Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

May 10, 2021

Good morning,

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! We were so pleased to be able to celebrate you in person on Saturday, and we wish you the very best as you pursue your personal and professional goals.

A special thanks to our Commencement speaker, Dr. Timothy Carter of Boston-based Second Nature, for his inspiring address. Dr. Carter was awarded an honorary doctorate along with Dr. David R. Black, our Baccalaureate speaker; Dr. Richard Ekman, President of the Council for Independent Colleges; and Dr. Susan Beverly, alumna and philanthropist.

Our faculty award winners are Dr. Linda Ferguson (Samuel Nelson Gray Distinguished Teaching Award), Dr. Terry Lindvall (Frank and Jane P. Batten Distinguished Scholar Award), Dr. Joyce Easter (Service and Community Engagement Award), and Dr. Elaine Dessouki (United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award).

During our Baccalaureate program, which was held on Friday evening, we honored Dr. Mark Hanshaw, retired Associate General Secretary of the United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; Rev. Wayne Snead, longtime Elizabeth River District Superintendent; and Marie Porter, our University Chaplain, with The Wesley Award.

Congratulations to all, especially to the resilient Class of 2021. We will miss you and look forward to staying in touch.

Read more about the Commencement ceremonies here, and view the photo gallery here.

We look forward to celebrating our VWU Global Campus graduates on Sunday, May 16 at 4:00 p.m. Watch live on the VWU Digital Broadcasting Network.

May is Asian Pacific American History Month, which pays tribute to generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched the United States’ past, present, and future. Current events have called for the support of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). As such, Dr. Beth Borgen, President of Lakeland University; Dr. Brian Frink, Vice President of Lakeland University Japan/VWU Global (Japan); and I sent a letter to the students and families of LUJ-VWU Global celebrating US-Japan relations and denouncing AAPI hate:

We applaud the recent meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Suga and United States President Biden that saw the two leaders reaffirm the commitment shared by the Japanese and U.S. governments. We especially support their strong stand against rising discrimination, violence and hate crimes against Asian people in the U.S.

President Biden noted that both the U.S. and Japan are deeply invested in innovation. Our growing sister school relationships between Lakeland University-Japan, Lakeland University Wisconsin and Virginia Wesleyan University mirrors the shared commitment between our two countries.

Students studying with us have pathways to careers in International Business; STEM fields like Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Analytics; and the Arts. We are proud to work together to help grow the global workforce for tomorrow by providing students over 70 majors at the three campuses.

We are proud to offer our students safe environments to live, study and grow, and we reject discrimination and violence against any student. Recent data shows that the LUW and VWU campuses and surrounding communities are safe places for our students:

Sheboygan County’s population is made up of 5.6% Asian descent, while Virginia Beach includes 7.1% of Asian descent.
There were no reported hate crimes against Asians in 2020-2021 at either location.
The State of Virginia legislature was the first in the U.S. to form a caucus to advocate legislation for Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Prime Minister Suga stated, “The United States is Japan’s best friend. Japan and the U.S. are allies that share universal values, such as freedom, democracy, and human rights.”

We echo his statements as we work together as higher education allies and friends to fulfill our missions and to help students from all over the world realize their educational goals.

ET CETERA

The VWU Board of Trustees wrapped up a busy session of committee meetings with eight committees meeting virtually within the last few weeks—Academic Affairs, Administration & Finance, Advancement, Audit, Enrollment, Investment, Student Affairs, and Trusteeship. I thank our Chair of the Board, John Malbon, and our Committee Chairs, Nancy DeFord, Tim Bailey ’83, David Kaufman H’19, Vince Mastracco, Jon Pruden, and Jim Shumadine for their engagement and leadership. The full Board of Trustees will meet this week to vote on action items that came out of the committee meetings.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Condolences to Robin Takacs

The Virginia Wesleyan family offers our deepest condolences to Robin Takacs, Director of Instructional Technology, after the passing of her husband, Jim. I ask that you please keep Robin and her family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Jim’s obituary can be found here.

