Susan T. Beverly Hall: New kiln shop progresses

The new kiln shop located on the east side of Susan T. Beverly Hall progresses every day. We expect the project to be ready for student use during the upcoming spring semester.

Introducing our new Dean of VWU Global Campus

 

Alumni eNews

Catch the latest alumni news here: https://conta.cc/2LzqVUW.

Nota Bene: Weekly Update

 

December 14, 2020 Good morning, I am pleased to announce Heather Campbell '04 as Vice President for Enrollment. Heather has been the Acting Vice President for Enrollment since August 1 after the retirement of David Waggoner. She oversees the Center for Enrollment which includes recruiting for all undergraduate and graduate traditional and non-traditional programs, as well as VWU Online, Early Enrollment, and non-credit programs. During her time as acting vice president, she worked with our new LUJ/VWU Global (Japan) partners in the formulation of a comprehensive recruitment plan, assisted in the establishment of the Sentara College of Health Sciences partnership, and forged seamless transfer agreements with community colleges around the commonwealth.  The University enrolls approximately 1,600 students annually in undergraduate, graduate, and online programs, approximately 400 students at LUJ/VWU Global (Japan), and approximately 3,000 non-credit learners in VWU Global Campus. Since returning to VWU in 2015, Heather has been an important leader in recruiting, marketing and special events. She earned her B.A. in Recreation and Leisure Studies from VWU and holds a M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University. She was honored with the VWU Distinguished Alumna Award in 2010. She is a native of Augusta County, Virginia and currently lives in Norfolk with her wife Emily and young daughter Sutton. I know you join me in congratulating Heather as she officially assumes this well-deserved position. Her leadership will continue to be instrumental to our institution. ET CETERA I wish to acknowledge and congratulate our employees who reached service milestones this past spring. These outstanding individuals have dedicated much of their careers to serving Virginia Wesleyan and our students. I sincerely thank them for their commitment to the Marlin community. Normally, we would do this recognition through a recognition event in the spring; however, the pandemic forced us to adjust our plans. When the restrictions on social gatherings are lifted, we will include this group in our 2021 Employee Appreciation Celebration.   40 Years of Service Michael Hall (retired spring 2020) 35 Years of Service Carol Johnson 30 Years of Service Elaine Dessouki Joyce Young Walden 25 Years of Service Sandra Billy Benjamin Dobrin 20 Years of Service Charline Bess Jeffrey Bowers Kimberly Brown ’16 Patricia Colthurst ‘86 Joyce Easter B. Malcolm Lively Daniel Margolies Wayne Pollock Philip Rock 20 Years of Service (continued) Victor Townsend John Wang 15 Years of Service Soraya Bartol Richard Bond Victor Dorsey Christine Hall Craig Jackson Travis Malone Lisa Lyon Payne John Rudel C.J. Sholler Kathy Stolley Cathal Woods 10 Years of Service Barbara Artis Delicia Johnson Gabriela Martorell Taryn Myers Karla Rasmussen Michael Skipper AROUND TOWN AND ACROSS CAMPUS Passing of Bob Miller It is with a heavy heart that I share Robert S. Miller III has passed away. Bob was the President of MSA, P.C., an engineering consulting firm that worked with the University on a long list of construction projects during the past two decades, including the Greer Environmental Sciences Center and the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center.     I had the pleasure of serving with Bob on the Virginia Beach Vision Board of Directors and the Hampton Roads Chamber Board. He loved the Virginia Beach community and was a dear friend of so many here at VWU. I offer my sincerest condolences to Bob’s entire family. Seeking Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award Nominations  Last January, the University hosted a commemoration honoring the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and presented the first MLK Jr. Legacy Award to Monique Ayers ’20. The 2021 Commemoration Committee is seeking nominations of VWU students who live up to 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 commitment to social change. Nominations are due December 15. We Are Still In I added my signature to the National Climate Statement, joining the University with other U.S. communities, businesses, and institutions who are “still in” even after the United States officially exited the Paris Climate Agreement on November 4. The statement was released in the lead up to the five-year anniversary of the Agreement during this critical moment for U.S. climate action. The statement speaks to high-level climate actions that the Biden/Harris Administration or Congress can take and makes calls for enhanced partnership and leadership across federal and non-federal public/private sector entities. Port Day Goes Virtual Congratulations to our student Port Day participants who presented capstone undergraduate research, internship, and semester study-away experiences virtually earlier this month. Port Day brings together students, staff, and faculty from different majors and fields of interest to share their experiences and celebrate academia. Kudos to the staff at The Lighthouse: Center for Exploration and Discovery for their successful coordination of this virtual event. TCA Research Symposium Proceeds Virtually Students in the VWU Master of Arts in Education program participated in the second annual TCA Research Symposium with our partners at Tidewater Collegiate Academy last week via Zoom Virtual Meeting. Students presented two papers that were submitted for publication: Transformative Learning: How Graduate Students of Tidewater Collegiate Academy Reflect on the Influence of Transformative Learning on their Educational Experiences and Lives Post-Graduation and Adolescents' Perceptions of Media Consumption Resulting from a Service-Learning Project. Congratulations to our students and to Dr. Wendy Scott, Founder and Director of TCA, for a great virtual event. In Bad Year for Airports, our Neighbors at Norfolk International Fared Better Than Some “In a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for airports and airlines, Norfolk International Airport has found some reasons to be optimistic,” according to The Virginian-Pilot. Learn more about our neighbors here. Fear the Fish Thank you to our partners at Sodexo for our newest additions in TowneBank Arena in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. The new signage has been placed over both the main entrance and the entryway from Batten Plaza. “Fear the Fish'' speaks to the competitive atmosphere of the Arena, which is home to our 2006 NCAA National Championship men’s basketball program, along with the women’s basketball and women’s  volleyball programs. We look forward to January when athletics returns to campus! STAY CURRENT ON VWU NEWS AND FEATURES Features News Briefs VWU Athletics The Wesleyan Review  VWU Alumni News  The Arts at VWU  Virginia Wesleyan University Magazine  The Pharos REFLECTIONS I hope you find these links useful to my recent columns and publications: University Business  Enrollment Manager  President to President Archives CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter: @vawesleyanprez  Facebook: @ScottDMillerprez Instagram: @prezscottmiller  LinkedIn: Scott D. Miller, Ph.D.  Flickr: Scott D. Miller  Dialogue: prezscottmiller.blogspot.com  (Be sure to subscribe to Dialogue for daily updates via email)  Sincerely, -- Scott D. Miller, Ph.D. President Virginia Wesleyan University 5817 Wesleyan Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23455   Phone: 757.455.3215 Email: sdmiller@vwu.edu Web:  www.vwu.edu/president  Blog: prezscottmiller.blogspot.com

