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Toy

Story It's all fun and games for Eric Nyman ’94 at Hasbro

HULK HANDS: Nyman, Senior Vice President for Global Marketing, shows off his "Gamma Green Smash Fists" at Hasbro's headquarters in Rhode Island.

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL-PITTMAN

AN INSPIRING PLACE: Kayla Skeete ’16 reads and takes in some rays on the lawn adjacent to Hofheimer Library during the fall 2012 semester. Virginia Wesleyan's beautiful 300-acre campus is an oasis of trees, open fields, flowers, and wooded trails that also happens to be a designated bird sanctuary and the home of an oldgrowth beech forest. VWC is one of "322 Green Colleges" recognized by the Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council.

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50

F e at u r e s

18 22

Toy Story For Eric Nyman ’94, life at Hasbro really is all fun and games

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professor Steven Emmanuel explores Buddhist thought from diverse perspectives

Undergraduate research gives students unique opportunities to think critically and explore

Ever Mindful New book edited by philosophy

Inquiring Minds

their passions

29

Study A’Blog Students traveling abroad as part of VWC’s new Global Scholars Program utilize social media to share their experiences

2013-2014 Board of Trustees CHAIRMAN Gary D. Bonnewell ’79

VICE CHAIRMAN

SECRETARY

David L. Kaufman

Vincent J. Mastracco Jr.

TREASURER Anne B. Shumadine

60 Departments 4

FROM THE EDITOR

6

WESLEYAN WINDOW

36

ACADEMIA

44

LIVING & LEARNING

51

ATHLETICS

56

ALUMNI PAGES

COVER PHOTO: MICHAEL CEVOLI

Alexandra G. Arias ’03 Jane P. Batten H’06 Susan Torma Beverly ’72 George Y. Birdsong Thomas C. Broyles Deborah H. Butler Joseph D. Carson* Young Jin Cho* Lynn B. Clements B. Minette Cooper Robert H. DeFord Jr. Christopher L. Dotolo ’91* Tammy L. Estep* O.L. Everett Dale R. Foley William H. George Susan S. Goode William W. Granger III William T. Greer Jr.* Roy E. Hendrix

Ronald M. Kramer John F. Malbon Elizabeth F. Middleton ’91 Jerrold L. Miller Tassos J. Paphites ’79 Deborah M. Paxson ’75 Bradford L. Phillips* Robin D. Ray Richard D. Roberts H’08 Jeanne Polizos Ross Louis F. Ryan Alvin J. Schexnider William S. Shelhorse ’70 Joseph R. Thomas William H. Thumel Jr. John A. Trinder George K. (Chip) Tsantes III ’83 D. Henry Watts H’07 *ex officio

Trustees Emeriti S. Frank Blocker Jr. Robert Friend Boyd H ’09 Jerry G. Bray Jr.** H’02 William J. Fanney James W. Griffiths Helen Hoffman** H’03 Henry C. Hofheimer II** H’02 H.P. McNeal** Kenneth R. Perry** H’02 Ralph G. Roop** Mary Wright Thrasher** Benjamin J. Willis Jr. **deceased

Julia Bowles ’16 poses with a copy of Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, the required reading for incoming freshmen for the 2013-2014 academic year.

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

From the Editor

Habits at Home and Abroad

By Leona Baker IN A FAMOUS STUDY KNOWN AS THE “Marshmallow Experiment,” first conducted at Stanford University in the 1960s and since repeated by psychologists all over the world, a group of four-year-olds are brought into a room and each given one marshmallow.

Along with the treats, they are offered a sweet deal that may be the ultimate test of preschool willpower.

You can help yourself to the marshmallow now, researchers tell kids participating in the experiment. Or, if you can manage to wait 15 minutes, we’ll come back and give you a second marshmallow and you can eat not one, but two of these fluffy white delights.

The scientists then leave the room.

The children predictably agonize over whether to gobble down the marshmallow in front of them or stick it out for 15 excruciatingly long minutes in order to double their reward. Some even bang their heads on the table or lean back and close their eyes in distress. Others pick the tiniest speck off the marshmallow and eat it hoping their little deception will allow them to have their marshmallows and eat them too, so to speak. Typically, less than half actually make it the entire 15 minutes and are treated to that second marshmallow.

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Perhaps not so predictable is what researchers find years after the experiment is conducted, when the preschool-age kids are in high school or even older. The kids who were able to resist the marshmallow get better grades, have higher SAT scores, encounter fewer disciplinary problems and are more emotionally well adjusted. An innate ability to delay one’s own gratification, it seems, is a predictor of success.

But can such willpower be learned, even exercised like a muscle when we’re adults? Absolutely, says New York Times reporter and author Charles Duhigg. Not only that, but we can learn how to harness our willpower to shape our day-to-day habits in ways that can completely transform our lives.

Duhigg’s bestselling book, The Power of Habit, was required reading for this year’s incoming freshmen—VWC’s Class of 2017.

Students were asked to read the book (along with faculty and staff) in preparation for their "First Year Experience" course, which is designed to engage students in activities and exercises that explore the nature of the liberal arts while connecting them to the campus community.

