April 17, 2023
Good morning, |
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It’s Earth Week! We kick off our celebration with the opening session of the Marlin Business Conference, “A Greener Tomorrow,” tonight at 6:00 p.m. in Brock Commons with our featured speaker, Scott Whitehurst, Director of Environmental Policy and Compliance at The Port of Virginia.
Our keynote event will be the panel “Generations Uniting to Address Climate Change” on Earth Day (Friday) at 1:00 p.m. in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. A panel of experts from science, policy, and communication backgrounds will discuss the climate crisis’ evolution, impacts, and solutions. A career and volunteer fair featuring local environmental organizations is being held in the lobby before and after the symposium. The symposium is free and open to anyone looking to be inspired by changemakers from across generations.
We’ll also host other wonderful guest speakers like Dr. Sid Dobrin and Greg Melville throughout the week. The art exhibition “Rising Tides, Rising Tensions” by Renee Calway is open to the public from now until May 5 in the Barclay Sheaks Gallery of Hofheimer Library.
A special thanks to the City of Virginia Beach and The Gunn Group for their partnership in this important event that celebrates our joint commitment to the sustainability of our region’s distinctive environment.
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The University will celebrate the retirements and employee service milestones of faculty, staff, and friends in contract services in a campus-wide celebration on Thursday, May 4 (Reading Day).
A traditional tree planting ceremony for retiring faculty members will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the east side extension of the Wilson Arboretum and the entrance to the Trails at Wesleyan Woods. Congratulations to our retiring faculty:
- Elaine Dessouki, Assistant Professor of Management, Business, and Economics, 33 years
- Joyce Howell, Professor of Art History, 39 years
- George Jackson, Professor of Management, Business, and Economics, 9 years
- Phil Rock, Professor of Biology, 23 years
The celebration will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Joan P. Brock Room of Brock Commons. During the event, we will also recognize employees celebrating service milestones with the University. Congratulations to these members of the Virginia Wesleyan family: |
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35 Years Doug Kennedy Deborah Otis |
| 25 Years Dave Macedo Maynard Schaus Steven Sparks Ginny Videll |
| 20 Years Terry Critser Scott Liverman Andre Marshall Margaret Reese |
| 15 Years Ben Haller Rebecca Hooker Maury Howard Sue Larkin Lena Rudolph Malleri Santiago |
| 10 Years Takeyra Coats Eric Johnson Arnold Selga |
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I hope all faculty and staff members mark their calendars and make plans to join in our celebration for these long-serving and dedicated members of the campus community. |
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Thank you to all the Marlin alumni, family, and friends who joined us for Spring Alumni Weekend. It was a fantastic weekend visiting with old friends and making new ones.
Our festivities began Friday with an alumni gathering at ShoreBreak Pizza and Taphouse. Traditions continued with our annual spring picnic and scroll signing ceremony on Saturday. We hosted the Parents Council at DeFord Manor. We tapped our toes to the JukeVox performances. We cheered for the Marlins during our athletic contests and the annual Strike Out Cancer softball event. Most of all, we enjoyed a wonderful weekend full of smiles with Marlin alumni, parents, friends, and students.
We were especially excited to see members of the Classes of 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974 for the First Five Class Reunion. This lively group brought a wonderful perspective to the weekend, connecting our past pioneers with our current Marlin students.
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AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS |
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Celebrating #D3Week Last week was NCAA Division III Week at Virginia Wesleyan University, joining other Division III institutions in promoting and celebrating the philosophy of the division and our student-athletes. Virginia Wesleyan University is a proud member of the NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Joining me for the signing of the resolution declaring #D3Week were (from left) Rachel Wilson, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee member; Dr. Larry Hultgren, Professor of Philosophy and Faculty Athletics Representative; Andrea Hoover-Erbig, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics; and Alex Moody, Chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. |
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BHC Scholar Breana Mahoney Presents at Chrysler Museum's Collegiate Symposium Congratulations to Breana Mahoney ‘24 for being selected as a participant in the Chrysler Museum's Collegiate Symposium, where students presented papers focused on artists, works of art, or historical topics related to the Chrysler's collection. Breana’s paper was titled, "Mother, Not Mammy: Winold Reiss’ Mother and Child in the Context of the Historically Commodified Identity of Black Women In America." |
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Greater Norfolk Corporation’s 2022-23 Mentorship Program It was a great evening celebrating the culmination of the 2022-23 Greater Norfolk Corporation’s mentorship program with Linda Peck, Executive Director of GNC, and Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, President of Norfolk State. VWU had 11 students participate this year, and Jason Seward, Associate Vice President of Campus Life and Operational Management, served as a mentor. |
