Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

Congratulations to the Virginia Wesleyan Theatre Department on a wonderful spring production of "The Shield," by Greek playwright Menander. Adapted for stage and directed by Dr. Travis Malone, VWU Dean of the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities and Professor of Theatre, the production ran from March 5-8 in the Brock Theatre of the Goode Center. Kudos to the cast and crew on their tremendous work--you are talented artists and have made Virginia Wesleyan proud. Read more here.

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I am pleased to announce that the Malbon Center for Technology is working to finalize a replacement for MyBeacon, our University portal. The Center will soon share their implementation plan for the new product that features companion smartphone application, improved single sign-on capability, and integrated communication functionality. More information is forthcoming so please stay tuned. We look forward to continuing to enhance and update our technology. My thanks to Dr. Chris Davis, Chief Information Officer, and his team for their continued work in this area.

ET CETERA

Women's History Month and National Eating Disorder Awareness Month

In recognition of Women's History Month and National Eating Disorder Awareness Month, the Virginia Wesleyan Women's Resource Center, the Department of Psychology, and the Women's and Gender Studies program has organized a special event in collaboration with The Lighthouse. The keynote event will feature Nancy Redd--the New York Times bestselling author of "Body Drama and Diet Drama"--who will explore body positivity and the ways in which media shapes peoples' perceptions of body image. A former Miss Virginia and swimsuit winner at Miss America, Redd is an award-winning on-air host, Wirecutter beauty and health writer at the New York Times, and a NAACP Image Award nominee. The event begins at 11 a.m. in the Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. Redd will be signing books following her talk and will hold an informal coffee chat with students at 4 p.m. in The Lighthouse.

VWU Glass Blowing Exhibition Profiled in Veer Magazine

The recent glass blowing exhibition in the Neil Britton Art Gallery, "180," was recently reviewed in Veer Magazine. The segment highlights the academic collaboration between Virginia Wesleyan and the Chrysler Museum. Thank you to our featured artists Rachel Bartek, Sukayma El Hani, Suhyeon Kang, Malcolm Kriegel, Michael Mills, Jordan Tavan, Abegael Uffelman, and Nichole Vitchner. View more here.

Learning Landscapes: Greer Environmental Sciences Center

Recently Virginia Wesleyan was invited by WHRO to participate in a video project profiling native plants of Virginia to be distributed in classrooms and other education venues. The research gardens surrounding our Greer Environmental Sciences Center will be featured in a film segment and discussion with Brian O'Neil, Director of Living Landscapes at Norfolk Botanical Garden/Virginia Wesleyan University. WHRO noted that our gardens, native plantings, and wildlife habitats make a great environment for producing science-oriented education material. We were happy to share them!

Batten Honors College Competition Continues

Last week we welcomed the third and final Batten Honors College competition group for next fall's class, which will bring our total enrollment to the desired 160 students. We're delighted with the progress of this highly selective program, which has turned into a national-niche for Virginia Wesleyan. The weekend followed the same format as the previous competitions, beginning with a welcome event at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, and continuing 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 third group of competitors represented 12 states with 55% outside of Virginia. 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. Watch for a photo gallery on our University Flickr page.

Registration Open for the 2020 Boyd Institute

Each spring, in partnership with the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, Virginia Wesleyan University hosts The Robert F. Boyd Institute, a workshop for UMC pastors that yields continuing education units. The 2020 seminar will take place March 23-24 in the Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. Keynote speaker Rev. Olu Brown will present "Embracing the Church of Tomorrow Today." Read more here and register to attend.

Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championships

Last weekend I traveled to Salem, Virginia, to support our men's basketball team and indoor track and field team at the ODAC championships. I am proud of both teams for their heart, effort, and excellent sportsmanship. My thanks to Men's Basketball Head Coach Dave Macedo and Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Jesse Weiner for their strong leadership. Read more at vwuathletics.com.

President to President: Chapter 8

The eighth 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 "The Digital Transformation Age Means Personalized Learning for All," Maryville University President Mark Lombardi explores how institutions can improve educational outcomes by embracing technology and the flexibility it enables. He highlights the differences in contemporary students' needs, goals, and learning styles and explains how digital tools make it possible to adapt higher education accordingly, ensuring academic achievement and the ongoing success of colleges and universities in a rapidly changing world. Read it here.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Congratulations to Amy Rush, who will assume the role of Executive Director of The Lighthouse, effective this summer. Amy has served as Deputy Director in recent years and has also played an important role in the development and growth of the Army ROTC Marlin Company on campus. We thank Dr. Sara Sewell for her leadership of The Lighthouse and wish her well as she returns to teaching full time.

Recently we celebrated our good friend and longtime colleague on her last day at VWU before retirement. Audrey Rafferty, Payroll Manager, has dedicated more than 35 years to Virginia Wesleyan. I am grateful for her many contributions to our campus and our community. Please join me in congratulating Audrey on this well-deserved milestone and wishing her the best on this next chapter. We welcome our new Payroll Coordinator Amy Dudley, who previously served as Human Resources Assistant and Employee Benefits Coordinator.

Virginia Wesleyan Athletics welcomed two of its newest Marlins last week in collaboration with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, an organization aiming to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers. Three-year-old Mia Grace Moore, who lives with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma--a very rare and aggressive form of pediatric brain cancer--was "signed" to the VWU softball team on March 5 during a special ceremony in the Batten Student Center. Her older brother, Brendyn, was also welcomed to the VWU baseball team. It was a beautiful day for all, and we are so happy to have Mia, Brendyn, and their mother Michelle, as part of our Marlin family. Watch a WTKR news segment covering this special celebration here.

Kudos to student-athletes Hanna Hull and Jessica Goldyn of the Virginia Wesleyan softball team, who were named the Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Read more here.

Progress continues on the new archway at the entrance to the Betty S. Rogers Track and Field Center. The contractor for the project is Taylor Construction of Virginia Beach and the structure is being designed to match Everett Tennis Center.

It was great to host our friends and partners from the Virginia Zoo recently. We shared updates and discussed ongoing collaboration opportunities in academics. Executive Director Greg Bockheim and his team are doing excellent work in our community.

It was nice to visit with Sodexo leadership Carty McMullen (Senior Vice President) and Mike Greenfield (District Manager) on campus last week. Virginia Wesleyan and Sodexo have been good partners on dining, catering, and event management services for many years.

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

Be sure to check out the upcoming events and programs offered through Virginia Wesleyan's Center for the Study of Religious Freedom here.

Our newest issue of the Wesleyan Review is available. Read about the latest VWU news and events here.

Mark your calendar for these upcoming events and programs in the arts at Virginia Wesleyan.

STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES

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