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I hope that you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving spent with loved ones. With the holiday season upon us, I invite you to join me in reflecting on 2019 and looking toward 2020. Exciting changes and improvements are coming to campus!
The Christmas break is only a few weeks away, and when we return in January, work will have begun on several projects in Batten Plaza, an area recently re-branded to help better identify the different corridors of the Jane P. Batten Student Center and Boyd Dining Center. Projects include transformation of the Marlin Grille to a new and improved Harbor Grill, as well as updates to the customer service center, known as the Batten Hub. This information center will be relocated to a more central and accommodating area--at the "T" adjacent to the Fish Tank--for streamlining services and better assisting our campus community and guests.
Work will also begin on Coastal Market, a new retail venue at Virginia Wesleyan. Coastal Market will be a campus convenience store offering more options than ever for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors, including to-go food, toiletries, and other products. Coastal Market's hours will expand access to these items and we look forward to the opening!
Serving as a vibrant marketplace for the Virginia Wesleyan campus, the Batten Plaza will house the A. Kenneth Scribner, Sr., University Store, the redesigned Harbor Grill, newly constructed Coastal Market, and relocated Batten Hub. The Batten Plaza is designed to be a central gathering place equipped to enhance the overall student experience.
Phase three of the upgrades to our dining facilities will begin in the summer months, which will include extensive renovations to the cafeteria and east/west dining rooms. All of these improvements will feature modernized and contemporary seating with service areas to enhance our campus community's dining experience.
View the renderings for a preview of the excitement to come. I will share updates as plans progress.
Highlights from the past month include:
Batten Honors College Competition
We welcomed prospective Batten Honors College Fellows and Scholars who visited Virginia Wesleyan November 14-16 to compete for a space in the elite program's fourth cohort. The students invited to campus last month have an average GPA of 4.18 (on a 4.0 scale) and an average SAT of 1373. The competition weekend began with a welcome reception at the Slover Library in downtown Norfolk and continued Friday and Saturday with interviews, campus tours, class visits, and panel discussions. Participating students and their parents also attended a reception Friday evening at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach. Additional competition weekends will take place in February and March. This distinctive national-niche program is made possible by VWU Trustee Emerita Jane Batten and her late husband Frank.
Read more and view photos
here
.
New Department of Sports and Recreation Professions
As approved by the Board of Trustees at their fall meeting, the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies has changed its name to the Department of Sport and Recreation Professions and now offers students two new majors: Sport and Recreation Management and Recreation Therapy. Read more
here.
2019 Darden Awards
Congratulations to our good friends who were honored at the
15th Annual Darden Awards
for Regional Leadership: David R. Goode and Susan S. Goode received the Individual Darden Award, and the law firm of Kaufman & Canoles was honored with the Corporate Darden Award.
David Goode, in accepting with his wife Susan the award for their philanthropic contributions to Coastal Virginia, closed by challenging all of us to make our own commitment to improving our community, saying, "Thank you for recognizing what has been done and thank you for recognizing what can be done." David and Susan have been longtime supporters of Virginia Wesleyan. Susan currently serves as Vice Chair of our Board of Trustees.
Among many friends at Kaufman & Canoles, VWU Trustee Vince Mastracco is a partner. We congratulate Vince along with his colleagues at the firm. Thank you to these civic leaders and strong partners of Virginia Wesleyan; we are so grateful for all you do for our campus, community, and beyond.
WHRO's "A Local Touch"
A recently aired WHRO's "A Local Touch" featured an interview with Joshua Harris on the commissioned musical composition for the grand opening last March of the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center, and included the world premiere performance. Here is the
link to the article. WHRO is a
valued partner of Virginia Wesleyan and the arts, and we are proud of our relationship with them. We were honored to host at the Goode Center recently the premiere of the documentary "City Voices: Homelessness to Hopefulness." The documentary is presented by WHRO and made possible by Susan and David Goode. It can be viewed
here.