In The Power of Habit, Duhigg cleverly synthesizes scores of research on the topic

of habit formation and channels it through the lens of our collective cultural experiences to make the case that mastering the “habit loop” of cues, routines, and rewards can not only help us break negative habits but replace them with more positive ones.

In doing so, we can lead healthier, more productive and rewarding lives.

The transition from high school to college, it turns out, is a perfect time to rethink one’s patterns in life. A time when—as Duhigg puts it in a personalized online video he created for VWC students—your habits are “up for grabs.”

“College is really interesting because it’s one of the few times in our lives when everything changes,” Duhigg says. “And what we know from scientific studies is that when everything in our life changes, our habits suddenly become flexible in a way that they weren’t before.”

The book’s theme is also being incorporated into other areas of VWC’s curriculum and events on campus this year, such as a new voter registration initiative designed to get students in the lifelong of habit of participating in the electoral process.

IN THE PAGES OF THIS ISSUE OF MARLIN Magazine, you will meet or reconnect with some remarkable students, alumni and faculty. You’ll learn about their lives and careers, their research and passions.

Whether they’re aware of it or not, habits are a vital part of these processes and, indeed, virtually every aspect of our existence.

Somewhere along the line, Eric Nyman ’94 (page 18) developed a habit of being persistent—of not giving in when things didn’t go his way. It’s a habit that served him well when he sent out dozens of inquiry letters to companies he thought he might like to work for only to receive dozens of rejections in return.

His persistence paid off. Now he’s an executive at one of America’s most iconic companies.

Philosophy professor Steven Emmanuel is certainly aware of how the habit of quiet reflection can focus the mind and prepare it for insight. Emmanuel has edited a new book on Buddhist philosophy (page 22) that examines this idea along with many other facets of an ancient and complex tradition.

The intellectual rigor and clarity of thought required for successful academic research

The transition from high school to college, it turns out, is a perfect time to rethink one’s patterns in life. A time when—as Duhigg puts it in a personalized online video he created for VWC students—your habits are “up for grabs.” surely encourages a multitude of mental habits. These habits bode well for recent graduates Mike Connors, Jenna Starkey and Dolores Roberts, whose undergraduate research projects (page 26) each garnered prestigious invitations to events and institutions around the country.

Current students studying abroad as part of the College’s new Global Scholars Program made a habit of blogging during the spring 2013 semester and, in doing so, were able to share the once-in-a-lifetime observations and insight afforded by immersing oneself in the culture and academic experiences of another country (page 29).

These are just a few of the wonderful features and stories contained in this issue. I hope you’ll take the time to explore them all.

Finally, for all of you VWC graduates, I encourage you to pay special attention to this issue’s Alumni Pages (56-63). In addition to great profiles of fellow graduates whose world travels have been instrumental to their successes, there is a note from the College’s new Director of Alumni Relations, Lina Green, a familiar face to many of you.

In her message, she outlines a new direction for the Alumni Association aimed at connecting all of you more deeply to your alma mater. “There’s always a chair waiting for you,” at VWC, she notes. We hope you’ll make a habit of coming home to Virginia Wesleyan College.

Leona Baker is the Director of College Communications at Virginia Wesleyan College. For questions or comments regarding the content of Marlin Magazine, contact her at lbaker1@vwc.edu.

MAGAZINE STAFF

ADMINISTRATION

Publisher Laynee Timlin

William Greer, President

Editor-in-Chief Leona Baker

David Buckingham, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Enrollment Services

Assistant Editor Stephanie Smaglo

Timothy O’Rourke, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College

Art Director Mary Millar Hester

Cary Sawyer, Vice President of Finance

Photography Director Janice Marshall-Pittman

Laynee Timlin, Director of Strategic Planning and Assistant to the President

Contributing Writers Elizabeth Blachman Chiereme Fortune ’13 Joyce Howell Mike Knepler Molly Mastantuono ’98 Joe Wasiluk

Mita Vail, Vice President for College Advancement

Advertising Designer Christine Hall

Contact Alumni Relations Director Lina Green at lina@vwc.edu or 757.455.2115

Contributing Illustrator Brenda Mihalko Contributing Photographers Michael Cevoli Dave Hester Jerry Keys Thomas Mills ’15 Glen McClure Sequoia Mulgrave ’15 J.J. Nekeloff Len Rothman Casey Scalf ’99 Morgan Stroyeck ’14 Contributing Photo Editor Augusta Pittman College Archivist Stephen Mansfield

Bruce Vaughan, Vice President of Operations ALUMNI RELATIONS

Marlin Magazine is published annually by the Office of College Communications. The purpose of the publication is to inform, inspire and entertain a broad readership including alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, supporters and friends by documenting the College’s vigorous intellectual culture and diverse community. The individual viewpoints expressed in these pages do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine staff or of the College and its policies. Contact the magazine at lbaker1@vwc.edu or Marlin Magazine, Office of College Communications, 1584 Wesleyan Drive, Norfolk, VA 23502.

Website: www.vwc.edu Printed on recycled paper by Jones Printing Service

Selected a 2014 "Best College in the Nation" by the Princeton Review

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 5 /

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

Wesleyan Window

ARTISTIC ENDEAVOR: VWC students may soon have a new space in which to create.

