April 22, 2024
Good morning, |
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Happy Earth Day, Marlins!
The VWU community got an early (albeit rainy) start on our celebration as we hosted GreenFest on campus yesterday afternoon. It was an immersive and engaging festival for guests of all ages celebrating sustainability, community, and the beauty of our planet. All were welcomed for a day filled with music, games, service projects, educational booths, and more, as the VWU campus came together to foster a sense of environmental stewardship and create positive change for future generations. Our event was made possible through the generous support of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation.
But our commitment to the environment goes beyond our beautiful 300-acre park-like campus in Virginia Beach. In fact, VWU recently received a substantial grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) to combat urban heat stress. The $222,000 grant has been designated for a two-year project to reduce rising temperatures in Portsmouth, Virginia. To learn more, please check out this article in the Virginian-Pilot.
These latest accomplishments add to our sustainability efforts, which "reflect a larger commitment to ethical conduct and social responsibility through environmental stewardship and education." In 2020, the Board of Trustees adopted our Environmental Guiding Principles, which are embedded in the permanent institutional mindset for future planning. In 2021, VWU received a series of private gifts increasing its endowment to $123.5 million. Of those funds, $80.2 million are designated for the endowment of the Batten Honors College, a highly selective residential program of the University with a focus on environmental stewardship, global engagement, and leadership. The entire endowment for the Batten Honors College and the University has been invested following environmental, social, and governance criteria with Brown Advisory of Baltimore, Maryland. |
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One way to measure the value of a college or university is its contributions to its local community. Here, VWU once again demonstrates its commitment to the Coastal Virginia region with a new partnership with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council to provide free skills training aimed at supporting our maritime industry.
The Regional Maritime Training System, led by the Hampton Roads Workforce Council with support from VWU, has embarked on a collaboration to offer no-cost business workshops and courses focused on training designed to enable students to begin or advance in the thriving local maritime industry at no cost. VWU has received a grant through the U.S. Economic Development Administration for the Good Jobs Challenge that will allow students to train on vital business topics, such as: - Business Management
- Information Systems
- Project Management
- Logistics Management
- Analytics Management
These courses will provide students with training certificates and, in some cases, VWU college credits. Read more. |
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Last week, I shared the upcoming retirements and 2024 employee service milestones of full-time faculty, staff, and friends in contract services. Since then, we have had two additions to add to the retirement list: Deborah Otis, Professor of Chemistry, and Corp. Barbara Artis of Campus Security. Congratulations and thanks to both of them for their many years of dedicated service to Virginia Wesleyan!
We will celebrate Deb and Barbara along with our other retirees in a campus-wide celebration on Tuesday, April 30 at 3:30 p.m. in the Joan P. Brock Room of Brock Commons. We hope to see you there! |
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AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS |
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Thank You for Joining Bob’s Birthday Bash Last Friday, we celebrated Bob Marlin’s 63rd birthday with a party like no other. We asked Marlin Nation to celebrate Bob with gifts made to any area of the University for our spring Day of Giving. While our totals are still being tallied, I wanted to say “Thank You!” to all who participated or supported our efforts to give Bob the best birthday yet! |
Celebrating Student-Athletes The last week has seen many wonderful celebrations for our outstanding student-athletes. The week began with the annual Fins Up Fest where student-athletes representing all sports participated in friendly games and relay races while fostering community and team spirit.
The week continued with the Chi Alpha Sigma induction ceremony where 27 student-athletes were welcomed into this national honor society that recognizes both academic and athletic accomplishments. Students Lauren Hedspeth and Everett McCloskey were chosen to speak at this prestigious event. |
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Later that night, we held the Athletics Awards and Senior Banquet in Brock Commons. During the ceremony, I was delighted to present the 2024 Norfolk Sports Club Outstanding Athlete Award to Sam Crawford. Sam is a member of the 2022 NCAA Final Four and two-time ODAC Championship women’s soccer team and a first-team All-American. |
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Finally, we celebrated our individual ODAC Indoor Track & Field champions with a special dinner at DeFord Manor with members of the T&F coaching staff. Our student champions are Natashe Tate, women’s 60-meter dash; Ella Clingenpeel, women’s 800-meter run; Jordan Hall, men’s long jump; and Ja’Marri Henderson, men’s 60-meter hurdles. (Not in attendance: Isaiah Bullock, men’s triple jump.)
