June 7, 2021
Good morning, |
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A special congratulations to Jessica Goldyn, who was named the National Player of the Year, and Hanna Hull, National Pitcher of the Year. Learn more.
It’s certainly a great day to be a Marlin! |
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I am pleased to announce the newest members of the Virginia Wesleyan Alumni Council:
- Samantha L. Bull ’11, Attorney, Shannon & Associates, PC
- Chiereme D. Fortune ’13, Executive Assistant to the President, K. Neal Truck and Bus Center
- Katie Giwa-Osagie ’14, Director of Student Engagement, Virginia Union University
- William “Bill” R. Gobble ’03, Analyst, American Funds Service Company
The principal purpose of the Alumni Council is to strengthen the bond between our graduates and the University. With these new members, the University is excited for the opportunity to expand alumni outreach, engagement, and participation.
The University extends its sincere gratitude to Alisa W. Crider ’10 for her tremendous leadership as Council Chair during an unusual year of virtual meetings. Alisa led virtual Council meetings with poise, hosted bi-monthly Virtual Wesleyan Wednesdays, and facilitated discussions with Thomas W. Taylor ’00, Vice Chair, Dominique M. Fowler ’12, Secretary, and the Alumni and Parent Relations Office to create the new slate of members.
I thank the entire Alumni Council for their steadfast support and efforts during a year of unprecedented challenges and Lori Harris ’94, Associate Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of Alumni Relations, for her outstanding leadership of this area. |
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VWU welcomes 24 high school students from Mexico and Virginia for a special marine science program this weekend. The students come from The Harkness Institute (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and San Luis Potosi, Mexico), The Hague School (Norfolk, VA), the International Baccalaureate program at Granby High School (Norfolk, VA), and the Health Sciences Center at Maury High School (Norfolk, VA). These students will be living together on campus while taking an intensive 3-week Oceanography course (EES 200) with evening programs offered by VWU Student Activities.
It’s great to have programs like these back on campus after a very quiet summer in 2020. I thank Dr. Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson, Dean of VWU Global Campus and Associate Professor of Biology, for her leadership of this program. |
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The Greer Environmental Sciences Center was one of six projects recognized in the 2021 Education Facility Design Awards by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The Education Facility Design Awards program—presented by AIA and its Committee on Architecture for Education—represents the state-of-the-art education environments being developed in today's learning spaces. Learn more about the awards here. |
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AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS |
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The Passing of Former U.S. Senator John Warner We were sad to learn of the May 25 passing of former Senator John W. Warner, who represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate for three decades. Warner had a special relationship with Virginia Wesleyan University and served as our Commencement speaker and earned an honorary Doctor of Laws in 2003. Read more about his life and legacy in this Washington Post article. |
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Updates in VWU Athletics Andrea Hoover-Erbig officially started as Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics last week (June 1). With new leadership comes a few other updates that were previously announced.
Jeff Bowers will remain Associate Director of Athletics. Brandon Elliott '03, Head Softball Coach, will assume the dual responsibility of Assistant Director of Athletics for Advancement. Liz Hudy will assume some of Andrea’s former responsibilities as Senior Woman Administrator/Academic Integration Coordinator and remain Head Women’s Basketball Coach.
