Campus Events

Sort by category

October

Oct 1 - 29

VWU/JCP Suit Up Event

Virtual Event

Career Development: Styles for hire! Your future just got brighter! Shop the latest career wear, shoes, jewelry, handbags, luggage and beyond and receive 30 - 50% off as you build or enhance your professional wardrobe. VWU students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are invited to participate. Contact Alice Jones, Director of Career Development for more information.

Learn more

Oct 2 - Mar 8

Marlin Mural Festival

Neil Britton Gallery, Hofheimer Library

The Marlin Mural Festival will transform the Neil Britton Art Gallery into a venue for experimental mural and installation artworks by students and members of the VWU community. The creation of works will unfold over an extended period, and the exhibition will pay tribute to the creative process of individuals and collaborations that culminate in finished artworks. 

Oct 2 - 27

Advising Weeks for Spring Registration

Advising Weeks for Spring Registration begin on October 2. Prepare for 2024 Spring Registration by visiting Registration Station.

Registration Station

Oct 6 - 7

Homecoming and Family Weekend 2023

VWU Campus

Come home for Homecoming and Family Weekend, Marlins! Join us for a weekend of fall fun and festivities October 6 and 7. Check out the exciting lineup of events.

Schedule of events

Oct 6

Choral Invitational

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center

6:00 p.m.

After a day of workshops and festivals together, Virginia Wesleyan Camerata and choirs from area high schools join together for a celebratory performance under the direction of Dr. Jamie Hillman. $15 admission; limited free tickets for VWU students, faculty and staff.

Oct 7

Virginia Wesleyan Performing Arts Showcase

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center

2:00 p.m.

The Wesleyan Choirs, Orchestra, and Theatre Department join together for a collaborative production as part of homecoming weekend. Free admission.

Oct 7

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Jane P. Batten Student Center CMAC

5:00 p.m.

The 2023 VWU Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 7 at 5:00 p.m. during Homecoming and Family Weekend. The VWU Athletic Hall of Fame honors those who, by outstanding achievement in athletics, by service to athletics, or through significant contributions to athletics, have made lasting contributions to Virginia Wesleyan's intercollegiate athletic program.  The 2023 Induction Ceremony will honor benefactor William S. Shelhorse '70 and athletic greats Marissa Coombs '18 (Women's Track & Field and Women’s Cross Country); Evan Cox (UK ‘18) (Men's Golf); Kala Guy Herman '13 (Women's Volleyball); Cassetty Howerin '18 (Softball); and the 2018 NCAA National Championship Softball Team.
 
Ticket information for the 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony can be found here. Register to attend by Friday, September 22.

TICKETS

Oct 10

My Personal Sins: Why I Wrote a Book on the Seven Deadly Sins

Brock Commons

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The seven deadly sins often seem like tropes or stereotypes. But the concept of sin itself has been integral to the development of Western society, not just in political and religious history, but also in popular culture. Why do these seven sins matter today? How have they come to be seen in new ways? Need they be seen as religious in any way? And do they still matter for morality today? Please join David Salomon, Ph.D., Director of Research and Creative Activity at Christopher Newport University. Salomon is a specialist in the literature, religion, and culture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

Oct 12 - 13

Fall Break

Oct 14

A Celebration of Life for William T. "Billy" Greer, Jr.

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center

11:00 a.m.

There will be a celebration of life for William T. "Billy" Greer, Jr. on the VWU campus on October 14 in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. An open service for family and friends of the former Virginia Wesleyan president Billy Greer will be held in the Brock Theatre at 11:00 a.m. Reception to follow at the Greer Environmental Sciences Center. 
 

