George Birdsong elected Chairman of VWC Board of Trustees | Artists Return | Village IV opens its doors | Adult Studies Program 25th Anniversary | President Greer elected to the NAICU Board of Directors | Grant Watch | Scholarships Receieved From Major Corporations | Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority wins seven national awards | Help Build A Solid Foundation | Book Watch
George Birdsong elected Chairman of VWC Board of Trustees
In October 2007, George Birdsong, CEO of Birdsong Corporation, began his position as Chairman of the Virginia Wesleyan Board of Trustees, and welcomed five new members. Virginia Wesleyan thanks these members for their time and contributions to the College.
Mr. Birdsong has been a Trustee of Virginia Wesleyan College since 1989, serving on the Buildings and Grounds Committee and the Key to the Future Campaign Cabinet. He and Mrs. Birdsong are generous supporters of the College and in 1995, established the Birdsong Community Services Endowment to support students as they volunteer in the community.
Mr. Birdsong is the CEO of the Suffolk-based Birdsong Corporation, the largest privately owned peanut-sheller in the United States with operations in all peanut-growing regions. He is also an active member in civic and community affairs throughout Hampton Roads.
He and his family have extensive roots with the College, tying back to the very beginning when his uncle, Harvard Birdsong, was a charter member of Virginia Wesleyan’s Board. Harvard Birdsong Hall is named in his honor.
New Board Members
Dale R. Foley – Launched the company that would become Virginia Crane when he was 25 years old. Both of his sons, Ben ’04 and Nick ’08, attended Virginia Wesleyan College.
William (Billy) W. Granger III – Managing Partner of Granger Investment Properties LLC and Director of Corporate Development for ValueOptions. Mr. Granger is the son of former Board of Trustees member William W. Granger, Jr.
Ronald M. Kramer – President of Kramer Tire Company, Virginia’s largest distributor of Goodyear Tires. His stepson, William C. Ryan, is in Virginia Wesleyan’s Class of 2009.
Louis F. Ryan – Retired Executive Vice President/General Counsel for Landmark Communications.
William H. Thumel, Jr. – Former owner of Abacus Business Services.
2007-08 Board of Trustees Officers
GEORGE Y. BIRDSONG
Chairman
CEO, Birdsong Corporation
Suffolk, Va.
O. L. EVERETT
Vice Chairman
Chairman, Jones & Frank Corporation
Norfolk, Va.
GARY D. BONNEWELL ’79
Secretary
First Vice President Wealth Management
Smith Barney
Newport News, Va.
VINCENT J. MASTRACCO, JR.
Treasurer
Partner, Kaufman and Canoles, P.C.
Norfolk, Va.
Returning Board Members
B. MINETTE COOPER
Cultural Alliance of Greater Hampton Roads
Norfolk, Va.
ROBIN D. RAY
President, Atlantic Dominion Distributors
Virginia Beach, Va.
JOHN A. TRINDER
President and CEO, Max Media, LLC
Virginia Beach, Va.
D. HENRY WATTS
Past Chair, VWC Board of Trustees
Retired Vice Chairman,
Norfolk Southern Corporation
Norfolk, Va.
New Trustees Emeriti
S. FRANK BLOCKER, JR.
ROBERT F. BOYD
BENJAMIN J. WILLIS, JR.
Artists Return
Alumni Art Exhibition
Virginia Wesleyan holds its first Alumni Art Exhibition; titled “Artists Return,” in the Hofheimer Library Art Gallery.
From the Class of 1975 to the Class of 2005, participating artists came from all backgrounds and created works in all media. A total of 12 alumni returned to campus to share their vision with the community. Works exhibited ranged from the eccentric archetypal character sculptures of Ben Harris ’92 to the colorful water color paintings of Ryan Jones ’99.
Harris, who double majored in art and the Liberal Arts Management Program, said his experience at Virginia Wesleyan allowed him to take a broad view in life and consider many ideas.