The Sports Information Office will become the Office of Athletic Communications, directed by Alysse Scripter. Marty Perry will become Associate Director of Athletic Communications in addition to his tennis responsibilities. Mike Ginder will become Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, in addition to directing men’s and women’s swimming. Again, I offer my congratulations and thanks to Jeff, Brandon, Liz, Marty and Mike for assuming new levels of responsibility. With their leadership—and with the support of our entire Athletics coaching staff and our student-athletes, alumni, parents, and fans—we have an extremely bright future. |
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Parcel Pending Lockers are Here Located in the Batten Student Center across from the Scribner University Store, carriers will deliver packages to our new Parcel Pending lockers. Students will then receive an email/text with the locker number and unique retrieval code to pick up their packages at their convenience. We are pleased to offer this solution that will relieve some of the burden on the VWU Postal and Duplication Center and make package retrieval easier and more convenient for students. (And it looks great, too!) |
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Kameron Clarke ’21 Selected for Governor’s Fellows Program Congratulations to recent graduate Kameron Clarke on her selection as a participant in the Governor’s Fellows Program this summer. As a part of the program. Kameron and the other fellows will be placed in a division of the Office of the Governor to “sharpen leadership skills and gain a deeper understanding of the work and decision-making at the highest level of Virginia’s executive branch.” Learn more here or read the news story from WAVY-TV10. |
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FACT Coming to Heritage UMC Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater (FACT) will move its offices and a majority of its programs to Heritage United Methodist Church later this year. FACT’s mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals with autism and their families. We are excited to share that FACT will also partner with VWU to hold their youth sports camps on campus beginning in January 2022. Furthermore, FACT’s proximity to campus will open additional avenues for collaboration and service learning opportunities between our three organizations (FACT, VWU, and Heritage). I thank Trustee Rob McFarland and Associate Vice President for Campus and Operational Management Jason Seward for their part in making this partnership possible. |
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June is Pride Month I wish all our LGBTQ+ students, alumni, parents, friends and allies a happy Pride Month. As is our tradition, we are proudly flying a pride flag on our campus, adjacent to the American flag and Virginia state flag at Heritage Plaza in front of Godwin Hall.
VWU Professors in the News George Jackson, Professor of Management, Business & Economics, and Nadia Nafar, Assistant Professor of Management, Business and Economics, were both interviewed by WalletHub recently on best financial practices for young adults. |
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2020-2021 President to President Complete Series Available Now The complete 2020-2021 President to President thought leadership series is now available to download here. This year’s book, titled “ Fostering a Culture of Innovation,” features unique ideas and creative approaches to the myriad challenges higher education institutions now face, many of which were once considered unimaginable. It re-examines what it means to be truly innovative, especially in times of crisis and recovery.
As Executive Editors, Dr. Marylouise Fennell (Senior Counsel, Council of Independent Colleges and Past President, Carlow University) and I would like to thank each of the authors for contributing their perspectives on these important topics. Look for the next President to President series coming this fall. |
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Construction Updates I am pleased to provide an update on some of our donor-funded initiatives from this spring and summer.
Brock Commons: Construction should begin any day. Hourigan serves as the contractor, and Tymoff + Moss are the architects. This is the final part of a comprehensive three-phase renovation of the dining facilities over the past two years. Brock Commons is named in honor of long-time VWU Trustee and benefactor Joan P. Brock.
DeFord Manor: Construction is on schedule for a late November completion. Hoy Construction serves as the contractor, and Tymoff + Moss are the architects. DeFord Manor is named in honor of Trustee Emeritus Robert DeFord and his wife, Trustee Nancy DeFord (pictured above).
Clarke Hall: Upgrades are expected in Clarke Hall this summer as a part of a workforce development grant. Improvements include aesthetic upgrades as well as new technology and the renovation of the first floor suite off the O’Rourke Lobby to include business faculty offices.
Kiln Shop in Susan Beverly Hall: R.D. Lambert & Son Construction is constructing the roof, including venting, on the new kiln shop.
Malbon Center for Technology: With the relocation of the Outreach Office to the Kaufman Center for Enrollment, renovation has occurred to the former space to accommodate growth in the informational technology area. A new entry, two new offices and a conference room will be added to the former Outreach Office calling area. |
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The Virginian-Pilot, Daily Press Sold, Again... According to the Chicago Tribune, Alden Global Capital, a “distressed investment hedge fund with a reputation as one of the industry’s most aggressive cost-cutters,” now owns The Virginian-Pilot, Daily Press and Style Weekly. With the $633 million purchase of Tribune Publishing, Alden becomes the second-largest newspaper owner in the U.S. Learn more. |
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Breeze Airways Coming to Norfolk International Airport Breeze Airways, a new U.S.- based airline providing low-cost, nonstop service to mid-size markets, will invest $5.2 million to establish an operations center in the City of Norfolk. Read the press release for more details. |
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I hope you've had a nice start to your summer.
Sincerely, |
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-- Scott D. Miller, Ph.D. President Virginia Wesleyan University 5817 Wesleyan Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23455 Phone: 757.455.3215 |
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