Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

Founders Day is a Virginia Wesleyan tradition that gives our campus community a special opportunity to honor the University's history. Founders Day Convocation, which includes the annual Alumni Awards, is normally attended by all students, faculty and staff of the University. This year, given the special circumstances, we will hold our Founders Day event virtually on Thursday, September 10, at 11:00 a.m.

A reminder that our Founders Day Keynote Speaker will be Anthony Walters, President and CEO for the YMCA of South Hampton Roads and a valued member of our VWU Board of Trustees. Our 2020 Alumni Awards recipients include VWU Trustee Lee T. Stevenson '85 (Distinguished Alumnus Award), Dr. James Embrey '72 (Alumni Service Award), Dominique Fowler '12 (Graduate of the Last Decade Award), and Lori S. Harris '94 (Outstanding Service to Alma Mater).

That same afternoon we will hold our Batten Honors College Convocation at 4:00 p.m. in the Goode Fine and Performing Center. Since the founding of this distinctive program in the fall of 2017, an intimate recognition ceremony has been held for the newest Batten Fellows and Shumadine Scholars. A ceremonial pinning of each student represents their completion of orientation and formal induction into the elite program. As the Batten Honors College has flourished, the ceremony has also grown to reflect this. This year we are pleased to welcome as our keynote speaker Dr. Ian Solomon, Dean of the Frank Batten School for Leadership and Public Policy of the University of Virginia.

The VWU Digital Broadcasting Network will stream both the Founders Day Convocation and the Batten Honors College Convocation. Guests can also join us virtually on the VWU Facebook page.

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We recently held our first President's Council for Inclusive Communities meeting of the academic year. I enjoyed greeting our members, new and returning, and sharing the council's hefty charge for the year ahead.

After acknowledging some of the structural changes that VWU has put in place to become a more inclusive community, the PCIC discussed current events in the country and, more specifically, on campus. Members recognized the need to be proactive rather than entirely reactive in its mission. To do so, the council will begin by seeking a clearer sense of the needs and the perceptions of students, staff, and faculty through a campus climate study and through mechanisms (including a bias incident form), so as to both increase communication among the community and adapt diversity/inclusion best practices to the VWU campus.

This semester we will hold broader discussions that focus on issues of inclusiveness around the country, and there will be opportunities for engagement in inclusion training. Initially, however, the council will focus on our immediate campus community, determining how to be most responsive to both hopes and concerns.

Thank you to our PCIC members for their vital service to the University and our community.

ET CETERA

Look for the Helpers: Remembering 9/11

Mr. Rogers has long been a comforting voice during times of crisis. After 9/11, and at other times of national tragedy, many turn to Fred Rogers' quote, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers--so many caring people in this world."

On Friday, September 11, at 9:03 a.m., the campus community is invited to gather in the Peace Garden outside of Clarke Hall for a 9/11 Remembrance. Representatives from Marlin Ministries, ROTC, the Robert Nusbaum Center, and Wesleyan Engaged will reflect on the healing power of "helpers."

Join us as we gather to pay tribute to the helpers, and remember the 2,996 lives lost during four separate plane crashes on the morning of September 11, 2001.

Commemorating Constitution Day at VWU

September 17 is recognized annually in the United States as Constitution and Citizenship Day to commemorate the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. To commemorate the occasion, VWU will be offering a series of opportunities (listed below) on September 17.

Build That Wall: A Deist President, Connecticut Baptists, and Religious Freedom

Dr. Craig Wansink, Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr. Director of the Robert Nusbaum Center, will speak on Thomas Jefferson, the Constitution, and the term "wall of separation," which frequently is used to describe the relationship between church and state. The event will be held virtually from 6-7:30 p.m. on September 17. To attend, please register by contacting VWU's Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129.

Civil Rights and the Constitution: A Series of Vignettes

The Robert Nusbaum Center is releasing a series of video vignettes to draw attention to major anniversaries of milestone decisions in our country’s ongoing struggles for civil rights, and to remind us to remain ever vigilant in efforts to protect and preserve our rights and freedoms.

The series of four vignettes may be viewed on the Robert Nusbaum Center website beginning on Constitution Day 2020. The videos feature VWU students and highlight the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, granting black men the right to vote; 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote; 65th anniversary of the Immigrtion and Naturalization Act of 1965, abolishing a quota system based on natural origin; and 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibiting discrimination of Americans with disabilities in all areas of public life.

VWU Featured Among Nation's Best Colleges

Virginia Wesleyan University has again been selected by The Princeton Review among its "Best 386 Colleges" and in the Southeastern category of "Best Colleges: Region by Region." Thank you to our Marlin community for all they do to make us the best. Read more here.

VWU Championed as a 2020-21 "College of Distinction"

VWU has once again been recognized for its honorable commitment to engaged, experiential education by Colleges of Distinction. The guide for college-bound students also celebrated the University as an Equity & Inclusion College of Distinction and awarded VWU "Field of Study" badges for its business, education, and career services programs. Read more here.

President to President: 2020-2021 Series Foreword

The Series Foreword is now available in the 2020-2021 installment of President to President, a thought leadership publication written by and for university presidents, and edited by me and longtime friend and colleague Dr. Marylouise Fennell. This year's series, "Fostering a Culture of Innovation," will examine how leading colleges and universities are finding creative solutions to new challenges, including the myriad issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. In the foreword, Dr. Barbara K. Mistick, President of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, elaborates on this year's series and the significance it will have providing perspective as we all work through these challenging times.

Online Engagement Opportunities

Over the last two years, VWU faculty members have infused their courses with engagement opportunities. Because of the COVID pandemic and for the safety of all involved, our local contacts have not been able to accommodate our students. In response to this challenge, the Points of Light Foundation has identified online engagement opportunities for individuals and groups.Thanks to Dr. Brian Kurisky, Director of Wesleyan Engaged, for identifying opportunities appropriate for college students and for sharing this modified list.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Wesleyan Engaged is partnering with Sentara Healthcare to bring a mobile mammogram to campus this Thursday, September 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To secure an appointment, please sign up using

this form.

We are excited that Coastal 61 at Oxford Village, located across from our main entrance on Wesleyan Drive, opens this month. Faculty and staff are eligible for discounted rates through the Preferred Employer Program. Those interested can learn more here.

The Everett Tennis Center on campus is getting a refresh. Work began last week on the resurfacing of the courts, funded through a tennis center endowment created by the donors. We thank them for their generosity and support. Be sure to stop by to see the final product.

Our home city of Virginia Beach was listed as a top "midsize must-see" for a quick summer getaway. Read more here.

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REFLECTIONS

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