“We hope this building will support and energize Virginia Wesleyan’s commitment to the liberal arts,” says Susan Goode.

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A Time for the Arts at Virginia Wesleyan GOODE FAMILY'S $5 MILLION CHALLENGE GIFT LAUNCHES A THREE-YEAR FUNDRAISING EFFORT FOR A NEW ACADEMIC ARTS BUILDING A FIVE MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE GIFT WAS MADE in May 2013 by Susan and David Goode, their daughters Christina and Martha, and their son-in-law Blair Mielnik to be put toward the construction of a new academic building devoted to the arts.

“I am so pleased to be able to share this exciting news at such a pivotal time in our history,” said Virginia Wesleyan College President William T. “Billy” Greer. “This pace-setting lead gift by the Goode family will launch the fundraising for this vitally needed facility. We are determined to meet the Goode family’s challenge over the next three years.”

The Goode’s gift is among the five largest in Virginia Wesleyan history and comes at a time when VWC is immersed in a strategic planning process that is setting the direction for

the future of the College. One aspect of this planning has been the identification of critical space needs, including classrooms, a theater, concert and lecture hall, studios, rehearsal spaces and gathering places for an expanding student population.

“The arts were important to David and me and our entire family in our college experiences,” said Susan Goode. “We believe the arts are vital to a liberal arts education and for our nation’s future. We hope this building will support and energize Virginia Wesleyan’s commitment to the liberal arts. Our family is very pleased to be able to make this gift and challenge others to do the same.”

For more information or to make a contribution, contact Vice President for College Advancement Mita Vail at 757.455.3205 or mvail@vwc.edu.

Wesleyan Window

Students First

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

VWC SELECTED FOR NATIONAL PROJECT STUDYING QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION BASED ON OUTCOMES

Coming Back to College SCHEV GRANT HELPS VWC CONNECT WITH ADULT STUDENTS FOR ADULTS RETURNING TO COLLEGE TO finish that degree they’ve always wanted, there is special set of challenges. VWC’s Adult Studies Program (ASP) received a $50,000 grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in the fall of 2012 designed to increase educational awareness and engagement in working-age adults with some college credits but no degree.

As part of ASP’s “Coming Back to College” campaign, dozens of free information sessions and workshops were held throughout Norfolk and Portsmouth at community recreation centers, churches, libraries, civic groups, corporations, and on the VWC campus. The grant was also used to create branding for the initiative, including printed materials, a direct mail campaign, testimonial videos and more.

“This experience really opened our eyes as to how the College can best interact with the community,” says ASP Director Tom Farley. “It energized our program at the ground level and gave us some invaluable tools we can now use in a variety of ways and beyond—with local communities .”

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN WAS ONE OF 25 COLLEGES NATIONWIDE chosen to participate in the Council of Independent Colleges’ Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) Consortium, a two-year project funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education.

“The purpose of the DQP is to define quality higher education in terms of a very important and progressive educational concept: establishing student outcomes as a basis for curricular development,” said Professor of Art History Joyce Howell, who was selected to represent VWC in the study. “Virginia Wesleyan has taken a national leadership role in representing independent liberal arts colleges in this undertaking, and we expect to learn a lot from the experience.”

The work of the Consortium began late in 2011, with three subsequent meetings held throughout 2012-2013. The project is scheduled to conclude at the end of 2013.

REMOVING BARRIERS: Sorority sisters are helping to make a difference for women and girls in Africa and elsewhere through the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation.

Women of the World IN KEEPING WITH WESLEYAN TRADITION, VWC STRIVES TO HELP STUDENTS discover ways to use their talents, passion and education to make a difference in the lives of others. In partnership with the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation (CofS), VWC sororities raised $4,250 throughout the 2012-2013 academic year in support of the Half the Sky Movement, a cause dedicated to stopping oppression of women and girls worldwide. The women also increased awareness with guest speakers such as sex-trafficking survivor Carissa Phelps and Circle of Sisterhood Founder Ginny Carroll.

“Sisters all over the nation are doing what we do best,” Sigma Sigma Sigma member Rio Ziegler ’13 wrote in a blog post. “Collaborating ideas, recruiting advocates, and taking action in order to bring this issue to light. This is our chance for sisters to help sisters.”

In July 2013, recreation and leisure studies student Jasmine Rivera ’14 was chosen to represent VWC on “The Trek,” a CofS trip to Senegal, West Africa, to break ground on a new school. Along the way, she chronicled her experience through blog posts, photos and videos, sharing her unique opportunity to help remove educational barriers for girls and women worldwide.

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 7 /

DEMOCRACY IN ACTION AT VWC PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

COLLEGE STUDENTS HAVE A VITAL ROLE TO play in the political process, both as a coveted demographic for anyone vying for elected office and as young voters finding their place in civic life. Convincing students to invest in that process and make themselves heard is a challenge often best suited for other students.

