Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

May 23, 2022

Good morning,

Virginia Wesleyan hosted the spring meeting of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) on campus last week. SCHEV is the Commonwealth’s coordinating body for higher ed. They have regular meetings on public college campuses throughout Virginia; but once a year, they hold their spring session on a private college campus for their annual Private College Advisory Board meeting. Virginia Wesleyan was selected to host this meeting, originally scheduled for May 2020, and was pleased to show our beautiful campus to the SCHEV Council members, employees, and other private college presidents in attendance.

The two-day event included a reception at DeFord Manor and dinner in the Henry and Eleanor Grand Lobby and Gallery of the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. Among the special guests that evening were Aimee Guidera, Virginia’s Secretary of Education (pictured left); Robert Lambeth, President of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (pictured center); and Delegate Cliff Hayes, 77th district (pictured right). View additional photos from the event here.

I thank all of those at Virginia Wesleyan who worked hard to show SCHEV our signature Marlin spirit and hospitality as well as our beautiful campus grounds and meeting spaces. Our efforts were well received by all who attended this important state meeting.

We held a surprise graduation celebration at DeFord Manor for the 2022 NCAA Regional and Old Dominion Athletic Conference softball champs Thursday night. The team thought they were coming to the house for dinner before the NCAA Super Regional but were pleasantly surprised to find that we did a commencement re-enactment—complete with regalia and pomp and circumstance for the six seniors that missed their graduation because of the NCAA Regionals in Amherst, Massachusetts.

The Virginia Oveda Williams DeFord Terrace and Pool was an ideal location for the ceremony followed by dinner in the East Room of DeFord Manor.

Congratulations again to student-athletes Krissy D’Arco, Sofia Eskola, Karlee Fretz, Ariana Rolle, Julia Sinnett, and Maria Weddle. These six graduates have shown tremendous perseverance in the classroom and on the field during their time as Marlins, and we wish them all the best in the future!

See more photos in our Commencement Flickr album.

ET CETERA

I was honored to attend and offer remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony of The Louis & Pru Ryan Resilience Lab of the Elizabeth River Project last week. As communities everywhere wrestle with the growing impacts of climate change, the Ryan Resilience Lab will serve as a global model for urban coastal living that protects both the ecosystem and humans as sea levels rise. I invite you to take a virtual tour of this impressive public space.

Many at VWU will recall that Louis Ryan (pictured right, along with Dr. David R. Black) has been a valued member of the VWU Board of Trustees since 2007 and had a distinguished career as general counsel of Landmark Communications before retiring from that office. In December 2021, Virginia Wesleyan announced The Louis and Prudence Ryan Research Symposium and Prize for Excellence in Research for scholars in our highly selective, residential Batten Honors College, honoring the Ryans’ longtime commitment to support the environment and education throughout Coastal Virginia.

Along with serving on the VWU Board of Trustees, Louis has served on the Elizabeth River Project's board of directors since 2006. I was delighted for the opportunity to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony which honored so many important supporters of ERP and Virginia Wesleyan.

Virginia Wesleyan and the Elizabeth River Project have collaborated on sustainability studies on many fronts, offering wonderful opportunities for scholars in the Batten Honors College and more. We are proud to count DeFord Manor, the on-campus president’s residence as an ERP River Star Home. We’re proud that faculty emeritus Dr. Bill Gibson and other Virginia Wesleyan professors wrote a book a few years ago on the Elizabeth River Project as an international model for collaboration that gets environmental results. And we’re proud to regularly connect our students and staff with the Elizabeth River Project for on-the-ground research opportunities as a River Star Business.

The construction of the Ryan Resilience Lab ushers in the next chapter for environmentalism in Coastal Virginia and in our ongoing partnership with the Elizabeth River Project. We look forward to the many opportunities its construction will bring to our students.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Chat & Chew with Aramark Staff

I was pleased to host our friends at Aramark at DeFord Manor for a Chat & Chew on Friday. This group works hard to keep our campus beautiful and running smoothly. We thank them for all they do for VWU faculty, staff and students! See more pictures from the luncheon here.

A Collaborative Dinner with VWU Partner

We hosted our friend Doug Clark, Interim President of the Washington Internship Institute, on campus last week. The Institute's mission is "to foster students' intellectual, personal, and professional development through individually tailored, quality internships and challenging academic coursework that take full advantage of the opportunities available in the nation's capital and reflect the best practices of experiential learning and liberal education." We look forward to our continued partnership with this organization.