A monthly
communiqué from
Dr. Scott D. Miller
President of the College
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Watch Us Continue to Grow in the New Year!
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Good morning,
As we begin the new year of 2017, we are thankful for a fulfilling and rewarding year just concluded.
Through the support of many alumni and friends, we had an exceptional year of giving to the College. With alumni support of The Excellence Fund and other programs improving dramatically, and given our overall enhanced financial outlook, we enter the new year with a series of enrollment-growth initiatives, and plans to develop the resources of VWC as part of a comprehensive, strategic master plan now underway.
The past year saw a number of singular achievements highlighted in a special edition of Marlin Magazine. Additional updates from the past month include:
- I am pleased to share that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has approved Virginia Wesleyan College as a Level III institution. The classification to this level will enable us to offer the master's degree as the highest degree. Virginia Wesleyan will soon expand its academic program to include a traditionally delivered Master of Arts in Education (summer 2017), an online Master of Business Administration (fall 2017), and online degree-completion programs at the undergraduate level (fall 2017). The addition of these programs marks a pivotal moment in Virginia Wesleyan's history and underscores our reputation and competitiveness as a leader in American higher education. Read more on the VWC website.
- We broke ground December 8 for the VWC/YMCA Partnership Facility. The 6,000-square-foot building, scheduled for completion in May 2017, will be located at the entrance to the College's Wilson Arboretum. It will contain three classrooms that open into a large multi-purpose room, four offices, a reception area, kitchen, and an adjacent outdoor amphitheater with stage. The building will be used by Virginia Wesleyan and Tidewater Community Academy during the academic year and by YMCA Camp Red Feather during the summer months. As a college growing and reaching out to the community for new synergistic partnerships, we are especially honored to collaborate with the YMCA on this important facility. Our goal is, together, to enrich the services we provide to our community and this campus, while affording us a facility to encourage innovative thinking and the development of new programs.
- It was a great honor on December 11 to welcome families, friends and guests to the December Graduates' Recognition Ceremony and Reception in the Jane P. Batten Student Center. The occasion represented an incredible milestone in the lives of 37 new Virginia Wesleyan College alumni. In his keynote address, Dr. William McConnell, Assistant Professor of Education and the recipient of our 2016 Samuel Nelson Gray Distinguished Teaching Award, reflected on lessons learned in his years as an educator and offered several constructive tips for success. Students were welcomed to their new graduate status by Alumni Council President Mavis McKenley '11, who invited them to pursue their lives and careers in a spirit of service, leadership, and contributions of many kinds. Thank you to the family members and friends who have supported these students in achieving their education and to our dedicated faculty whose skilled teaching, advising, and mentoring provided invaluable guidance. Congratulations to the December Class of 2016!
- An exciting new Guaranteed Admission Agreement has been formalized between Virginia Wesleyan College and Thomas Nelson Community College. The agreement facilitates the transfer of students from associate degree programs at TNCC to programs for degree completion at Virginia Wesleyan. Admission to the College will be guaranteed for any TNCC student who meets the articulated criteria, and merit scholarships will be awarded to transferring students based on cumulative grade point average. We were delighted to welcome Thomas Nelson Community College leadership to campus for the November 21 signing ceremony, including TNCC President John T. Dever.
- I'm proud to share that Virginia Wesleyan has earned designation as a River Star Business, Achievement Level, by the Elizabeth River Project. In their review, the River Restoration Advisory Committee noted the College's energy efficiency, green roof, storm water management, solar panels, wildlife habitat enhancement, old growth beech forest, bird sanctuary, beekeeping, composting, arboretum and native plant pallet, among other initiatives. Very special thanks to our campus community, the President's Environmental Issues Council, and in particular, Batten Professor of Political Science William Gibson. Dr. Gibson has dedicated much of his life to cleaning up the Elizabeth River and took the lead on earning this designation for the College. We have much to be proud of as an institution, and our environmental efforts and dedication to sustainability are no exception.
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Among these and other signs of the College's progress and momentum, we look to 2017 for accelerated growth in enrollment, completion and dedication of the state-of-the-art Greer Environmental Sciences Center, a new track, the opening of the VWC/YMCA Partnership Facility, and continued outreach, service, and collaboration with our many partners in the Hampton Roads region and beyond.
Please remember that such progress is only possible with the financial support of alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, students, and many others.
A special message to Virginia Wesleyan graduates: Never has it been more important to support your alma mater. Your gift to Virginia Wesleyan College can and will make a difference in the lives of current and future students, ensuring the College's vitality and leadership for years to come.
Now is the time
, not only to recognize the impact of a first-class education in your lives, but also to signal your strong support to other vital funding sources, including foundations and corporations, that we are not only committed to the future of Virginia Wesleyan College, but also dedicated to its continued excellence. If you haven't yet participated, you may make your gift at www.vwc.edu/giveonline or by sending your check to Office of the President, Virginia Wesleyan College, 1584 Wesleyan Drive, Norfolk, VA 23502.
With best fiscal practices, sound planning, and the continued vision and innovation which have marked us from our founding, Virginia Wesleyan will indeed fulfill our mission as Coastal Virginia's premier private, national liberal arts college.
Annie and I extend our wishes for a Happy New Year to all Virginia Wesleyanites and friends!
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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