As you know, for the past few years I've used my
annual Christmas letter to the North Pole to update you on the state of higher education and to share my wishlist as we move through the holiday season and into the new year.
The request list this year is pretty reasonable. Yes, I know that higher-education presidents always want something—and not just during the holidays—but please do all you can to help us out.
Before I go asking for something, I want to thank you for last year’s gifts. I, and many, many others, asked for vaccines and a return of our traditions. Thanks for delivering, Big Guy! Because of you and your scientist elves, the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins have had a much more fun academic year, filled with co-curricular activities that make a four-year residential liberal arts college such a special place to learn and grow. But could you assure the skeptics of the vaccine’s viability and advantages? I’m sure we’d all like to upcycle our masks into a nice quilt for next year.
Thanks, too, for the funding that permitted VWU to offer no-cost workforce development courses to 1,450 Hampton Roads residents who were furloughed, laid off, or unemployed. These classes helped many true believers add or advance skills that will help their careers and modernize our economy.
With that said, here's the list for this year, Santa. As always, everything I ask is for our students. They've been exceptionally good, and I'm sure they'll get around to posting a greeting eventually. (You follow them on Instagram, right?)
For our dedicated students, faculty and staff, I wish for a restorative and well-deserved break. Their fortitude and dedication have carried us through an incredibly challenging time.
Next, please raise the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) to the needed amount of $4,500 for undergraduate students and $2,500 to graduate students in health professions for the next academic year. These grants are wonderful gifts for approximately 23,000 Virginia students at our private colleges and universities.
I mention affordability to you often, but it’s only because I know you'd be proud of everything we're doing at VWU to make a private liberal arts education accessible to all: a year-round work program for students to earn tuition credit, summer and winter terms that allow them to accelerate their progress, the endowed Batten Honors College, a Fair Transfer Guarantee agreement with all Virginia community colleges, and increased fundraising for scholarships. These aren't just stocking stuffers, Santa; rather, they represent a commitment to our students and families as they make their higher-education investment.
We’d also appreciate it if you'd sprinkle your generous spirit on our national lawmakers to double the Pell Grant. Pell Grants are the fairest and most efficient way to help low-income and first-generation students access and complete college. It’s an incredibly important (and bipartisan!) program, Santa, and your assistance could grant the wish of a college education for millions of deserving students nationwide.
Finally, bring us some real action on preserving the natural environment, and keep those safe who are already suffering the consequences of climate change. Please leave some practical solutions under the tree, not more plastic junk. And instead of a lump of coal for naughty boys and girls, perhaps a solar-powered light might illuminate the way toward better, greener behavior.
Thanks for your consideration, Santa. I know you have a lot on your mind—from monitoring the melting of your Arctic home to keeping Mrs. Claus and the elves safe from the Omicron variant. You have to keep up with the latest supply chain issues while still adhering to your big deadline. (Let’s face it, you can’t be late.)
Please know, however, that we all still believe in you and need you. The gifts you bring are so much more than packages wrapped in ribbons and bows. You bring hope, wonder, and a deeper connection to all mankind through the Christmas spirit. And you do it all without a carbon footprint. Have you ever considered painting your sleigh green instead?