All-Steinway Status
Dr. Bryson Mortensen (Director of Choral Music), Dr. Travis Malone (Dean of the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities), and Dr. Susan Larkin (Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs) traveled to the Steinway Factory in New York City for the selection of a Steinway B that will be delivered to the Monumental Chapel later this year. After taking a tour of the factory and observing the craftsmanship that goes into each handmade Steinway piano, the trio were presented with nine Steinway B pianos from which to choose our newest addition. This piano, along with five other pianos for the lesson studios in the fine arts building, will arrive this month and represents the final step in order for Virginia Wesleyan University to achieve All-Steinway Status. It is a designation granted by Steinway to institutions that ensure that all pianos on campus are Steinway or Steinway-designed, and it gives our students excellent opportunities for performance. Many thanks to the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation who has supported VWU on our path to this important designation. Individuals interested in helping fund the Steinway Spirio M (currently in the Eleanor and Henry Watts Grand Lobby and Gallery of the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center) can do so by visiting
VWU's Center for Advancement webpage.
Faculty/Staff Campaign Results
Our 2019 Faculty and Staff Campaign, "The Future Is Here", came to a close at the end of October. I am delighted to report that our full-time faculty and staff members demonstrated their confidence in the future of Virginia Wesleyan with results showing 73% of the campus participating in this month-long campaign, exceeding our participation goal. This year's campaign raised over $42,000 for various priorities across the University from 166 donors. A noteworthy achievement from the campaign is that we had 100% participation from our alumni working full-time on campus. We can be grateful to have such an engaged community of alumni, faculty and staff supporting the University through their gifts of time, talent, and treasure. I look forward to thanking these participating faculty and staff members with a campaign celebration this Thursday, December 5.
William H. "Billy" George Circle
At an emotional evening at YMCA JT's Camp Grom in Virginia Beach, hundreds of friends gathered to celebrate the retirement of Billy George, CEO and President of YMCA of South Hampton Roads. A native of Chester, Virginia, he began his YMCA career as a camp counselor at YMCA Camp Thunderbird in Richmond. Billy has been a Trustee, partner and friend of Virginia Wesleyan for many years and was the driving force behind the founding of Camp Red Feather on campus--a YMCA regional summer day camp serving nearly 300 children per day. In recognition of his 44 years of YMCA service to the youth of this region, we announced at the celebration the naming of the road leading to the Blocker Youth Center on campus as
William H. "Billy" George Circle.
VWU President's Council
We had a productive fall meeting of the Virginia Wesleyan University President's Council. The Council is comprised of business leaders who embrace, embody, and similarly align with the University's vision and values in their management practices. Their personal and professional influence and support ensure that students are positioned to participate in opportunities such as internships and externships that will prepare them for meaningful lives and careers. We congratulated President's Council member Anthony Walters on being named President and CEO of YMCA South Hampton Roads.
The Jimmy V Foundation
VWU hosted a V Foundation game welcoming Mid-Atlantic Christian University to the Jane P. Batten Student Center. All proceeds from the game went to The Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. Named in honor of the late Jim Valvano, a former collegiate men's basketball coach and ESPN commentator, the V Foundation for Cancer Research has awarded more than $200 million in cancer research grants nationwide. Jim's brother, Bob, is a graduate of Virginia Wesleyan and sent a message that was read before the start of the game. We unveiled the V Foundation banner for the Batten Center with captains Lamont Stewart, Taylor Major, Evan Tebay, and head coach Dave Macedo.
VWU Awarded Marks of Distinction
Virginia Wesleyan University was awarded the Climate Leadership Network's Marks of Distinction for Carbon Reduction for 2019. The Climate Leadership Network for which I serve as chair is comprised of colleges and universities who are taking action on climate change and preparing students through research and education to solve the challenges of the 21st century. The Marks of Distinction recognize a select group of universities that set high-performance goals, demonstrate and report measurable progress toward those goals, and support Climate Leadership activities. Virginia Wesleyan was one of twelve institutions recognized for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% since joining the network. In addition to the Carbon Reduction award in the performance category, we have been acknowledged as on track to reach our goals previously submitted in the Climate Action Plan based on the Annual Progress Evaluation. Learn more here.
We Are Still In
As I shared in a statement on the issue, the United States' decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement is deeply disappointing on many levels, not least because our country should lead by example in this critical area. Regardless, Virginia Wesleyan University will continue its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and uphold the commitment we have made to pursue carbon neutrality by 2040. I share with you a link to a joint statement from Second Nature and We Are Still In, in response to this decision. It includes a collection of quotes from college/university presidents, demonstrating our united higher education voice on the urgency of addressing climate change.
