Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

January 18, 2021

Good morning,

Today we commemorate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. While the fight for social justice is far from over, Dr. King's example continues to inspire us, teach us, and motivate us.

Please join us today at 11:00 a.m. as VWU celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with our virtual campus commemoration.

With pride, I share the Fall 2020 President's List and the Fall 2020 Dean’s List.

Congratulations to the 102 students on the President’s List who achieved a 4.0 grade point average and to the 292 students on the Dean’s List who achieved a 3.5-3.99 grade point average for the fall semester. A commendable accomplishment, especially given the challenges presented by the pandemic. Well done!

To qualify for these honors, students must have full-time status and have taken at least nine semester hours of traditionally-graded courses. These individuals demonstrate a remarkable level of dedication to their academic pursuits.

In the past, a reception has been held each semester in honor of the President's List students. While restrictions on social gatherings have hindered this tradition for the last year, I am extremely proud of our Marlins who have reached this level of academic excellence and regret that we cannot celebrate them in the way that they deserve.

Congratulations to all of these students! Keep up the great work!

With the health and safety of our Marlin friends and family a top priority, and in adhering to the temporary restrictions imposed on gatherings in Virginia, we are postponing the VWU Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to Saturday, June 5 at 10:00 a.m. (previously scheduled for Saturday, February 27).

It is our hope that given more time, restrictions on social gatherings will ease and allow for the opportunity to celebrate in-person and outdoors later this spring. Please note that if restrictions on social gatherings still are in place come mid-March, we will transition our planning to hold the event virtually on June 5.

We thank our 2021 inductees and their families and friends for their understanding, support, and patience as we endeavor to keep our Marlin community safe. We look forward to celebrating the Thirteenth Class of the VWU Athletic Hall of Fame in the best and safest way possible.

Please stay tuned for updates and details about this special event in the coming weeks.

As many of you know, I have served as the President of the North American Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAAMSCU) since the fall of 2018 when a group of our long-serving presidents approached me to consider leading what was then the National Association of Schools Colleges and Universities of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC). As a 30-year college president with deep ties to the Church and our membership, it was their hope that, with my leadership, we could bring renewed focus and vitality to NASCUMC.

Together, we set three goals: (1) Impactful representation with the Church on LGBTQ rights and related issues, (2) A more purposeful path for institutions desiring a historical relationship with the Church not dependent on affiliation, and (3) a self-sustaining model for Methodist institutions with full-time leadership completely devoted to the 111 member institutions.

To help accomplish these goals, we held a historic meeting between the Council of Bishops and NASCUMC leadership at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, in November 2019. The Bishops heard loud and clear our perspective regarding LGBTQ rights, and we felt we had made progress on our first goal. However, 2020 did not turn out as anyone expected (General Council was cancelled because of the pandemic), and Church leadership asked that the organization’s officers remain in place to provide continuity during very troubling times. We now expect this issue to be addressed at the re-scheduled General Conference this fall.

Despite the circumstances, progress continued on our second and third goals. In January 2020, the organization voted to become NAAMSCU, which welcomes educational institutions that aren’t United Methodist-affiliated but do have a Methodist background or are affiliated with another Wesleyan denomination, such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and opens the organization to schools beyond the U.S., but within North America (Canada, the Caribbean or Mexico).

Recently, we took additional steps to formalize our plans for reimagining our association, and the organization overwhelmingly approved the plan for the future of NAAMSCU last month.

With the “heavy lifting” completed and my term already extended longer than any of my predecessors, I recently notified the NAAMSCU Board of Directors that I would soon hand off my role as president of NAAMSCU to Amy Novak, President of Dakota Wesleyan University. Dr. Novak has served as our vice president during this period of transformation and I have every confidence that she will help the organization realize its shared vision and goals. (Pictured: Mark Hanshaw, Greg Berquist and Amy Novak with me)

I am grateful for the faith the members of NAAMSCU have placed in me throughout the last two years and look forward to my continued involvement with the organization as Immediate Past President.

ET CETERA

For the past 30 years, I have opened the new year by attending the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Presidents Institute. The largest of its kind in the country, it is the premier annual meeting of college and university presidents. Although my schedule is routinely filled with a variety of meetings and events on campus and around the country, I always find this CIC gathering of 450 private college presidents to be a time of personal reflection and restoration. This year was a bit different as it was held in a virtual format.

Based in Washington, D.C., CIC works to raise the quality of education and strengthen resources at some 770 independent colleges, universities and higher education organizations. CIC's 2020 Presidents Institute explored the theme of "Presidential Leadership: Courageous Resilient Inclusive" and other important issues of presidential leadership. It drew on the lessons learned by experienced campus CEO's and the perspectives of other distinguished speakers.