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The Pharos: April 2023 Edition The latest edition of The Pharos is available now. We hope you enjoy learning more about our talented faculty and staff members who continue to make important contributions to their respective fields through publications, presentations, and more. |
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VWU Partner Girls on the Run Honored Our campus partner, Girls on the Run Hampton Roads, was honored with the 2023 Non-Profit Award by the Hampton Roads Chamber. Congratulations to Executive Director Ellen Carver, her staff, and all the volunteers that make GOTR-HR such an asset to our community. |
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Upcoming Book Release from VWU Trustee Chip Tsantes '83 Congratulations to George “Chip” Tsantes, Class of 1983 and member of the VWU Board of Trustees, on his upcoming book release. “Cybertax: Managing the Risks and Results,” co-authored by James Ransome, is targeted toward business executives, business owners, and board members to guide them in managing cybersecurity. Chip has nearly 40 years of experience in building technical infrastructure and cybersecurity. This is his first book. |
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Another Wonderful Chat & Chew It was great to share an informal meal with a wonderful group of staff members during last week’s Chat & Chew: (from left) Cameia Alexander, Director of Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track & Field; Nadine White-Shook, Director of Transfer Enrollment; Kristian Ramkvist, Director of Men's and Women's Swimming; Mandy Reinig, Director of Global Engagement; Jeff Butler, Assistant Baseball Coach; Michael Skipper, Webmaster; Sarah Guzzo, Director of Student Activities; Alice Jones, Director of Career Development; Marina Maye, Administrative Assistant to the Provost; and Jordan Allen, Enterprise Resources Programmer-Customer Relationship Manager. |
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Virginia Beach Health Department Checks In It was nice to visit with our good friends from the Virginia Beach Health Department — Dr. Caitlin Pedati, Virginia Beach Health District Director, and Laurie Shaw, RN, Senior Nurse Manager. VBHD was an important partner in campus safety during the pandemic. We are pictured with Dr. Keith Moore, Senior Vice President, and April Christman ‘14, Director of Counseling and Student Health. |
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Meeting with Brown Advisory We had a productive meeting with our endowment managers from Brown Advisory. Pictured clockwise: Ali Bayler and Drew Courtney from Brown Advisory; Mary Ryberg, Vice President for Finance; and David Kaufman, Chair of the Endowment Committee of the VWU Board of Trustees. VWU has gained widespread recognition as one of the few universities having its entire endowment managed in an environmentally friendly way. |
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Celebrating with Neighbors at Ebenezer Baptist Church It was such an enjoyable afternoon at Ebenezer Baptist Church as Dr. Keith Moore and I joined the congregation for the anniversary celebration of Pastor R. Perez Gatling. Rev. Gatling and wife Veleka have been good personal friends for many years — meeting the spiritual and support needs of our students and the Virginia Beach community. I’m pictured (top) with Veleka, Perez, and Amelia Ross-Hammond, Virginia Beach City Council member; and (bottom) with Rev. Steven Lewis, keynote speaker and Virginia Wesleyan graduate. |
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Out and About It’s been great to visit with friends of Virginia Wesleyan over the last few weeks. (Top left) We had a nice meeting with Roy Corby, General Manager of the new Rivers Casino, with Delceno Miles, CEO of The Miles Agency. (Top right) At the monthly meeting of the Board of Directors at Virginia Beach Vision, Bob Crum, Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, provided a briefing. I serve as vice president of VBV alongside our president Delceno Miles. VBV is 130 business leaders working to advance our city’s future development, prosperity and quality of life. (Bottom) I had an enjoyable lunch at DeFord Manor with City Council member Worth Remick and David R. Black, VWU Executive in Residence. |
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Inauguration of Darrell Williams As Chair of Virginia Private Colleges, it was an honor to be a delegate to the inauguration of Darrell Williams, President of Hampton University. I'm pictured (top) with President Williams and (bottom) with long time colleague Hakim Lucas, President of Virginia Union University, who serves with me on the Boards of CICV and the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges. |
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The Hive Newsletter: April 2023 Our friends at The Hive in Virginia Beach Town Center deliver updates and news for our region’s businesses. VWU and Tidewater Community College Virginia Beach are the educational partners at The Hive.
Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable The Hampton Roads Business Roundtable and Reinvent Hampton Roads have combined to establish the newly formed “Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable” to better align Hampton Roads’ strategic economic development and growth initiatives. Learn more. |
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Norfolk Airport Hotel is ‘Desperately Needed’ Virginia Business reports that an influx of 200-seat airplanes will bring record numbers of passengers into Norfolk International Airport, leading officials to fast-track infrastructure upgrades and pursue construction of an airport hotel. |
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Enjoy the Earth Week presentations and events! Sincerely, |
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-- Scott D. Miller, Ph.D. President Virginia Wesleyan University 5817 Wesleyan Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23455 Phone: 757.455.3215 |
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