Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

What a week it's been!

Last Wednesday, we welcomed the Virginia Wesleyan University Board of Trustees to campus for their spring meeting. During the meeting, we heard two informative presentations--the first by Jason Seward, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, on the meaningful work of the Opus student-work program; and by Dr. Travis Malone, Dean of the Susan S. Goode School for Arts and Humanities, on the programming and impact of the Goode Center. The 2019 President's Award recipient Brandon Foster '19 made a heartfelt presentation about his Wesleyan experience, and on behalf of his fellow graduates, presented the senior class gift to Board Chair David Kaufman and me. Thank you, Class of 2019!

We honored David Kaufman's three years of dedicated and faithful service as Chair. It has been a personal and rewarding pleasure for me to work with David in this capacity, and we look forward to continuing to benefit from his counsel. We also recognized Jonathan Pruden, Vice Chair, and Cindy Rodriguez, Secretary, who are finishing their three-year terms as officers on the Virginia Wesleyan University Board of Trustees. We thank them for their valued engagement with the University as they continue to serve as Trustees and for their leadership during these exciting times at Virginia Wesleyan.

It was an honor to bestow upon O.L. "Butch" Everett the designation of Trustee Emeritus. Butch is retiring from the Board this spring after 20 years of service, including serving as Chair from 2010 to 2013. We also celebrated retiring Trustee Billy George for his six years of service, and Rev. John Peters who has served faithfully as the Bishop's representative to our Board for many years.

This is a bittersweet time as we prepare for transitions within our academic administration. We recognized Dr. Chris Haley as his term concludes as the founding Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the Joan P. Brock School for Mathematics and Natural Sciences. As they each prepare for retirement this spring, Board Chair David Kaufman and I had the pleasure of bestowing emeritus status upon two very special friends--Provost and Vice President Dr. Timothy O'Rourke (Vice President Emeritus), who has served as chief academic officer at VWU for 12 years, and Debbie Hicks (Dean Emeritus), Assistant Provost and Director of the Learning Center, who has been a part of the Marlin Family since 1989. We are tremendously grateful for their meaningful and lasting contributions to our campus and our community.

# # #

Commencement Weekend began Friday evening with the 2019 Baccalaureate Service at Haygood United Methodist Church. Wesleyan Vox Vera performed a moving pre-service concert, followed by scripture readings, student reflections, greetings from the Office of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, and the presentation of tassels. Jonathan Zur, President and CEO of Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, gave a powerful Baccalaureate Sermon. Not only is VCIC's mission "achieving success through inclusion," but Mr. Zur truly embodies the ideals of inclusiveness, service, and citizenship. We presented him with The Wesley Award for his contributions and dedication to humanity. In addition to the spiritual component of the evening, the essential message to our graduates and their families at Baccalaureate is one of celebrating their milestone achievement, inspiring them to be humane and responsible citizens, and enriching the memorable experience of Commencement Weekend. View the Baccalaureate photo gallery here and watch the video of the servicehere.

Saturday morning was a special day in the life of Virginia Wesleyan as we celebrated the culmination of our students' hard work and dedication at our 2019 Commencement Ceremonies. It was a day of firsts--the first to be held on University Commons in front of the Greer Environmental Sciences Center and the first graduating class to include masters-level graduates in the history of Virginia Wesleyan. Read more in The Virginian-Pilot.

We welcomed U.S. Congresswoman Elaine Luria back to campus as our 2019 Commencement keynote speaker who shared a memorable message with the class of 2019: "Be Good and Do Good Work." Rep. Luria, a Navy veteran and entrepreneur, represents Virginia's Second Congressional District. We bestowed upon her the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.

It was a privilege to present the very special distinction of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, to David Kaufman. During his 13 years as a member of the University Board of Trustees, Mr. Kaufman has been a driving force for transformation, integrity of our institutional mission, and strategic competitiveness. He has provided exemplary service not only to the Board but also to the wider mission and purposes of our institution.

Congratulations to our very well-deserved 2019 faculty award recipients, announced during Saturday's Commencement Ceremony: Samuel Nelson Gray Distinguished Teaching Award--Professor of Theatre and Dean of the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities Travis Malone; The Frank and Jane P. Batten Distinguished Scholar Award--Assistant Professor of Music Bryson Mortensen; The Service and Community Engagement Award--Professor of History Clayton Drees; and The United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Exemplary Teacher Award--Professor of Hispanic Studies Mavel Velasco. Drs. Malone, Mortensen, Drees, and Velasco are most deserving of these prestigious awards, and we appreciate their fine work at Virginia Wesleyan!

We are proud to welcome all of our graduates to the ranks of Virginia Wesleyan alumni as accomplished scholars. Congratulations to the Class of 2019!

A special and heartfelt thank you to the Virginia Wesleyan University Commencement Committee led by Assistant Provost Debbie Hicks and University Marshal Dr. Kathy Merlock Jackson. Thanks to all who made the outdoor ceremony a success.

Read more about the weekend and view the photo gallery here. You can also relive the magic by watching the Commencement Ceremony video on-demand through the VWU Digital Broadcasting Network.

# # #

ET CETERA

Following the Commencement Ceremony, we held an Army ROTC Marlin Company Commissioning Ceremonyfor graduate Gavin Steel who was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. We congratulate Gavin on this tremendous accomplishment and thank him for his service to our country.

We are glad to welcome Liz Hudy to the Marlin family as Head Women's Basketball Coach! She's an established winner on the court (as a player and coach), in the classroom, and considered one of the brightest young coaches in the profession. Read more about Coach Hudy at vwuathletics.com.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

It is such an honor to be named to the 2019 Inside Business "Power List" along with many distinguished friends and colleagues, including VWU Trustee Howard Kern and alumnus Taylor Franklin. The listing recognizes those who, in the opinion of Inside Business, are important to the future of Hampton Roads.

Last Monday was a powerful evening with an inspiring group of people! It was my pleasure to attend and speak at the Ramadan Iftar Dinner, sponsored by the Muslim Communities of Hampton Roads in collaboration with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) and the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom (CSRF) at VWU.

STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES

Features

News Briefs

VWU Athletics

Virginia Wesleyan University Magazine

Faculty Focus

REFLECTIONS

I hope you find these links useful to my recent columns and publications:

The Virginian-Pilot

Daily Press

Enrollment Manager

College Planning & Management