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VWU Championed as a 2020-21 'College of Distinction'
University celebrated for experiential education, with special recognition for business, education, career development, and equity/inclusion
News Release | September 1, 2020
Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) has once again been recognized for its honorable commitment to engaged, experiential education by Colleges of Distinction, which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary as a one-of-a-kind guide for college-bound students.
Colleges of Distinction boasts its longstanding support for student-centered schools that traditional rankings often overlook. As an institution whose primary goals are based on student success and satisfaction, VWU reconfirms its honor as one of the renowned Colleges of Distinction.
Founder Wes Creel traces Colleges of Distinction’s beginnings back to when he was helping his eldest daughter search for schools. The institutions that dominated the rankings were drowning out all the others, and not speaking to what the student experience would be like. He then created Colleges of Distinction to draw more attention to schools like Virginia Wesleyan whose student-centered education prevails in applying theory to practice while fostering a dynamic learning community.
While higher education has changed over the last 20 years, Colleges of Distinction’s selection process has stayed consistent—conducting in-depth research and detailed interviews with the schools themselves about each institution’s freshman experience and retention efforts alongside its general education programs, career development, strategic plan, student satisfaction, and more—and accepting only those that adhere to the Four Distinctions: Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Community, and Successful Outcomes.
Overlaid in the last few years have been a look into High-Impact Practices. This model prioritizes the opportunities institutions have for students that make for a fulfilling, individualized college experience.
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Virginia Wesleyan has also distinguished itself as a community dedicated to equal opportunity for all students, faculty, and staff and is recognized as an Equity & Inclusion College of Distinction.
“Virginia Wesleyan University has created a welcoming environment for underserved students,” said Tyson Schritter, Chief Operating Officer at Colleges of Distinction. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to highlight the noteworthy support offered for students who might not otherwise study and thrive on a college campus. The University understands that inclusion is just as important as diversity, and ensures that all students are given equal opportunity to thrive academically, personally, and professionally."
Colleges of Distinction found that no matter the population breakdown, VWU educates its faculty and staff so that they can treat students fairly and with a conscious acknowledgment of their needs. Resources available to students include support through services offered by the Robert Nusbaum Center, the Office of Gender and Sexuality Equity, the President's Council for Inclusive Communities, VWU's Chief Diversity Officer, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Office on campus,and new initiatives such as a minor in Africana Studies. Along with its welcoming community, Virginia Wesleyan exceeds expectations from a student’s recruitment, throughout school, and beyond the completion of their degree.
VWU also received 2020-21 "Field of Study" badges for its business, education, and career services programs. These programs are comprehensive not only in course material, but also in practical- and soft-skills development—blending a liberal arts education with program-specific training and abundant opportunities for real-world application.
“Each school is different, just as every student is different,” said Creel. “There is no number-one college for everyone, so we never rank those in our cohort.” VWU’s inclusion is informed by the unique ways it commits to achieving success.
Creel and his colleagues found that the most pervasive rankings systems rely on metrics like peer reputation, size of endowment, and alumni salaries. They knew instead that most critical to the student experience were the kinds of engaging experiences that are found at Virginia Wesleyan University: first-year seminars, community engagement, diversity and global learning programs, interdisciplinary programs, alternative spring break, undergraduate research, study away experiences, and internships.
Creel continued, “It’s inspiring to see Virginia Wesleyan commit to the learning styles and community involvement that will best allow their students to thrive.”
For more information, visit CollegesofDistinction.com.