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Establishment of Batten Honors College Leads Major Changes to Academic Program
Introduction of the Batten Honors College, formation of academic schools among series of changes announced during President Scott D. Miller's State of the College Address Aug. 23
News Release | August 23, 2016
Photo Gallery: 2016 State of the College
Virginia Wesleyan College President Scott D. Miller unveiled during his State of the College Address on August 23 a series of dramatic changes that will elevate the College’s academic program.
At the top of the list was the introduction of the Batten Honors College, named for Virginia Wesleyan College Trustee Emerita and dedicated friends of the institution, Jane P. and Frank Batten, Sr. The Batten Honors College, which will be in place at the start of the 2017-2018 academic year, will inspire, engage, and prepare academically talented students to become leaders, environmental stewards, and impactful citizens in the global community.
An additional unprecedented transformation is the structuring of Virginia Wesleyan’s academic divisions. The College will now consist of three schools devoted to specific areas of study: the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities, the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and the Birdsong School of Social Science. Each school honors longtime Virginia Wesleyan supporters, each of whom has served in various capacities on the College’s Board of Trustees.
“We are indebted to those who have come before us,” says President Miller. “Our founders and funders whose faith in our mission and steadfast support have brought us to this exciting crossroads in our history. Honoring their visionary leadership, we are still writing our story. It will be a narrative of innovation, imagination, and inspiration.”
President Miller began his tenure as Virginia Wesleyan’s fourth president on July 1, 2015, and has quickly made a number of transformative changes to the private liberal arts college located on the border of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. Enhancement of the College’s academic structure comes as a result of Dr. Miller’s efforts to chart a vigorous course for expansion and collaboration, in addition to the direction set forth for the institution by its strategic plan, VWC2020: Pathway to Prominence.
“We’re not afraid to move ahead boldly,” Dr. Miller says. “We consistently find ourselves breaking new ground—for exciting programs and partnerships, co-curricular initiatives, scholarships and professorships, and high-tech facilities for the new century. Our goal is not only to be the premier liberal arts college of Coastal Virginia, but also one that is known and respected throughout the nation for inspiring excellence and achievement.”
A series of administrative appointments will accompany the College’s new academic changes. Dr. Timothy O'Rourke will be named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Maynard Schaus will become Associate Provost; Dr. Joyce Easter will serve as the first Dean of the Batten Honors College; Dr. Travis Malone will serve as the Dean of the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities; Dr. J. Christopher Haley will serve as Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences; and Dr. Robert Albertson will serve as the first Dean of the Birdsong School of Social Science.
The new academic structure, detailed below, will be in effect at the start of the fall semester on August 29.
The Batten Honors College at Virginia Wesleyan
A passion for education, a career in business leadership, and a lifetime of philanthropic devotion combine to create The Batten Honors College at Virginia Wesleyan. Gratefully named for Trustee Emerita and dedicated friends of the institution Jane P. and Frank Batten, Sr., the Honors College celebrates the unique and vibrant intellectual journeys of selected students. Benefiting from small-class, personalized instruction and especially vigorous faculty-student interaction, The Batten Honors College will serve the special academic aspirations of students. Establishment of the Honors College coincides with academic innovation, construction of a new state-of-the-art environmental science center, and increased regional and national outreach at Virginia Wesleyan. All students at the institution will benefit from these and other initiatives. Through an undertaking of a joyful and rigorous course of reading, analysis, and conversation, students at The Batten Honors College who bring a common passion for learning will have special opportunities to pursue individual excellence. More
The Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities
Gratefully named for community leader, volunteer, and Virginia Wesleyan Trustee Susan S. Goode, the School of Arts and Humanities embraces traditional yet highly relevant disciplines of the liberal arts. The study of languages, art, religion, philosophy and other fields spans the history of the human experience, its highest aspirations and sources of inspiration, and the means by which we express our understanding of that experience. As a premier, national liberal arts college, Virginia Wesleyan proudly celebrates the establishment of The Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities which will advance the study and underscore the critical importance of these disciplines. More
The Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Established to honor the generosity to Virginia Wesleyan College of business leader, philanthropist, and former Virginia Wesleyan Chair of the Board Joan P. Brock, The Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences promotes teaching and research at an uncommonly high level for a small college. The study of the technical, natural, and physical world is fundamental to the human experience. With the addition of a new state-of-the-art environmental center, advances in experiential learning, and expanded faculty-student research collaboration, The Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences will place Virginia Wesleyan College in the forefront of small-college instruction in vigorous, accelerating disciplines. More
The Birdsong School of Social Science
In the diverse, complex society in which we live, study of the social sciences is invaluable to students’ understanding of human behavior and relationships. The fields of sociology, political science, and psychology, among others, are highly relevant for life and career preparation—especially as students take their places in a global society. At Virginia Wesleyan College, study and research through The Birdsong School of Social Science complement arts, humanities, and the natural sciences in exploring and evaluating the human experience, in answering questions that frame students’ research with faculty, and in fulfilling the College’s mission of service and outreach to the wider community. Students in the social sciences sharpen their powers of observation, analysis, and communication, seeking precise answers to complicated questions, and contributing to new knowledge for a challenging era. In recognition of this essential work that benefits all of society, Virginia Wesleyan College is proud to announce The Birdsong School of Social Science. The institution does so with recognition and deep appreciation for the contributions to the College throughout its history by Harvard R. Birdsong, a Charter Member of the Board of Trustees of the College; longtime Trustee, now Trustee Emeritus, from 1989 through the present day, George Y. and his wife Sue B. Birdsong; Thomas H. Birdsong III and his wife, Jane; the Birdsong family; and the Birdsong Corporation. More
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President Miller provided additional updates during his State of the College Address on institutional progress, initiatives, goals and plans. Major highlights included:
- The accumulation of $12.7 million in gifts and pledges—including a new gift of $5 million by Joan and Macon Brock—has put Virginia Wesleyan in range of the $14 million needed to begin construction on a new 28,200-square-foot fine and performing arts center with a 300- to 350-seat auditorium. The building will be named the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center.
- An additional gift by Joan and Macon Brock will make possible a variety of improvements to the VWC baseball field including upgrades to the dugouts, backstop, stands and a new press box. The College will recognize Joan’s father, Kenneth R. Perry, by naming the field in his memory.
- Virginia Wesleyan has initiated degree-completion and/or guaranteed admission programs for associate degree students from Tidewater Community College, Thomas Nelson Community College, Eastern Shore Community College, and Richard Bland College of the College of William and Mary.
- The Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, founded through the leadership of beloved Hampton Roads civic leader Robert C. “Bob” Nusbaum will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year with a robust schedule of events and programming.
Read President Miller's speech in its entirety: 2016 State of the College Address