welcoming Coach Dennis Nelson  We recently welcomed Dennis Nelson as our new head coach of men’s and women’s golf. For the last five seasons, he has served as head coach at NCAA Division I Hampton University. A native of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, he is a veteran of the United States Navy and occupied various ranks during his 24-year career spanning from 1989 to 2013. Dennis (pictured right) was recently welcomed to the Marlin family by Joanne Renn (center), Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, and Anthony Stile ’14 (left), co-owner of Cypress Creek Golfers Club in Smithfield, VA. We look forward to the return of Marlin golf this spring.

Supporting Princeton University More than 80 college and university leaders (mostly presidents of national liberal arts colleges) have signed a letter supporting Princeton University in a recent high profile case. Read more here.

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