Nota Bene: Weekly Update

 

November 15, 2021 Good morning, The University recently learned of the passing of Emily H. Filer, a member of the VWU Board of Trustees from 1979-2001, at the age of 85. Of her many professional and philanthropic contributions to the Hampton Roads area, perhaps her most personal and significant cause was Lee’s Friends, a foundation created in memory of her daughter to offer needed emotional and practical support to cancer patients and their families. Losing her daughter at a young age gave Emily a passion for helping young people, which led her to decades of good work at Virginia Wesleyan. Emily’s extraordinary life will be remembered by all who knew her. Please keep the Filer family in your thoughts and prayers. The Marlins (13-6-2) fell to the Falcons of Messiah University (17-2-1) 1-0 in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament hosted by The College of New Jersey on Saturday.  The team’s bid to the NCAA Tournament came after winning the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament last weekend, earning the Marlins top conference accolades along the way. Congratulations to Breacain McClenahan, ODAC Rookie of the Year, and Sam Crawford, ODAC Player of the Year. These two players, along with Kennedi Anders, Kaitlyn Duswalt, Rachel Quigley, Carleigh Van Reenen, and Camryn Terry, were named to the ODAC All-Conference teams.  Coach Jeff Bowers was named the 2021 ODAC Coach of the Year Award and claimed his 300th career coaching victory this season. Now in his 22nd season leading the women’s soccer program, Jeff is the most successful coach in program history. He is also one of the winningest coaches in the nation with a career .725 winning percentage and has guided VWU to six undefeated ODAC seasons and 13 NCAA appearances.  Congratulations, once again, to Coach Bowers, his staff, and our student-athletes. Go Marlins! ET CETERA Earth and Environmental Sciences majors Emily Smith '22 and Ryan Westpfahl '22 are conducting research with Professor Elizabeth Malcolm to quantify the amount of carbon stored in campus forests. Conserving and planting forests worldwide is vital for reducing carbon dioxide levels and mitigating climate change. The students have begun their measurements in the old growth beech forest on campus, a rare example of a mature hardwood forest in Hampton Roads.  Their project is modeled after research by Colgate University to quantify the annual rate of carbon sequestration by Colgate's forests. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration by forests on campus, as well as investments in off-campus conservation have enabled Colgate to reach carbon neutrality. Removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide is just one benefit of the VWU campus forests and natural habitats as we look to reach our own carbon neutrality.  Virginia Wesleyan University was recently recognized for its exemplary work in student voter engagement during the 2020 presidential election during the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge biennial awards ceremony. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a national, nonpartisan initiative of the nonprofit Civic Nation, striving for a more inclusive democracy in which all voices are heard. The University earned a “Silver Seal,” acknowledging approximately 60-70% nonpartisan student voter participation, tied for “Best in Class” among private four-year institutions, and won the “Virginia Campus Voting Challenge” among four-year institutions in the commonwealth.  My thanks to Dr. Brian Kurisky, Executive Director of Civic Engagement and Service Learning and Chief Diversity Officer, for leading our civic engagement efforts. AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS Passing of Dr. Patricia Sullivan Last week I shared the passing of Dr. Patricia Sullivan, Professor Emerita of French, at the age of 85. In addition to teaching a full load, Dr. Sullivan also served as the Director of International Programs and coordinated the study abroad experiences of many students for many years. She retired after 28 years with the University. Thanks to the foresight and generosity of her former student, Billy Spain ’79, Dr. Sullivan’s legacy at Virginia Wesleyan will continue to live on through the Dr. Patricia R. Sullivan Endowed Scholarship in Foreign Language established in her honor. Condolences to Sandra Ewell Our heartfelt condolences to Sandra Ewell, Coordinator of Accreditation, Data Collection, and Reporting in our Department of Education, on the recent loss of her father. