I am pleased to report two staff promotions in Godwin Hall. Stephanie Smaglo, who has served as my Executive Assistant, has assumed the position of Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications and will be located, with her staff, in the office suite adjacent to Birdsong Presidential Suite.
Stephanie has extensive experience at Virginia Wesleyan, and as you’ll recall, worked in Marketing and Communications for four years prior to joining us in the President’s Office. Her prior experience includes marketing roles for the American Red Cross in Norfolk, Stone Street Capital in Bethesda, Maryland, and the Summit Federal Credit Union in Rochester, New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication with a concentration in marketing from St. Bonaventure University in New York.
Kelly Sprouse Barham has assumed the role of Executive Assistant to the President. Kelly has been a key staff member in Provost Tim O’Rourke’s office. Prior to that she served as Operations Coordinator in Student Development at the University of Richmond. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in marketing and a minor in communication studies, from Christopher Newport University, and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Richmond. An announcement on her successor in the Provost’s office will be made soon.
I congratulate both Stephanie and Kelly and look forward to the strength they will bring to their new roles.
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I invite all of you to join us today at 3:30 p.m. in the Birdsong Presidential Suite on the second floor of Godwin Hall for a retirement celebration in honor of Donald Stauffer, Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst. Donald arrived at VWU in 1997, and in his first 10 years he wrote programs for and augmented the Colleague administration database. He is originally from Ohio and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. We thank Donald for his 21 years of service to Virginia Wesleyan and wish him and his wife Colleen much happiness in their move to Texas.
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Construction began this week on Virginia Wesleyan’s new "SmartFlower," a fully integrated photovoltaic system that will supply power to Honors Village (view photo). VWU is one of the first college campuses in the country to install SmartFlower Solar, which generates 40 percent more energy than traditional solar. Many thanks to the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia for helping to bring this project to life on our campus.
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It was fun to join some of our returning national softball champions yesterday on The Hampton Roads Show on WAVY-TV 10. The celebration continues for these phenomenal athletes and coaches throughout our region and we will be sure to share additional event information.
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Later this month at VWU we’ll host the Virginia Wesleyan Environmental Institute: Summer Scholars Program (July 23-27) and Virginia Private College Week (July 23-28), and next week we'll bring to a close this year's BIO 190 "Diversity of Life" course (June 25-July 16) for rising seniors from an International Baccalaureate (IB) program and area math and science academies from around Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk. And be sure to mark your calendars for the State of the University (August 24), Founders Day (September 6), and Homecoming and Family Weekend (October 5-7).
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My travels took me to Sante Fe, New Mexico, earlier this week, for a productive three days of Board of Directors meetings with Academic Search, Inc. (ASI) and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI)—for which I serve as chair and vice chair, respectively. It was a pleasure to catch up with fellow Academic Search Board members and longtime friends Jay Lemons, President of ASI, Mildred Garcia, President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and Richard Ekman, President of the Council of Independent Colleges (view photo). Founded in 1976, Academic Search is an executive search firm dedicated to serving higher education institutions and related organizations and is the only search firm in the nation with a formal relationship to a premier leadership development program.
It was also nice to see many friends and colleagues at the American Academic Leadership Institute meeting, including Shawn Hartman, AALI COO, Linda Bleicken, President of AALI, and fellow Board members Mildred Garcia, President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and again, Richard Ekman (view photo). For nearly a decade, AALI has earned acclaim as the nation’s leading nonprofit organization committed to leadership development in higher education. The organization offers a wide range of leadership programs, networking opportunities, and mentorship experiences to prepare administrators to advance to higher positions of responsibility at public and private colleges and universities.
It’s always refreshing to spend time with leaders of these organizations because they give me a realistic assessment of the current condition of higher education and challenges facing our sector. We are responding well to these challenges.
Thanks to each of you for the roles you play in making Virginia Wesleyan an extraordinary place to live and learn.
