Welcome, New Marlins!

Having a great time welcoming the newest Marlins to Marlin Nation Orientation on campus this morning! Pictured with me and our mascot Bob Marlin are Jason Seward (Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Operational Management), Heather Campbell (Vice President for Enrollment), and Mary Ryberg (Vice President for Finance). #GDTBAM

2022 Exemplary Teacher Award: Dr. Bill Gibson

An honor this morning to recognize Dr. Bill Gibson with the United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry 2022 Exemplary Teacher Award. Dr. Gibson retired from his role of professor of political science this year following 35 years of service to the University. We thank Bill for his wisdom, environmentalism, and humor and wish him the very best in retirement. Also pictured: Dr. Sue Larkin, Vice President for Academic Affairs.

ACCESS College Foundation Scholarship Awards Celebration 2022

Great afternoon at the ACCESS College Foundation's Scholarship Awards Celebration at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. We're so grateful for the wonderful work this organization does for young students in our community. Clockwise from top left: Scholarship recipient and future Marlin Seluani Navarrete-Perez; Bonnie Sutton '99, President and CEO of the ACCESS College Foundation; Cori Jackson '20, VWU Enrollment Counselor, Jordan Brown '03, Lead Pastor at [OV] Church (who delivered the event's invocation), and Mary Ryberg, VWU Vice President for Finance; Cheryl Jones '05, Vice President for Programs for the ACCESS College Foundation; and the Beazley Foundation's Judge Richard S. Bray, Chairman, and R. Stephen Best Sr., President/CEO.

Happy Father’s Day, Marlins Nation!

A “Grand” Father’s Day for me — dinner in Bethany Beach, Delaware, with Addie and Gavin.

Happy Juneteenth, Marlins and friends!

 

Speaking to the Next Generation of College Leaders

I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to the next generation of college leaders at the American Academic Leadership Institute Senior Leadership Academy in Washington, DC this morning. A talented group of private college leaders from across the country — at Cosmos Club.

Go Braves!

 I don’t think the guy sitting next to me (Nats mascot Screech the Eagle) likes my Braves shirt — at Washington Nationals Stadium.

Catching Up With VWU graduate Kevin Nickleberry

Enjoyable dinner and conversation with VWU graduate Kevin Nickleberry, former head basketball coach at Howard University, Hampton University, and LSU and the new top assistant to Patrick Ewing at Georgetown University.

Patrick Duhaney Briefs the Virginia Beach Vision Board of Directors

Good friends and colleagues from the Virginia Beach Vision Board of Directors visiting at the social hosted at the corporate headquarters of AIM/Centura College/Tidewater Tech. The Board received an in depth briefing from Patrick Duhaney, City Manager of Virginia Beach. From left: Joashua Schulman, Paul Merritt, and Joel English. Joashua is running for City Council in the ninth district.

Nota Bene: Weekly Update

 

June 13, 2022 Good morning,

Since the founding of the distinctive Batten Honors College in the fall of 2107, an intimate recognition ceremony has been held for the newest scholars. A ceremonial pinning of each student represents their completion of orientation and formal induction into the elite Batten Honors College of Virginia Wesleyan University. As the program has grown and the highly selective, residential Batten Honors College has flourished, the ceremony has also grown to reflect this. This fall, all four classes of the Batten Honors College will attend the Batten Honors College Convocation for the first time on Founders Day on September 8 at 4:00 p.m. (We tried to do this in 2020 and 2021, but the pandemic had other ideas.)

As such, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Derek Aday, Dean and Director of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at The College of William & Mary (VIMS), as our Batten Honors College Convocation keynote speaker.  Dr. Aday earned his M.S. in Aquatic Ecology from Louisiana State University and his Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Illinois. Prior to becoming Dean & Director of VIMS, his research focused on aspects of aquatic ecology, conservation biology, fishery science, and environmental toxicology. He has been published in numerous journals, currently serves as Editor-In-Chief for Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, and has been selected for many honors and awards throughout his distinguished career. Learn more. Virginia Wesleyan's unique partnership with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science promotes enrollment of graduating Batten Honors College students in the Master of Arts in Marine Science program at VIMS. Each year one seat in the master's program will be reserved for a BHC graduate who meets admission criteria. Therefore, we are especially delighted to have Dr. Aday join us for Batten Honors College Convocation on Founders Day to comment on this incredible opportunity for students and inspire them to take environmental and ecological action as per the pillars of the Batten Honors College program.