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sandra and her family during this difficult time. Terry Lindvall, RCA’s 2021 Scholar of the Year Congratulations to Dr. Terry Lindvall who was named 2021 Scholar of the Year by the Religious Communication Association. Terry will be honored at the RCA Awards Banquet on Wednesday. Well done! Marlin Business Conference: November 15-18 The Fall 2021 Marlin Business Conference, “Commerce in the New Normal,” begins this week with its opening session at The Hive in Virginia Beach Town Center. Taylor Adams, Deputy City Manager for Virginia Beach, will be the keynote speaker. Our partnership with The Hive is thanks to the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development, which partnered with VWU to offer over 70 workforce development courses at no cost to over 3,000 Virginia Beach residents. These courses have been offered online, at The Hive, and in our newly renovated Clarke Hall. We thank VBED and Taylor Adams for their friendship and support.  ODU Hosts Marlins for Basketball Opener Although VWU opened their season hosting the TowneBank Tip-Off Tournament at TowneBank Arena, Old Dominion University’s men started their 2021-22 campaign with the Marlins Wednesday night at the Ted Constant Center. It was great to watch the game with so many Marlins fans and supporters! A Discussion with Faculty Once each semester, I host a discussion with faculty. Although I participate in the monthly Faculty Assembly meetings, I enjoy the opportunity to meet with faculty in a less formal setting to discuss the present and future of the University. Topics in our discussion included the University’s business model, growth and green philosophy of the endowment, VWU Online, and new construction.  The Fin Zone: Best Seat in the House The Fin Zone has become a popular area for students in the renovated TowneBank Arena of the Jane P. Batten Student Center. Risa Yanagita, a junior from our collaborative LUJ/VWU Global (Japan) campus, won “The Best Seat in the House” during the men’s basketball TowneBank Tip-Off Tournament. As a part of the prize, Risa got to bring a friend along to enjoy the game from a couch courtside. Western Bayside Partnership Group The Western Bayside Partnership Group met last week on campus. This group seeks to build mutually beneficial campus-community partnerships committed to enhancing both the Western Bayside area and Virginia Wesleyan by changing perceptions, improving quality of life, and increasing civic involvement. Our geographic proximity to these partners is an asset to our relationships and allows for easy and meaningful service-learning opportunities for our students. DeFord Manor Update Construction will be completed by Thanksgiving with the certificate of occupancy coming December 1. The interior decorator expects the first floor to be completed by January, meaning the facility will be ready for entertaining University guests after February 1. DeFord Manor is named in honor of Bob and Nancy DeFord, longtime members of the VWU Board of Trustees. The front lawn of DeFord Manor is named the William S. Shelhorse ’70 Lawn and Ponds with gratitude to our distinguished alumnus. Behind DeFord Manor is the Virginia Oveda Williams DeFord Terrace, named in memory of Bob DeFord’s mother. Beyond the terrace is the David R. Black Japanese Garden in honor of our dear friend and executive-in-residence. Brock Commons Update Work is progressing on schedule for Brock Commons on the quad. Steel work has been completed and crews are now closing in the facility before cooler weather sets in.   The new facility is a part of a broader $4.5 million renovation and expansion project of the Boyd Dining Center and Alumni Galleria in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. When completed, Brock Commons will present a beautiful new face to the quad side of both facilities and create additional banquet space and outdoor seating dining area.  Brock Commons is named after long-time VWU Trustee Joan P. Brock. Tymoff + Moss Architects completed the design for the project. Hourigan is the general contractor.  Coastal 61 at Oxford Village Our public-private partnership, Coastal 61 at Oxford Village, on the north side of the campus continues to do well. Now in its second full year of operation, the 244-apartment community currently has a waiting list of over 30 potential tenants, a consistent pattern since its opening. Learn more at coastal61.com. STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES Features News Briefs VWU Athletics The Wesleyan Review  VWU Alumni News  The Arts at VWU  Virginia Wesleyan University Magazine  The Pharos REFLECTIONS I hope you find these links useful to my recent columns and publications: University Business  Enrollment Manager  President to President Archives CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter: @vawesleyanprez  Facebook: @ScottDMillerprez Instagram: @prezscottmiller  LinkedIn: Scott D. Miller, Ph.D.  Flickr: Scott D. Miller  Dialogue: prezscottmiller.blogspot.com  (Be sure to subscribe to Dialogue for daily updates via email)  Best wishes to the students, faculty, and staff involved in the Marlin Business Conference this week. Sincerely, -- Scott D. Miller, Ph.D. President Virginia Wesleyan University 5817 Wesleyan Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23455   Phone: 757.455.3215 Email: president@vwu.edu Web:  www.vwu.edu/president  Blog: prezscottmiller.blogspot.com

