Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

December 12, 2022

Good morning,

I hope our Marlins are finishing up their final exams with confidence and excitement. Your well-deserved winter break is on the way!

For those graduating this weekend during our VWU Global Campus Commencement ceremony, congratulations! We look forward to celebrating your accomplishments on Saturday at the Goode Center with our keynote speaker U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott. Information about the VWU Global Campus Commencement ceremony can be found here.

Annie and I wish all Marlins everywhere a happy, safe, and relaxing holiday. We look forward to seeing our first-year students and many of our upperclassmen back on campus for January Term.

I was pleased to visit our friends at the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation while I was in Atlanta last week.

According to its website, the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation is a public charity that provides support for the education of female students and for the care of senior women in nine southeastern states.

Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans was a pioneer in her day. After the death of her husband Joseph B. Whitehead, one of the original bottlers of Coca-Cola, Lettie assumed management of his business affairs. She became one of the first female directors of any major U.S. corporation when she was appointed to the board of The Coca-Cola Company in 1934. Such as, her legacy has been to support the education of women so that future generations might not only follow in her footsteps, but surpass them.

The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation has been a major supporter of VWU scholarships for a number of years. The foundation has contributed nearly $4 million in scholarship funds to VWU students, directly helping many hundreds of Marlins afford their education. In the 2021-22 academic year alone, 35 Virginia Wesleyan students received scholarships from the Foundation.

This is an incredibly important relationship for the University, and I was more than honored to thank the foundation in person for their steadfast and generous support.

ET CETERA

As chair of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV ) (a.k.a Virginia Private Colleges) Board of Directors, I am delighted to share that Christopher K. Peace, a former state legislator and practicing attorney, will serve as the new president for CICV following the conclusion of the 2023 regular session of the Virginia General Assembly.

Currently, Chris practices law in the metro Richmond region. As a former Virginia state legislator serving in the House of Delegates from 2006 to 2020, he represented Hanover, King William, and New Kent Counties. He sat on the prominent House Appropriations (state budget) committee where he chaired both the Transportation subcommittee and the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. He completed his legislative service as one of six House members on the consequential Budget Conference Committee. He also chaired the oldest standing committee in the General Assembly, House General Laws, and was a ranking majority member on the Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee. His extensive legislative work included service on the 2018 Select Special Committee on School Safety, the Joint Commission on Health Care, and the Virginia Commission on Youth (former chair), among others.

It is my belief that Chris is at the right spot in his career for this critical role, and he has a strong desire to make an impact and do meaningful work. He is far more than a lobbyist and attorney—he is a strategist with a great grasp of the issues. He carries a reputation as a thoughtful legislator, a relationship builder, avid listener, and problem-solver. It also helps that Virginia’s private colleges have been a prominent part of his personal story and family heritage. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond School of Law, and he grew up near Randolph Macon College where his parents met and his father was a math professor. I am confident he will bring a fresh approach to CICV and for the future of Virginia’s college graduates.

Chris will replace Robert Lambeth, who is retiring after serving as president of CICV since 1983. Under Robert’s leadership, CICV developed many wonderful programs to help Virginia’s students and private institutions. Most notably are the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG) and Virginia Private Colleges Benefits Consortium, a self-insured health insurance program for the employees of CICV institutions. My sincere thanks to Robert for four decades of service to private higher education in Virginia.

I would also like to recognize Dr. Tiffany Franks as CICV’s search committee chair and the search committee members: Robert Lindgren (Randolph-Macon College), Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar (University of Lynchburg), and Dr. David Olive (Bluefield University).

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Save Money and Get Ahead During January Term

It’s not too late to register for January Term, a special three-week academic term during which students concentrate their studies on one intensive course. Students have the opportunity to take unique courses not offered during the regular semester, fulfill needed course requirements, or participate in exciting study away courses.

Kudos to VWU Counseling Services

VWU Counseling Services, led by April Christman '14 (pictured far right), has had an incredible semester supporting students’ mental health needs. By the last day of finals, the counseling team is projected to have held a total of 1,190 sessions and offer support to 150 different students this semester alone. They have also hosted 14 Counseling and Student Health events in addition to providing counselors on stand-by for other campus events this semester. The center looks forward to growing to eight counselors in the spring to best meet the needs of our Marlins. We thank them for their special support of our students.

Wesleyan Engaged

Bethany Tsiaras has really made a difference in her first six months as Director of Wesleyan Engaged and Deputy Diversity Officer. She has brought a new energy and a much-needed fresh approach to an important mission-driven program of the University. Last week, she dropped off enough cans to provide 120 meals to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore! We thank all Marlins who have contributed generously to the collection drives of Wesleyan Engaged, and Bethany for leading those with drives with purpose.

