Virginia Wesleyan College

In this issue:

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Get the Spirit!

Virginia Wesleyan's Get the Spirit Drive, launched on Sept. 14, is designed to increase  the visibility of the College with emphasis on school spirit and pride by placing free decals on 5,000 vehicles. Currently, there are nearly 700 members of the Spirit Squad.
To get your FREE decal, visit the Get the Spirit Squad website, call 757.233.8788 or e-mail spiritsquad@vwc.edu.

 

Student wins fellowship from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Virginia Wesleyan junior Ivy Ozmon has been fascinated with science since the sixth grade. So it seems fitting that this earth and environmental science major recently won a fellowship from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Ozmon was awarded $41,500 through the Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Undergraduate Fellowship. The GRO fellowship program helps colleges and universities with limited funding for research by awarding undergraduate fellowships to students in environmental fields. The purpose of the program is to encourage students to seek graduate work and careers in the environmental science fields.

"I definitely want to go to graduate school," said Ozmon. "I'd love to get my Ph.D. in coastal resource conservation."

Ozmon is the first Virginia Wesleyan student to receive this prestigious fellowship. She has been involved in a green roof research project on campus for the past year and continued her dedication to the project during the summer months. The green roof research consists of analyzing rainwater runoff from plots planted on campus; the water is then tested for mercury, phosphorus and nitrogen.

Take 5 Initiative helps area school teachers earn certification

Virginia Wesleyan recently created a program called the Take Five Initiative, which allows teachers from Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Norfolk and Chesapeake to take courses at the College at half the cost.

The Take Five Initiative was based on an idea that Virginia Wesleyan President Billy Greer came up with to help ease the burden of the teacher shortage.

"There is a teacher shortage and we want to do our part to help solve that," said Greer. "We are good citizens and we intend to be good citizens."

Batten Professor of Education Dr. Karen Bosch and Program Development Coordinator Mr. Tom Farley developed the program.

The program aims to fully license teachers with provisional or conditional licenses. Wesleyan provides each school division with $20,000 to enable teachers to take courses needed to qualify for a full license.

"We have a very good program for education here," said Greer. "We are known for turning out good teachers."

Virginia Wesleyan students compete in computer programming contest

Six students from Virginia Wesleyan, led by Associate Professor of Computer Science Dr. Zizhong Wang, participated in the 2006 ACM Mid-Atlantic USA Computer Programming Contest, hosted by Christopher Newport University. The contest challenges students in the areas of math and coding.

The students were divided into two teams, Marlin and Tiger, and each team was comprised of three students. The Tiger team, which participated in the competition for the first time, included junior David Weirich, sophomore John Ahigian and freshman Brandon Mohawk. The Marlin team, whose members participated last year, included senior Daniel Proud, sophomore Torrance Zeiler and junior Raichel Link.

"Each team receives the same eight questions and is given five hours to formulate algorithms and write programs that meet the requirements stated in the problems," Proud said. "The questions are very well-written, and extremely challenging."

The team took home one balloon for their efforts, which meant that they solved one problem successfully. Out of the 157 teams that competed, 36 did not solve any problems, and 67 solved one problem.

Alpha Gamma Upsilon - A new education honor society is chartered at Virginia Wesleyan

In October, Virginia Wesleyan gained one more honor society with the addition of the Alpha Gamma Upsilon chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education.

Dr. Karen Nicholson, President of Kappa Delta Pi, conducted the chartering ceremony and initiation of 27 new members. Approval for the chapter was granted by the Kappa Delta Pi Executive Council. Membership in the honor society is by invitation only and is extended to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and professional educators who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship and leadership. The top ten percent of those entering or working in the field of education are members of the society.

Kappa Delta Pi has more than 55,000 members in 550 collegiate and alumni chapters in  colleges, universities, and communities throughout the United States and around the world. The organization recognizes and promotes excellence in education.

Biology honor society donates microscopes to primary school in Trinidad and Tobago

When the biology department at Virginia Wesleyan learned that a primary school in Trinidad and Tobago did not have proper science equipment available, the biology honor society, Beta Beta Beta, responded in a big way. Members raised enough funds to donate eight light microscopes and other science equipment to the Brasso Seco RC Primary School in Brasso Village, Brasso.

Three years ago, the Norfolk Foundation gave Virginia Wesleyan a grant to buy new science equipment, so it only made sense to donate the slightly used microscopes to a school that could use them. After visiting Brasso Seco RC in the summer of 2005, Beta Beta Beta decided that the primary school needed the equipment.

"We donated to them because the schools down there don't get funded by the government as much as we do here," said senior biology and math major Dan Proud. "They have very little."

Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Victor Townsend and Batten Professor of Biology Dr. Paul Resslar took a group of students to Trinidad last summer. The group held a workshop where they gave practical demonstrations on how to use the microscopes.

"We sat down with them and showed them how to use them," said Proud. "They were so happy."

Beta Beta Beta is looking to raise funds again this year to send more science equipment to Brasso Seco RC. The primary school started a measurement metric systems science program that requires lots of equipment their government does not provide. Virginia Wesleyan has already donated beakers, graduated cylinders and a rain gauge for use in their program, and will donate more new equipment in the coming year.

Student Outreach Coordinators program offers specialized service opportunities

A new community service program, the Student Outreach Coordinators (SOC), has arrived at Virginia Wesleyan with the objective of getting more students involved in service opportunities.

Student Outreach Coordinators make up the student leadership team of the Office of Community Service. They raise awareness of societal issues and inspire all Wesleyan students, faculty and staff to engage in community action by planning and implementing direct service projects that meet real community needs.

"SOC is an opportunity to develop leadership skills in areas of volunteer management," said Director of Community Service Diane Hotaling. "You can exercise your commitment to a particular social problem."

Hotaling believes being on a SOC team is important because "you can affect the things that are important to you. Our students are emerging citizens and all of what we do through this office is an opportunity to exercise your citizenship to practice being an active involved citizen and know what that means. I think SOC takes that to another level."

During Winter Session, the Hunger and Homelessness group of SOC, in partnership with the Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless, hosted a shelter for the homeless on campus, providing meals, activities, showers and a place to rest for about 60 individuals each night. About 90 volunteers served guests during the weeklong event that proved to be a very powerful experience for everyone involved.

Fall theatre production brings Peanuts to life - "GOOD GRIEF!"

The famous line uttered by Charlie Brown time and time again in the Charles M. Schultz classic Peanuts came to life on center stage in the Virginia Wesleyan fall production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

The timeless comic premiered in 1967 in an off-Broadway production, was made into an animated version in 1985 and was revived into its final Broadway musical version in 1999. This latest version is the adaptation that Director and Assistant Professor of Theatre Dr. Travis Malone chose to be performed on the Hofheimer Theatre stage.

"The show captures well the heartfelt determination...of the comic strip," said Malone. "It reminds us of the real priorities of life, which are really important to our community now."

Overall, the decision to pick a musical for the fall student production was well received by the cast. The comic connects on a personal level with so many people who are reminded of a time when they read Peanuts as children. And Charlie Brown is the good-hearted character from the comic strip who always had the worst of luck, but never gave up.

"That's what makes him so endearing - he continues to try," said Malone.

Cookson Religious Freedom Lecture Series begins with Dr. Martin Marty

The Cookson Religious Freedom Lecture Series was inaugurated in October with a presentation by Dr. Martin E. Marty, one of the world's more renowned and respected religious scholars.

The Cookson Religious Freedom Lecture Series is named for the founding director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom (CSRF), Dr. Catharine Cookson. Cookson served as the CSRF's director from 1998 until 2004. At Virginia Wesleyan, she created a "safe zone" where people of various faith backgrounds could discuss religious issues in a fair and impartial manner. Through the Center, Cookson provided an educational foundation to the community to create understanding in a culturally diverse world.

Following Cookson's death in 2004, the Catharine Cookson Visiting Scholar Endowment was established for the purpose of bringing scholars in religious freedom and related areas to the Virginia Wesleyan campus. In the future, this endowment will enable world-renowned scholars to spend an extended period of time at Virginia Wesleyan, bringing students and the public together to engage in sustained study and analysis of the political, social and theological conditions of religious freedom. This lecture series is made possible by these gifts.

"With the annual Cookson Religious Freedom Lectures, we hope to bring in leading scholars of religious freedom and related areas," said Dr. Paul Rasor, director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom.

Student Ambassadors call for the Annual Fund for Academic Excellence

The dedicated student Phonathon ambassadors are an integral part of the Annual Fund for Academic Excellence each year. These energetic and enthusiastic students reach out to thousands of alumni, friends and parents over the phone every Sunday through Wednesday evening during the academic semester. Their efforts keep alumni and friends connected to student life on campus while generating support for the Annual Fund, which benefits all students.

The Annual Fund for Academic Excellence is a key element of the Key to the Future Campaign. In 2005-2006, 2,161 alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, churches and members of the business community contributed $1,319,490 to the Annual Fund. These gifts support scholarships, faculty recruitment and development, technology upgrades and additions, library resources and other critical needs as they arise on campus.

Virginia Wesleyan makes the President's Honor Roll for community service

Virginia Wesleyan College was recently named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, a program that recognizes college students who serve their local community through volunteer service.

Of the approximately 350 applications that were accepted from more than 500, Virginia Wesleyan was one of only seven schools in Virginia that received the honor.

