Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

May 9, 2022

Good morning,

You made it, Marlins! Congratulations and best wishes as you finish up finals, pack up your residence hall rooms, and embark on your summer plans.

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2022 throughout this upcoming Commencement Weekend. Baccalaureate will be held starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday in the Joan and Macon Brock Theatre of the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. This prelude to Commencement is a service of worship in celebration of and thanksgiving for lives dedicated to learning and wisdom.

Commencement will be held on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. on University Commons. We look forward to the inspiring address from our keynote speaker, S. Bernard Goodwyn, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Remember, grads, “Once a Marlin, always a Marlin.” Please keep in touch with your alma mater. Visit us often for Homecoming, Spring Alumni Weekend, and athletic, arts, and academic events. You will always have a home here at Virginia Wesleyan.

For more information on Commencement Weekend, please visit our website and read the FAQs.

This fall we’ll enter the second year of our selective joint Bachelor of Science in Nursing, offered in conjunction with Sentara College of Health Sciences. I’m pleased to share that all 10 enrollment slots for VWU students are filled for the fall 2022 semester. In a recent meeting with Howard Kern, CEO of Sentara, we both expressed delight in the development of the program, and this figure illustrates that development.

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.

ET CETERA

Annie and I were delighted to welcome Bob and Nancy DeFord for a private dinner prior to the official dedication of DeFord Manor.

DeFord Manor, constructed in 2021, is the private on-campus residence of the president of Virginia Wesleyan University. The home in federal-style architectural design is named in honor of longtime Trustees and benefactors Bob and Nancy DeFord. It features extensive indoor and outdoor entertainment areas on the ground level and the president's private residence on the second floor. It is located on the west side of Smith Drive across from the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center and faces north toward Wesleyan Drive.

It was bittersweet to celebrate the retirement of our good friends and colleagues Elaine Aird ’96, Bernice Bledsoe, Bill Brown, Dr. Bill Gibson, Brian O’Neil, Dr. Wayne Pollock, Shelia Rouson, Vivian Teter, and Deborah Ware last week in the Joan P. Brock Room of Brock Commons. The entire campus community joins me in thanking this group for their many, many years of service to Virginia Wesleyan. We wish them all the absolute best in retirement and hope to see them on campus again soon.

The VWU Board of Trustees wrapped up a busy session of committee meetings with three joint committees meetings within the last few weeks -- Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, Administration & Finance and Endowment, and Advancement and Enrollment. I thank our Chair of the Board, John Malbon, and our Committee Co-Chairs for their engagement and leadership. As usual, I will report back with a summary of actions after the Spring Meeting of the Board.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Celebrating Henry and Eleanor Watts

Annie and I had the pleasure of joining friends and family of Henry and Eleanor Watts for “a reception to celebrate 90th birthdays and 70 years of marriage” last Saturday at Westminster-Canterbury on the Chesapeake Bay.

The Watts have been dear friends of Virginia Wesleyan for many years. Dr. Watts has been a member of Virginia Wesleyan's Board of Trustees since 1989. He is a past Board Chair and Parliamentarian, and in 2007, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University. An avid fan of Marlin athletics with his wife, Eleanor, Dr. Watts also served as Trustee representative to the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. The Watts are frequently on campus cheering for Marlin basketball and supporting VWU's National Champion softball team.

The Watts' generosity to Virginia Wesleyan has taken many paths including the Eleanor and Henry Watts Grand Lobby and Gallery in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center and the D. Henry Watts Academic Affairs Suite in Clarke Hall. They have also supported the Robert Nusbaum Center, the Eleanor and Henry Watts Endowed Scholarship, and the Marlin Athletic Fund.

Marlin Chronicle Wins Record Number of Awards in Annual SCJ Competition

Virginia Wesleyan University’s student newspaper, The Marlin Chronicle, took home 20 awards in the annual Society for Collegiate Journalists (SCJ) National Contest. The SCJ announced the Chronicle as the first place winner of the newspaper overall excellence and mental health coverage categories, third place winner of the photo essay category, and honorable mention of the social media category. Congratulations!

Marlin Cadet Honored at Army ROTC Awards

Vice President Keith Moore and I were pleased to attend the Army ROTC Awards. We offer our congratulations to Dakota Felkins-Beach who was the most decorated cadet during the awards ceremony. Dakota will graduate on Saturday with a bachelor's degree in political science. After Commencement, he will be commissioned into the Medical Corps, U.S. Army Active Duty, at 12:00 p.m. on the Godwin Hall Lawn.

The Virginia Wesleyan Marlin Company operates as part of the Old Dominion University Monarch Battalion. Through elective classes and field training, students receive valuable tools, training, and leadership experiences that lead to military service and are assets in any career field.

"Lift Every Voice" Symposium

Congratulations to Rebecca Gardner '22 for her invitation to the "Lift Every Voice" Symposium recently held at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (April 18-22). As part of a nationwide search, Rebecca Gardner was one of six student-conductors selected to participate in this symposium designed to mentor female conductors who are finishing their undergraduate education. During the past week, Rebecca has had the opportunity to work alongside other student-conductors from Baylor, Northwestern, Western, Syracuse, and Perdue at FW Universities; receive private instruction from internationally recognized conductors; and prepare the University of Illinois Choirs for their concert held on April 22. Congratulations!

Alumni in the News

Congratulations to VWU assistant basketball coach Nick Doyle '16 who was recently named the head men’s basketball coach at Shenandoah University…Kudos to Meghan Betz Ashburn ’08 who was the keynote speaker at the 27th Annual Minnesota Autism Conference. She presented “Why Are You Yelling At Me?” on April 27.

A New President/CEO for Reinvent Hampton Roads

The next president and CEO of Reinvent Hampton Roads will be Nancy L. Grden, executive director of the Hampton Roads Maritime Collaborative for Growth & Innovation and associate vice president of Old Dominion University’s Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. She replaces Jim Spore, who has been at the helm of the organization for six years.

Baylake United Methodist Church Youth are Back

For the first time since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the youth from Baylake United Methodist Church are back for Saturday morning soccer at the Shelhorse Lawn and Ponds at DeFord Manor.

STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES

Virginia Wesleyan University Magazine

The Pharos

REFLECTIONS

I hope you find these links useful to my recent columns and publications:

University Business