Nice ranking for Virginia Wesleyan College athletics: https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/best-student-athletes/s/virginia/

Busy day in the Virginia Wesleyan College Learning Center. Kim Fahle, Coordinator of Writing Services, is discussing processes with students. #vwcwalkabouts

Nota Bene: NASCUMC

February 4, 2016

Last week I attended the Winter Meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC). Service on this Board is an opportunity to reconnect with some old friends and with many higher education and church leaders who I worked closely with during my nearly 11 years as president of Wesley College.

For additional information about NASCUMC visit http://www.gbhem.org/education/nascumc.

For additional information about related UMC global education associations visit  http://www.gbhem.org/preparing-global-leaders/methodist-global-education-associations.

Our relationship with the Church is important. Virginia Wesleyan College was founded by the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church and chartered in 1961. We continually seek to strengthen the relationship between the College and the Church in order to maintain that strong historical connection that is important to our affiliated ministry.   We receive direct financial support from the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church Foundation.

For additional information about the United Methodist Church Foundation visit  http://www.umcfoundation.org.

I also had the opportunity to talk with Amos Nascimento, Director of Global Education and New Initiatives, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, about expanding international opportunities through the International Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church.  Additional information about this program will be made available to the campus community in the coming weeks.

For additional information about the International Association of Schools and Colleges of The United Methodist Church visit http://www.gbhem.org/iamscu.

Finally, our involvement with NASCUMC appropriately connects us to the 119 schools, colleges and universities in the United States recognized by the University Senate of The United Methodist Church. The University Senate is an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.

NASCUMC and the University Senate exist to:

*Advance the work of education and scholarship in member institutions.

*Work cooperatively with conferences, boards and agencies of The United Methodist Church to address issues of mutual concern to the church and the academy.

*Work in partnership with the church to educate students for leadership and service to the global community.

*Foster and encourage the common good of member institutions;

*Strengthen the collegiality and camaraderie among member presidents, deans and heads of school.

In the coming months you will hear more about re-affirmation of our affiliated status with the Church. A visiting team from the University Senate will visit our campus within a year of our SACS re-affirmation to verify our compliance with the criteria for affiliated status.

We have a vibrant campus ministry under the leadership of a talented chaplain, Rev. Greg West. We are fortunate to have him as part of our campus community.

I hope you'll take time to learn about our church relatedness and support these mission driven programs.

Enjoyable meeting with Bob Nusbaum, long-time friend and supporter of Virginia Wesleyan College. Dr. Mort Gamble, left, our new Vice President for Advancement, joins us for the picture. Mr. Nusbaum is a former Trustee of the College.

Nota Bene: AAC&U Annual Meeting

February 3. 2016

 

Winter storm Jonas didn't prevent colleagues from private and public institutions from throughout the country in gathering in Washington, D.C. in January for the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).  I participated in the Presidents' Agenda Day while Dr. Sally Shedd, Associate Dean of the College, and Debbie Hicks, Associate Dean for Academic Support, attended the main sessions of the meeting.

 

AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises more than 1,300 member institutions—including accredited public and private colleges, community colleges, research universities, and comprehensive universities of every type and size.

The meeting focused on higher education’s most pressing educational challenges—those centered on the intersections of equity and quality with topics such as:

*How can higher education provide equitable access to high-quality liberal education to all students?

*How do we as a community advance equity-minded practices that provide a liberating educational experience for New Majority students who have been previously underserved and less engaged with high-impact practices and clear learning pathways?

*How do we ensure that all students are prepared for work and life in a turbulent and globally connected environment?

*What is higher education’s role in reversing the deepening divides and disparities in our society?

The meeting also highlighted innovative ways to provide students with clear guided pathways (dual credit, advanced scholars, accelerated study, on line) and meaningful learning opportunities to prepare them to tackle complex global problems in the workplace and society. 

I’m including a link to one of the more interesting media accounts from the meeting:

 

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/22/study-traces-characteristics-undergraduate-education-key-measures-success-life?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=2bec496f31-DNU20160122&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-2bec496f31-197590617

The President's and Foundation Leaders agenda included discussions on:

*Acting with a sense of urgency to provide equitable access to quality education for all students

*Developing guided pathways to support students educationally and socio-culturally from first to final year and across transfers

*Implementing evidence-based educational practices that support student success at all levels

*Preparing students with a sound liberal education to address the workplace and global challenges identified by employers

*Integrating global learning and civic engagement into the general education curriculum in a meaningful way to prepare students to address unscripted questions prior to entering the globalized workforce

*Scaling practices “that work” to increase student persistence and achievement in STEM fields

*Building effective integrative and interdisciplinary curricular pathways for the humanities and social sciences

*Using digital and connected learning in meaningful ways to ensure inclusive excellence and expand student participation in high impact educational practices

*Creating successful institutional models where students from all backgrounds are finding academic and professional success

*Building educationally generative alliances with employers and policy leaders.

We also had the opportunity to recognize and thank Dr. Carol Geary Schneider, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities since 1998.  She will be retiring in June and will be replaced by Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, president of Mount Holyoke since 2010.   

This week's Marlin SportSplash: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=fae927f2-bcb9-4105-af85-89079b0fef97&c=440524a0-d24d-11e4-a566-d4ae527536ce&ch=44088000-d24d-11e4-a566-d4ae527536ce

Talking private higher education at The Capitol with Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator from Virginia. Pictured with Dr. N.L. Bishop, President of Jefferson College of Health Sciences; Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons, President of Shenandoah University, and Senator Kaine.

With two long time friends and colleagues at private higher education advocacy day on Capitol Hill -- Dr. Claude Pressnell (President of Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities) and Dr. Michael Mihalyo (President of the Appalachian College Association).

Nota Bene: VWC's Dave Macedo Named Metropolitan Person of the Year

February 2, 2016

Congratulations to Virginia Wesleyan College men's basketball head coach Dave Macedo, who received the prestigious Tom Ferguson Memorial Award last week from the Norfolk Sports Club. The Ferguson Award is presented annually by the Norfolk Sports Club to the Metropolitan Person of the Year in Sports. 

Coach Macedo led the 2014-15 men's basketball team to the national semifinals, his third appearance in the Final Four as the head mentor of the Marlins. In his 16 years at Virginia Wesleyan, he has garnered an amazing 354-112 record.

Executive Director of Athletics Joanne Renn says that Dave is the consummate professional and that he was honored not only for his success as a coach, but also  as a role model to young men as an outstanding husband, father and community member.

The Virginian-Pilot coverage of Dave’s honor can be found at the following link:

http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/elsewhere/basketball/virginia-wesleyan-s-macedo-is-metropolitan-person-of-the-year/article_33863a31-6fb1-5ec5-89f6-477f36747c67.html

Congratulations to Dave and his family, wife Kristen and children Nolan, Lillian, and Declan. We are proud that they are a part of the Virginia Wesleyan College community.

The February issue of Virginia Wesleyan College's "The President's Letter": http://conta.cc/20jeufW