Annie and I are excited to welcome our second granddaughter, Abbie, at 4:54 this morning.

Construction is progressing nicely for our new 40,000 square foot Greer Environmental Sciences Center scheduled to open in the Fall 2017!

This week's "@vawesleyan": http://conta.cc/1t4HjOI

Nota Bene: A Grant, Groundbreaking and Giving Opportunity

June 3, 2016

 

I’m pleased to share that Virginia Wesleyan College has been awarded a grant of $5,000 from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to support  a summer biology course for Chesapeake high school students.

 

The inquiry-based biology course will be offered this summer to rising seniors from the Science and Medicine Academy at Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake. Titled "Diversity of Life,” the course will take place on campus July 25-August 5 and will feature a comprehensive survey of the life of Earth—from bacteria and unicellular algae through fungi, plants and animals. It is also scheduled to include hands-on sessions with the College’s scanning electron microscope, a trip to the Virginia Zoological Park, and excursions aboard the Ocean Explorer, Virginia Wesleyan’s research vessel owned in partnership with the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.

 

The course will be co-taught by VWC Professor of Biology Vic Townsend, Associate Professor of Biology Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson, and Batten Associate Professor of Education Hilve Firek.  I appreciate the efforts of Drs. Firek,  Gonsalves-Jackson, and Townsend for their outreach and connections to our greater community.

 

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization dedicated to improving the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers through environmental education, community outreach, and local watershed restoration. Since its inception in 1985, the Trust has awarded $70 million in grants and engaged hundreds of thousands of citizen stewards in projects that have a measurable impact on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Read more about the Trust.

 

Also, this week, I attended the groundbreaking for the Norfolk Premium Outlet Mall that will be located at the end of Wesleyan Drive, just minutes from the College.  This link provides coverage of the groundbreaking: http://wavy.com/2016/06/02/crews-breaking-ground-on-norfolk-premium-outlets-today/

 

Finally, as we near the conclusion of our fiscal year on June 30, our Advancement staff is busily securing gifts for The Excellence Fund. I encourage you to visit our new online giving page at www.vwc.edu/giveonline. This new giving feature is much more convenient to use and offers a fast and secure way of contributing to scholarships, academic innovation, and other programs and initiatives made possible through The Excellence Fund. We appreciate your support.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with former Virginia Wesleyan trustee Lynn Clements, Executive Director at Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. VWC is proud of its relationship with the Aquarium.

With Kenny Alexander, Mayor-elect of Norfolk, and VWC Board Chair Gary Bonnewell, at today's groundbreaking for the 90-store Norfolk Premium Outlet Mall to be located at the end of Wesleyan Drive.

Enjoyed discussing partnership opportunities with Christy Everett, Hampton Roads Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, this morning at Brock Environmental Center.

This month's The President's Letter, "Concluding Our Year, Ensuring Our Future:" http://conta.cc/1sLxu7L

Beautiful day for a peaceful stroll on the Virginia Wesleyan College quad.

More national honors for Virginia Wesleyan College softball.