July 19, 2021
Good morning, |
|
I am proud to share Virginia Wesleyan University’s support of #Double Pell, a new national campaign aimed at encouraging Congress to double the maximum Pell Grant to $13,000. At VWU, over one-third of our students are eligible to receive Pell Grants, so I ask our entire Marlin family to consider engaging with the campaign in support of the effort to double the maximum award.
The Double Pell Alliance, a coalition of higher education associations, organizations, and advocacy groups, is organizing the campaign in support of doubling the maximum Pell Grant by June 2022, the 50th anniversary of the creation of the program.
Marlins can support this campaign in the following ways:
- Send an email to your members of Congress letting them know why the Pell Grant is so important to you and asking that they support efforts to double the maximum grant. The Take Action page of the #DoublePell website has a template email message you can use and a quick and easy way to send your message to Congress directly.
- If you are a current or former Pell Grant recipient, share your story on the Pell Voices page of the campaign website so others can see what the Pell Grant program means to you.
- Use your social media accounts to speak out in favor of doubling the maximum Pell Grant and encourage others to do the same. The Take Action page of the campaign website has some graphics you can use. Be sure to use #DoublePell in all of your posts.
- Learn more about the importance of the Pell Grant program on the Resources page of the campaign website.
- Ask your families and friends to get involved by sending emails to their members of Congress and engaging via social media using the Take Action page.
Thank you for considering this request to help support efforts to double the maximum Pell Grant award, which is essential for many Marlins to access an affordable, high-quality liberal arts private education at Virginia Wesleyan.
|
|
I wish to acknowledge and congratulate our employees who reached service milestones this spring. These outstanding individuals have dedicated much of their careers to serving Virginia Wesleyan and our students. I sincerely thank them for their commitment to the Marlin community. |
|
30 Years Lois Ford Deborah Ware |
25 Years Anthony Daniels Robin Takacs |
| 20 Years William Harrell ’98 Tim Lockett Stuart Minnis Diana Risk Lindsay Sands ’16 Jennifer Schirmer Jason Seward ’05 Sharon Swift |
15 Years Kent Brown Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson Andrea Hoover-Erbig Lydia Kennedy |
| 10 Years Peter Anderson Kala Baskerville ‘11 Nathan Boudreaux Thomas Brown Kristin Burney Natalie Clark Audrey Malagon Amy Rush |
|
AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS |
|
Sylvia Schelly is Interim Vice President for Finance As previously announced, Sylvia Schelly will be serving as Interim Vice President for Finance while the search for a new vice president continues. Sylvia has served as Associate Vice President for Finance for several years and will continue in that capacity after the new CFO is selected. I thank Sylvia for her willingness to assist the University in such a capacity as we find the right candidate for the position. |
|
Thanks to those who joined us last week for a farewell gathering for departing Vice President for Finance and Administration Jim Cooper. Jim served the University extremely well for four years, and we wish him the best as he transitions to a similar position at Cabrini University in his hometown of Philadelphia. |
|
Preparing for the 2021 State of the University I hope you’ve marked your calendars for the 2021 State of the University, which will be held on Friday, August 20. The event is open to faculty, staff, and special guests of the University (by invitation only). Thank you to our event sponsors -- The Franklin Johnston Group, Hoy Construction and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney -- for their generous support. |
|
Tides Game to Celebrate VWU Softball Rescheduled Due to weather, the Norfolk Tides game at Harbor Park celebrating our 2021 National Championship softball team has been rescheduled to Tuesday, July 27 at 7:05 p.m. National Player of the Year Jessica Goldyn will throw the first pitch. Marlins fans are welcome to purchase tickets for the game to join in the celebration. If you’d like to support our national champions but cannot attend the game, please consider making a gift to our championship rings campaign. |
|
Town Hall with Rep. Elaine Luria I enjoyed attending a town hall meeting with U.S. Representative Elaine Luria at Ebenezer Baptist Church, which is located across from campus on the corner of Wesleyan Drive and Baker Road. In addition to visiting with Rep. Luria and her staff, it was nice to catch up with a variety of local dignitaries for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Rep. Luria has been a good friend and strong supporter of VWU during her two terms in Congress. |
|
The Robert Nusbaum Center Summer 2021 Publication Online Now Please find the latest publication from the Robert Nusbaum Center at VWU here. The publication’s new title, Understanding, reflects the expanded focus of the Robert Nusbaum Center beyond religious freedom to broader matters of diversity, faith, and freedom. |
|
Dual Enrollment Program Success Our dual enrollment partner, The Hague School in Norfolk, was very pleased with the success of this year's Oceanography course at VWU in partnership with The Harkness Institutes in Mexico. They created a photobook to capture the memories of this fun and educational experience of their students. A special thanks to Hague School Headmaster and VWU Class of 1996 alumna Jennifer Warren for sharing. Enjoy! |
|
STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES |
|
I hope you find these links useful to my recent columns and publications: |
|
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA |
|
(Be sure to subscribe to Dialogue for daily updates via email) |
|
Have a wonderful week, Marlins!
Sincerely, |
|
-- Scott D. Miller, Ph.D. President Virginia Wesleyan University 5817 Wesleyan Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23455 Phone: 757.455.3215 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
