Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

What a wonderful Homecoming and Family Weekend! With the joining of Founders Day festivities, it was an occasion to remember with an abundance of Marlin spirit in the air. How memorable it was to celebrate our Virginia Wesleyan traditions, honor our heritage, pay tribute to some very special individuals, and welcome our alumni and friends back to campus.

Our applause and gratitude for VWU Trustee and alumnus Eric Nyman '94, President of Hasbro North America, for his outstanding keynote address during Friday's Founders Day Convocation. Eric was also presented with

the 2019 Distinguished Alumnus Award on Saturday, joined by his fellow 2019 Alumni Award recipients Candice E. Driskell '94 (Alumni Service Award), Wallace R. Driskell, Jr. '00 (Alumni Service Award), and Amari Agee '15 (Graduate of the Last Decade Award). Congratulations to all and thank you for representing VWU so well! In addition, we honored Chief of Virginia Beach Police James "Jim" Cervera and the late Robert "Bobby" Williams, class 1975.

Please join me in thanking our Advancement and Alumni Relations staff, the Alumni Council, the Parents Council, our arts faculty and students, our Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Athletics departments, and the many other members of our campus community for their contributions to this weekend's events.

View the photo gallery and enjoy highlights and a recap from the weekend (Founders Day | Alumni Awards | Homecoming).

ET CETERA

Faculty/Staff Campaign: The Future is Here

An update on the Faculty/Staff Campaign now in full swing as led by Advancement: The early-bird kick-off was wildly successful with more than double the early-bird participation numbers from last year. Special thanks to the full-time Athletic Department staff with 100 percent participation! You can make your gift or pledge of any amount, to any area of the University. Thank you to everyone for a great launch to the campaign!

New Dual-Enrollment Partnership

A new partnership between Virginia Wesleyan University and Cape Henry Collegiate gives seniors from the Virginia Beach private school the opportunity to earn college credit for their journeys abroad. Read more here.

State of the Region Address

Area business leaders were treated to the 20th annual State of the Region Address at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott on Tuesday. Dr. James Koch, ODU Board of Visitors Professor of Economics Emeritus and President-Emeritus; Robert McNab, Professor of Economics, and Barbara Blake, CAO of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, were the presenters. A link to the report is provided here. The program was sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.

"Teaching the Humanities Online" ReportFrom Dr. Richard Ekman, President of the Council of Independent Colleges: A recent CIC report,

Teaching the Humanities Online: Lessons from a Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges, draws upon the experience of 42 independent colleges and universities that collaborated to develop and share online courses in the humanities between 2014 and 2018. The report was co-authored by Barbara Hetrick, CIC senior advisor, and Deanna Marcum, former managing director of Ithaka S+R, who served as primary evaluator of the Consortium initiative.

"What Comes After GC2020 Petitions Deadline"

With the passing of the deadline to submit legislation to the 2020 United Methodist Church General Conference, many are wondering what comes next. The months ahead should bring clarity to what options the delegates will be presented when the Church's top lawmaking body meets in May. Of course, there have been speculation and predictions. Read more here.

"Colleges commit to carbon neutrality. Getting there is hard."

As chair of Second Nature's Climate Leadership Network, I was asked to weigh in on the importance of environmental education, as well as carbon neutrality challenges for institutions, in a new article from

E&E News/Climatewire. Virginia Wesleyan is a signatory of the climate leadership commitments, and our goal is to become carbon neutral by 2050. Read more here.

"The Department of Justice May Force Changes to the Admission Profession"

Our enrollment consultant, John Dysart of The Dysart Group, shares an advisory publication each month. I've included a link here for your information and enjoyment.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Thank you to the many offices that participated in the 2019 Homecoming Office Door & Lobby Decorating Contest. I enjoyed the creativity and Marlin spirit exhibited by all. The theme was "Hollywood Homecoming." Congratulations to our winners: the Learning Center (first place, office contest), Enrollment Services (first place, lobby contest), Scribner University Store (second place, office contest), and Finance and Administration (second place, lobby contest).

Friday morning we welcomed 216 golfers to Cypress Point Country Club (CPCC) near campus for the annual Virginia Wesleyan University Alumni Golf Tournament, benefiting our men's lacrosse, baseball, and softball teams. Special thanks to our partner and friend Keith King, Owner of CPCC.

Congratulations to these exceptional VWU student-athletes on earning a 3.5 GPA or higher during the Spring 2019 Semester. The Scholar-Athletes Recognition Ceremony took place Saturday during Good Morning at the Goode.

