Dialogue: August 2021

Welcome to the 2021-2022 edition of President to President, a groundbreaking higher education thought leadership series featuring insights from college and university presidents. These esteemed leaders, who represent a diverse array of campuses, will share their perspectives in a new chapter published online each month. This year’s series, titled “The Vitality and Power of Higher Education,” will explore how colleges and universities are approaching their missions with new vigor and re-examining their role in the community as the world continues working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of 10 chapters, these experts will provide unique insights into how recent and ongoing events are shaping the college experience.

Higher education institutions are re-evaluating how they reach students and meet their evolving needs. Education post-pandemic must be resilient, optimistic, curious, entrepreneurial, and imaginative; finding new student markets now can be a win-win for the future. This year’s President to President series will examine how higher education is emerging from the pandemic with renewed vitality, a powerful community presence, and a stronger and more personalized student experience for all.

For the last 17 years, we have edited this series in various forms and are pleased that Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, will once again provide publishing support for the series this year with no editorial influence.

We invite you to read the 2021-2022 Series Foreword, written by Marjorie Hass, Ph.D., president of the Council of Independent Colleges, to learn more about this year’s President to President. Dr. Hass introduces the series by exploring the changing role of the college president and the ongoing evolution of higher education, something we are sure all our colleagues can relate to in 2021.

We hope you will enjoy examining these important topics with us and discovering how your institution can apply some of the ideas presented. President to President aims to provide valuable insights that can help you as you work through the ongoing challenges in higher education during this unique era.

Sincerely,

Executive Editors:

Dr. Scott D. Miller

President, Virginia Wesleyan University

Dr. Marylouise Fennell

Senior Counsel, Council of Independent Colleges and

Former President, Carlow University

August 30, 2021

Good morning,

It’s hard to believe that these are the last days of August. But time flies when you’re making plans and having fun. We welcomed 404 new Marlins to the Virginia Wesleyan Family for the first day of classes last Wednesday.

I hope our campus community has marked their calendars for Founders Day on Thursday, September 9. Our celebration includes Founders Day Convocation, including the 2021 Alumni Awards, at 11:00 a.m. in the Joan and Macon Brock Theatre of the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. Our keynote speaker is Gary Bonnewell ’79, H’16 and our Alumni Awards recipients are William “Bill” Shelhorse ’70 (Distinguished Alumnus Award), Vanessa Thaxton-Ward ’83, Ph.D. (Alumni Service Award), and Tiffany Boyle ’14 (Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award). All students are invited to attend as we honor our past, celebrate institutional excellence, and look ahead to our ever-bright future.

Later in the evening, we will finally and officially dedicate Susan T. Beverly Hall. The event will feature student performances and building tours. We look forward to sharing this long-awaited occasion with special guests of the University.

Also a part of our Founders Day celebration is the Batten Honors College Recognition Ceremony on Friday, September 10. During the Recognition Ceremony, the newest scholars of the Batten Honors College will be presented with pins which represent the completion of the rigorous selection process, orientation to the mission and ideals of this highly selective program, matriculation, and now, full integration as members of the University community. All Batten Honors College students are encouraged to attend. The event will be livestreamed for faculty, staff, family and friends on the VWU Digital Broadcasting Network.

I thank the Founders Day Committee for their hard work and am excited to host such events in-person once again.

ET CETERA

Progress on DeFord Manor continues, with all work on track to be completed in late November or December. Each month during the spring semester, the East Room will be host to a monthly dialogue for students called "God and the Good Life." The discussions, led by students, will focus on the broad issues of human existence, on issues involving faith, atheism, and death, and on what it means to live a good life. Dr. Steven Emmanuel, Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities, and Dr. Craig Wansink, Professor of Religious Studies and Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr. Director of the Robert Nusbaum Center, will sponsor these discussions. We look forward to DeFord Manor being a place where people gather and discuss substantive issues.

Our first-ever WesBridge session ended with 28 of the 29 participating students completing the academic “bootcamp” and officially enrolling in the fall semester. We are proud of these students and wish all Marlins a great fall semester.

I remind our students and their families of the many resources we have available to help ensure success - the Learning Center (including the Writing and Speaking Studio and Tutoring), Academic Advising, Career Development, Counseling Services, and much more.

Our joint Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree with Sentara College of Health Sciences continues to be a great partnership for both institutions.

After two years of planning, the joint degree was publicly announced in the spring and we enrolled our first students this fall. New students will begin their nursing courses at SCHS in January. A good number of new first-year Marlins have expressed an interest in the pre-nursing track. Additionally, recent VWU graduates have been accepted into the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing.

Founded in 1892, Sentara College of Health Sciences is located in Chesapeake, three exits from VWU on I-64. SCHS offers a Master of Science in Nursing Clinical Nurse Leader degree, a Master's Entry to Nursing Practice (MSN), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree; an RN to BSN program; an Associate of Applied Science in Cardiovascular Technology; and an Associate of Applied Science in Surgical Technology.

