March 2018
Building National Connections Through Environmental Commitment
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It gives me tremendous pride to share that Virginia Wesleyan University was honored this week with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's top "Conservationist of the Year" award. Presented February 26 at the annual DC on the Half Shell gala in Washington, D.C. (view photos), the award recognizes our new Greer Environmental Sciences Center as well as Virginia Wesleyan's vision and dedication to educating the next generation of Bay leaders. It was a privilege to accept the award on behalf of the many Virginia Wesleyan students, faculty, staff, Trustees, alumni, and friends who brought us to this exciting moment and helped to make the GESC a reality.
It is especially gratifying for us to be honored by such a distinguished and influential partner as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. With our campus situated at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and within a few miles of the Atlantic, we have a direct investment in the future of our natural environment and the systems that sustain us. Over the years, VWU has worked with CBF on a number of initiatives, including scientific data collection, oyster restoration, and invasive species removal. We are also participants in the newly launched Chesapeake 10 Billion Oysters Partnership and we are members of Virginia's No Child Left Inside Coalition.
The Greer Environmental Sciences Center --- which was LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council in January --- features indoor and outdoor classrooms and teaching and research laboratories, including the Chesapeake Bay Aquatics Lab. Energy is produced by the building's solar panels, and nearly 60 different plant species are grown in its research gardens and greenhouse. The site's constructed wetlands and extensive green roof prevent polluted runoff from harming the Chesapeake Bay.
Virginia Wesleyan also uses the waterways around Hampton Roads as living classrooms. Students across disciplines conduct fieldwork on the Ocean Explorer, our 45-foot research vessel jointly owned by VWU and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. Aboard the boat they collect data on marine organisms, collect and test water samples, and undertake other research.
Launched in conjunction with the opening of the GESC, our new Batten Honors College aims to educate global citizens through an environmental focus, an international study-away experience, and leadership training and development. The program features vigorous exploration of diverse disciplines, from the natural sciences and mathematics to humanities and social sciences. Our current and prospective students in environmental studies represent a real hope in those disciplines for all of us. They have embraced the cause of a cleaner, healthier environment that will enrich our lives, and the lives of generations to come, in Coastal Virginia and throughout the world.
All proceeds from the DC on the Half Shell event support the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's environmental education and habitat restoration programs. VWU Board Chair David Kaufman and his wife Kay served as honorary co-chairs. Also in attendance were VWU Trustee Emerita Jane Batten, Board Secretary Cindy Rodriguez, Trustee Mary Haddad, and representatives from VMDO Architects and the Hourigan Group, who designed and constructed the environmental sciences center. Our friends at Washington College were also jointly recognized with the Conservationist of the Year award.
We accept this award, and the responsibility it implies, with gratitude and appreciation for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. We look forward to the positive results this award will bring to Virginia Wesleyan University, and indeed, to all of us who care so passionately about our natural world.
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Additional highlights from the past month include:
I was pleased to announce that, following two years of discussions, Virginia Wesleyan has signed an affiliation agreement with the University of Virginia's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy (Batten School). This exciting new partnership facilitates enrollment of graduating Batten Honors College students in the Batten School's Master of Public Policy (MPP) program. Space will be reserved each year in the MPP program for at least one Batten Honors College graduate who meets admission requirements. Selected students will receive an annual fellowship of at least $7,500 for Virginia residents and at least $12,500 for non-Virginia residents in each of the MPP program's two years. The Batten School will also offer opportunities for students to earn additional assistantships, fellowships, or other awards in the second year. We are grateful to all who made this agreement a reality, and especially to Dr. Allan Stam, Dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, for his support and shared vision for this valuable partnership.
The accomplishments of Coach Brandon Elliott and the Virginia Wesleyan softball team continue to draw major attention. Last month we formalized details of a $500,000 gift from the TowneBank Foundation for complete renovation and upgrades to our national championship softball complex. Soon, the team will be playing their games at Broyles Field in Virginia Wesleyan's "TowneBank Park." In addition to the TowneBank Foundation, we thank former Trustee Bob Aston and Trustee Emeritus Tom Broyles for making this "field of dreams" a reality for our program. We expect that renovations will begin this summer and we will continue to keep the campus community informed as details progress.
The winter meeting of the VWU Board of Trustees was held on campus February 21. Provost and Vice President Timothy O'Rourke outlined the University's new academic-based Strategic Plan, which covers the period of 2018-2027 and builds upon the existing facilities Master Plan. The Board unanimously adopted the new Mission Statement and Strategic Plan, which will now be finalized and put into motion. Trustees also heard reports and took action on a variety of topics from the Committees on Trusteeship, Academic Affairs, Administration and Finance, Advancement, Audit, Enrollment, and Student Affairs. They also received updates on Master Plan progress and took part in a special ceremony celebrating the LEED Gold certification of the Greer Environmental Sciences Center. We enjoyed our time with the Board, including new Trustee Alan Shaw, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Norfolk Southern Corporation. And as always, we thank Board Chair David Kaufman for his leadership.
Students Kelsi Robins '18, Alex Powers '21, Brianna Sandy '21, Sarah Roscoe '20, and Sheril Steinberg '18 won all four of their rounds in the Cardinal Division at the annual Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges/Wells Fargo Ethics Bowl. Host school Hampden-Sydney won all four of its rounds as well, and due to the scoring procedure in place, advanced to the final round. Ultimately, Hampden-Sydney surpassed Randolph-Macon to win the Ethics Bowl for the fifth time in seven years. We look forward to next year's competition, which will be held at Roanoke College, and in the meantime, we express our pride in our student competitors and admiration for their extensive preparation and skill as VWU representatives.
We welcomed approximately 60 prospective freshmen to campus last month to participate in our second Batten Honors College competition. Twenty of these students will be selected to receive full-tuition Batten Fellowships, and an additional 20 will receive two-thirds tuition Shumadine Scholarships. This prestigious academic program is made possible by generous support from VWU Trustee Emerita Jane Batten and her late husband, Frank Batten, Sr. As I mentioned earlier, we welcomed our first cohort of Batten Honors College students last fall in conjunction with the opening of the Greer Environmental Sciences Center. These two prominent additions have secured a national niche for Virginia Wesleyan in the natural sciences.
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I recently shared with our campus community my long-time association with the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitments, facilitated by the non-profit Second Nature. In February, during the Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit, I was selected as chair of the Climate Leadership Steering Committee, the chief oversight body of the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitments. My two-year term will begin July 1, and as chair, I will also serve on the Board of Directors of Second Nature.
This is a natural progression to new prominence for Virginia Wesleyan University. These efforts build on already strong programs in the scientific disciplines through the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, the opening of the award-winning, state-of-the-art Greer Environmental Sciences Center, and the establishment of the Batten Honors College.
These initiatives are giving us visibility, engagement, and opportunities on a national level, and will continue to enrich the outstanding teaching, service, and research provided by Virginia Wesleyan. We continue our enthusiasm in exploring and implementing sustainability measures, and as always, we welcome ideas and feedback as we progress with this important work.
Sincerely,
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