Generations Uniting to Address Climate Change
Recently held on campus as a collaboration between VWU and The Gunn Group was a one-day conference, "Generations Unite to Address Climate Change," which aimed to help the community understand climate change effects and solutions. We appreciate Governor Northam's commitment to environmental issues and are grateful for Ann Phillips, Special Assistant to the Governor of Virginia for Coastal Adaptation and Protection, for devoting her day to the conference. Ann spent time as a guest lecturer in VWU classes and participated in a panel discussion as a part of the conference. Learn more and view the photo gallery here.
Congratulations to Andrea Hoover-Erbig
Congratulations to Andrea Hoover-Erbig, Head Virginia Wesleyan Volleyball Coach, who was named Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Coach of the Year! We are fortunate to have Coach Hoover-Erbig in our Marlin Family and proud of the work she does each day on and off the court.
VWU Volleyball Makes History
For the first time in program history, the Virginia Wesleyan University volleyball team was crowned champions of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) as the team defeated top-seeded Randolph-Macon, 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-17, 29-27), on November 9. With the victory, the Marlins earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Championship. They had a great showing in the first round of the NCAA Regionals, taking an early 2-1 lead before falling to Juniata College 3-2. Read more here.
Marlin Esports Update
Our Virginia Wesleyan Esports team won their first match. The Rocket League squad competed against Slippery Rock University in a Best of 7 scrimmage match. The entire match was live streamed and is archived
on our
Twitch channel.
When permitted, competitions for each of the Esports squads will be live streamed on the Twitch channel. Be sure to visit the new and improved Esports website which is up and running: vwu.edu/esports.
Marlin Prestige Business Conference
The Marlin Prestige Business Conference, Virginia Wesleyan University's week-long student-led business seminar, was held last month. The biannual conference is the culmination of months of hard work by students in the VWU business course, "Principles of Management." Students coordinate all components of the conference, exercising key management skills such as product development, networking, and project and financial planning. Learn more here.
ALL IN Challenge Awards Ceremony
At the 2019 ALL IN Challenge Awards Ceremony, held to recognize colleges and universities committed to increasing college student voting rates, Virginia Wesleyan University received a silver seal for achieving a student voting rate between 30% and 39%. A full list of seal awardees can be viewed
here. Our institution is proud to receive this national recognition for our efforts. Our faculty, staff, administrators, and students are committed to working together to reduce apathy, increase engagement, and graduate civic-minded students prepared to solve our nation's, and the world's, most pressing challenges. Thank you to Dr. Brian Kurisky, Director of Wesleyan Engaged, and his team for their leadership and efforts to achieve this honor.
Healing & Hope
The opening night of a special art exhibit brought an amazing crowd at Virginia Wesleyan University's Neil Britton Art Gallery as high school artists from throughout Coastal Virginia respond to hatred, tragedy, and fear in "Healing & Hope." The juried exhibition produced 86 entries, 17 merit awards, and 4 award winners. Many thanks to
John Rudel, Professor of Art and Coordinator of Art Exhibitions, and Dr. Craig Wansink, Professor of Religious Studies and the Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr., Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, for sponsoring the exhibition and awards. Read more
here.
2019 Veterans Day Ceremony
We commemorated military service and sacrifice at our annual Veterans Day Ceremony on campus. Thank you to our keynote speaker, retired Navy Captain Raymond Duffy who is an adjunct professor in our Management, Business, and Economics department; Luke Dobrin of Boy Scout Troop 259 who performed "Taps;" Luzcelenia (Lucy) Camargo '21, U.S. Navy 2012-2019, who offered the Prayer of Thanksgiving; and The Rev. Greg West, University Chaplain, who gave the Invocation.
Melanie Monk (VWU Assistant Director of Financial Aid) and Amy Rush (VWU Deputy Director of The Lighthouse: Center for Exploration & Discovery, and Marlin Company Advisor) did a wonderful job planning a dignified and meaningful Veterans Day Ceremony. I thank them for their
leadership and efforts in doing so each year. Read more and view photos here.
# # #
In closing, I'd like to thank the entire Virginia Wesleyan community for their hard work in the
Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Food Drive Competition. Special thanks to Virginia Wesleyan Athletics, Wesleyan Engaged,
the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the Black Student Union, and the Learning Center who teamed up to host a non-perishable food drive. This drive was organized as a friendly competition among the ODAC's 15-member institutions. Well done to all who donated food, time, and efforts to giving back to our community. Because of you, we
collected
1,100 cans of food, weighing over 850 pounds.
According to the Foodbank,
the donated food provided approximately 700 meals during the Thanksgiving
season.
May the spirit of generosity and service to others remain with us not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year ahead.
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