In 2012, VWC received a $1,000 grant from the national Campus Engagement Election Project to help promote student awareness, voter registration and volunteer opportunities throughout election season. Events included voter registration drives, debate parties, and panel discussions examining voter disenfranchisement and issues of religion in various races across the country. In recognition of its campus-wide efforts, VWC was presented with the Democracy Cup Award in February 2013 at the Active Citizens Conference in Williamsburg.

“We wanted to create a place where we come together in a non-partisan to way to stimulate discussion on what’s going on locally, nationally, and globally,” said Shelby St. Gelais ’13, who accepted the award on behalf of the College.

As a way to get incoming students involved in civic life, VWC’s Campus Engagement Election Committee held a voter registration drive in August 2013 during new student orientation. These efforts will continue to prepare students for reflective lives in service to their communities, going hand-in-hand with the liberal arts and the Wesleyan tradition.

AGREEMENT BENEFITS NATO-ACT DEPENDENTS

GOING GLOBAL: (From left) VWC Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Enrollment Services David Buckingham, NATO-ACT Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, and VWC President Billy Greer.

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN ENTERED INTO ITS FIRST-EVER formal agreement with NATO-ACT (North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationAllied Command Transformation) in June 2013, offering up to 25 “International Student Grants” of $9,000 per semester ($18,000 per year) to dependents of NATO-ACT employees stationed in Norfolk.

VWC President William T. “Billy” Greer and NATO-ACT Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Charles Anthony “Tony” Johnstone-Burt, CB, OBE, signed a “Letter of Accord” at an on-campus ceremony held on June 7.

“This agreement represents a milestone in Virginia Wesleyan’s history,” said President Greer.

“The College is committed not only to expanding international opportunities for our students and embracing diversity within our campus community, but to building truly global partnerships that promote positive change in the world.”

In exchange for the scholarships offered under the new agreement, NATO-ACT will offer their staff’s expertise to VWC’s faculty and students in the form of guest lectures, NATO simulations and internship opportunities. Both organizations will work hand-in-hand to provide mutually beneficial experiences for their respective constituencies.

A Marlin and a Patriot “I FEEL LIKE I WAS MOLDED AND PREPARED to be a solider before I even set foot on the battlefield,” Army veteran Milton Clemmons ’13 told the crowd gathered outside Hofheimer Library for the College’s Veterans Day Ceremony on November 12, 2012.

Clemmons’ journey to a college degree and a spot on the Marlins men’s basketball team is one as inspiring as it is unconventional.

Raised by a single mom alongside four siblings, Clemmons graduated from Norview High in Norfolk in 2003. He took a year off before enlisting in the Army and went on to serve just over five years, including two tours in Iraq.

With help from the GI Bill, Clemmons came to Virginia Wesleyan to pursue a degree in criminal justice and

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hopes to continue on to law school after graduation.

He joined the basketball team his sophomore year. A real-life father to 5-year-old Styles, Clemmons became something of a father figure to his teammates as well as part of a winning athletic program.

This event marked the second annual Veterans Day Ceremony at VWC. In May 2013, the Virginia Wesleyan College Veterans Memorial was installed to honor members of the VWC family who have served in the United States Armed Forces. An official dedication ceremony is set for Veterans Day 2013.

PROUD TO SERVE: Army veteran Milton Clemmons ’13 was the featured speaker at VWC’s 2012 Veterans Day Ceremony.

PHOTO: SEQUOIA MULGRAVE ’15

VWC’S UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES MEMBERS HONORED WITH ANNUAL VETERANS DAY CEREMONY AND NEWLY INSTALLED MEMORIAL

All thAt’s missing from this PiCtUrE is YoU!

Begin planning for your future by getting your feet wet with our A-Team.

Visit Virginia Wesleyan College during a VWC Day Open House October 19 & November 9, 2013 February 8 & March 8, 2014 We can't wait to meet you!

Contact our Admissions Office by calling 800.737.8684/757.455.3208 or email admissions@vwc.edu

www.vwc.edu

A Spirited Look at Persuasion

Faculty Focus

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

LINDA FERGUSON EXAMINES THE CULTURAL INFUSION OF THE ABSOLUT BRAND, ANALYZES INFLUENTIAL ADVERTISING TECHNIQUES IN VWC COURSE

ABSOLUT FERGUSON: Professor Linda Ferguson illustrates brand persuasion through visual arts by asking students to create their own advertisements.

ONE PART ABSOLUT VODKA. TWO PARTS POPULAR CULTURE. One dash aesthetics. Combine these ingredients, says business and communication professor Linda Ferguson, and you’ll get an influential cocktail that perfectly encompasses advertisers’ ability to coax consumer perception.

Absolut Vodka so effortlessly models this advertising technique, in fact, that Ferguson believes an entire course could be dedicated to the brand’s campaign, which spans more than 30 years and contains more than 1,500 ads featuring iconic cultural elements such as Andy Warhol’s “Absolut Warhol” painting, the Absolut Manolo Blahnik boot, and Nam June Paik’s video art.

Teaching this particular course is not in her immediate future, but Ferguson did share her research on the Swedish vodka’s advertising campaign at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association’s National Conference in March 2013. Her paper, “Absolut Art: A spirited look at the intersection of art and brand association,” examines the Absolut Company’s ability to establish itself firmly in the art world with the infusion of its distinctly shaped bottle into the aesthetics of architecture, fashion, literature, painting and sculpture.