Congratulations to all our student-athletes who represent Virginia Wesleyan so well on and off the field of play! |
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The Bobbies: Student Leadership Awards Every year, the Office of Student Engagement celebrates student leadership and participation during The Bobbies. It was my honor to present the 2024 Wesleyan Spirit Award to senior Zion Purvis-Allen. Anyone who meets Zion immediately recognizes that he embodies the Wesleyan Spirit with his friendly and welcoming attitude. Congratulations to him and all who were honored at The Bobbies last week! |
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Norfolk State of the City Highlights VWU Student I was privileged to attend Mayor Alexander’s State of the City address and was joined by VWU first-year student Cecilia Candelaria, a Norfolk resident and VWU Coastal Advantage participant who was featured during the program. The mayor was very generous in his praise of VWU and all that we are doing to make college more affordable. |
“All Water Has A Perfect Memory” with VWU Student Artists It was an enjoyable evening reception with student artists and their professors at the Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab in Norfolk. The reception featured the artwork of over 30 VWU students. I’m pictured with VWU senior Franklin Washington and Professor of Art Phil Guilfoyle. Franklin crafted the capstone fish on top of the river totem shown. |
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HRCAP Higher Education Roundtable I was honored to participate in the Hampton Roads Community Action Program’s (HRCAP) roundtable discussion last week at the studios of WTKR. It was a spirited discussion focusing on current trends in higher education and the response from colleges and universities to 21st-century workforce challenges. The University will be honored by HRCAP with the Community Builders Award in June.
How Alumni Relations Can Boost Admissions— And Vice Versa While alumni support is obviously crucial in areas like philanthropy and public relations, there’s one important opportunity that many higher education institutions overlook: the potentially electric connection between alumni and admissions. I am pleased to share my recent article in Enrollment Manager where my co-author, Dr. Katelyn Sanders of Shenandoah University, and I delve into this important topic. Read more. |
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Breakfast with Trustee and Alumna Jaclyn Ruelle We were delighted to host Board of Trustees member and alumna Jaclyn Ruelle for breakfast on campus last week. Jaclyn is Vice President, Head of Brand, for Papa Johns and was in town for a special presentation with the Public Relations Society of America - Hampton Roads (PRSA-HR). We’re pictured with her fellow Marlins and friends — Heather Campbell, Vice President for Enrollment, and Brandon Elliott, Assistant Athletic Director for Advancement and Head Softball Coach.
Virginia Conference of United Methodist Church Features VWU Last week, the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church featured VWU in its weekly newsletter, The Advocate, featuring the Robert Nusbaum Center’s Nexus Interfaith Dialogue. In a panel discussion of five dynamic women of faith, they shared their experiences and insights on their journeys to become agents of change in the community. |
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NATO Celebrates 75 Years I was proud to join the NATO Ambassadors Lunch hosted by the World Affairs Council with good friends Travis Larrabee, Head of School of Norfolk Academy, and Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander. NATO has been a wonderful academic partner for VWU, providing internships and real-world experiences for our students for many years. I hope the students and faculty members who joined the luncheon enjoyed it, too! |
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Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center Our thanks to Jeff Derr from the Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, located just 2 miles from campus, for hosting a great meeting last week. Our two campuses collaborate thanks to Jeff and Maynard Schaus, Professor of Biology and Environmental Science and Director of Accreditation and Coordinator of Sustainability Management; and Elizabeth Malcolm, Professor of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and Director of Sustainability. |
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Virginia Beach Vision News As President of Virginia Beach Vision, I shared the views of our 130-member board and the business community regarding the proposed city budget at the Virginia Beach City Council Special Formal Session last week (left). I was also happy to attend the 48th annual Volunteer Hampton Roads Achievement Awards at The NorVa where VBV past president Delceno Miles, President/CEO of The Miles Agency, received the Lenora Mathew’s Lifetime Achievement Award (right). |
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Norfolk Tides Tickets Many of you are aware that I enjoy baseball and have two very nice season tickets for the Norfolk Tides behind the first base dugout at Harbor Park. If any faculty, staff, or students would like to use my tickets (whether you’ve gone before or haven’t had a chance yet), please contact Anja at aserbywilkens@vwu.edu and let her know what date you would like to go. You can find the schedule here. |
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Youngkin Signs NIL Law Allowing Virginia Schools to Directly Pay Athletes As the shifting landscape of collegiate athletics continues to evolve, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has signed a new name, image, and likeness (NIL) bill that grants Virginia colleges unprecedented freedom to administer NIL benefits to athletes. According to the Virginian-Pilot, House Bill 1505, boasting wide-ranging support from administrators, permits state colleges and universities to create and negotiate NIL deals — and pay athletes — without NCAA restrictions. The measure is believed to be the first of its kind.
Connecting Coastal Virginia Sixty years ago, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connected Hampton Roads. Today, the first tunnel boring of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion is complete. Learn more about how these feats of engineering have connected Coastal Virginia together from WHRO and Virginia Business.
New Life for Norfolk’s MacArthur Center WHRO reports that Norfolk wants to redevelop MacArthur Center into a major mixed-use development anchored by a 400-room military-themed hotel. During his State of the City, Mayor Kenny Alexander said the redeveloped mall would include 518,000 square feet of high-rise residential space, including rentals and units to own. Read more. |
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COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP NEWS |
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Happy Earth Day!
Sincerely, |
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