“This world view is reflected in all aspects of my life, especially in my artwork, where a liberal arts philosophy continues to guide my process. As I wire, screw and nail together the thrift store finds, costume jewelry and plastic toys that make up my figures, I’m also trying to reconcile archetypal imagery with the absurd and surrealistic sensibilities of Dada,” Harris said. “I hope they come together and make an ironic, but lighthearted, statement about our culture. I’m trying to show that even in a world buried in mass produced disposable junk, deeper structures exist within us as humans. It’s those deeper structures, like Jungian archetypes or religious faith, that tie us together. Virginia Wesleyan gave me the intellectual and artistic foundations to make that discovery.”
Curator Robyn Bailey ’98 said the exhibition was one way for artists to re-connect with the College. She said all were excited to be back to their alma mater, “It is really a compliment to our instructors and mentors such as Barclay Sheaks, Joyce Howell, Neil Britton, Philip Guilfoyle and others that so many are excited to come back,” said Bailey.
This event was the first of its kind for alumni of the art program. Participating artists included: Robyn Bailey ’98, Nicholas Bottis ’98, Will Corr ’94, Nancy Dooley ’00, Benjamin Harris ’92, Christine Kocen Harris ’92, Catherine Hodil ’98, Susan Heslop Jones ’75, Ryan Jones ’99, Greg Jackson ’05, William Lingo ’03 and Beverley Mayfield ’99.
Bailey expressed her hopes for the art exhibition: “The most important thing is to get an increased interest in the art program.”
Village IV opens its doors
In January Virginia Wesleyan College opened the doors of its newest village, Village IV, to 56 students residing on campus during the 2008 Winter Session.
Located between Brock Village (Village III) and Blocker Hall, Village IV consists of six buildings with each townhouse featuring four bedrooms, two baths, one kitchen, one living room and one laundry area with a washer and dryer. Kitchens are equipped with refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, cook tops, disposals and microwaves. Each of the four townhouses has two handicapped units per building and all 96 beds were booked for the spring semester.
“With the beds full during the spring semester, I have a great deal of satisfaction in providing housing that meets student wants and needs,” said Vice President of Operations Bruce Vaughan. “While we may expand it further, there is a sense of fulfilling the vision of our founders by the creation of Village IV.”
Village IV is the second village on campus with the townhouse-style living. Vaughan said this innovative living environment provides “transitional” living for students, bridging the gap between traditional residence hall living and the responsibilities of being on one’s own.
“Village IV residents have kitchens and take more responsibility for meals. They clean and maintain the interiors of their townhouses,” said Vaughan. “This is very similar to living off campus, only here there is a much greater sense of community and safety.”
In conjunction with other College initiatives to be more environmentally conscious, Village IV was built with low V.O.C. (volatile organic compound, the products that give off gas when new) paints and finishes along with renewable resource based furnishings and finishes. The windows in the townhouses are non-V.O.C. and energy efficient, and the heat pump systems have a higher than standard SEER (seasonal energy efficiency rating). Appliances are Energy Star qualified as applicable.
With the opening of Village IV, Virginia Wesleyan has a residential capacity of nearly 800 students, with the goal of 1,000 residential students in the future.
Adult Studies Program 25th Anniversary
Twenty-five years ago, there was an idea at Virginia Wesleyan College that would allow adults to go back to school and further their education. In 1984, this idea became reality when two adult students graduated from Virginia Wesleyan’s Adult Studies Program (ASP).
In the 1980s, a higher-ed program for working adults was highly uncommon, and Virginia Wesleyan was one of the earliest institutions to incorporate an academic program for adults into its curriculum.
More than two decades later, over 660 Adult Studies students have received diplomas. And as the years pass, enrollment continues to climb.
Courses in the ASP are comparable to day courses, said Director of the ASP Rich Hoehlein. Currently, there are seven majors offered in the ASP, mainly focused on majors such as education and the Liberal Arts Management Program (LAMP). Most recently, the program added a history major that has now morphed into the social studies major.
Hoehlein said the common misconception about the ASP is that people tend to “think of it as a different entity.”
“ASP and the day program are partners,” said Hoehlein. “The ASP is essentially an extension of the day program, offered evenings and weekends.”