Chat & Chew: November 10, 2021

Great to “chat and chew” with VWU staff members today. Pictured from left, Andrew Taylor (Residence Life), Christina Todd (IT), Jennifer Sands (Financial Aid), Stephen Leist (Hofheimer Library), Chris Francis (Athletics), and Nathan Lightman (Enrollment).

The Pharos: November 2021

 

FACULTY AND STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND BEST PRACTICES // NOVEMBER 2021 IN PRINT The student-centered instructional activity “Cellular Membranes” authored by Joyce Easter, has been peer reviewed and has been published in POGIL Activity Clearinghouse Journal, Volume 2, Issue 3 (2021). Takeyra Coats' article, "Parent Observations at Family Diabetes Camp: An Impact Study," was published in the October 2021 Recreation, Parks, and Tourism in Public Health Journal. George Jackson was featured in WalletHub's "ask the expert" piece about No Credit Check Loans. Dan Margolies’ latest article "#QuédateEnCasa y Huapango! Diasporic Community and Musical Wellbeing in Streamed Live Performances of Son Huasteco music" (co-authored by JA Strub) was published in the Autumn, 2021 issue of the Journal of Music, Health and Wellbeing. This article appeared in a special issue on "Music in the wake of COVID-19: Challenges, Adaptations, and New Practices." President Scott D. Miller, along with Dr. Marylouise Fennell, appeared in Enrollment Manager with their piece, "From the Front Line of Admissions." The two continue to collaborate on President to President. The 2021-2022 series is titled “The Vitality and Power of Higher Education,” and examines how colleges are approaching their missions with new vigor and re-examining their role in the community. In the newly released third chapter, “Holisitic Approach to Higher Education,” Rider University President Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D., describes a unique approach to learning that integrates students’ academic and career goals with their other interests to offer a more robust and fulfilling educational experience. President Miller's daily blog, Dialogue, can be found at prezscottmiller.blogspot.com. PRESENTATIONS AND PANELS Susan Larkin and Heather Campbell presented "Addressing basic needs through bridge-building cross campus" as part of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities' (CUMU) Learning & Sharing Virtual Series. The presentation detailed successes and takeaways of the University's WesBridge Program, piloted this fall. Takeyra Coats and Jill Sturts presented "Victory! Everyone Can Win: The Rewarding Aspects of Internships” at the Virginia Recreation and Park Society Annual Conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Audrey Malagon gave a talk entitled "Ensuring Every Vote Counts" in Brown University's Social Equity and Applied Math (SEAM) Seminar. She was also a guest panelist at Meredith College's Math and Democracy Colloquium. Craig Wansink was the opening speaker for "Unpacking Anti-Semitism: An Action-Based Workshop," sponsored by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding at Old Dominion University, and the Robert Nusbaum Center. His talk was entitled "Deceptive Etymologies and Anti-Semitism." Kathy Stolley and Scott Liverman presented “Tackling Real-World Client Problems as Pedagogy: A Senior Capstone Course Based on the AACS Client Problem Solving Competition” at the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology Fortnight of Sociology Virtual Conference. Joyce Easter organized and facilitated "Developing Process Skills in the POGIL Classroom" workshop during the 2021 virtual International Learning Assistant Conference along with co-facilitators: Andrew Aspaas (Anakora-Ramsey Community College), Wayne Pearson (US Naval Academy), Marty Perry (UAMS College of Pharmacy). and Andrea von Duzor (Chicago State University). Kellie Holzer was invited to give a talk for Norfolk's Hunter House Victorian Museum, as part of their Friday Night Frights digital lecture series. She presented "How the Victorians Vanquished Vampires." For the annual Victorian Interdisciplinary Studies Association of the Western U.S. (VISAWUS) conference, held virtually, Kellie Holzer co-organized a special plenary entitled "Victorian Feminisms Today - Papers In Honor of Constance Fulmer" and presented a paper, "Constance M. Fulmer, Eminent Victorianist." Dan Margolies presented "Social Distancing, Musical Togetherness: The Nexus of Community Music, Health, and Technology During the COVID-19 Pandemic," at the 2021 Society of