May 10, 2012

Allison Reeves '13 Receives AmeriCorp Service Award

VWC junior Allison Reeves '13 has been selected to receive the 2012 ADVANCE Outstanding Service Award from the North Carolina Campus Compact. This award recognizes an AmeriCorp mentor whose service and support goes the extra mile to positively impact their mentee and service site. Allison is the coordinator of Marlins Read, a mentoring program that pairs Virginia Wesleyan students with first graders from three Virginia Beach elementary schools to help improve reading skills. With Allison's leadership, Marlins Read has grown from 11 to 27 mentors and the program was recently recognized as a Model Partnership by the Virginia Beach Citly Public Schools. Allison's service has included helping a first grade class with a Valentine's for Veterans project, driving the VWC van that transports college mentors to the elementary schools each week,and facilitating a "Chalk the Walk" project that encouraged students to express their love of reading on the school's sidewalk for all to see. This is Allison's first year as an AmeriCorp volunteer and her efforts are certainly making a mark. Congratulations to Allison Reeves!

May 8, 2012

New Batten Professors Named

Vice President for Academic Affairs & Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College Timothy G. O'Rourke has announced the selection of a new group of Batten Professors at Virginia Wesleyan College. The following faculty members, chosen by their peers, will enjoy the designation and the corresponding financial support for their professional vitality for a three-year period—from 2012-2015: Dr. Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson (Biology), Dr. Susan Larkin (English), and Dr. Sara Sewell (History). The new Batten Professors join the following holdover designees: Dr. Soraya Bartol, Mr. Philip Guilfoyle, Dr. Craig Jackson, Dr. Malcolm Lively, Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm, Ms. Sharon Payne, Dr. Susan Wansink, Ms. Denise Wilkinson, and Dr. Cathal Woods.

May 7, 2012

2012 Rho Phi Lamba Inductions and Elections

Virginia Wesleyan's Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies inducted eight students majoring in Recreation and Leisure Studies into Rho Phi Lambda, the honor society for Recreation, Park, and Leisure Professionals during their annual ceremony May 7, 2012. 2012 inductees include Christian Almy, Kate Atkinson, Kaylee Cossaboon, Morgan Eller, Angel Horowitz, Brooke Ladyman, Taylor Ladyman, and Ryan MacArthur. Elections were also held for Rho Phi Lambda officers with the following results: President, Stella Davie, Vice-President, Kala Guy, Treasurer, Ethan Wright.

May 1, 2012

Model Paper: Student Receives Award at MUN Conference

Carissa Chantiles '13 received an award at the Model United Nations (MUN) Conference in New York City in April for her paper on the position of the Republic of Liberia in the UNICEF committee. Chantiles was one of 14 VWC students who traveled to the conference along with faculty adviser Dr. Aubrey Westfall. Award recipients are selected by the MUN staff and given to those students who submit the best prepared and well written position papers. It is only the second time the College has received an award at the conference and the first time for a paper. "It's a huge honor considering the conference involved well over 5,000 students from all over the world," says Dr. Westfall. "I'm thrilled!"

April 25, 2012

Maurice Jones Will Be Commencement Speaker

Maurice Jones, the new deputy secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will deliver the keynote address during Virginia Wesleyan College's 43rd Commencement Ceremony on May 19. Jones will also be the recipient of an honorary degree from VWC. Jones was the president of Pilot Media and publisher of the Virginian-Pilot prior to joining the Obama administration in his new role this month. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and a graduate of the University of Virginia law school.

April 20, 2012

Culture Award: Kathy Merlock Jackson honored by PCA/ACA

VWC Professor of Communication Dr. Kathy Merlock Jackson received the President's Award at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (PCA/ACA) Conference, which took place in Boston, April 11-14. The award is given to individuals who have contributed to the PCA/ACA in a variety of ways. Past recipients include leaders of the regional and international PCA/ACA organizations as well as individuals from business and industry. The Journal of American Culture, for which Merlock Jackson serves as editor, was described at the awards presentation as one two "solid, highly sophisticated, completely professional journals that have led the way in disseminating sophisticated, peer-reviewed scholarship." Merlock Jackson is a past president of the American Culture Association. Her latest book, Disneyland and Culture, explores the success and cultural impact of the Disney theme parks.

April 11, 2012

Marlin Chronicle Recognized for Overall Excellence in 2012

The Society for Collegiate Journalists has announced the winners of its major awards for 2012. Virginia Wesleyan's student newspaper, the Marlin Chronicle, was the second place winner in the Newspaper Overall Excellence category. "Our Marlin Chronicle editors put together submissions for the contest last fall," says newspaper staff adviser and Assistant Professor of Communication Lisa Lyon Payne, "I'm particularly proud of their hard work and dedication to the publication." Congratulations to the staff of the award-winning Marlin Chronicle!

