Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

The Virginia Wesleyan University Board of Trustees held its winter meeting on February 12 in the Board of Trustees Suite in the Boyd Dining Center.

Economist and noted author Dr. Jim Koch was the featured speaker at the meeting. Dr. Koch's presentation focused on "Virginia Wesleyan and the Changing World of Higher Education." He is Board of Visitors Professor of Economics Emeritus and President Emeritus of Old Dominion University and President Emeritus of the University of Montana. He most recently published the book "The Impoverishment of the American College Student."

We enjoyed our time with the Trustees, whose actions included:

Review and acceptance of reports and actions from the Committees on Trusteeship, Audit, Investment, Finance and Administration, Academic Affairs, Advancement, Student Affairs, and Enrollment;
Approval of recommendations for promotion and tenure;
Acceptance of the University independent audit performed by Brown Edwards;
Acceptance of an updated Investment Policy Statement proposed by the University's endowment manager, Commonfund;
Acceptance of the 2020 VWU Organizational Chart as presented by the President of the University;
Acceptance of the mid-year fiscal reports as presented;
Approval, based on donor preference, of the renaming of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom as the Nusbaum Center;
Approval of the renaming of Convocation Hall in the Jane P. Batten Student Center as TowneBank Arena in the Jane P. Batten Student Center;
Approval of the renaming of Monumental Chapel as Monumental Chapel and Beazley Recital Hall;
Approval of the final plans for the new brick signage at the entrance;
Approval of the final plans for the brick archway/entrance at Rogers Track and Field Center;
Approval of the final plans for DeFord Manor;
Approval of the final plans for the Batten Student Center/Boyd Dining Center upgrades;
Approval of honorary degrees for the 2020 baccalaureate and commencement speakers.

Thank you to our Trustees for a productive meeting and for their service to the institution. Their support, engagement, and stewardship are evident in all they do. As always, we are grateful for the leadership and guidance of Board Chair John Malbon.

ET CETERA

Virginia's First Chief Diversity Officer to Speak at Virginia Wesleyan

In honor of Black History Month, I am pleased to share that Dr. Janice Underwood, Virginia's first-ever Chief Diversity Officer, will be speaking on campus tomorrow, February 18, at noon in the Pearce Suite of the Jane P. Batten Student Center. The event is open to all, and I strongly encourage our entire campus community to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to hear Dr. Underwood speak and interact with her.

Dr. Underwood is the Commonwealth's first cabinet-level Chief Diversity Officer and the first in the nation to hold a position of this kind. She strongly believes in servant leadership and culturally relevant reform and is committed to addressing racial, ethnic, disability, gender-based, and other cultural inequities in formal and informal policies and practices in Virginia state government. She is working tirelessly to build a statewide strategic plan for diversity and inclusive excellence across 186 state agencies and with other public and private sectors. Her goal is to make Virginia a national exemplar for the nation regarding diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. I hope to see you tomorrow at noon. Read more here.

Virginia Wesleyan Earns Champion Title at Statewide Collegiate Ethics Bowl
I am proud to share that our VWU Ethics Bowl team won the 2020 VFIC Ethics Bowl. The VWU team competed against other highly qualified student teams from Virginia's 15 leading independent colleges and universities last week. The theme, "Ethics and Higher Education," presented students with cases they might encounter on college campuses. Our team was undefeated in the four preliminary rounds and edged out Hampden-Sydney College in the final round to win the Batten Trophy for the second time in the event's history. The Batten trophy, named for VWU Trustee Emerita Jane P. Batten and her late husband Frank Batten, Sr., both strong Ethics Bowl supporters, will be displayed on our campus. This is an impressive and fitting achievement as our undefeated team is comprised of all Batten Honors College students. Congratulations to Alex Powers, Anitra Howard, and Criofan Shaw!

Thank you to our longtime Ethics Bowl coach Dr. Kathy Merlock Jackson (Professor of Communication Studies) for her hard work and dedication to this program. As many of you know, Dr. Jackson and her husband Joe were in a serious car accident and she remains in the hospital. Please join me in keeping her and Joe in your thoughts. I pray for their comfort and full recovery.