Her research fits appropriately with her course “Persuasion in the Media,” which examines techniques used to influence consumer perception, including the use of imagery and text that appeals to the consumer’s emotions, logic and moral character.

“My goal is to open students’ eyes as to how the advertising process works and the ways in which persuaders are coming at them,” she says.

No persuasion necessary. It’s clear that Ferguson’s love for marketing is absolute.

as a performer and composer. Trotta received an ASCAP Plus Award based on more than two dozen performances at colleges and universities as well as demand for his original compositions.

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Alison Marganski was awarded the 2012 Maurice L. Mednick Memorial Fellowship by the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.

The $2,000 fellowship has supported her project “Socially Interactive Technology and Interpersonal Violence Among Young Adults in Poland and the United States: Drawing CrossCultural Comparisons and Examining VictimOriented Services.” The results will provide recommendations for future policy, practice, and research.

Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Music Michael Trotta was honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 2012 for his work

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PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

Awards and Achievements

STUDY ABROAD: Dr. Alison Marganski’s Mednick Fellowship helped support her cross-cultural research in Poland.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics Audrey Malagon was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF) based on a recommendation from the Academy for InquiryBased Learning (IBL). The funding was used to redesign the course “Discrete Mathematics” into an IBL format, a method of instruction that places the student, the subject, and their interaction at the center of the learning experience. The redesigned course, “Foundations of Logic and Proof,” made its debut in the spring 2013 semester.

Associate Professor of Art John Rudel presented “The Metagrid Project” earlier this year at the Lorrie Saunders ArtGallery (Lorrie Saunders ’79) in Norfolk.

The exhibit was inspired by the ubiquitous grid and featured old and new paintings and mixed-media

Wesleyan Window

THE POLITICS OF HIP-HOP

creations. The body of work extends back more than 10 years and has garnered numerous awards and honors.

Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Music Lee Jordan-Anders has created a new recording titled “Treasures of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,” which explores the relationship between music and the visual arts by pairing various piano compositions with works of art from the museum’s collection. She has performed the concert live at numerous venues, including VWC and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, exploring the work of Degas and Debussy, Pomodoro and Prokofiev, and more.

Professor of Biology Victor Townsend was honored with a Certificate of Achievement in December 2012 by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Dominion Foundation. He was nominated for a 2013 Outstanding Faculty Award (OFA)

and was one of only 33 nominees that made it to the final selection round. The OFAs are the Commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty at Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities.

Professor of Philosophy Larry Hultgren and Assistant Professor of Communication Lisa Lyon Payne have been awarded with Virginia Wesleyan’s first-ever Innovative Teaching and Engaged Learning (INTEL) faculty grants.

Each grant provides the recipient with up to $1,000 for a project that encourages and advances a culture of innovation and engaged learning.

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

ON THE GOOD FOOT: Murrell Brooks uses music as a hook, inspiring students to SHINY POLYESTER, HIGH-ENERGY consider the political underpinnings of hipdance moves, and the signature hop culture. shrieks of James Brown erupt from an overhead screen Wednesday afternoon, transporting students out of their Blocker Hall classroom into a 1973 Soul Train episode. Disguising it as entertainment, Murrell Brooks has cleverly carried his students into the heart of a hip-hop history lesson, providing a front row glimpse into the music genre and cultural phenomenon shaped by the American Civil Rights Movement and subsequent political issues. This look back in time is all part of Brooks’ course, “The Politics of Hip-Hop.” “The music is just a hook,” he says.

“The students are into it and want to learn more about it.”

These days the assistant professor of political science may be schooling students on the genre’s radical social underpinnings, but 25 years ago Brooks was actively participating in the movement as a member of the hip-hop group “We talk a lot about the role of students in the 1960s,” he says. “I want Double Trouble. As teenagers in 1980s Los Angeles, the group would rap, students to understand their place in society today, to see themselves as emcee and breakdance their way through “battles” against other schools. part of history and connect to it.”

Brooks came to Virginia Wesleyan in 2008 and brought his musical On any given day in Brooks’ classroom, you may find a room full of interests with him. Inspired by an LA-based community development millennials dancing at their desks to influential music of the ’60s and ’70s. program, he created a semester-long course connecting hip-hop to the “This is a different generation,” Brooks says. “You have to be political conditions of the last 30 years. more creative.”

IN TUNE: Music professor Michael Trotta received an ASCAP Plus Award based on his original compositions and performances.

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 11 /

Faculty Focus

A FEATHER IN THEIR CAPS

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

FACULTY FEATS CELEBRATED DURING SHOWCASE EVENT

THE BUCKET (LIST) RUNNETH OVER RELAXATION HAS A DIFFERENT MEANING FOR RECREATION AND LEISURE STUDIES RETIREE JOHN BRALEY, WHO PLANS TO SPEND HIS DAYS GIVING BACK AND GETTING OUTSIDE IT’S A GOOD THING JOHN BRALEY RETIRED THIS YEAR BECAUSE, AS ONE MIGHT suspect based on his area of expertise, the Associate Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies still has quite a few adventures on his bucket list.