April 6, 2012

VWC Professor Selected for Summer Research Seminar in Paris

VWC Associate Professor of French Dr. Alain Gabon has been selected to participate in a National Endowment for the Humanities summer research seminar in Paris, France, June 4-6. This five-week seminar for college and university teachers and scholars is entitled "France's Haunting Pasts: Debating 20th Century History and French Identity Since 1990" and will explore four critical periods of crisis in French History and how they have shaped French identity and current debates: WWI; WWII, the Vichy Regime and the German occupation; Communist crimes; and the decolonization period and the Algerian War. The seminar is hosted and organized by the Institut d'Histoire du Temps Present, part of the National Center for Scientific Research, France's top multidisciplinary state scientific research institute. The application for the seminar was open to faculty, scholars, and researchers in a variety of disciplines including languages, English, history, post-Colonial studies, and more. Only 16 candidates from U.S. were selected, so this is quite an honor for Dr. Gabon. Congratulations!

April 6, 2012

Virginia Wesleyan College History Student Wins Award

A contingent of nine student members of Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society in history, represented VWC at the Phi Alpha Theta Virginia Regional History Conference on March 31 at Lynchburg College. Three of the students presented research papers they had written for classes at VWC, and one of them, senior Jennifer Brown, earned runner-up best paper honors in the undergraduate U.S. category for her work entitled "An Examination of the Gendered Relationships between Matron Hannah Ropes and the Men of the Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown, DC, June 26, 1862 – January 11, 1863." The conference was attended by groups from 11 Virginia colleges and universities and featured 64 student history presentations covering a wide array topics. Brown's award this year marks the fifth time in as many conference years that VWC students have brought home awards for their work in history, an achievement that testifies to the strength of the academic program at Virginia Wesleyan.

April 6, 2012

Marlins Host Spring Break Basketball Camp

Virginia Wesleyan College will host a Blue Marlin Spring Break Basketball Camp for Southside Hampton Roads youth during the week of April 9-12, spring break for many area students. The camp is open to all area youth ages 5-17. As part of the camp experience, VWC Head Basketball Coach Dave Macedo, his coaching staff and players are partnering with Norfolk Police Officers assigned as Community Resource Officers in the Norfolk Redevelopment Housing Authority's (NRHA) public housing communities. The officers are encouraging more than 70 boys and girls, residents of NRHA public housing communities, to attend the camp. For Norfolk Police Officer and VWC Alum Rodney Young '07, volunteering at the camp will be a return to home court. Young was a member of the 2006 Virginia Wesleyan College National Championship Team. For more information, visit Blue Marlin Spring Break Basketball Camp or contact Dave Macedo at dmacedo@vwc.edu or 757.455.3313.

April 3, 2012

A Curve Ball for Cancer: Marlins Raise $8,500+

The 4th Annual Strike Out Cancer Day was a winner on March 31 as more than 250 spectators came out to cheer on the VWC softball team while raising money for the American Cancer Society. Members of the softball team sold tickets to the event at $5 each. The day included food, fun and festivities as well as a large silent auction, which also helped raise money for the cause. The event raised $9,000, adding to the more than $25,000 raised over the last three years. "On behalf of the Virginia Wesleyan softball team, the American Cancer Society and my family, I want to thank our campus community for coming together for another great Strike Out Cancer Day," said Head Softball Coach Brandon Elliott.

March 21, 2012

Model Partnership: Marlins Read Program Honored

Virginia Wesleyan College's Marlins Read program has been named as a 2011-12 Model Partnership by Virginia Beach City Public Schools and will be honored during a partners-in-education recognition event in April. Marlins Read is a community service opportunity for Virginia Wesleyan students who volunteer to tutor/mentor a Bayside Elementary School child for a semester to help develop reading skills. Way to go, Marlins!

March 14, 2012

Score for VWC: College to Host DIII Field Hockey Finals

The NCAA has recently announced that Virginia Wesleyan College and the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau have been selected to host the 2013 NCAA DIII Field Hockey Championships. This championship will also include DI and DII competition and will be jointly hosted with Old Dominion University. "We are honored to have been awarded this distinctive event and look forward to working with NCAA staff to plan an outstanding championship experience," said VWC athletic director Joanne Renn. "We successfully hosted the 2004 and 2005 Women's Basketball Championships and welcome the challenge once more to expose the nation to our wonderful institution and historical region." Planning for the 2013 championships is already underway; the anticipated dates for the event are Nov. 20-24, 2013.

March 14, 2012

Teacher Triumph: Alum Is Suffolk Teacher of Year

VWC alumna Hope Bradshaw '96 was named the 2012 Middle School Teacher of the Year for Suffolk Public Schools. Hope teaches sixth-grade history at King's Fork Middle School and is in her 15th year of teaching.Principal Jennifer Presson said Bradshaw makes the lessons relevant to her pupils. "Instead of merely delivering content to students, she has taken her students on a journey through time," Presson said. Bradshaw often dresses as historical characters and leads re-enactments of events.