Fear the Fish

Thank you to our partners at Sodexo for our newest additions in TowneBank Arena in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. The new signage has been placed over both the main entrance and the entryway from Batten Plaza. “Fear the Fish'' speaks to the competitive atmosphere of the Arena, which is home to our 2006 NCAA National Championship men’s basketball program, along with the women’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs. We look forward to January when athletics returns to campus!

We Are Still In

As the world celebrates the 5th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, VWU is proud to join U.S. cities, states, tribal nations, businesses, higher education, faith and more in calling for a national mobilization on climate action and clean recovery. Learn more: http://ow.ly/eZGP50CH8sb

The Wesleyan Review

Get the latest Marlin news in The Wesleyan Review: ow.ly/GqRQ50CITxT

New Dean named for VWU Global Campus

Dr. Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson has been named Dean of Virginia Wesleyan University Global Campus. 
In this role she will oversee VWU Online, the Evening and Weekend Program, VWU Global (Japan), Early Enrollment/Advanced Scholars, and non-credit learners. The University enrolls approximately 1,600 students annually in undergraduate, graduate, and online programs, approximately 400 students at LUJ/VWU Global (Japan), and approximately 3,000 non-credit learners in VWU Global Campus.

Dr. Gonsalves-Jackson has been a member of the VWU faculty since 2006, serving as Associate Professor of Biology. She has also served the institution in a variety of other leadership roles, including Director of Nursing and Allied Health and Director of Winter and Summer Sessions.

Learn more: https://www.vwu.edu/about/news-and-events/features/story/dr-gonsalves-jackson-named-dean-of-vwu-global-campus

Celebrating the Class of 2020

Approximately 350 graduates were recognized during a virtual Commencement Ceremony on December 4. Read more about our virtual event here.

It took many outstanding individuals to plan and execute our Commencement ceremony and graduate event, especially after the Governor's directive made us completely change our plans. I thank everyone involved for their hard work and adaptability, especially Dr. Sue Larkin, Dr. Loren Loving Marquez, Stephanie Smaglo, Lori Harris '94, Christine Pritchard and Kelly Cordova.

The Pharos

The December edition of The Pharos is available here: https://conta.cc/3mV5GL4