I hope everyone is ready to show their Marlin Spirit for Homecoming and Family Weekend festivities that are just days away! This year's events are joined by the addition of Founders Day activities. Friday, October 4, launches the weekend with Marlin Spirit Day. Be sure to wear your VWU gear and don't forget to snap a photo and share using the hashtag #MarlinSpiritDay.
The Founders Day Convocation will be held Friday at 2 p.m. in the Joan and Macon Brock Theatre of the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. Convocation will feature keynote speaker VWU Trustee and alumnus Eric Nyman '94, President of Hasbro North America, and will honor Virginia Beach Police Chief James "Jim" Cervera with The Wesley Award. I hope all of our Marlin community will join us for this and many other special events. For the full Homecoming and Family Weekend schedule, visit vwu.edu/homecoming. Go, Marlins!
ET CETERA
Welcome New Board Members
We welcome the election of two new members of the Virginia Wesleyan University Board of Trustees--Mavis McKenley '11, Vice President and Trust Officer at AMG National Trust Bank, and Doug Wilson '86, Executive Vice President of LifeNet Health. They both bring enthusiasm to serve, support of our mission, and a desire to continue to contribute to the work of the University. Please join me in welcoming Mavis and Doug to the Virginia Wesleyan University Board of Trustees. We are fortunate to have a strong Board that provides exceptional stewardship for our institution. I thank them for their commitment to VWU. Read more here.
Reflections of Cokie Roberts
As we remember journalist Cokie Roberts, Steve Mansfield and Bill Gibson send along reflections of her visit to campus many years ago. The tradition of a fall convocation at Virginia Wesleyan dated back to 1976, and National Public Radio correspondent Roberts spoke in Cunningham Gymnasium on September 20, 1984. Her topic was "On the Elections." Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale's running mate on that year's Democratic party ticket. Ms. Roberts had received the 1983 Women at Work Broadcast Award from the National Commission on Working Women. She later wrote back to the Special Events Committee that "the day at Virginia Wesleyan was delightful." Her recent passing reminds us of the loss of a powerful voice for career women and freedom of the press.
Thank You to the VWU Campus Community
A huge thank you to our campus community for your patience as we resolve issues related to the recent storm, such as power surges and outages that caused damage to our HVAC system and certain technologies. Additionally, in Smithdeal Hall, we discovered a need, associated with the building's green roof, to temporarily relocate the women residing on the second floor. This green roof was a prototype that offered an environmentally conscious alternative to traditional roofing. Unfortunately, periods of recent heavy rainfall have led to leaking, which made its way into some walls.
The University is therefore in the process of preparing to remove and replace the roof and make other needed repairs. University staff continue to be available to assist students with the transition to new spaces and have communicated all information about this process to the residents and parents. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your assistance and patience during this time. Please rest assured that our priority is, and will continue to be, the safety and comfort of our students.
ODAC and CICV Annual Meetings
Last week I attended the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Presidents Council Meeting and the Virginia Private Colleges (VPC)/Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) Annual Meeting at Shenandoah University. It is always enjoyable to spend time with presidential colleagues from Virginia's 27 private colleges. Below are a few of the many highlights from my visit.
- Exploring the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning with President David Johns of Ferrum College. Look for information on the Virginia Wesleyan University Esports team debuting in January.
- Informative briefing about the new Amazon second headquarters being built in Arlington by the leader of recruiting programs and strategy, Brian Riley. He shared plans for the infrastructure and programmatic efforts for the new HQ2.
- Fascinating visit to "VMFA on the road" (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) with Robert Lambeth, President of Virginia Private Colleges, and Elizabeth Ann McClanahan, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, former Chair of the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), and the new head of Appalachia School of Law. VMFA's new state-of-the-art traveling museum and art studio was launched less than a year ago (looking forward to hosting a VWU visit). Read more here.
- A Thursday morning briefing on Virginia trends and higher education issues was provided by Barbara Favola. She has served in the Senate of Virginia since 2011, representing the 31st District, encompassing portions of Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties.
- Candid conversation about higher education in the Commonwealth with Mark Sickles of the Virginia House of Delegates. He has served in the House since 2004, representing the 43rd district in the Fairfax County suburbs of D.C. He has been the House minority caucus chair since 2012
The Role of Schools in a Shifting Church
Dr. Mark Hanshaw, Associate General Secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), sends along an update, "The Role of Schools in a Shifting Church." Read it here.
AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS
I hope everyone had a chance to view Professor of Art Sharon Swift's inspiring work on display this past month in the Watts Gallery of the Goode Center. If you missed it, you can read about the talented Professor Swift's work and journey here. This week in the Watts Gallery of the Goode Center you can enjoy the work of Virginia Wesleyan graduate Lydia Johnson '19 on display for Homecoming and Family Weekend festivities. There's still time to enjoy the work of another talented colleague, Professor of Art John Rudel. Professor Rudel's latest exhibition, "Big Old Work," is on display through October 1 in the Neil Britton Gallery of Hofheimer Library.
Advancement staff and I briefed our campus ambassadors to prepare for the 2019-2020 Faculty/Staff Giving Campaign, "The Future is Here." Giving to the University from the campus community has traditionally been strong. The campaign officially launches tomorrow, October 1! A special thank you to our Advancement staff and campaign ambassadors who joined us for the meeting: Jason Seward '05, Dr. Mort Gamble, Kelly Cordova, Dr. Bryson Mortensen, Lori Harris '94, Brandon Elliott '03, Brandi Calica '14, (front row, from left) Heather Campbell '04, Elaine Aird '96, Sharon Laderberg, April Christman '14, and Dr. Michelle Vachris.
Recently I enjoyed a visit with Delegate Cheryl Turpin, who is a candidate for Virginia's 7th District Senate seat. In addition to our visit, she was on campus for a "Meet and Greet," sponsored by Wesleyan Engaged and Marlins Vote.
We had a great turnout last weekend in our Jane P. Batten Student Center for the eighth annual Scholarship and College Fair for Coastal Virginia high school students. Virginia Wesleyan University has partnered with Scholarship Sharing to host the event for several years.
It was so nice to attend the 36th annual Oyster Crush Charity Rotary Club Fundraiser at Ballyhoos with Virginia Wesleyan University friends, including Keith Moore (VWU Vice President for Student Affairs), Jason Seward '05 (Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs), Michael Berlucchi (Virginia Beach City Councilman), Joanne Renn (retired VWU Athletic Director), VWU graduate Richard Pulley '06 (executive with Merrill Lynch in Virginia Beach), Jayne Sullivan (VWU Professor of Education, active Rotarian, and Past District Governor). The event was sponsored by the Cape Henry Rotary Foundation.
The 18th Annual Golf Outing, supporting Virginia Wesleyan softball, baseball, and men's lacrosse teams, is this Friday, October 4, at Cypress Point Country Club. More information can be found here.
There are many amazing things happening at VWU's Center for the Study of Religious Freedom this fall. Check out the offerings in the latest issue of the CSRF newsletter "Understanding Religious Freedom."
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REFLECTIONS
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PRESIDENTIAL EVENTS
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Have a great week!