This was also the final Presidents Institute for longtime friend and colleague Richard Ekman (pictured left). He announced his retirement recently after 21 years as the president of CIC. I first met Rich in 2000 during the search process that led to his selection as CIC president. I’ve worked closely with him through various roles I’ve held on the CIC Board of Directors, the CIC’s New Presidents Program, the Board of Directors of Academic Search, Inc., and American Academic Leadership Institute. CIC is by far the best membership organization for private colleges and universities in America, and Rich’s dynamic leadership has been a big part of the organization’s success.

In addition to valuable sessions, the following meetings took place:

A meeting with Academic Search, Inc., Board of Directors, a group I chair;
A meeting with the American Academic Leadership Institute Board of Directors (I serve as vice chair);
A meeting with the Council of Independent Colleges Online Course Sharing Consortium, a collaborative VWU joined two years ago. Since its inception in November 2018, the CIC Online Course Sharing Consortium has grown to include an innovative group of 217 member institutions.

Although there are many recent developments and trends that bring uncertainty and demand vigilance—for VWU and other institutions—I am confident that with persistent effort on campus and through strong connections to colleagues in the higher education community and beyond, we will continue to find success.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Passing of Shirley Roberts, Wife of Former Trustee

I recently learned of the passing of Shirley Roberts, wife of Richard “Dick” Roberts who served as a member of our Board of Trustees for many years. While Shirley was still well enough, the couple could be found on campus at various meetings and events as their interest in our students and campus ran deep. Their generosity to The Excellence Fund, annual and endowed scholarships, and capital improvement projects throughout the years have helped to make Virginia Wesleyan the place it is today.

We send our sincere condolences to Dick and his family during this difficult time.

Virginia Wesleyan Grad to Chair Virginia Beach Chamber Board

VWU grad Dee Oliver '82 is the new Chair of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Beach Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber. At Virginia Wesleyan, Dee double-majored in education and art but spent much of her career working with her late husband in the family’s funeral business, eventually going back to school to earn her mortuary science and embalming degree. She is the author of Going Out in Style: How to Make a Graceful Exit and Survive the Loss of the One You Love and The Undertaker’s Wife.

In her first meeting as chair, Dee facilitated a discussion with business leaders and Paul Neudigate, the new police chief for the City of Virginia Beach. Virginia Wesleyan has had a productive relationship with the Virginia Beach Police Department. Retiring Chief Jim Cerveza was honored with the Wesley Award during our 2019 Founders Day Celebration, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with Chief Neudigate.

The Power of Experiential Learning

The Lighthouse: Center for Exploration and Discovery continues its initiative, "Where are they now? Alumni Messages: The Power of Experiential Learning,” to connect alumni who have completed internships, study away, and/or undergraduate research with current and prospective students. The goal is to show the impact experiential learning can have on personal, civic, and professional lives. This month's message is from Edwin Kinsey ‘18, an earth and environmental sciences major who completed a semester abroad, an internship, and an undergraduate research project during his time as a Marlin student.

Virtual Wesleyan Wednesdays Continue in 2021

We had a wonderful turnout for last week's virtual Wesleyan Wednesday event discussing the impact COVID-19 has had on VWU Athletics with guest speakers Joanne Renn (VWU Executive Director for Intercollegiate Athletics) and Dave Macedo (VWU Head Men's Basketball Coach). Thank you to Alisa Crider '10 (Chair of the VWU Alumni Council) for hosting the event.

Be sure to mark your calendars to join us for the next virtual Wesleyan Wednesday on January 27 at 12:00 p.m. with guest speaker Matt Ryan '09, a Los Angeles-based cinematographer specializing in narrative and commercial work. As Director of Photography, Ryan has shot for Disney, Warner Brothers, Netflix, MTV, PBS, Microsoft, TruTV, Rolls Royce and various narrative video game content for Machinima. He'll be talking about directing during a pandemic and sharing what it is like to work with some of Hollywood's finest. Alumni and friends can register for this fun and free event here.

Heavy hitters — including Pharrell — will vie to redevelop Military Circle not far from campus. Could an arena be in the cards?

The city envisions new homes, shopping, hotels, restaurants and offices to revitalize the area, according to a recent Virginian-Pilot article. And many of the groups vying to carry out the overhaul have experience that suggests another element not specifically mentioned in the city’s plans: an arena.

Virtual Chamber Music Concert Series

WHRO Public Media, in collaboration with the Virginia Wesleyan University Concert Series, presents a virtual chamber music concert series featuring exclusive performances from outstanding local musicians, including VWU Performing Artist faculty Elizabeth Richards, VWU Performing Artist faculty Todd Holcomb, and VWU Professor of Music Emerita Lee Jordan-Anders. These performances were filmed at the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center in November 2020. The series will be aired through February 17. Find the performance schedule and information at whro.org/virtualconcerts.

STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES

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REFLECTIONS

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

University Business