“I haven’t taken the opportunity to do a lot of volunteer work,” he says. “I’m looking forward to spending time giving back to my communities.”

With academic accomplishments and a professional career spanning six decades, Braley has already made a lasting impact. In his 35 years at the College, he has certainly left his mark. He took a one-year leave from teaching in 1982 to help establish VWC’s Adult Studies Program and is also responsible for the creation of Virginia Wesleyan’s very first Honor Code, put in place in April 1991.

Now it’s time to check some things off that bucket list. Braley plans to spend his retirement days fishing, kayaking, hiking, sailing, hunting, skiing and pretty much any other outdoor activity you can think of. He’s also looking forward to quality time with his children and grandchildren and playing the guitar.

“You can only do so many things with your life,” he says. “Who knows what my next adventure will be?”

Also retiring in 2013 after 30 years of service is Professor of Biology Paul Resslar. The retirees were honored May 9, 2013 with the traditional commemorative tree planting in the Wilson Arboretum.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MORE THAN 30 faculty members were presented in the Hofheimer Library in April 5-15, 2013, during the special showcase event “A Feather in Your Cap: Virginia Wesleyan College Celebration of Faculty Work,” sponsored by the College’s new Center for Innovative Teaching and Engaged Learning through the Office of Academic Affairs.

The exhibition touted faculty accomplishments from calendar year 2012 through the first quarter of 2013, displaying grants received, publications, music compositions and performances, and more.

“The event was a great opportunity for faculty, staff and students to mingle with colleagues and acknowledge these significant feathers in their academic caps,” says Kathy Stolley, Associate Dean for Innovative Teaching and Engaged Learning. “As well as to forge new collaborations, congratulate good work, and get inspired.”

Among the works included were Thomas R. Fanney Distinguished Associate Professor of Mathematics Margaret Reece’s article “A Multi-Class, Interdisciplinary Project Using Elementary Statistics,” published in PRIMUS; Associate Professor of French Alain Gabon’s grant for the 2012 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers, “France’s Haunting Pasts: Debating 20th-Century History and French National Identity;” and Assistant Professor of Political Science Aubrey Westfall’s 2012 Fulbright Grant to participate in the German Studies Seminar on the topic “Nation State and European Identity.”

Wesleyan Window Student Spotlight

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: Powerful friendships are often forged during transformative college years. Pictured here, inseparable graduates Pollard (left) and Ford.

All-Nighters, Broken Hearts and Take Out SIX HUNDRED MILES MAY HAVE separated Jade Ford ’13 and Courtney Pollard ’13 before they arrived at Virginia Wesleyan in 2009—Ford is from Virginia Beach, Pollard is from Lebanon, New Hampshire—but when the girls met for the first time at their pre-season field hockey practice that fall, they became almost instantly inseparable.

For most, college is a time in life unlike any other. If you are a typical 18 year old, chances are it’s your first time away from the comforts of home. You are suddenly in a situation requiring complete independence, experiencing personal growth at a rapid pace.

A certain kind of human connection can be formed in this environment and powerful

friendships can emerge from the camaraderie and support built on all-nighters, broken hearts, takeout dinners, and the terrifying, thrilling, excitement that comes with being young and free for the first time.

As Graduation Day approached in May, Ford and Pollard had mixed feelings about their future —excitement for what lies ahead but hesitation to leave their support system behind.

“We’re both stressed out because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ford explained just weeks before graduation. “Plus, Courtney might go to New Hampshire. That will be hard because we’ll be so far away.”

Though distance may once again keep Ford and Pollard apart, they will surely carry their VWC friendship with them wherever they go.

IT’S A RAINY AFTERNOON IN JANUARY when Caroline Tetschner scurries into the Godwin Hall lobby. Her beaming smile brightens the otherwise gloomy day as she spots her husband, Navy Commander John Fedorowicz, standing across the room.

Tetschner, a Navy veteran herself, and Fedorowicz have visited campus today to share their unique experience returning to school with support from Virginia Wesleyan's Veterans Benefits Office and the Adult Studies Program.

Having both enrolled in the Alternative Certification for Teachers (ACT) program, the spouses have taken advantage of the generous military education benefits offered through VWC and the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs. The affordable rates of the College’s Adult Studies Program combined with the tuition assistance provided through the Post 9/11 GI Bill has allowed them to

receive their VWC education at virtually no cost to them.

Tetschner and Fedorowicz know firsthand about the challenges of juggling life and school, but continuing education is something they believe is worth making time for. The rain continues to come down as they head back outside to their busy lives. They’ve kept their chat short, as Tetschner needs to get home and prepare for the first week of her new job – teaching seventh grade at a local middle school.

MILITARY BENEFITS: Navy husband and wife, John Fedorowicz and Caroline Tetschner chose VWC to further their education.

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

Education Made Easy for Veteran Couple

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 13 /

Awards and Honors

Student Spotlight

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

VFIC Summer Undergraduate Science Research Fellowships

Matthew Boyce ’13 received the Association of Southeastern Biologists Research Award in Microbiology for research he conducted using worms and compost from VWC’s very own “worm farm.”