Ethnomusicology Annual Conference. Benjamin Haller moderated a New American Colleges and Universities webinar with Roosevelt Montás of Columbia University, whose book "Rescuing Socrates," detailing his experiences as a student and a teacher in Columbia's Literature Humanities seminar, will be released in November 2021. The webinar had approximately sixty attendees. Sara Sewell presented a paper entitled "Echoes of Disembarkation at Auschwitz-Birkenau: Survivors Sonic Memories" at the conference "Transizioni di memoria. Narrazioni della violenza nel XX e nel XXI secolo," sponsored by the Fondazione Fossoli in Carpi, Italy. As a former co-teacher, Mindy Gumpert was invited to present a two-hour session on "Co-Teaching 101" for teachers at Grassfield Elementary School as part of their professional development initiative. Lisa Lyon Payne presented a session at the national College Media Association conference on publishing opportunities in College Media Review, the flagship journal of CMA. Co-presenting was CMR managing editor Bradley Wilson of Midwestern State University. Payne has served as CMR editor since 2017. Maynard Schaus served as a panelist on the New American Colleges and Universities (NACU) webinar "Getting Started with the NACU Course Sharing Consortium." GRANTS Brian Kurisky received a $500 grant from the Campus Vote Project for engagement opportunities on the campus. OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS With the leadership of the previous Department Chair Doug Kennedy and the current Department Chair Jill Sturts, both majors within the Department of Sport and Recreation Professions, Recreational Therapy and Sport & Recreation Management, were recently approved for accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions (COAPRT) until 2028. With the leadership of Brian Kurisky, VWU received the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge 2021 Best Action Plan award for: Best in Class among four-year private institutions (tied) and Virginia Campus Voting Challenge among four-year institutions. Denise Wilkinson was asked to serve on the proposal review committee for the 2022 Teaching Academic Success Skills national conference that will take place in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Michelle Albert Vachris participated in the yearly meeting of the Joint Advisory Board of Economists that is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations regarding the general economic climate of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and for evaluating the validity of the economic forecast. On Morningside University's Board of Trustees, Craig Wansink serves on the External Relations Committee and on the Graduate & Nontraditional Programs Committee, as well as serving as the Board liaison to the Higher Learning Commission. The October meetings focused on new academic programs, the search for a new president, and issues relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. As part of the NSF IUSE grant "IntroCS-POGIL project", Joyce Easter is mentoring five computer science faculty in Virginia and Massachusetts who are implementing POGIL in their programming courses for the first time during the Fall 2021 semester. As continuity director for the Tidewater Writing Project, Mindy Gumpert facilitated webinars on "Integrating Writing and Technology" and "Empowering Student Writers Using Digital Portfolios." Mindy facilitates five webinars each semester that provide kindergarten through 12th grade teachers various approaches to writing instruction to improve their pedagogy, which translates into improved student writing. Garrett Wood hosted a discussion colloquium entitled "Markets and Morality" for students from the Management, Business, and Economics department, and the Political Science department. The students spent the day discussing ten different scholarly works on the topic and debating their merits with each other. Students were provided with reading materials, refreshments, and honorariums for their participation. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Students in Lisa Lyon Payne’s Comm 328 Public Relations course, spent an afternoon on the Lynnhaven River learning about oyster farming with local oyster farmer and Lynnhaven Oyster Company owner Chris Pace and his crew for a campaign to promote the aquaculture industry. Student photographer/videographer, writer and social media manager gathered material for their campaign. Read the current issue or archives of The Pharos