Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

November 30, 2020

Good Morning,

Last week, I joined with presidential colleagues from 59 other National Liberal Arts Colleges in partnership with the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center for the launch of the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA).

I am proud that Virginia Wesleyan University is one of the 60 inaugural members. VWU is ranked 24th in “Ethnic Diversity” among National Liberal Arts Colleges and is also recognized as a “Top Performer on Social Mobility” for 2020-2021, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Virginia Wesleyan is committed to building a campus culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity. We must always work and strive to deepen our understanding and sensitivity regarding all perspectives surrounding diversity. As a residential campus, we provide our students the ability to practice living, learning, and collaborating with others in an environment that is both challenging and supportive in all aspects. I believe the University’s active participation in the Alliance will help us progress in our goal.

Membership in the Alliance includes a variety of professional learning opportunities for faculty and staff and an online repository of resources and tools including downloadable equity-related rubrics, readings, case studies, videos, and slide decks, available 24/7 for every employee across all levels.

The Center’s National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates (NACCC) has been administered to more than 500,000 students at colleges and universities in every geographic region of the United States. The NACCC is a rigorous, expert-validated quantitative survey that measures belonging and inclusion, the frequency and depth of cross-racial interactions, students’ appraisals of institutional commitment to diversity and inclusion, and other related topics. As an Alliance member, VWU will not only benefit from the student survey, but will also be among the first to utilize the Center’s two workplace climate surveys, one for staff at all levels and another for faculty (including full-time, adjunct, and part-time instructors). This trio of campus climate surveys will work on a three-year rotational basis: the student survey in year one, the faculty survey in year two, and the staff survey in the third membership year. The Center will manage data collection and analysis.

Presidents of Alliance member colleges will meet quarterly to share strategies, seek advice, and identify ways to leverage the Alliance for collective impact on racial equity in higher education. In addition, presidents will occasionally come together to craft rapid responses to urgent racial issues confronting the nation. Alliance presidents will collaboratively determine what to do; what to say to their respective campus communities; and what they can communicate in one unified voice to policymakers, journalists, and other audiences.

ET CETERA

Dr. Craig Wansink, Joan P. and Macon F. Brock Jr. Director of the VWU Robert Nusbaum Center, chair of Religious Studies and senior pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Norfolk, published an editorial, "Lessons from a surreal few weeks at Virginia Wesleyan," in The Virginian-Pilot last week. Dr. Wansink’s piece stresses the importance of meaningful dialogue surrounding politics, religion, gender, sexuality, and more. In his piece, Craig writes, “When I was young, people would say that you should never talk about politics or religion in polite company. That advice is like saying that married couples should not talk about finances or parenting. Talking about important issues can lead to trouble unless we are careful in how we discuss them and — maybe more importantly — how we disagree.”

Although our students are learning remotely until the end of January Term, Virginia Wesleyan University officials continue to monitor COVID-19, following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). Our Coronavirus resource page will be updated for protocols and procedures related to our students’ return to campus for the spring semester.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

VWU Honored as Sustained Distinguished Performance River Star Business

VWU has been honored once again by the Elizabeth River Project as a Sustained Distinguished Performance River Star Business. We are proud of this achievement, as it underscores the special care and attention the University has devoted to environmental issues and impact dating back to the 1980s and culminating in the construction of the Greer Environmental Sciences Center and creation of the Batten Honors College. Beyond our national niche programs, the University boasts student organizations like Marlins Go Green and initiatives like the Marlin Meadows Community Garden that contribute to the overall sustainability efforts of our campus community.

Congratulations to Professor Steve Emmanuel

I am pleased to share that Steve Emmanuel, VWU Dean of the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities and Professor of Philosophy, has been invited by the Smithsonian Associates Program to give a public lecture on his forthcoming book, Philosophy's Big Questions: Comparing Buddhist and Western Approaches. The book will be released on June 15, 2021.

Mark Your Calendars: VWU Winter Arts Showcase

The art, music, and theatre departments will share highlights of a semester’s work in a virtual Winter Arts Showcase on Friday, December 11, on the VWU Digital Broadcast Network. For more details and the showcase schedule, visit the Arts@VWU.

Consider VWU on “Giving Tuesday”

Tomorrow (December 1) is Giving Tuesday. Created in 2012, Giving Tuesday encourages people to give back to their community after a weekend often filled with shopping (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and CyberMonday). I hope you will consider making a gift to Virginia Wesleyan University in celebration of this global movement and in the spirit of the holiday season to come.

Chapter 4: “President to President” Series

The fourth chapter this year’s President to President thought leadership series is now available. In "Leading Through Crisis: Leveraging Goals to Build a Lasting Legacy," University of Miami President Julio Frenk, MD, Ph.D., explores how crises and other unforeseen events—such as those that have unfolded in 2020—create opportunities for leadership, community building, and leveraging an institution's strategic priorities. In this year's President to President series, titled "Fostering a Culture of Innovation," prominent higher education experts share how their institutions have innovated in response to the previously unimaginable challenges that have recently impacted higher education.

I am proud to serve as Executive Editor of this thought series along with Dr. Marylouise Fennell, Senior Counsel at the Council of Independent Colleges and a partner in the search firm of Hyatt-Fennell, LLC. This is our 16th year of leading the series.

Construction of new Kiln at Beverly Hall continues

Construction is well underway for the new kiln shop at Susan T. Beverly Hall (formerly the Fine Arts Building). We expect the entire project to be completed in January and ready for student use when the spring semester begins.