Eat healthier. Get organized. Improve relationships. Spend less time on Facebook. For many of us, with a new calendar year comes the opportunity to reassess old habits and resolve to improve both personally and professionally. As the ball drops and "Auld Lang Syne" begins to play, I always find myself feeling incredibly optimistic about the possibilities the New Year holds.

 

At Virginia Wesleyan, January is actually the mid-point in the annual cycle of classes, exams, and campus activities. Yet we still find ourselves making a fresh start--evaluating and perhaps rededicating our campus resources in effort to provide the highest quality education possible for our students.

 

There is an unmatched sense of promise and excitement at our beautiful College during the spring season as various honors and awards celebrations lead up to Baccalaureate and Commencement. But to paraphrase Robert Frost, we will have many miles to travel before we can rest at semester's end. And so, on behalf of the Virginia Wesleyan community, let me offer a few resolutions as we begin the New Year:

 

Let us resolve to do best that which we do best: teach.

Our students choose Virginia Wesleyan largely because of our excellent academic reputation. Although the latest science labs, library databases, and campus improvements support learning, it is our commitment to strong pedagogy that transfers knowledge and transforms thinking. Our College is blessed with an outstanding faculty--90 percent of which hold the highest degree attainable in their field--who bring to life the latest scholarship in time-honored classroom settings. 

 

Let us continue to build a sense of common purpose.

I hope in 2016 that a sense of common purpose, including a stronger commitment to service, will continue to unite the members of the Virginia Wesleyan College community. Small colleges exist in part because they are not intended to be large universities. The Virginia Wesleyan advantage--small classes, personalized instruction and advising, campus activities that promote leadership--helps to define us, as it has throughout our history. Our strong record of community service, under the direction of Diane Hotaling, makes me proud and enriches the campus experience for all of us.

 

Let us continue to focus on finance.

My financial philosophy--being resource aggressive, but fiscally conservative--is helping Virginia Wesleyan weather the challenges of an uncertain economy, a rollercoaster stock market, and families calculating how to pay for their children's education. We owe our students every opportunity to succeed--and that begins with abundant and available scholarships and financial aid. I offer a special thank you to our alumni and friends who step up every year to fund existing scholarships or to establish new ones.

 

Let us be the best College ambassadors we can be.

I think a good resolution for us all is to be the best ambassadors we can for Virginia Wesleyan. When we speak to alumni, parents and families, prospective students, academic colleagues, and potential funders of our programs, we have a lot to brag about. Virginia Wesleyan is a special place that accomplishes much, sometimes with very little. Our founders endured much to bring us to this exciting point in the Virginia Wesleyan College story--a narrative of achievement that is still being written in the words and deeds of Marlins everywhere. 

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While the New Year is a good time to consider our future goals, it is also a time to reflect on our recent successes. Here are some highlights from past month: 

December Graduates Ceremony

We welcomed families, friends and other distinguished guests to our December Graduates Program on December 6 in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. The day was an incredible milestone in the lives of 43 new Virginia Wesleyan alumni, and it is so gratifying to share in the excitement of their remarkable achievement. Special kudos to keynote speaker Professor Clayton J. Drees, our 2015 Samuel Nelson Gray Distinguished Teaching Award recipient. Dr. Drees reflected on his 24 years at this distinctive liberal arts college and offered five tips for success. 

New Leadership
David Waggoner has been appointed as Virginia Wesleyan's vice president for enrollment. He will lead Virginia Wesleyan's Center for Enrollment Services, which includes admission for all traditional and non-traditional programs. David is an experienced leader in liberal arts colleges who has led with the knowledge and skill we need to grow this College. Dr. Mort Gamble has been named vice president for advancement, effective February 1. A colleague whom I've known for many years, Mort has most recently served on the senior staff at Bethany College. At VWC, he will lead the College's Center for Advancement, including fundraising, alumni and parent relations, government relations, church relations, business and corporations, and planned giving. Because he has spent most of his career at small, residential, liberal arts colleges, I'm sure he will be extremely helpful to us as we continue to strengthen our resource base through annual giving and as we look ahead to our next major-gift campaign. Dr. Keith Moore has been appointed vice president for student affairs. Keith's academic and student life background uniquely qualifies him to lead Virginia Wesleyan's Division of Student Affairs, which includes Campus Security, Counseling Services, Community Service, Health Services, the Jane P. Batten Student Center, Marlin Ministries, Residence Life, Greek Life and Student Activities. Each of these vice presidents will report to me and will serve as members of the President's Cabinet.