Read more

Oct 17

Forgotten Disney: Challenges in Disney’s First 100 Years

Brock Commons

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

During the last year it has been a rare week when the relationship between Disney World and the state of Florida hasn’t been in the news. But different challenges existed during Disney’s first 100 years. Although the company’s major successes transformed filmmaking and culture, it also had its share of unfinished projects, unmet expectations, and box-office misses. Few people today, for instance, remember Disney comics or Disney’s misstep with “The Watcher in the Woods” (1980), a horror film that starred Bette Davis. At the same time, gems like “The Gnome-Mobile” (1967) have been overlooked, even during a time when eco-fiction is seen as more relevant. And “Babes in Toyland” (1961) didn't turn out as expected. Reflecting on her most recent book, Forgotten Disney: Essays on the Lesser-Known Productions, VWU Professor of Media and Communication Kathy Merlock Jackson points to some forgotten challenges of a company many of us take for granted.

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

Oct 19

Unbreakable Bonds: A Veteran’s Journey to Accepting Assistance and Love from a Service Dog

Brock Commons

11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Session I | 11:00 a.m. – Noon
Hear Bobby Klepper’s heartwarming story about how his service dog, Recon, not only saved his life but made life for him worth living again. Bobby is a retired member of the Virginia State Police, Vietnam-era veteran, and former Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician (a "bomb tech"). Please join Bobby and Recon to learn about their special journey and deep bonds.

Session II | Noon – 1:00 p.m.
After witnessing the positive impact dogs provided to troops returning from overseas deployments, Brooke Corson founded Mutts With A Mission in 2008 to provide specially trained service dogs to assist disabled veterans, first responders, and law enforcement professionals. Learn about how Recon was trained, meet some of the puppies in training, and find out how you can become a puppy raiser and give someone the life-changing gift of a service dog. 

Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Robert Nusbaum Center in partnership with the VWU Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. For more information, contact the Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

Oct 21

Marlins Day Open House

VWU Campus

Visit Virginia Wesleyan University during Marlins Day Open House on October 21! Tour VWU's beautiful campus; meet our students, faculty, and staff; learn about academic offerings, scholarship opportunities, the financial aid process, and more. Lunch is on us!

Register for a visit today!

 
 

REGISTER

Oct 21

Book Signing and Readings: Meghan Ashburn '08 and Jules Edwards

Brock Commons

5:00 p.m.

Virginia Wesleyan University will host a book signing event featuring "I Will Die On This Hill: Autistic Adults, Autism Parents, and the Children Who Deserve a Better World," authored by Meghan Ashburn (VWU Class of 2008) and Jules Edwards. At the event, Meghan and Jules will share selected excerpts from their book. This event is open to the public and free of charge. Please register in advance to secure your attendance.
 
 

REGISTER

Oct 26 - 29

Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center

Contemporary playwright Sarah Ruhl’s lyrical, poetic retelling of the classic Orpheus myth centering on Eurydice’s reunion with her Father in an “Alice in Wonderland”-style Underworld. Written by Ruhl in response to the loss of her own Father, “Eurydice” is a mystical depiction of the bittersweet yet joyful conversations we continue to have with people and places we have loved and lost. . . and a testament to the unbreakable ties that bind us. $15 General Admission; $10 Seniors, Students, Military, Educators, First Responders; Free to VWU students, faculty and staff.

“Eurydice” is presented by Arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

 Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 26-28, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m.

       

TICKETS

Oct 26

Hunting Down Runaways, Informal Policing, and Fugitive Slave Advertisements

Brock Commons

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Thomas Brown Ph.D highlights an aspect of policing in 18th-century Charleston, South Carolina, one in which informal policing meant that white men could stop any Black person and take property from them if they suspected it was stolen. In addition, from his research on “Fugitive Slave Advertisements in The City Gazette: Charleston, South Carolina, 1787-1797,” Brown shares a series of human dramas of courage and resistance to unjust authority and reflects on what fugitive slave ads tell us and on why these individual narratives are significant in understanding slavery and law enforcement. Thomas Brown, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice-Sociology at VWU, and is a scholar of ethnic nationalist movements,transracial individuals and groups, racial boundaries in U.S. history, terrorism, gangs, and organized crime.


Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

Oct 31

AI in Academia: The Allure of ChatGPT's Pedagogical Potential

Brock Commons

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Within the last year, artificial intelligence has come to affect almost every aspect of higher education. This raises philosophical questions about what constitutes authorship, but it also highlights how students can grow in qualitatively and quantitatively different ways. During this session, VWU faculty showcase four pathways they are using to create new experiences for students. Join us for four brief presentations, along with a discussion of new challenges and possibilities in higher education. Presenters include: Rebecca John, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Education; William McConnell, Ph.D., Batten Associate Professor of Education and Director of Teacher Education; Mandy Reinig, M.A., Director of Global Engagement; and Craig Wansink, Ph.D. Batten Professor of Religious Studies and Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr. Director of the Robert Nusbaum Center. 

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

November

Nov 2

Elusive Trust: Unconscious Bias between Police and the Communities They Serve

Brock Commons

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Why do so many communities not trust the police? Why do so many police not trust the communities they serve? In this talk, Robert Perkins highlights how the current state of affairs in policing necessitates a reinvigorated commitment to the critical components of community policing. This involves a critical analysis of the unconscious biases that everyone has and the deliberate cultivation of strategies that increase self-awareness, mutual understanding, and—ultimately—trust. When trust is so elusive, how do we move forward? Please join us for this annual Cookson Lecture with Robert K. Perkins, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology at Norfolk State University, and Program Coordinator for the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and the Master of Arts in Urban Affairs at NSU.

Free and open to the public. The annual Cookson Lecture honors the legacy of Catharine Cookson, Ph.D., J.D., who was the founding director of the Robert Nusbaum Center, formerly the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom. For more information, call 757.455.3129.

Nov 16

Religion in Outer Space: Myth, Diversity, and the Final Frontier

Blocker Hall Auditorium

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

In a world in which UFOs continue to raise questions, in a world in which billionaires seek to travel to space, and in a world in which “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” continue to hold people’s imaginations, how do religions approach outer space? How do they affect space exploration? What do religions say about worlds beyond this one? Join Eric Mazur, Professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Wesleyan University, and editor of “Religion and Outer Space” (published July 2023), as he introduces some of the varied relationships between outer space and the beliefs, scripture, and practices of religion. He also explores the ways in which religion and myth have had a profound impact how we’ve come to visualize the American space program.

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

Nov 16

Virginia Wesleyan Orchestra in Concert

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center

7:30 p.m.

The Virginia Wesleyan Orchestra, under the direction of Justin Stanley, presents a variety of classic and new works. Free admission.

Nov 22 - 24

Thanksgiving Holiday

Nov 29

Academic Symposium

Nov 30

Policing: What Should We Do to Ensure Fair Treatment and Keep Neighborhoods Safe for Everyone?

Brock Commons

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

While white Americans have mostly had positive encounters with police, many people of color distrust and even fear law enforcement officers because of a long history of violence and discrimination. Many police chiefs and officers want more accountability and fairness, but policing policies and reform require crucial decisions to be made. In this deliberation, facilitated by VWU students trained by the Robert Nusbaum Center, participants discuss three broad options for rethinking police practices, each suggesting a different set of reforms and different ways of thinking about how to keep communities safe. The three options offer a framework to tackle tough questions: What should we do? What are the risks and potential tradeoffs? What actions can we support and what might we be willing to give up?

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

December

Dec 1 - 2

A Wesleyan Christmas

Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center

Virginia Wesleyan Bravura, Camerata, and Vox Vera join with the Virginia Wesleyan Orchestra to present a concert of holiday carols and classics. $10 admission; free to VWU students, faculty and staff

Friday, December 1, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 2, 4 p.m.

 

 

Dec 6

Reading Day

Dec 16

December Commencement

January

Jan 3

January Term Begins

Jan 29

Day and Evening Classes Begin for Spring 2023 Semester

March

Mar 18 - 22

Spring Break

April

Apr 1

Easter Monday Holiday

Apr 5 - 6

Spring Alumni Weekend

May

May 3

Academic Symposium

May 3

Spring Honors Convocation

May 17

Baccalaureate Service

May 18

Commencement