Dialogue: Nota Bene: Weekly Update

November 11, 2024

Good morning,

We hope you have made plans to join us for our Veterans Day commemoration at 12:00 p.m. on Godwin Lawn. Our guest speaker is 1LT Bobby Mazingo, a member of the Class of 2021. As a Marlin, Bobby was a student-athlete, an active member of the Student Government Association, and he participated in Army ROTC, launching his military career.

We look forward to Bobby’s remarks as we honor veterans on our campus and around the world during our ceremony today. A reception will be held in the lobby of Godwin Hall immediately following the ceremony.

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm who was awarded the 2024 Libby & Hiter Harris Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award by the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) at the Harris Family Faculty Awards and Luncheon in Richmond last week.

The Libby & Hiter Harris Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates an unwavering commitment to undergraduate education within the liberal arts and sciences.

As a Batten Professor of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and the Director of Sustainability, this award applauds her ambitious vision for environmental education and sustainability that has positioned Virginia Wesleyan as a national leader among liberal arts institutions. Her plan was bold, demonstrating her commitment to impacting our entire institution and benefiting future generations of students, in and outside of the classroom.

Key outcomes of her initiatives include new facilities, the Environmental Guiding Principles, an endowment invested in an environmentally and socially responsible way, and an honors college with the environment as the core of its mission. Additionally, she has led the creation of a campus forestry plan supported by the Virginia Department of Forestry, community heat mapping projects funded by multiple grants, and the development of an Environmental Studies master’s degree program, to name a few.

Dr. Malcolm earned her BA in Environmental Sciences from Earlham College and a PhD in Atmospheric Science from the University of Michigan. Before joining the VWU faculty in 2005, she was a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University.

Pictured with Elizabeth Malcolm, H. Hiter Harris, and Elizabeth’s husband, Jim Saunders, at the awards presentation.

ET CETERA

Virginia Wesleyan is committed to promoting the importance of accessibility and affordability for our students. One of the most important avenues to these goals is the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG) program. This vital program is a needed and beneficial way for students across the Commonwealth of Virginia—including those enrolled at Virginia Wesleyan—to afford education at private colleges and universities.

Although generous institutional aid through scholarships helps to offset the cost of attendance, the VTAG program has, since 1972, provided additional, critical financial support. The undergraduate annual award this year is $5,125.

At Virginia Wesleyan, 745 of our current students are receiving a VTAG award this fall. It is critical that we convey to Governor Youngkin and members of the General Assembly how vital this funding is to our students, families, colleges, and communities, and why VTAG should be a priority for the governor in the budget he will introduce in December. Make your voice heard here.

To learn more about VTAG, please visit our website.

VWU Global Campus has formed a new partnership with the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation and will be offering online professional development workshops and courses that result in microcredentials, or digital certifications, documenting achievement of particular skill sets. Students who complete microcredentials through the partnership with the da Vinci Center will receive digital badges that can be added to their electronic portfolio and LinkedIn profile to be shared with potential employers.

The first of these workshops to be offered include Introduction to Design Thinking, Introduction to Business Model Canvas, Introduction to Pitching and Storytelling, and Introduction to Prototyping. Workshops will be offered online during December Session (December 15, 2024 -January 26, 2025). In addition to these workshops, two additional workshops, Developing Leadership: From Theory to Practice and Building Strong Internal Teams, will also be offered during December Session leading to microcredentials, as well as credit-bearing courses offered through VWU Online.

For more information on these exciting new course offerings, email globalcampus@vwu.edu.

AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS

Students Visit Burton Station Fire Station

Last week, members of the Student Government Association and the student body visited Virginia Beach Fire Department Station 20 - Burton Station to provide a foot locker worth of goodies and a large handwritten card of gratitude signed by students. This was the second part to their efforts to raise funds and awareness during their annual 9/11 stair climb that was held in the Jane P. Batten Student Center earlier this fall. The students had the opportunity to thank the firefighters for their support of our campus and were given a tour of the station.

Pictured: Members of Station 20, Fire Chief Ken Pravetz (far left), and student participants Miles Pifer, Will Flanders, and Molly Brennan.

Welcoming Trustee Emeritus Tom Broyles to Campus

It was great to have lunch earlier this month with Trustee Emeritus Tom Broyles, his wife Peggy, and daughter Betty Page Broyles Ambrose, a VWU alumna. Tom, Betty Page, and I are outside Broyles Hall in Honors Village, named in honor of his steadfast support of the university.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month, a time of year when we honor the culture, traditions, and achievements of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island communities. Learn more about our planned programs here.

A Night at Nauticus

It was a wonderful night at the “Reimagine Nauticus Ribbon Cutting Celebration” at Waterside in Norfolk. As they officially opened the Goode Family Atrium at Nauticus in honor of the David and Susan Goode family, it was great to spend time with Congressman Bobby Scott among many other friends and colleagues. We thank the Goodes for all the ways they make Coastal Virginia a better place to live and visit.

Roundball Insiders Luncheon

We kicked off the 2024-25 basketball season with the Roundball Insiders luncheon. Roundball Insiders is the giving circle for top supporters of VWU men’s basketball. I’m pictured with (top) “the emeriti club” — Bill Gibson, Larry Hultgren, and Joanne Renn, and (bottom left) TowneBank retired VP Tom Pearson. We thank TowneBank for their continued support of VWU Athletics.

Final Faculty Dinner of the Year

We held our last Faculty Dinner for the year last week at DeFord Manor. Faculty dinners are a wonderful opportunity to discuss important issues in a relaxed setting while getting to one another more.

We remain grateful to Bob and Nancy DeFord for making DeFord Manor a beautiful "front porch" of the university where groups small and large can come together to support the shared goals of Virginia Wesleyan and our community.

Connecting with the City

We were pleased to welcome Amanda Jarrett, Virginia Beach Deputy City Manager, to campus to learn more about our talent development program and facilities and see progress on the construction of the new Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art at VWU. We’re pictured with Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson, Vice President for VWU Global Campus.

Supporting CBA

We had an enjoyable evening last week with friends and supporters of Chesapeake Bay Academy at the Chairman’s Reception, hosted by Dave and Beth Levin at The Gala in Virginia Beach. CBA is a VWU “Partner in Progress” located in Aston Hall on the east side of campus.

Celebrating National Philanthropy Day

I always enjoy celebrating National Philanthropy Day through the AFP Hampton Roads’ annual luncheon, held this year at the Westin in Virginia Beach Town Center. With Bonnie Sutton, Class of 1999 and President of the Access College Foundation.

Slow Down: Right Whale Crossing

Off the coast of Virginia Beach, 78 wind turbine foundations of the planned 176 have been installed. The project will now take a pause from November 1-April 30 to accommodate the North Atlantic right whale migration season. Learn more from Inside Business.

Nominate a Deserving Student for The Mavis McKenley ’11 Award

Each year, Virginia Wesleyan presents an award on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to a student who practices the ideals set forth by Dr. King—courage and conviction in valuing differences, commitment to seeing beyond borders by building inclusion, compassion for humanity, and/or commitment to social change. In 2021, the award was named The Mavis McKenley ’11 Award in honor of our esteemed graduate and Trustee. Nominations can be submitted to Wesleyan Engaged via google form by December 1, 2024.