Science Star Matthew Boyce ’13 (biology and chemistry) received the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) Research Award in Microbiology in April for his paper “A Metagenomic Comparison of the Microflora from Vermicompost with the Intestinal Microflora from the Composting Worm Eisenia foetida.” Under the guidance of Associate Professor of Biology Philip Rock, Boyce studied Eisenia foetida, commonly known as “red wigglers,” the most widely used worm species in the organic recycling process known as vermicomposting. His research was conducted using worms and compost from Virginia Wesleyan’s very own “worm farm,” established

by Rock in 2010 as a result of the President’s Environmental Challenge Grant. Boyce contended against graduate students and faculty to win the $500 award, which was presented at ASB’s 74th annual meeting in Charleston, West Virginia.

Boyce was also selected to participate in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s 2013 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He was awarded a $5,500 fellowship to attend the 11-week program, where he studied “Measurement of Samples by Spinning Cell LA-ICP-MS.”

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The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) Summer Undergraduate Research Program allows undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct science-related research under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Students are awarded grants that support their chosen area of research, allowing for training in research methods, data analysis and creation of written and oral presentations of their findings. VFIC has provided more than $300,000 to support summer undergraduate research programs at its member colleges, including funding for these VWC students: Michael Corder ’14 (math and computer science) was awarded $2,000 from VFIC in summer 2012 to conduct his research, “Mathematica Computations of Gram Matrices in Lie Superalgebras,” under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Mathematics Audrey Malagon. His research minimizes the time spent calculating and checking work on Gram Matrix construction and creates an environment within Mathematica where consistently reliable results are available and easy to use. Corder presented his research in February 2013 at Mercer University’s Undergraduate Research Conference in Macon, Georgia.

Jeffrey Illinik ’14 (biology) was awarded $2,000 from VFIC in summer 2012 and traveled to Belize to conduct his research “Food Choice of the Neotropical Harvestman Erginulus clavotibialis (Opilones: Laniatores: Cosmetidae).” Illinik examined the country’s harvestmen species, including potentially new species that were examined under the College’s scanning electron microscope. His research was conducted under the guidance of biology professors Maynard Schaus and Victor Townsend and was presented in April 2013 at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists hosted by Marshall University in Charleston, West Virginia.

Andrea Slurff ’14 (biology) received a $2,000 Summer Undergraduate Science Research Fellowship grant in 2013 to support her research “Diversity of Ascoglossa (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia: Ascoglossa) from the Florida Keys,” focusing on the biology, ecology, and biogeography of opisthobranch mollusks (sea slugs). Under the guidance of Batten Associate Professor of Biology Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson, Slurff spent 10 days at the Keys Marine Lab in Long Key, Florida collecting specimens, identifying species and documenting their developmental patterns. She plans to present her results in spring 2014 at the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) meeting in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as well as at the Virginia Academy of Sciences (VAS) meeting at James Madison University.

Alison Washington ’15 (chemistry) was awarded $2,500 from VFIC in summer 2013 to support her research “Kinetics of Release of Dyes and Pigments in Thermally Cured Poly(allylamine)/Poly(acrylic acid hydrochloride) Thin Films.” Washington worked under the supervision of Associate Professor of Chemistry Kevin Kittredge, preparing films and studying the rates of release of a drug mimic, methylene blue, at physiological temperatures. She and Kittredge plan to present the findings in 2014 at the Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS).

Wesleyan Window

INTO THE SHARK TANK

Student Spotlight

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

BUSINESS STUDENTS MODEL COMPETITION AFTER POPULAR SERIES AS PART OF FALL CONFERENCE

Fresh Direction JASON SEWARD ’05 NAMED COLLEGE’S NEW DEAN OF FRESHMEN FOR MANY YOUNG STUDENTS, BEGINNING FRESHMAN year of college can seem a bit overwhelming. Leaving home, meeting new friends, forming good study habits, and seeking help are all part of the transitional experience. To help students integrate into their new lives at the College, Virginia Wesleyan recently appointed Jason Seward ’05 as Dean of Freshmen.

In his new role, Seward will help address students’ individual transitional needs, connect them to valuable resources and opportunities, and cultivate an understanding of the College’s history and traditions.

“This is an exciting and challenging time for new students,” Seward said. “But hard work along with VWC’s support systems will help ensure a very successful and productive year. The key to overcoming challenges is to ask for help.”

Seward also serves as the College’s Director of the Jane P. Batten Student Center.

IT’S SINK. OR SWIM. IF YOU’VE EVER TUNED IN TO THE HIT TV SHOW Shark Tank, then you are undoubtedly familiar with this opening ultimatum.

For freshmen enrolled in “Introduction to Business,” this entrepreneurial challenge has become a reality.

For the past four semesters, the concept has been transformed into a competitive class project and one of the highlights of the weeklong VWC Business Conference.

In November 2012, student entrepreneurial group Spa-Lax impressed theoretical Shark Tank investors with their cohesive plan for an upscale gym and spa.

“Everybody had different ideas,” said group member Jessica Moss ’16. “I wanted to open up a spa, someone else wanted to do the relaxation side of it, and another team member had athletic interests. It just kind of combined itself.”