March 11, 2012

Meeting Homer for the First Time: Stanley Lombardo

On March 8, Dr. Stanley Lombardo, a professor of Classics at the University of Kansas, offered the VWC community reflections on his experiences translating the Iliad and Odyssey. In his presentations, Lombardo likened the difficulties and rewards besetting the translator to the Zen practice of solving insoluble riddles or "koans." Approaching Homer with this aim, Lombardo noted he became aware of a characteristic light suffusing the world of Homer's poetry—"a sense of seeing things as if for the first time." Lombardo illustrated this with readings from his translation, recapturing an echo of how Homer's original audiences must have once experienced the tale of Troy—as a living song accompanied by music recited by a skilled craftsman with drama and feeling.

Feb. 28, 2012

"Suprasensorial" Trip: Art Department Buses It to D.C.

From the drawings of Pablo Picasso to the photographs Harry Callhan, a few dozen Virginia Wesleyan students, faculty and staff had a chance to immerse themselves in the greats during the Art Department's annual bus trip to Washington D.C on Feb. 24. "Everyone had a good trip and came back very tired," said Professor of Art Phil Guilfoyle, who organized the trip. Among the highlights was the National Gallery of Art and a special exhibit at the Hirshorn Museum called Suprasensorial: Experiments in Light, Color, and Space. Students also had time to explore some of the other free museums and attractions in the vicinity of the National Mall before gathering back on the bus for the return trip to VWC.

Feb. 17, 2012

Going, Going…Greener: Recyclemania Underway at VWC

For eight weeks, Virginia Wesleyan College will be participating in the Recyclemania National Challenge. From Jan. 30 through March 25, students, faculty and staff will take part in a friendly competition that promotes waste reduction in campus communities across the country. VWC will be competing with over 630 colleges and universities. A weekly report on how much recycling and trash Marlins collect will be used to rank VWC and other schools according to how much they gather per capita. In its first official week of competition, VWC recycled 3,614 pounds of material. Marlins Go Green President Randy Rice will be keeping the campus updated on the College’s progress in the competition.

Feb. 14, 2012

Toboggan Champs: VWC Team Snows the Competition

The fastest college team down the chute at the 22nd Annual National Toboggan Championships at the Camden Snow Bowl in Maine was the Virginia Wesleyan team, Southern Comfort, at 9.29 seconds. For the second time in four years, VWC's team captured the college division title. This year's team included Professor Doug Kennedy, the father of a VWC alum, and a firefighter who has assisted the College with safety procedures on our ropes course and during Winter Session.

Feb. 06, 2012

Clarke on Campus: Alum Returns for Black History Month

Erica Clarke ’05, a doctoral student and graduate teaching fellow at the University of Pittsburgh, was back on the Wesleyan campus on Feb. 1 to give a presentation titled “Crafting Our Own Noose: The Role of African Americans in a ‘Post-Racist’ Society.” Clarke, a keynote speaker for the College’s African American Heritage Month celebration, was welcomed by VWC faculty, staff and current students as she discussed her dissertation research on the history of blackface minstrelsy. Clarke talked about how her communications degree from VWC and liberal arts education prepared her for post graduate study. “It priceless,” “said Clarke. “There was never any limit placed on what I could do with my degree.”

Jan. 24, 2012
Better Together: Grant to Promote Healthy Relationships

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Alison Marganski has been awarded a grant from the Walmart Foundation through their Local Community Contribution/Hunger Outreach Grant Program. The $1,000 Grant will be used to promote community engagement and cultural understanding among VWC students, particularly through student projects related to raising awareness about relationship violence. Local organizations within the Hampton Roads area relevant to the topic will also be highlighted and supported. Additionally, the grant will be used to engage in research examining relationships and finding means of promoting healthy, positive relationships. 

Jan. 22, 2012
Home Run: VWC’s Fifth Habitat for Humanity House Dedicated

Since April 2011, more than 130 Virginia Wesleyan students, faculty and staff participated in the construction of the latest VWC chapter Habitat for Humanity home. On Saturday, January 21, all their hard worked paid off as the Morris family, for whom the home was being built, was handed the keys to their brand new townhouse at 352 Nelms Lane in Virginia Beach. Maura Bradley 11’, Immediate Past Habitat for Humanity Chapter President, Melissa Snyder, current Habitat for Humanity President and Diane Hotaling, Director of Community Service, were on hand. VWC President Billy Greer was among the speakers. Check out photos of the dedication on our campus snapshots page.

Jan. 5, 2012
Happy Campers: Thanks to Rec & Leisure Students

As part of the College's new enhanced curriculum, VWC recreation and leisure studies students raised a whopping $4,425 last semester for the "Send a Kid to Camp Fund," which provides financial assistance for children to attend YMCA Camp Silver Beach. They did it through a variety of fundraising events including a "Car Smash" in which participants paid for a chance to take a whack at an old vehicle. These students were building on a program that dates back to 2003 and has raised over $37,000 total. “I can't tell you how proud I am of our students,” said Dr. Doug Kennedy, Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies. “On a campus where a lot of fundraising occurs, their performance really shines.”