I recently met with Howard Kern, CEO of Sentara and member of the VWU Board of Trustees, and we both agreed that the partnership is a win-win for both institutions. We look forward to continuing to develop opportunities like these for our students.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

VWU Open on Labor Day

As a reminder, classes are in session and administrative offices will be open on Labor Day (September 6, 2021).

Gina Barletta Named Director of Human Resources

Congratulations to Regina “Gina” Barletta on her promotion. Gina has served as our Purchasing Manager and will assume the position of Director of Human Resources on September 6. She has significant experience in human resources, having served in the HR departments at Cape Cod Community College, Harvard University, and the Harvard Art Museum. Gina has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. We look forward to her tenure in this new position.

Wesleyan Wednesday at Ballyhoos

We had a great time at Ballyhoos last week for our first “live” Wesleyan Wednesday in over a year! It was wonderful to catch up with so many alumni and their families in-person once again. Thanks to Alisa Crider ‘10 (Chair of the Alumni Council), Lori Harris ’94 (Executive Director of Alumni Relations), and Ashley Roehrman ‘21 (Coordinator of Advancement Events), for coordinating everyone’s favorite summertime Marlin tradition.

Welcome, New Marlins!

Annie and I enjoyed dinner on Tuesday with our newest academic Marlins -- Dr. Arthur Pantelides, the new Associate Professor of Management, Business, and Economics, and Dr. Maegan Cook, our new Instructional Technologist. Maegan’s official first day is on September 6, but we were delighted to welcome her to campus a little early to get to know her and Arthur better during my traditional First Year Faculty Members’ dinner.

Church Services at Heritage UMC

Chaplain Kotosha Griffin holds prayer time in the Narthex each Sunday at 8:45 a.m., Sunday School at 9 a.m., and Worship Service at 10 a.m. at Heritage United Methodist Church, located on the east side of campus.

We thank Chaplain Griffin and her husband, Bertrand, Pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Norfolk, for extending the HUMC/AUMC ministries to our campus for first-year move-in day last week for a wide variety of volunteer services, including providing water to families.

New Sensory Gym at Chesapeake Bay Academy

Dr. Bill McConnell, VWU Associate Professor of Education and Director of Teacher Education, Dr. Maynard Schaus, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and I enjoyed seeing and experiencing the new sensory gym at Chesapeake Bay Academy, located on the east side of campus, during their open house last week. Thanks to Dr. Judy Jankowski, CBA Head of School, who is pictured here with Dr. McConnell. View more photos from the open house.

Leslie Caughell Featured in WalletHub

Dr. Leslie Caughell, Dean of the Birdsong School of Social Science and Associate Professor of Political Science, was featured in WalletHub's recent piece about Best & Worst States for Women's Equality.

VWU Listed Among Campus Pride’s “Best of the Best”

Campus Pride has ranked VWU among the “Best of the Best” church-affiliated universities for LGBTQ inclusion and safety. In addition to VWU, other universities recognized include Emory University, Southern Methodist University, Georgetown University, Gonzaga University, Loyola Marymount University, Willamette University, Augsburg College, Lebanon Valley College, and Guilford College. Learn more.

“The Future of Higher Education” Podcast Available Now

Last week I mentioned that I was recently a guest on the podcast “The Future of Higher Education,” hosted by David Finegold, President of Chatham University. We discussed a wide variety of topics, including my path to college leadership, recent growth at Virginia Wesleyan, and higher education’s role in addressing climate change.

The episode is available now on all your favorite podcast streaming platforms. I thank David for asking me to join the show.

New to the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges

Virginia Wesleyan University is one of 16 proud members of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. My term as Chair of the Council of Presidents ended last month.

VFIC welcomed several new board members last month, including Hakim Lucas, President of Virginia Union University; Kevin Hallock, President of the University of Richmond; and Lauren Fisher White, Partner at Christian & Barton, LLP. VUU joined VFIC last month.

NACU Champions Series

Through our membership in New American Colleges and Universities, students, faculty, and staff are invited to the virtual Champions Series. The first event of the series will be held on September 29 at 7:00 p.m. featuring authors Isabel Wilkerson (the 2011 Nonfiction Runner-up for The Warmth of Other Suns and the current DLPP nominee for Caste) and Jennifer Eberhardt (the 2020 Nonfiction Runner-up for Biased). Learn more and register to attend this free virtual event.

Construction Updates

A refresh at the Trinder Center is continuing, thanks to the generosity of the namesake, John Trinder. Earlier, the women’s lacrosse and soccer locker room was fully renovated and the women’s public restrooms were painted and upgraded. The renovation moved to the east side of the facility last week with the painting of the men’s public restroom and The Blue Marlin Room (pictured top right). Additional renovation of the men’s soccer and lacrosse locker room is expected in the coming weeks followed by a new scoreboard.

Progress continues on Brock Commons, presenting a new face and connection on the quad for the Boyd Dining Center and the Jane P. Batten Student Center (pictured middle right). As a result of shortages created by the pandemic, delivery of structural steel has been delayed until October -- delaying the completion until early 2022.

Construction continues on DeFord Manor with an expected completion scheduled for late November or December. The main heating and cooling system was put in place this week, primer painting is occurring inside, and pavers are being added to selected outdoor areas (pictured bottom right).