A monthly
communiqué from
Dr. Scott D. Miller
President of the College
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Alumni and Friends Represent Vast Human Resource
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Good morning,
One of the most rewarding privileges I've experienced since becoming President of Virginia Wesleyan College has been the opportunity to visit with alumni and friends all over the country, hearing from them first-hand about what makes our institution so special. The College's niche in the hearts of those who have lived and matured here goes well beyond its location, natural beauty and inspiring history. Their feelings go to the very soul of Virginia Wesleyan, as a place of legacy, tradition and spirit that stays with those who have been touched by it for a lifetime.
In the coming months, you'll learn more about initiatives to inform and involve alumni in their alma mater. This academic year I'm traveling the country to connect with VWC graduates and friends through a series of special events. A list of these events can be viewed at www.vwc.edu/presidentialevents. If you'd like to host a gathering in your community or connect with me while I'm in your area, please email alumni@vwc.edu or call 757.233.8786.
Other highlights from this past month:
- The Fall Meeting of the Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees was held on campus Oct. 19. Steve Sproles from Derck & Edson presented the Board with an overview of the forthcoming Campus Master Plan, a 10-year plan that will include a space-utilization study, parking study, and facilities-condition assessment plan. The Board was also updated on strategies and outlook for growing our enrollment; compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act; the FY 2016 audit and the FY 2017 budget; construction of the Greer Environmental Sciences Center and the YMCA Partnership Building; and plans for the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, a new track, and the Oxford Village housing development across Wesleyan Drive. Over lunch the Board heard a special presentation, "Saving China's Cultural Heritage-Balancing the Goals of Preservation and Development at Wutai Shan and the Yungang Grottoes," by Dr. Steven Emmanuel, Professor of Philosophy, Dr. John Wang, Professor of Computer Science, and several VWC students. The meeting was very productive, and I was proud to bring our biggest supporters up to speed on Virginia Wesleyan's new initiatives and forward momentum. The Winter Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for February.
- Also during the Board of Trustees meeting, Dr. Timothy O'Rourke, Provost and Vice President, and I had the honor of announcing that VWC Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice Dr. Thomas Brown is the recipient of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges' 2016 H. Hiter Harris, Jr. Excellence in Instructional Technology Award. Dr. Brown is the second VWC faculty member to win a VFIC award and the inaugural recipient of the Harris Award. We are extremely proud of his outstanding accomplishment and the prestigious recognition it brings to Virginia Wesleyan College. He will be recognized at a luncheon in Richmond in November. You can read more about Dr. Brown and his award on the VWC website.
- I'm pleased to announce the addition of three sports programs to our NCAA Division III lineup: men's and women's swimming, and women's golf. These new teams will give us a total of 22 intercollegiate athletic teams. Among the benefits of adding sports teams, national research shows, are enhanced recruitment and retention of students. We expect these sports to add to our attractiveness for prospective students, while positioning us favorably among our peer institutions. The men's and women's swimming programs are made possible through the generosity of Trustee O. L. Everett and former Trustee John Lingo. The College is grateful for the leadership gifts that have established competitive swimming and made possible important, recent additions to our athletic facilities. These include stands at the multi-use Birdsong Field and enhancements to the baseball complex to be named for Kenneth R. Perry in memory of philanthropist Joan Brock's father. Mike Ginder will serve as our first men's and women's swimming coach, and recruiting is underway now with the goal of beginning competition in fall 2017. The women's golf program began competing this fall under the leadership of Head Coach Rick Bidnick. Please join me in welcoming the student-athletes who will compete in these sports, along with their coaches and families, to the Virginia Wesleyan athletic lineup.
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As we continue to strengthen our internal processes and external outreach in service to all of our constituents, I shared last month the following administrative appointments that support these goals. Dr. Mort Gamble, who joined us as Vice President for Advancement earlier this year, has been appointed Senior Vice President (Advancement and External Relations). In addition to serving as Associate Vice President for Advancement, Suzanne Savage will manage relations with our Board of Trustees. Stephanie Smaglo will assume duties for communication strategies and executive initiatives in my office as Assistant to the President. Laynee Timlin has been appointed Executive Director of College Relations and Strategic Planning and will continue to lead our Marketing and Communications efforts. Please join me in congratulating and supporting these team members in appreciation for their contributions to Virginia Wesleyan College.
- Finally, I'd like to thank all students, families, faculty, and staff members for your patience as we worked through the campus-wide power outage that took place as a result of Hurricane Matthew in early October. We truly appreciate your understanding of this unusual situation that left more than 462,000 Coastal Virginia residents without power for several days. As events like these occur, it is critical that members of the campus community be aware of Virginia Wesleyan's emergency procedures and the ways in which we communicate important updates. Information is shared via our emergency website, VWC email, the College's official social media pages, the LiveSafe Mobile App, and our inclement weather hotline (757.455.5711). Please also take a moment to review emergency contact and reporting information at www.vwc.edu/campus-security. A heartfelt "thank you" to alumni and friends who returned to campus for Homecoming & Family Weekend despite the unanticipated weather. It was a pleasure to take part in this treasured VWC tradition.
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Of the hundreds of visits and meetings I've had with VWC alumni and friends, one that strikes me as particularly representative of the lifelong VWC connection was a morning I spent sitting with Bob Boyd, the only living founding trustee. Bob was an honorary degree recipient in 2009 for his notable contributions to the College. His son, James "Jim" Boyd, is a 1984 alumnus. And this fall, the Boyd legacy continues with James Boyd, Jr., beginning his freshman semester at Virginia Wesleyan. Looking through book after book of Bob's photographic history of Virginia Wesleyan, and the articles, pictures, and letters he has saved, I was fascinated to hear him reminisce about his lifetime commitment to the College. He has sponsored innumerable projects on campus, too many to cite individually. We owe leaders like Bob a huge debt of gratitude.
From recent alumni to those from earlier classes, the one thing I've found they share--besides their pride in Virginia Wesleyan--is, in the words of the late Rev. Martin Luther King, "the content of their character," formed on our Coastal Virginia campus.
I've listened and learned many things from our alumni, but above all, I've come to recognize that they give us a tremendous competitive advantage. Our Virginia Wesleyan alumni, all 10,000 strong, represent a wonderfully vast reservoir of human capital.
Not only are Wesleyanites extremely loyal to their alma mater, they are known for their passion about the College and their experience as part of this community. By tapping into this passion and giving alumni a chance to be part of a winning success story, we will find that our College's best years are still ahead of us.
Sincerely,
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Scott D. Miller, Ph.D.
President
Virginia Wesleyan College
1584 Wesleyan Drive
Norfolk, VA 23502
Phone: 757.455.3215
Fax: 757.455.3139
Email: sdmiller@vwc.edu
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