Tree Planting in the Wilson Arboretum Honors Retiring Prof. Cathal Woods

Congratulations to Associate Professor of Philosophy Cathal Woods, who retires this spring after 16 years with Virginia Wesleyan. A wax myrtle was planted in Wilson Arboretum May 5 during the traditional Tree Planting Ceremony held annually for retiring faculty. Best wishes, Dr. Woods!

Marlin Scholars Recognized during the Honors Convocation

Congratulations to all of our students who received awards and recognitions during our virtual Honors Convocation, which was held on April 27. You can watch the replay of the event here.

Congratulations to Trustee Howard Kern and Sentara Healthcare

Sentara Healthcare, based in Norfolk, was named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in an annual ranking by Fortune and IBM Watson Health. I offer my special congratulations to VWU Board of Trustees member Howard Kern, CEO of Sentara Healthcare, and thank him and his organization for the many ways they support Virginia Wesleyan and Virginia Wesleyan Athletics. Read the Virginia Business article for more information.

Local News of Note

David Freeman, a longtime support team member at Virginia Wesleyan and local artist, was selected to be a part of the Better Together project with Virginia Beach Public Schools and ViBe Creative District. David’s mural can be found at Lynnhaven Elementary School. Read more. (Photo credit: Lee Belote)

An oyster reef will honor Mary Louise Crutsinger Gayle, one of the victims of the Virginia Beach mass shooting, using 10,000 bushels of shells, according to The Virginian-Pilot. We continue to remember our own Bobby Williams, Class of 1975, who passed away in this tragedy.

On April 30, the Virginia State Corporation Commission approved nine major solar farms, which have the potential to generate nearly 500 megawatts and power 125,000 homes for Virginia customers of Dominion Energy Inc., according to Virginia Business.

The Newtown Road ramp to I-264 east near campus is now closed permanently. Learn more about eastbound access to I-264 and the VDOT project in The Virginian-Pilot.

Agricultural Research Extension Center project on VWU Campus this Summer

The Agricultural Research Extension Center (AREC) from Virginia Tech will be on campus again this summer for an entomological research project. This partnership has involved VWU students for many years and resulted in internships at AREC for VWU students who often go on to graduate school in these areas. I thank Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm, Chair of VWU Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Dr. Peter Schultz, Emeritus Professor of Entomology with Hampton Roads AREC, for their many years of good work and collaboration for the benefit of VWU students.

Updates from the United Methodist Church

It has been my practice to keep the VWU community informed about ongoing changes of a significant variety in the United Methodist Church. United Methodist bishops held fast to their plans to delay episcopal elections until after the postponed General Conference, despite calls from some delegates to do otherwise. However, the bishops also rescinded their recommendation that no U.S. bishops be elected until 2024, opening the door for new leaders to be elected in November 2022.

Absent General Conference, which has been postponed until 2022, the Wesleyan Covenant Association has begun the separation outlined in the protocols and started to organize a new conservative denomination, the Global Methodist Church. Under the scenario where the church splits, VWU would remain with the United Methodist Church so long as the protocols ensuring full LGBTQ rights and related issues are approved in 2022.

VWU/TCA Collaboration

Students at Tidewater Collegiate Academy, which is located on campus, were given a tour of the rain garden at the Greer Environmental Sciences Center. Thank you to all who were involved with making this event happen. I know these young students truly enjoyed the opportunity for hands-on learning.

TCA will also be hosting in-person summer camps for students ages 8-17. Learn more here.

14th Annual Business Appreciation Golf Tournament

The Virginia Beach Development Authority invited Virginia Wesleyan University to play in the 14th Annual Business Appreciation Golf Tournament. Thanks to our special partnership with the City of Virginia Beach, VWU has the opportunity to serve our city's citizens through non-credit workforce development programs at The Hive in Town Center, online, and on campus.

Pictured from left: Larry Belcher (Director of Enrollment, VWU Global Campus), Kim Hammer (Vice President for Advancement/Special Assistant to the President), Jamie Childress (YMCA), and Jason Seward (Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Operational Management).

STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES

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REFLECTIONS

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

University Business