The main difference between the ASP and day program is that adult students are part-time. In addition, there are outside circumstances like family, jobs and personal issues that challenge the time frame for earning a degree.
Financial aid is available, and Virginia Wesleyan awards two scholarships to two ASP students per year, which helps pay for a portion of the tuition. Hoehlein and his staff wanted to help more adult students, so in November 2007 they held the first Artisans Expo to create an annual and endowed scholarship for ASP students.
President Greer elected to the NAICU Board of Directors
Dr. William T. “Billy” Greer, Jr., president of Virginia Wesleyan College, was elected to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) Board of Directors in February at their annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Elected to the board by his peers in the fourth region (Va., N.C., S.C., Ga. and Fla.), President Greer will serve a three-year term.
“As far as professional organizations go, it’s the highest honor I’ve ever received,” said President Greer. “When you’re chosen by your colleagues to represent them, it’s a great honor and I hope to represent the private colleges and universities in the country as they would want me to.”
NAICU is the leading national association representing private higher education, serving as the unified voice of nearly 1,000 independent college and university presidents, and specialized state and regional association executives. NAICU member institutions enroll nine of every 10 students attending a private college or university in the United States. Members of NAICU’s board of directors set the association’s agenda on federal higher education policy; actively encourage support of NAICU priorities and initiatives; and oversee the association’s financial administration.
Grant Watch
Dr. Soraya M. Bartol, assistant professor of marine biology, received a $386,653 contract from the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) Joint Industry Programme (JIP) to serve as the principal investigator to research the hearing capabilities of loggerhead sea turtles for three years. Research began in January 2008. To fully understand the hearing capabilities of sea turtles and ultimately determine how sea turtles will respond to various human-made noise sources, both auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and behavioral audiograms will be collected over a range of size classes for multiple species of sea turtles (loggerhead, green, and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles). The experiments will be conducted at the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries Galveston Laboratory in Galveston, Texas. The grant also includes funding for a student in the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Virginia Wesleyan to work as an undergraduate research assistant. In addition, Dr. Ian K. Bartol, assistant professor of biology at Old Dominion University (ODU), will serve as co-adviser for an ODU graduate student involved in the project.
Dr. Steven Emmanuel, Batten Professor of Philosophy, received a 2006-07 Contemplative Practice Fellowship Award totaling $5,100 from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). Emmanuel was one of 11 recipients to receive a fellowship award to support research leading to the creation of his course titled “Peaceful Steps: Service-Learning in a Global Context,” which serves as the basis of an innovative service-learning initiative integrating contemplative practice in the service-learning experience. A total of 65 applications were received. Emmanuel developed a new course from his research, which offered students the opportunity to travel to Vietnam for Winter Session 2008. The trip served as a follow-up to his July 2007 month-long journey to Vietnam. As a grantee, Emmanuel shared his research at a three-day conference in October 2007 at The Fetzer Institute in Michigan.
Dr. Deirdre Gonsalves- Jackson, assistant professor of biology, received $17,722 to serve as a coprincipal investigator on an ATol (Assembling the Tree of Life) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) entitled “Phylogeny on the Half-Shell: Assembling the Bivalve Tree of Life.” Research on the Bivalve Tree of Life began in September 2007 and will last five years. The grant also includes funding for Virginia Wesleyan students to participate during the summer months and travel to tropical research destinations such as the Florida Keys (summer 2008), Australia (fall 2008) and Thailand (2010). The NSF is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.
Dr. Maynard Schaus, Batten Associate Professor of Biology, received $7,000 from the St. John’s River Water Management District (SJRWMD) for his proposed project, “Modeling the Effects of a Large Scale Fish Removal on Lake Water Quality in Florida.” Schaus is the sole principal investigator of the research, which focuses on computer simulation modeling of Florida lakes to determine how large fish removals can change lake dynamics and algae abundance, with the goal of predicting how many fish would have to be removed in order to see water quality improvements. His previous research with the SJRWMD examined the reduction in nutrient cycling associated with this type of massive fish removal and the potential implication for lake restoration efforts.