Dr. Loren Loving Marquez (Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs) and April Christman (Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs) accompanied the Ethics Bowl team to Lynchburg and coached them through the competition. My gratitude to them both for stepping up and supporting our students. Read more and view photos here.

Batten Honors College Competition

Over the weekend we welcomed the second of three Batten Honors College competition groups for next fall's class, which will bring our total enrollment to the desired 160. We're delighted with the progress of this highly selective program, which has turned into a national-niche program for Virginia Wesleyan. The competition weekend began Thursday evening with a welcome reception at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and continued Friday and Saturday with interviews, campus tours, class visits, and panel discussions. Participating students and their parents also attended a reception Friday evening at the Slover Library in downtown Norfolk.

Our second group of competitors was impressive in so many ways. The first competition weekend took place in November, and the third, which follow the same format, is scheduled for March. This selective academic program is made possible by generous support from Virginia Wesleyan University Trustee Emerita Jane P. Batten H'06 and her late husband, Frank Batten, Sr. View the photo gallery from the weekend here.

President to President: Chapter 7

The seventh chapter of the 2019-2020 President to President thought leadership series is now available. I enjoy editing this series with longtime friend and colleague Dr. Marylouise Fennell. In "Leveraging Our Assets: Adult Education as a Tool for Transformation," Muskingum University President Dr. Susan S. Hasseler describes how her institution applies the key elements of adult education programs to better serve degree-seeking students from diverse backgrounds. By leveraging the benefits of adult education programs, such as responsiveness to learners' needs and connections with experts who work in fields beyond academics, institutions can pursue new educational practices that align with the needs of today's college students. Read it here.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Virginia Wesleyan faculty share their academic take on "that crazy little thing called love" by offering special lectures, workshops, or presentations February 11 - 21. Students can explore various aspects of love, through different disciplinary lenses during the 10th Annual Love in the Liberal Arts Symposium, sponsored by the the Innovative Teaching and Engaged Learning (INTEL) office. From "puppy love" to the "love of mother nature," this year's campus-wide symposium offers love lectures that provide great opportunities for students to explore another subject or professor without being enrolled in that particular class. Presentations are open to all members of the VWU community. For lecture dates and times, visit the 2020 schedule for the 10th Annual Love in the Liberal Arts Symposium here.

We had an excellent turnout for our winter Marlins Day Open House. I always enjoy the opportunity to visit with prospective students and their families during the opening session in the Goode Center and throughout the day. Read more and view the photo gallery here.

VWU's natatorium recently won the Evoqua Water Technologies' Great UV Giveaway Contest and will be awarded an Energy Technology System- Ultraviolet (ETS-UV) Disinfection System for the natatorium in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. Kudos to Mike Ginder, Head Coach for Men's and Women's Swimming at VWU, for entering the facility into the contest. Read more here.

A reminder that VWU is again participating in the annual RecycleMania tournament, a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. To reduce Virginia Wesleyan's environmental footprint and help meet its RecylceMania goals, students, faculty and staff are asked to put clean bottles, cans, paper and cardboard in the blue recycling bins on campus. Metallic energy bar wrappers and personal hygiene packaging (toothpaste tubes, shampoo bottles, etc.) can be recycled in the Terracycle bins in the library's 24-hour lounge. In addition, Wesleyan Engaged (Batten 25) is collecting used printer cartridges for recycling and used eyeglasses for donation to the Lions Club. Read more here.

The February edition of The Pharos is now available. Read up on the latest accomplishments of Virginia Wesleyan University faculty and staff here.

Catch the latest in Virginia Wesleyan Athletics in the recent edition of Marlins SportSplash here.

Kudos to student-athlete Jaylyn Lane of the Virginia Wesleyan University women's track and field team on being tabbed the Field Athlete of the Week by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC)! Read more here.

Prior to the launch of the season, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) announced the 2020 Men's Tennis Preseason polls. Virginia Wesleyan was picked to finish second this season. Read more here.

STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES

Virginia Wesleyan University Magazine

The Pharos

REFLECTIONS

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

The Virginian-Pilot

University Business

Daily Press