 

DeFord and Birdsong Recognized as Trustees Emeritus

Two remarkable leaders were recognized recently for their long-time service to the Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees. Bob DeFord and George Birdsong were honored with Trustee Emeritus status on December 14. We are grateful for their service on the Board and their generous support of Virginia Wesleyan College.

College Receives $350K Planning Grant
Virginia Wesleyan received a $350,000 grant to facilitate a comprehensive campus facilities condition assessment beginning in late January. The grant includes a space utilization study, corrective maintenance plan, and campus master plan. It specifies that an outside facilitator will work with a Master Planning Committee to identify future anticipated facility needs, new or expanded programs that might require space, the arrival experience, strategic land use, future residential needs and improvements and upgrades to existing facilities. There will be a series of open forums and meetings with Virginia Wesleyan students, staff, faculty, and the Board of Trustees to gain input on the perceived needs of the institution. In addition to the open forums, a series of interviews will be conducted with various groups to gain insight on needs in their particular areas. Once the scope of future needs and improvements are defined, a series of options and alternatives will be created and prioritized. The process is expected to take between nine and 12 months.

 

Sacred Music Series Ranked Among Best College Holiday Events
With the holiday season came some national recognition for Virginia Wesleyan. The Center for Sacred Music's Monumental Moments series earned the No. 9 spot on Best College Review's ranking of " The 45 Best College Holiday Events." According to the college and university ranking service, their list was compiled based on criteria such as event uniqueness and level of community involvement-traits that are most definitely found in Monumental Moments. The series began December 3 with "The Christmas Story in Lessons & Carols," which featured Advent and Christmas scriptures with poetry, singing, and special music by the Wesleyan Chorale under the direction of Dr. Bryson Mortensen. It will continue January 16 with " Women's Christmas."

2014-15 Annual Report
Virginia Wesleyan's 2014-15 Annual Report is hot off the press. For your reference, it is also available on our website.

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I end this month's letter on a somber note. It saddens me to inform you of the December 7 passing of Bill Joseph, Virginia Wesleyan's former vice president for business affairs. Bill arrived at Virginia Wesleyan in September 1966 as our first business manager. Beginning as a two-person operation, the business office grew with the College, and Bill's responsibilities ranged from handling student accounts, purchasing supplies, and arranging campus signage to negotiating with lending banks, exterminator companies and federal OSHA officials. He oversaw the operations of food services, the bookstore (run for a short time by his wife, Faye), other auxiliary services, and the expanding physical plant. He was an integral part of our community and helped make Virginia Wesleyan the special place it is today.

Since Bill's passing, several people have asked how they could make a gift to the College in his memory.  Memorial gifts may be made to the Bill Joseph Book Fund (that he created and supported during his lifetime) at Virginia Wesleyan's Hofheimer Library. The Joseph family will be notified of gifts received in his memory. For additional information, please contact Suzanne Savage at 757.233.8736 or  ssavage@vwc.edu .

 

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As a final resolution, let Bill Joseph's passing serve as a reminder to our community to fill our days, as he did, with passion, humility and grace. May 2016 be everything you wish it to be, and may Virginia Wesleyan College continue to be an inspiring light that shines bright and reaches far from our beautiful Norfolk/Virginia Beach home. 

 

Wishing a blessed New Year to all Virginia Wesleyanites and friends.

 

Sincerely,