There was a great turnout at the Goode Center for Saturday's Homecoming Arts Showcase featuring performances by the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, Theatre Department, Vox Vera, and Camerata. The Arts are alive at Virginia Wesleyan University!

Congratulations to our 2019 Chili Cook-Off winner Trish Doherty from Marlin Athletics. We also had delicious entries from John Aird '07, Robert Scott '92, and Karen Weinig from Advancement.

Homecoming is a time when we reflect on the history of our University. As I walked to the Dominion Enterprises Building last week for the Greater Norfolk Corporation Board of Directors meeting, I came across this tribute to our founding on the new Glass Light Hotel and Gallery in downtown Norfolk. A few highlights from our meeting include:

We welcomed new City Manager Chip Filer to his new role at the Greater Norfolk Corporation Board of Directors. A longtime member of the GNC Board, Chip assumed the new position three weeks ago.
City Business Development Manager Sean Washington provided an overview of Opportunity Zones.
Norfolk City Councilwoman Andria McClellan (Vice Chair of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission) led a briefing/discussion about the regional broadband initiative.
Chuck McPhillips, President of Greater Norfolk Corporation, addressed technology and innovation.

It was a pleasure visiting with Judge Richard Bray, President and CEO of the Beazley Foundation. Of the many areas of Virginia Wesleyan that the Foundation has funded over the years, the latest support has made possible significant upgrades to technology. While on campus, Judge Bray visited the Beazley Foundation Technology Center, the Beazley Foundation Foyer of Godwin Hall, and the new eSports Arena.

I had the pleasure of attending the Major Community Initiative Announcement at Sentara Heart Hospital. Sentara Healthcare and Optima Health, in partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, announced a $100 million investment to address social determinants of health in underserved communities across Virginia. Many thanks to President and CEO of Sentara Healthcare Howard Kern, a VWU Trustee, for hosting this memorable event. We continue to be proud of our strong campus partnership with Sentara. I enjoyed Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's remarks and visiting with many good friends and leaders from across the Commonwealth, including former VWU Trustee Bob Aston, CEO of TowneBank. Read more about the announcement here.

Kudos to our campus community for the generous donations for Winston Wishes and the Healing Hearts Animal Sanctuary. The animal supply drive was organized by the Sociology 237: Animals and Society course, and administered by Wesleyan Engaged: Center for Civic Leadership and Service Learning. My thanks to Kathy Stolley (Professor of Sociology), Brian Kurisky (Director of Wesleyan Engaged), and their team for bringing this project for a good cause to fruition.

Recently I attended an informative briefing/presentation for area business leaders on the new Atlantic Park Project (Virginia Beach Dome Site) by Michael Culpepper, a managing partner with Venture Realty Group. Learn more about this $325 million project in this recent Virginia Living magazine feature.

It was good to visit with Delegate Jason Miyares during the Chesapeake Bay Academy 30th anniversary celebration at the home of Board Chair Stan Baldwin. The Academy, located on the campus of VWU, is the only K-12 independent school in Southeastern Virginia dedicated to serving students with a variety of learning differences. Jason represents the 82nd district which encompasses part of Virginia Beach. In addition to the General Assembly, he is in private practice as an attorney. He was the first Cuban-American elected to the Virginia General Assembly. He also serves on the Board of CBA.

Kudos to the Feminist Majority Foundation at VWU, a group of engaged students, for taking an active role in the VWU Marlins Vote initiative and embracing their civic duty. Proud to support them. Pictured here in the Jane P. Batten Student Center with Isabella Glaze, Shai Russell, Ryan Westpfahl, Monique Ayers. Keep up the good work!

FROM MY WEEKEND READING

Why is the Job of College President So Difficult?

Chronicle of Higher Education

Being a college or university president has never been easy. But today's leaders face more challenges than those of us who had the privilege of being president 30 or even 15 years ago. Financial pressures, changing demographics, and, as noted in this excellent article, "universities are now, more than ever, having to justify their value" are among the challenges presidents face. Including a "statistical portrait of the presidency," the piece also offers suggestions, first and foremost, more and better training and leadership development for trustees and presidents alike. As you might expect, I suggest starting with

How to Run a College: A Practical Guide for Trustees, Faculty, Administrators, and Policymakers.

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REFLECTIONS

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

The Virginian-Pilot

University Business

Daily Press