January 2018
Reflection and Renewal in the New Year
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Dear Virginia Wesleyan Family,
We open 2018 with heavy hearts, as we said goodbye last month to Macon Brock, a dear friend to Virginia Wesleyan University. Most of you know the Brocks through Joan's service on our Board of Trustees, as well as the numerous landmarks and programs on campus that pay tribute to the Brock/Perry family. They have been enormously generous and influential in the development and expansion of the University since its founding in 1961.
Macon and Joan were on campus in early December for the groundbreaking of our new Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, which will include The Joan and Macon Brock Theater. We were touched and honored that they attended this special occasion. The strength of Virginia Wesleyan today can be traced in significant ways to the Brocks' guidance and support, and the University has benefited tremendously from their genuine interest in student success.
Joan and Macon Brock Village, a six-building residence life complex on campus, is named in their honor. The Brocks have also long supported Virginia Wesleyan's Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, for which Dr. Craig Wansink currently serves as the Joan P. and Macon F. Brock Jr. Director. In 2016, the University announced the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Through an endowment created by the Perry and Brock families, Dr. Chris Haley serves as the Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The University also paid tribute that year to Joan's father, a former Board member, by naming its baseball field Kenneth R. Perry Field in his memory.
The Brocks' service and commitment to Virginia Wesleyan University continues a long family tradition. Joan currently serves as Trustee Emerita, following three decades of service in a variety of capacities --- the President's Advisory Council, the Board of Trustees, and Chair of the Board from 2001-2004. Macon and Joan each chaired, simultaneously, the Boards of Trustees of Randolph-Macon and Virginia Wesleyan respectively. We were proud to present Joan with an honorary Doctor of Laws from VWU in 2010, and to celebrate her service with Trustee Emerita status in 2016.
Joan's uncle, Douglas McIntyre, served as the University's first registrar and was a member of the faculty for 25 years. Her father served on the Board of Trustees from 1991 until his death in 2004 and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2002. Building on the family's success with a Ben Franklin store, Macon co-founded K&K Toys and Dollar Tree Stores. I had the pleasure of attending the 2017 Darden Awards in November, at which Dollar Tree was honored for its philanthropic service.
Macon's passing is not only a loss for Joan, their family, our University and the community, but for all of us in Virginia --- a life of leadership and devoted service that will very much be missed. Read more about Macon's tremendous life and legacy in the Virginian-Pilot, on WAVY News, and in the New York Times.
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Last month, as I mentioned, we broke ground for the magnificent new Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. Scheduled for completion in early 2019, the 23,200-square-foot center will feature an impressive glass-enclosed grand lobby and a theater that seats an audience of 300. I invite you to enjoy our news coverage and photo gallery from the event, as well as a wonderful feature published in the Virginian-Pilot.
Construction has also begun on several projects on the eastern side of campus between Baker Road and Smith Drive. A new, gated Baker Road entrance to the campus is under construction, as well as a road, Marlin Way, connecting the entrance to the Jane P. Batten Student Center parking lot (adjacent to the Everett Tennis Center). Additionally, the gravel parking area off the Batten Student Center roundabout (currently serving Perry and Marlins Fields) will be paved and a grassy spectator area will be developed on the west side of the new Betty S. Rogers Track and Field Center. We are grateful to the donors who have made these projects possible.
We celebrated the retirement in December of long-time Physical Plant colleague, Bruce Vaughan. As Vice President for Operations, Bruce facilitated the construction and renovation of many campus buildings, led the University's commitment to sustainability, and played a significant role in the formulation of our 10-year Campus Master Plan. We express our sincerest gratitude to Bruce for his 23 years of dedicated service to the University and offer our best wishes for an enjoyable and well-deserved retirement. Bruce will retain a vice president emeritus status, and he will always be a Marlin. Read more about this transition in Physical Plant operations.
As home to one of the largest commercial ports on the East Coast, Hampton Roads provides ample opportunities for internships and jobs in the areas of transportation, manufacturing, distribution, and other allied fields. To help prepare students for success in this dynamic area, I am pleased to share that Virginia Wesleyan University has signed a new articulation agreement with Richard Bland College of William & Mary that builds upon supply chain management and logistics tracts at both schools. VWU also has a Guaranteed Admission Agreement with RBC that facilitates the transfer of their students to degree-completion programs at VWU.
Finally, it gives me tremendous pride to share that Virginia Wesleyan University has advanced to the top tier Model Level status in the Elizabeth River Project's River Star Business program. To reach this level, an organization must move beyond wildlife habitat restoration and pollution reduction and demonstrate that it has become an environmental mentor to others in the community. This is the second significant, environmentally related honor we've received in recent weeks. Last month, I shared that Virginia Wesleyan University will receive the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's top award, Conservationist of the Year, at the "DC on the Half Shell" event on February 26 in Washington, D.C. The award will jointly recognize VWU and our friends at Washington College for our vision and dedication to educating the next generation of Chesapeake Bay leaders.
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We have much to be proud of as an institution. The new calendar year presents an opportunity for reflection on our past accomplishments, and also a sense of renewal and rejuvenation for those that lie ahead. I hope you are feeling inspired, as I am, to embrace the exciting opportunities and challenges of the new year. I look forward to working together to take Virginia Wesleyan University to even greater heights in 2018.
Best wishes for a successful and invigorating Winter Session.
Sincerely,
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