I recalled to the audience that Virginia Wesleyan’s Methodist connections date back to the earliest discussions about establishing the College. Area leaders and funders foresaw that our region would benefit from a residential college that was inspired by a vibrant religious heritage. Now, thanks to the inherited vision of our founders, and the hard work of many across the first half-century of the College’s existence, our campus is exciting, our faculty and staff are devoted professionals, and our possibilities for collaboration and innovation are exceptional.
I provided an overview of our current campus projects, among them the nearly completed Campus Master Plan, the Greer Environmental Sciences Center, the Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, and the VWC/YMCA Partnership Facility. I summarized our enrollment growth goals, plans for two master’s degrees and online degree completion programs for adults, and exciting news of the Batten Honors College launching this fall.
I shared with the group that in November we hosted the visiting committee of the University Senate of the United Methodist Church—an extremely positive visit for which we await the final report. As part of our preparation for that visit, I told them, we reviewed all the ways in which we define ourselves as a United Methodist-related institution and the numerous ways we keep connected to the Church:
- The College supports a full-time United Methodist chaplaincy that is currently filled by ordained elder Reverend Greg West.
- Fifty percent of the members of Virginia Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees are affiliated with the United Methodist Church, including the Presiding Bishop of the Virginia Conference and the two area district superintendents who serve as ex-officio members.
- Dr. Stephen Mansfield, VWC’s archivist and former dean of the College, is in his 44th year as a trustee of the Conference Historical Society.
- More than 60 graduates serve as pastors in United Methodist churches in the Virginia Annual Conference, and another 40 alumni clergy serve in other annual conferences or denominations. Many other VWC graduates are active in lay leadership positions in their local churches and are among the hundreds of United Methodists who come to campus for such events as the annual Robert F. Boyd Institute, which provides continuing education for United Methodist clergy and laity.
- Virginia Wesleyan offers up to one-half tuition assistance for dependent children and spouses of Virginia Conference clergy and to students entering full-time Christian service in the Virginia Conference. The College provides a $1,000 matching tuition scholarship to Methodist students in the Virginia Conference whose home church contributes $1,000, and a local United Methodist Men’s Scholarship, established in 1966, supports United Methodist students.
- The Office of the Chaplain supports members of the College community in their spiritual journey through personal interaction and a variety of programs.
- Currently Marlin Ministries hosts 15 different gatherings each week including a Sunday worship service and a student-led Monday night worship gathering.
- Chaplain Greg West leads teams of students to Nicaragua each spring break to serve alongside the church in Latin America.
- Faculty and staff enjoy fellowship and opportunities for spiritual growth through activities such as a Lenten Bible Study and a “Life Matters” series which offers members of the Wesleyan community opportunities to share autobiographical reflections on their emotional, intellectual, and spiritual experiences.
- Methodism itself favors diversity and religious freedom, and Virginia Wesleyan’s Center for the Study of Religious Freedom offers a forum for people of deep faith and abiding conscience to share common goals that transcend denominational boundaries.
- The Center for Sacred Music offers performance opportunities and educational programs designed to foster understanding and to encourage an appreciation of diversity and excellence in the sacred arts. The Church Music Certificate Program offers courses at the undergraduate level—also offered for Continuing Education Units—to prepare students for service in church music ministry, or to enhance the skills of adults working in the profession.
I felt so proud that evening when speaking to the United Methodists before me. How special to share that from its first days into the present and beyond, Virginia Wesleyan has been in partnership with the Church. And as our College continues to grow and mature, we’ll seek to further strengthen and expand our connection to the United Methodist Church and ministry in higher education. I am confident that this institution will embrace new opportunities and make exceptional contributions to all who look to us for leadership.
Virginia Wesleyan’s United Methodist heritage is strong, influential, and growing.
