Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

March 22, 2021

Good morning,

We are just seven weeks away from the end of our spring semester, and I know our students, especially our seniors, are counting the days until summer. This has been a particularly challenging semester for many students, as the mental, emotional, and physical toll of the pandemic continues to weigh on us all.

However, I write to share some great news. Last week, Governor Ralph Northam announced plans to update Executive Order 72 on April 1 to allow for the celebration of Commencement ceremonies with up to 30% of the stated capacity of an indoor facility. This means that VWU can move forward with our current plans for five in-person Commencement ceremonies to be held in TowneBank Arena in the Jane P. Batten Student Center on May 8 and May 16.

Please see the event time for each ceremony listed below. If graduates are unsure which academic school a major falls within, please view the school organization chart.

Saturday, May 8

Birdsong School of Social Science: 9:00 a.m.

Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences: 11:30 a.m.

Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities: 2:00 p.m.

D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies: 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 16

Virginia Wesleyan University Global Campus: 4:00 p.m.

As previously announced, Dr. Tim Carter, President of the Boston-based environmental advocacy organization Second Nature, will be the Commencement keynote speaker. Dr. David Black, President-Emeritus of Lakeland University and Eastern University, will serve as Baccalaureate speaker.

Philanthropist, Trustee and VWU alumna Dr. Susan Torma Beverly '72 will receive the Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa); Dr. Richard Ekman, President of the Council of Independent Colleges, Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa); Dr. Carter, Doctor of Science (honoris causa); and Dr. Black, Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa). The Wesley Award will be presented to Dr. Mark Hanshaw, former Associate Secretary General of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church; Rev. M. Wayne Snead, District Superintendent of the Elizabeth River District of the Virginia Conference; and Marie Porter, University Chaplain.

More information will be forthcoming from my office as plans develop. Graduates and their families should monitor vwu.edu/commencement for University updates. We look forward to making Commencement as special and memorable as possible for the Class of 2021.

Congratulations to Corin “Cori” Jackson, Enrollment Counselor, on her appointment as VWU’s Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee (ADID). According to the NCAA, “The ADID is a staff member designated by the chancellor/president, who serves as the conduit for information related to national-, local- and campus-level issues of diversity and inclusion and supports diverse and inclusive practices related to athletics.”

Cori is a member of the VWU Class of 2020 and majored in English. As a Marlin, Cori played on the field hockey team and was named ODAC All-Conference in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She was also named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad all four years and to the ODAC All-Academic team. We are delighted that she chose to start her career at Virginia Wesleyan and know that her background as a Marlin student-athlete makes her a great choice for this appointment.

I am pleased to share that Virginia Wesleyan and the Boston University School of Theology (STH) have entered into an agreement offering priority admission to interested and eligible graduating seniors or VWU alumni for the STH Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree programs.

STH is a seminary of the United Methodist Church and shares VWU’s commitment to the education of future ordained and lay leaders of the Church and its ecumenical partners. We are proud to establish this pathway permitting students to progress from a baccalaureate program to a theology degree program through a guaranteed admissions program with scholarship opportunities.

For more information on this new agreement, as well as our agreements with the Duke Divinity School at Duke University and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, visit our Accelerated Degrees/Preferred Admission webpage.

ET CETERA

VWU Participates in NACCC Survey by LACRELA

Students should be on the lookout for their unique invitation link to the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates (NACCC) survey tomorrow (March 23). The NACCC is a survey with content based on more than a decade of the USC Race and Equity Center’s qualitative climate studies at colleges and universities across the country. I encourage every student to take the completely confidential survey to be an active participant in improving the racial climate on campus and the experiences of all students. Learn more about the survey here.

John Wesley’s New Home

In preparation for the construction of Brock Commons off the west side of the Jane P. Batten Student Center / Boyd Dining Hall, the statue of John Wesley was moved this past Saturday from the dining center patio to Gamble Plaza in front of Monumental Chapel and Beazley Recital Hall. The new location was collaboratively identified by stakeholders during the development of the Campus Master Plan in 2016.

The statue plays tribute to our namesake and is now appropriately situated adjacent to the Chapel and Beacon, both symbols of our history. The statue was donated to VWU by Bob and Sara Boyd. Bob was a founding member of the Virginia Wesleyan Board of Trustees. His legacy lives on in the many contributions he and his family have made to our campus and our community.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Women’s History Month Campus Activities This Week

Tomorrow (March 23) at 7 p.m., a special panel of students and alumni will discuss what it was like to be a woman studying abroad. Offered by The Lighthouse: Center for Exploration and Discovery and moderated by Dr. Lydia Kennedy, VWU Professor of Mathematics. Join here.

Virginia Beach State of the City

Watch Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer's State of the City Address hosted by the Hampton Roads Chamber-Virginia Beach.

Virginia Wesleyan grad Dee Oliver is the chair of the Virginia Beach Board, a group I serve on. Strategic Sponsor of the State of the City was The Franklin Johnston Group led by VWU graduate Taylor Franklin. Corporate sponsor was TowneBank, led by VWU Board member Bob Aston.

VWU Supports a Strong 2030 U.S. Climate Target

Last week I was pleased to add Virginia Wesleyan University as a signatory in a letter to President Biden supporting the 2030 U.S. climate target (known as a "Nationally Determined Contribution" - NDC) pursuant to the Paris Agreement. Specifically, the higher education sign-on letter calls on the United States to adopt a target of at least 50% emissions reduction by 2030 in order to place the country on a credible pathway to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Such aggressive, yet achievable, goals would restore the standing of the United States as a global climate leader and address the climate crisis at the pace and scale it demands.

NCAA Division III Spring Championship Plans Move Forward

The Division III Championships Committee announced that it will move forward with conducting spring championships for baseball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, and more. This is great news for our spring athletic programs, especially our two-time National Championship softball team who is off to a great start this season.

Growth Continues in VWU Global Campus

Our partnership with Cengage for non-credit online workforce development courses will expand this year to the Lakeland University Japan/VWU Global Campus (Japan) initiative in Tokyo. The program will be offered through LUJ/VWU Global’s Open College in Tokyo.

Virginia Wesleyan provided 1,200 COVID displaced non-credit learners workforce readiness courses during 2020. Recognizing the value of this effort, the City of Virginia Beach provided funding to expand our offerings including in-person classes at The Hive in Town Center Virginia Beach, on campus, and online. Part of the funding has been designated for facility upgrades to better serve this program.

Since its founding as University College in 2017 and renaming a year ago, VWU Global Campus has supported the University’s mission with a variety of lifelong learning opportunities. The Westminster/Wesleyan Lifelong Learning Institute enrolled over 3,000 learners in 2020.

Learn more about VWU Global Campus here.

Athletic Hall of Fame Moves to Homecoming

The 13th Class of the VWU Athletic Hall of Fame will be celebrated on Saturday, October 2 during Homecoming and Family Weekend. We believe this new date will offer an increased likelihood of holding the event in-person in a manner befitting our inductees’ achievement. Stay tuned for more information.

Beverly Hall Updates

Susan T. Beverly Hall continues to improve thanks to generous gifts and grants. The Digital Media Lab (right) has 17 terminals ideal for creating and composing various forms of digital content.

Reflecting on Amanda Gorman's poem "The Hill We Climb," Professor John Rudel and the Art 306 class completed murals in the Alison J. and Ella W. Parsons Fine Arts Entrance and Lobby of Susan T. Beverly Hall (below). The poem ends with these lines:

For there is always light,

if only we're brave enough to see it.

If only we're brave enough to be it.

I thank John and his class for this impressive work.