Scholarships Receieved From Major Corporations
Two Virginia Wesleyan juniors are recipients of awards through the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) paid summer internship program with five major corporations.
Ashley Ladyman ’09, a double major in Spanish and international studies from Chesapeake, Va., is the recipient of a $5,000 scholarship through the VFIC/Norfolk Southern Scholarship Program competition. Ladyman will receive $5,000 for her junior year and an additional $5,000 for her senior year, contingent on maintaining the scholarship requirements. She will also have an inside track to apply for a paid summer internship at Norfolk Southern.
Matthew Ryan ’09, a double major in communications and the Liberal Arts Management Program, also from Chesapeake, Va., is the recipient of a $2,500 scholarship through the VFIC/HRH Scholarship Program competition. Ryan will receive $2,500 for his junior year and an additional $2,500 for his senior year, contingent on maintaining the scholarship requirements. He will also have an inside track to apply for a paid summer internship at Hilb Rogal & Hobbs (HRH).
A total of 22 scholarships were given to students who attend one of the 15 private colleges/universities associated with the VFIC. Ladyman is one of three scholars to receive a Norfolk Southern scholarship, and Ryan is one of six scholars to receive an HRH scholarship. To be eligible for the scholarship, students had to be a first semester junior at the time of application (fall 2007) with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Selection was based on the students’ application essays, recommendations and credentials. Norfolk Southern is a Norfolk-based company that controls a major freight railroad. HRH (Hilb Rogal & Hobbs) is the eighth largest insurance intermediary in the United States, with offices throughout the U.S. and the world.
Founded in 1952, the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges is a non-profit fund-raising partnership supporting the programs and students of 15 leading private colleges in the Commonwealth.
Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority wins seven national awards
Virginia Wesleyan’s chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma received seven awards at the Tri Sigma National Convention held June 2007 in Nashville, Tenn. The sisters of the sorority, which promotes the betterment of women by encouraging high scholastic achievement, were presented with the following awards: Accredited with Honors; Chapter Accreditation Honors Achievement for three consecutive years of honors accreditation; Foundation Honor Roll; Chapter Contributing the Largest Amount Per Capita to the Foundation; Outstanding Recruitment Program 2006-07; Chapter of the Year and Chapter of the Triennium.
Help Build A Solid Foundation
This year, through the Annual Fund for Academic Excellence, Virginia Wesleyan College began offering limited-edition, personalized brick pavers. These pavers will be placed in front of Eggleston Commons in Bray Village (Village I), one of the original buildings on campus. The messages that can be placed on these pavers can recognize yourself and the year you graduated, your children for great accomplishments, a loved one, or someone you have great respect for – the possibilities are endless! Two sizes of brick pavers are available with a donation to the Annual Fund. For more information, call 757.455.3115 or e-mail annualfund@vwc.edu.
Book Watch
Dr. Connie Bellamy, Batten Professor of English, co-edited Lost Saranac Interviews: Forgotten Conversations with Famous Writers, published by Writer’s Digest Books. The book examines interviews with Margaret Atwood, Russell Banks, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Dillard, John Hawkes, Ann Beattie, Jayne Anne Phillips, Carolyn Forche, Gail Godwin, E. L. Doctorow and others, that took place during a series of writers’ conferences which were a 20th century literary reincarnation of the “Philosopher’s Camp” attended by Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Russell Lowell, Louis Agassiz and others in the Saranac region of the Adirondacks. These writers talk about the cultural and social forces in America that helped shaped their work.
Vivian Teter, professor of English, released a chapbook of poetry titled Translating a Bridge in a Quartet Series of Contemporary Poetry in the volume titled Edge by Edge. Translating a Bridge includes poems inspired by Teter’s work with the Dinka-speaking “Lost Boys of Sudan” and by her meeting members of “The Refugee All Stars Band” of Sierra Leone. Most of the poems in Translating a Bridge first appeared in national literary journals, including Spoon River Poetry Review, Poetry East, The Gettysburg Review, Black Warrior Review and Green Mountains Review. Since 2001 Teter has published 18 poems in such journals.