Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

October 11, 2021

Good morning,

I am delighted to announce that Mavis McKenley, a 2011 adult studies graduate, former Alumni Council Chair, and current member of the VWU Board of Trustees, will serve as the keynote speaker for our VWU Global Campus Commencement on Saturday, December 18. The ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. in TowneBank Arena of the Jane P. Batten Student Center.

A native of Teaneck, New Jersey, McKenley is vice president and senior trust officer at AMG National Trust Bank, and is also certified as an Accredited Estate Planner (AEP), Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

Prior to joining Virginia Wesleyan's Board of Trustees in 2020, McKenley was a member of the University's Alumni Council from 2015-2019 and served as chair of the council from 2016-2018. She also serves on the board of trustees for the Norfolk Public Library and previously served as president for her local estate planning council and as board president for Samaritan House, an area nonprofit that provides advocacy and services to victims of domestic violence and homeless families. In addition to those roles, she now serves as secretary of the VWU Board of Trustees. She earned a B.A. in business from Virginia Wesleyan's Adult Studies Program in 2011.

Each year Virginia Wesleyan University presents an award on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to a student who practices the ideals set forth by Dr. King—courage and conviction in valuing differences, commitment to seeing beyond borders by building inclusion, compassion for humanity, and/or commitment to social change. In early 2021, the award was named The Mavis McKenley ’11 Award.

For many years, our then-college offered a December reception for students completing degree requirements at mid-year, but required them to wait until the next May for Commencement. Formalizing December graduation was first discussed when we started graduate and online programs and moved to University status in 2017. At that time we agreed that when the number of May to December graduates increased significantly we would formalize the event. With multiple start/finish points and growing enrollments, the event will be billed as a VWU Global Campus event, but any student having fulfilled graduation requirements since the preceding May will be able to participate.

ET CETERA

I am pleased to share that our home soccer venue will be named the Tassos Paphites Soccer Complex in recognition of our esteemed Class of 1979 alumnus and Trustee. Tassos is the first Marlin to be inducted into the VWU Athletic Hall of Fame in two categories—as an athlete (2011) and as a benefactor (2021). His contributions to VWU Athletics have been tremendous, on and off the field of play, and we are delighted to recognize him in this way.

The Tassos Paphites Soccer Complex will include Foster Field and the Trinder Center, which houses locker rooms, restrooms, offices and entertainment space. The complex features a prescription grass field, grandstand, and press box. Upgrades to all the facilities are underway with a new scoreboard arriving in two months.

The VWU Board of Trustees wrapped up a busy session of meetings with six committees meeting within the last few weeks—Academic Affairs, Administration & Finance, Advancement, Enrollment, Investment, and Student Affairs. I thank our Chair of the Board, John Malbon, and our Committee Chairs and Acting Chairs for their engagement and leadership. As usual, I will report back with a summary of actions after the Fall Meeting of the Board.

A big Virginia Wesleyan welcome to new staff members joining the Marlin family:

Sean Flynn will join the Center for Advancement as the new Assistant Vice President for Advancement this week. Sean joins the second floor of Godwin Hall with years of fundraising experience, most recently with Horizons Hampton Roads
Toni Bickford is our new Director of Men’s and Women’s Tennis. Toni was the head coach for women’s tennis at the College of William & Mary.
Mike Pettry is the new Purchasing Manager, joining the Office of Finance and Administration last week. He joins us from East Coast Polytechnic Institute and University.

Welcome to Sean, Toni and Mike!

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

The Trails at Wesleyan Woods

Our extensive campus trails are open and beautiful to behold in the fall by walking, hiking, jogging, or biking. Take advantage of these treasures while enjoying the autumn weather.

Marlin Ministries at Heritage UMC

Kudos to the Marlin Ministries singers for leading the congregation at the Homecoming Worship Service last week at Heritage United Methodist Church. Rev. Kotosha Griffin is Chaplain of the University and Pastor of Heritage United Methodist Church.

Thanks to the Homecoming Golf Outing Sponsors!

During Homecoming and Family Weekend, 45 teams took part in the 20th Annual VWU Athletics Golf Outing at Cypress Point Country Club, proud sponsor and the official golf course of Virginia Wesleyan University. The event raised over $47,000 for the baseball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, and cross country/track & field programs. A special thanks to the golf outing’s sponsors.

Freeman’s Art Shines in Watts Gallery

We are proud to showcase the artwork of our own David Freeman (Facilities Management staff) in the Eleanor and Henry Watts Gallery of the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. Feel free to drop by the Watts Gallery to see his beautiful work on display through the end of the month.

2021 State of the Region - Hampton Roads Released

I had the opportunity to be one of the invited guests to attend the preview of The State of the Region - Hampton Roads 2021 at the Marriott Waterside last Tuesday. The exhaustively in-depth report is produced by ODU. The links below connect you to ODU's executive summary, local media coverage, and the archive for all State of the Region reports.

ODU’s State of the Region Report Shows a Region “Laboring” to Recover to Pre-Pandemic Conditions

Annual State of the Region report details role vaccinations play in economy, expresses concerns about casinos

State of the Region Archived Reports

The preview event was hosted by the Hampton Roads Chamber.

Updates on Offshore Wind Project and Flood Protection Program

Last week during the Virginia Beach Division Board Meeting of the Hampton Roads Chamber, we heard an update on the Virginia Offshore Wind Project from Doug Smith, President & CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance, and the Virginia Beach Flood Protection Program from Virginia Beach Deputy City Manager Ron Williams. Both of these initiatives have crucial implications for our city, our region, and our environment.

Construction Updates

DeFord Manor: We are approaching the completion of DeFord Manor in the next month or so. DeFord Manor is named in gratitude to Trustees and benefactors Bob and Nancy DeFord.

The “front porch” of the University stretching from Wesleyan Drive to DeFord Manor will be now named The Shelhorse Lawn and Ponds. It will be a place where students and alumni can gather for recreation and reflection, and it is but one small way that we recognize the prominence of Bill Shelhorse ‘70, a distinguished graduate, Trustee, friend, and supporter.

The garden and pool area immediately behind DeFord Manor will be named Virginia Oveda Williams DeFord Terrace in honor of Bob DeFord’s mother. She was a teacher and sparked Bob’s interest in education.

I am also pleased to share that a Japanese Garden, with 10 trees—Japanese Cherry, Japanese Snowbell, and Japanese Holly—will be planted behind DeFord Manor and will be named in honor of David R. Black, Ph.D., H’21, a university president for nearly 30 years and executive-in-residence at VWU. David provided visionary leadership with the establishment of the Batten Honors College, the Work and Learn Program, and the formation of the Lakeland University Japan and VWU Global (Japan) collaborative.

Clarke Hall: The renovation of the instructional facilities in Clarke Hall are nearing completion. However, some supply chain delays are occurring for new instrumentation. These items are expected to arrive in the next two months.

If you haven't been inside Clarke Hall recently, feel free to take a look. The transformation has been incredible.