ET CETERA

We were delighted to host the Virginia Beach Division Board of Directors from the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce at DeFord Manor last week. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our beautiful campus and highlight all the ways we enhance the Coastal Virginia community, including our workforce development program, our commitment to affordability, our celebration of diversity, our academic programs offered online and in-person, and more.

Pictured right: Local attorney Steve Romine, Hampton Roads Chamber Immediate Past Chair, and Pamela West Walker, Vice President for PNC Bank and Chair of the Virginia Beach Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber. View the full photo gallery.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

June is Pride Month We wish all our LGBTQ+ students, alumni, parents, friends and allies a happy Pride Month. As is our tradition, we are proudly flying a pride flag on our campus, adjacent to the American flag and Virginia state flag at Heritage Plaza in front of Godwin Hall.

Celebrating Juneteenth As a reminder, in-person classes are canceled and many University offices are closed in observance of Juneteenth on Monday, June 20.

An Alumna’s Story of Perseverance Congratulations to Jessie Dawe, VWU Class of 2008, who recently graduated from Harvard Law School. Jessie’s journey from Virginia Wesleyan to becoming a mother and Harvard graduate is an incredible story of perseverance. Now that she’s graduated, Jessie will clerk with S. Bernard Shaw, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Kudos to her!

The Best Picture You’ll See All Week Marlins everywhere are smitten with this photo of Officer Randy Lott and his family at the Girls on the Run annual 5K, which was held on campus a few weeks back. Virginia Wesleyan has always been a campus for family, and we love to see one of our own taking advantage of the unique partnerships we offer on site. Way to go!

VWU Trustee Sharon Goodwyn Elected as HRCF Chair Congratulations to VWU Trustee Sharon Goodwyn on her election as Chair of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Sharon’s election is historic as it marks her as the first female and first African-American to hold the title in the Foundation’s 72-year history. Joining her in the leadership of the Foundation is Frank Batten, Jr., another longtime VWU supporter, who was elected as the Foundation’s Vice Chair. Read more.

Opus Resumes This Summer VWU's Opus summer program, a Work and Learn initiative, is back. Now in its fifth year, the Opus program is designed to assist students with outstanding financial obligations to the University and has helped more than 150 Marlins continue their educational pursuits. Participating students work alongside the University's Facilities Management team on corrective and preventative maintenance, as well as beautification projects throughout campus. Projects include residence hall preparation and maintenance for summer camps and conferences, parking lot painting, and work with the grounds team. Thanks to the generosity of Trustee David Kaufman H’19 and The Landmark Foundation, Opus continues to assist eligible students in making their education affordable.

Congratulations to the TCA Class of 2022 Tidewater Collegiate Academy (TCA), located in the Frank Blocker, Jr. Youth Center on campus, held its graduation ceremony for the Class of 2022 at the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. This was the largest class of graduates in the school’s history, and I offer my congratulations to Dr. Wendy Scott, TCA Director, and these graduates. Watch a slideshow of the event here.

Welcome Back, Camp Red Feather! Now in its 17th year, YMCA Camp Red Feather kicks off its 2022 summer camp season next week. With its headquarters on campus in the Frank Blocker Youth Center, YMCA Camp Red Feather exposes youth ages 5 to 17 with their natural surroundings, unplugging them from the digital world. Virginia Wesleyan's 300 acre park-like settings makes our campus the perfect setting for this long time partnership as campers participate in arts and crafts and archery, canoe on Lake Taylor, climb the 55-foot Alpine Tower, and explore Virginia Beach and beyond.

Make Your Annual Gift by June 30 Virginia Wesleyan University's ability to prosper and grow is rooted in the generosity of our alumni and friends. Your gifts are an investment in our students and will echo throughout the lives of every student touched by your generosity. Make your tax-deductible gift by midnight on June 30 to give students unique and valuable experiential opportunities that help prepare them for their lives and careers beyond the classroom.    A special thank you to those who have already made their fiscal year gift. View The Excellence Fund Honor Roll of Donors here.

Update from the UMC The United Methodist Church’s top court has modified an earlier ruling to say that newly elected U.S. bishops will take office on January 1, 2023. Meanwhile, the Africa Initiative ponders the future of Methodism.

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)

Enjoy the upcoming holiday weekend, Marlins! 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