Progress on Coastal 61 at Oxford Village
A number of you have asked me about our public/private partnership development, “Coastal 61 at Oxford Village.” You might recall that about a year ago we announced a relationship with The Franklin Johnston Group of Virginia Beach for the construction of eight multi-use apartment buildings on 12.8 acres of land across from the main entrance.
Taylor Franklin, the lead for our partner, The Franklin Johnston Group, states that he is completing all basic planning approvals and expects a mid-fall start. The first buildings will be in use next August and the complex will be fully complete by winter 2019. Read more about this project.
New Student Government President
We
are excited to welcome Taylor “Tip” Major ’19 as our newest Student
Government Association president this fall. Tip is an active member of
our campus community and will serve our student body well. He has been
on campus many times this summer, including during Marlin Nation
Orientation in June (view photo) and more recently for Virginia Private College Week.
Meeting With Leadership from The Virginian-Pilot/Daily Press
It was great to meet on campus last week with Marisa Porto and other leadership from The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press to share updates on our many projects and initiatives at Virginia Wesleyan and to learn more about their new business model. We value our relationship with the Pilot, and look forward to further collaboration with this important institution of our community.
Virginia Wesleyan University Trademark ProtectionIt was great to meet on campus last week with Marisa Porto and other leadership from The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press to share updates on our many projects and initiatives at Virginia Wesleyan and to learn more about their new business model. We value our relationship with the Pilot, and look forward to further collaboration with this important institution of our community.
Since our move to University status in 2017, Dr. Mort Gamble, Senior Vice President, has been leading an institution-wide rebranding and trademark registration process. With the assistance of Nicole Harrell of Kaufman & Canoles, all logos and designs are being filed for trademark protection. We expect this process to be completed by early 2019.
Special thanks to Christine Hall from our Office of Marketing and Communications for her beautiful graphic design work and Dr. Gamble for leading the exhaustive trademark registration process.
News from the Climate Leadership Network
I’m honored to serve as the new chair of the Climate Leadership Network Steering Committee (formerly the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment). As the Chair of CLSC, I will also serve on the Board of Directors of Boston-based Second Nature.
As president of four institutions over the past 28 years, I have come to view higher education’s response to the climate crisis as one of the most significant issues of our time. Climate change and environmental stewardship are especially significant in the home region of my current institution, Virginia Wesleyan University. Here we are deeply concerned about the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, coastal sea rise due to global warming, and other threats. I invite you to read more in my latest column in The Virginian-Pilot.
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Registration is now open for the 2019 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit, February 10-12, in Tempe, Arizona. In partnership with the Intentional Endowments Network, and with the theme of “Local Action, Global Impact,” the Summit is our premier event designed for college and university leaders who are leading our nation’s climate action. In addition to peer-to-peer connection, which is the core of the event design, we will be digging deeply into ways to scale local climate leadership and meet global goals by working across institutions and across sectors.
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The Climate Leadership Steering Committee and Second Nature is pleased to announce a new network of research institutions known as the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3). This initiative will grow Second Nature’s capacity to support all signatories as we work together and across sectors with cities, states, businesses and other stakeholders to accelerate climate action. In doing so we will leverage all of higher education’s strengths as knowledge generators and anchors in our communities, in addition to our operational successes, to help drive solutions for the good of society. We welcome additional participation by interested research institutions. To learn more, see this Two-Pager on UC3 including eligibility requirements.
President to President Series
For 13 years I've served as Executive Editor of a higher education-focused thought leadership series written by university presidents for university presidents. The series started as Presidential Perspectives in 2005 and transitioned to President to President three years ago.
Each chapter of President to President is authored by a notable thought leader whose institution is at the forefront of innovative philosophies and practices that give their institution competitive advantage. Each month one chapter is distributed and promoted electronically, and each year, at the end of the series, the foreword and chapters are published into a thought-provoking collection on the topic and made available as a reference resource.
Last month, the 2017-18 series concluded and I thought it might be helpful to share it with you. Published by Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, the series explores "How Disruptive Innovation is Shaping the Next-Gen Campus and Enabling Student Success," and focuses on how institutions are innovating in order to secure the future and ensure positive business outcomes, while enhancing the student experience on campus.
Reflections...
I hope you find useful these links to my most recent columns and publications:The Virginian-Pilot
Enrollment Manager
College Planning & Management
VWU News and Notes...Features
News Briefs
VWU Athletics
State of the University
Each August, prior to the start of the fall semester, I deliver a State of the University Address to our campus community. The address includes highlights, initiatives and significant accomplishments from the past year, recognition of faculty and staff, points of pride, recent University news and information, current campus projects and direction for the future of the University. The 2018 State of the University Address will take place on August 24 at 12:15 p.m. We look forward to welcoming our Trustees, faculty, staff, and many friends in person. For our students and alumni, the State of the University will be live streamed.
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)
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Enjoy the remainder of the summer as we look forward to the new academic year.