The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll was implemented as a result of President Bush's "call to service by building on and supporting the civic engagement mission of our nation's colleges and universities." The honor roll not only seeks to bring public awareness to the contributions of responsible college students, it also promotes community service model programs and identifies a special volunteer project for the following year. The emphasis for this year was on student response to the devastating 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The Community Service Office at Virginia Wesleyan seeks to engage students in meaningful service and learning experiences that meet real community needs to support the graduation of active, socially responsible citizens. Past activities have included multiple trips to the Gulf Coast, after-school meal programs, tutoring programs and involvement in Habitat for Humanity and Relay for Life.

New Wellness Hall encourages healthy living for students

Smithdeal Hall in Village II is now also known as the "Wellness Hall" and provides a new type of residential environment for students. In order to live in the Wellness Hall, students must be alcohol free, drug free and tobacco free.

"It was the students' idea," said Director of Residence Life Carolyn King."A good number of students were not happy with the traditional halls. They wanted a different environment to live in."

The hall is currently full, with more than 50 residents. If a Wellness Hall resident is caught with drugs, alcohol or tobacco, fellow residents get to decide whether or not to remove the student from the hall.

"They decide for themselves if they want to give students a second chance," King said. "The students decide what their environment will be."

Being a resident in the Wellness Hall is about more than just being substance-free. The hall also promotes being a well-rounded student socially, physically, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and in terms of service to others.

A variety of special programs will be provided to students living in the Wellness Hall, incorporating a number of well-nessrelated elements. People signed on to provide these programs include Director of Health Services Mary Cureton, Director of Community Service Diane Hotaling and Fitness Coordinator Courtney Butowicz.

Smithdeal was selected to become the Wellness Hall so there would be a mixture of upper- and lower-classmen.

Heritage Society Members: Hiram and Hardenia Zigler

Hiram and Hardenia Zigler knew all about the advantages associated with a small college setting: they attended a small liberal arts institution, Bridgewater College. But they weren't introduced to Virginia Wesleyan College until their daughter, Nanci Zigler '77, fell in love with the campus.

"Nanci attended summer art workshops for high school students at Virginia Wesleyan," Hardenia, a retired high school guidance counselor, said. "Several of the workshops were taught by Barclay Sheaks and she quickly decided she wanted to continue studying art under his direction."

According to Hardenia, Virginia Wesleyan saw the potential in her only child and "provided the individual faculty mentorship Nanci needed to become a successful art teacher" at Mechanicsville Elementary in Hanover County, Va.

Hardenia remembers one particular illustration of the special connection between students and faculty and staff at Virginia Wesleyan. Around 1990, more than a decade after Nanci had graduated, the Ziglers' daughter had a chance encounter with former College president Lambuth Clarke at a restaurant in Richmond. When Nanci passed away in 1991 after a battle with breast cancer, the Ziglers received a personal note of condolence from Clarke in which he fondly remembered the restaurant meeting.

This touching story, along with several others connected with Nanci's collegiate experience, led the Ziglers to honor their daughter by including Virginia Wesleyan in their estate plans. They recognize the potential for growth in campus buildings and academic resources, and are dedicated to remembering the college that meant so much to their daughter. With their gift, Hiram and Hardenia help the College continue to provide life-changing experiences for students like Nanci.

Send a Kid to Camp - Recreation & Leisure Studies course raises dollars for children to attend camp

Recreation and Leisure Studies students in REC 206 recently raised $2,253 to support the annual "Send a Kid to Camp" fund. Recreation 206: Management of Recreation and Leisure Services is designed to introduce the principals of managing leisure service agencies. Five years ago the class created the "Send a Kid to Camp" fund to give a few children the opportunity to go camping at Camp Silver Beach, the YMCA camp on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Seventeen students in this semester's course raised an average of 23 dollars more than the previous years participants. With the $2,253 raised, three or four children will be able to attend camp at Camp Silver Beach.

Students raised funds in a variety of ways, including performing yard work, taking pledges and selling candy grams.

Because of the amount of money raised by the "Send a Kid to Camp" fund this year, the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies has been placed in the YMCA's "George Williams Society."

A ceremonial check was presented to Dan Credle, Camp Silver Beach Camp Director in December.

Frank E. Brown Challenge Update

In January 2005, the College received a challenge gift of $2,025,000 from the estate of Frank E. Brown. Brown was a close friend of the College, who donated the funds used to build the bell tower. The Frank E. Brown Challenge matches dollar-for-dollar all new and increased gifts from alumni, parents, faculty, staff and students to the Annual Fund for Academic Excellence and Campaign Endowment Priorities. So far, 1,697 supporters have contributed $1,198,429 that has been matched by the Challenge.