Congrats to Ben Dobrin

Congratulations to Ben Dobrin, Dean of the D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies, on receiving the Meritorious Police Service Award from Chesapeake Police Chief Mark Solesky. He was recognized for “volunteer service to that Department, including teaching at the Police Academy, working in Patrol Operations, involvement with the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit (dive team) and the Marine Patrol Unit (boat team), as well as leading trainings for their Crisis Negotiations Team with April Christman '14 (VWU Director of Counseling and Student Health)."

Final Faculty Dinner of the Year

Last week we held our final Faculty Dinner for the year at DeFord Manor. Faculty dinners are a wonderful opportunity to discuss important issues in a relaxed setting. Our special thanks to Executive Chef Daniel Bannerman and Director of Catering and Conferences Heather Beatty for making our first 6 months entertaining in the new house a tremendous success. And we thank the DeFords for making this beautiful house a reality.

Presidents’ Agenda Day at the SACSCOC Meeting

Last week I attended the Presidents’ Agenda Day of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) meeting in Atlanta. SACSCOC is the accrediting body for Virginia Wesleyan University and institutions throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Latin America.

Pictured: Upper left, visiting with Sandra Jordan, SACSCOC Vice President, the new accreditation liaison for VWU; upper right, Marcia Daniel, Chief Client Officer at Ferrilli. Marcia has been an instrumental advisor in the development and implementation of our long term technology plan at VWU; lower left, Tiffany Franks, President of Averett University. Now in her 14th year as President of AU, Tiffany has served as the chair of the search committee for the new President of Virginia Private Colleges, a group I currently chair. Lower right, Clayton Hess, current President of Lincoln Memorial University. Clayton and I worked together in pre-presidential years before I advanced to be the 16th president of LMU in 1991. Clayton became LMU’s 21st president in 2017.

Visit to Norfolk Southern Corporation’s New Headquarters in Atlanta

I had an enjoyable visit with Virginia Wesleyan University Trustee Alan Shaw, President and CEO of Norfolk Southern Corporation, at their beautiful new headquarters in Atlanta last week.

Virginia Beach Recognized as One of the Best U.S. Cities for Equality

Proud to share that Virginia Beach earned a perfect score on Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for the third consecutive year. Read more.

The Hive: December Newsletter

Our friends at The Hive in Virginia Beach Town Center deliver updates and news for our region’s business. The latest edition has a special highlight on resource partners for small businesses. VWU and Tidewater Community College-Virginia Beach are the educational partners at The Hive.

New Leadership for AALI

Most of you are aware by now of my active involvement for many years with Academic Search, Inc. (ASI) and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI). I am currently Chair of the Board of Directors of AS, Inc. and Vice Chair of AALI. The two Washington, DC-based organizations are critical organizations in the good future of American higher education.

I would like to offer my special thanks to Linda M. Bleicken for her service as President of AALI since 2017. Javier Cevallos, president emeritus of Framingham State University, will become the new president of AALI in January as Linda moves on to the role of executive coach as a member of Academic Search’s Executive Coaching Practice.

Over the last decade, AALI has earned acclaim as the nation’s leading nonprofit organization committed to leadership development in higher education. AALI partners with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to offer a wide range of leadership programs, networking opportunities, and mentorship experiences to prepare administrators to advance to higher positions of responsibility at public and private colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, Academic Search is an executive search firm dedicated to serving higher education institutions and related organizations and is the only search firm in the nation with a formal relationship to a premier leadership development program.

Linda has been a great leader for AALI, and we wish her all the best as we give a warm welcome to Dr. Cevallos.

Church Court Deals with General Conference Delay

According to UM News, three United Methodist annual conferences, including one in Africa, have asked the denomination's highest court to rule on the ramifications of General Conference's third postponement since the onset of COVID. The Judicial Council also faces more questions about church disaffiliations. Read more.

Is Something in the Water? Maybe it’s $2M.

Virginia Business reports that the three-day music festival will receive a $2 million sponsorship from the City of Virginia Beach as part of an incentive package approved by City Council last week.

Construction Update: Clarke Hall, Phase II

Renovations and updates to Clarke Hall as part of our workforce and talent development initiatives continue to move along. While Phase II of the project will impact most of Clarke Hall, there are a couple of areas that I’d like to highlight.

The Beasley Foundation Technology Center will have a completely different look (rendering pictured right). The redesign will provide ample space for collaboration and productivity, featuring eight workspaces, each equipped with new modern computers. Two full-length counters looking out onto campus will frame in the space and comfortable furniture will create wonderful spaces to read or work from laptops. New auto adjusting window shades will adjust throughout the day to provide proper lighting. The IT Help Desk housed within will feature a tech bench to accommodate computer repair and work study apprenticeships. In addition, a new garage door style deposit window will give users a place to drop off their equipment.

The Learning and Advising Center will also have a new look. In addition to new furniture, paint, and carpeting throughout, the center will include a new reception desk, eight testing stations with new computers and a closed-circuit monitoring system, an interactive projector system, and three huddle rooms that accommodate four people for group collaboration or private tutoring.

The project is scheduled to be completed in late January 2023.

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REFLECTIONS

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