The VWC Business Conference, organized each semester by “Principles of Management” classes, implores students to apply lessons from courses outside of business, providing a hands-on learning experience typical of the VWC liberal arts education.

“This is our signature event,” said Associate Professor of Management/ Business/Economics Paul Ewell. “It ties the entire program together and the students do a phenomenal job.”

One thing’s for sure, these Marlins will be swimming, not sinking.

SINK OR SWIM: Spa-Lax members (from left) Tyrell Jones ’16, La'Cresha Lambert ’14, Jessica Moss ’16, Kaycee Stegall ’16 and Jalea Cherry ’16.

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

Through the Wardrobe

PHOTO: MORGAN STROYECK ’14

LEARNING WITH LEWIS: Students and faculty traveled to Oxford, England in summer 2012 to immerse themselves in the life and work of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

“I HAVE RARELY HAD SUCH AN AMAZINGLY delightful group of fellow pilgrims in learning and hiking and eating and drinking in all of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Oxford,” said Virginia Wesleyan’s C.S. Lewis Endowed Chair in Communication and Christian Thought Terry Lindvall, who organized the weeklong trip that included high tea at the Eastgate Hotel; visits to Merton College and Magdalen College; and a tour of Christ Church. “Visiting their colleges, their favorite pubs and churches, homes and tombstones, bookstores and cobblestone streets, not only gave us all a sense of their lives and their creative work in the Shire and in Narnia, but it brought our diverse group together as a merry band of explorers.”

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 15 /

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THE 2012-13 ACADEMIC YEAR WAS AN EVENTFUL ONE AT VWC. HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE

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IMAGES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND BEYOND 1. At the 31st Annual Seafood Party in the Dell, held on campus each spring, a large group of alumni gathered along with faculty, staff, family and friends for this impromptu photo.

2. Steve Roberson ’92, owner of Colonial Tonewoods, visited VWC in April 2013 to give students, faculty and staff a guitar-making demonstration during Professor Lee Jordan-Anders’ class “A World of Music.”

3. Butch and Carol Everett, namesakes of the recently opened Everett Tennis Center, pose with student-athletes Mia Proctor and Lauren Brooker at the ribbon-cutting ceremony held during Homecoming and Parent Weekend 2012.

4. Biology major Andrea Slurff ’14 was the winner of the College’s first-ever Scanning Electron Microscope photo contest for “Dinner and a Host,” her electron image of a parasitic mite attached to the cuticle of its arachnid host.

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5. Communication professor Kathy Merlock Jackson places a hood on graduating senior Rachel Balsley during VWC’s 44th Commencement Ceremony on May 18, 2013.

6. Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Senegal Trudy Stevenson (shown here at an international event), visited Virginia Wesleyan in October 2012. Ambassador Stevenson discussed international relations, politics and African history and answered questions at a public forum.

7. Wesleyan student choirs celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with a series of performances in Virginia Beach and Birmingham, Alabama, featuring original music

by VWC’s Director of Choral Music Michael Trotta and composer Glenn McClure.

8. Members of the VWC women’s volleyball team show off their style on a float during the 2012 Homecoming Parade.

9. During a campus video shoot in fall 2012, Lena Nguyen ’16 strolled through the Women of Wesleyan Greenhouse, built in 1974 and used throughout the decades by botany students.

10. Young members of the group Praise Dance from nearby Enoch Baptist Church in Virginia Beach were special guests at the College’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration held in Monumental Chapel. (Photo by Thomas Mills ’15)

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11. Then sophomores (from left) Skye Winship, Branner Johnston, Candace Carey and Kandace Gates posed in Kellam Hall next to the mural they created as part of the College’s “Embrace Your Space” initiative.

12. Joe Ruddy ’83, named President and CEO of Virginia International Terminals in April 2013, served as a keynote speaker at a dinner reception held as part of the VWC’s Spring Business Conference. Ruddy is pictured here in his office overlooking the Elizabeth River in Norfolk. (Photo courtesy of the Virginian-Pilot, Thé N. Pham)

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Janice Marshall–Pittman

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Toy Story FOR ERIC NYMAN ’94, LIFE AT HASBRO REALLY IS ALL FUN AND GAMES

PASSION PLAY: That his work might one day involve dinner-table discussions with his daughters about Nerf color palettes was inconceivable to Nyman when he enrolled at Virginia Wesleyan.

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PHOTO: VIC CULVER

By Molly (Long) Mastantuono '98 Photos by Michael Cevoli

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 19 /

“A

ll work and no play” isn’t a familiar concept for Eric Nyman ’94.

After all, as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Hasbro, Inc.—one of the world’s largest toy and game companies—Nyman effectively gets paid to play. Or, as he says, “to create magical entertainment and play experiences for kids and adults around the world.”

Founded in 1923 by Henry and Hillel Hassenfeld, brothers who started out selling school supplies, Hasbro today boasts annual revenues topping $4 billion. Chances are, if you know a child—or were once one yourself—you’ve played with a Hasbro toy or game.

The Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based company is associated with scores of iconic brands, from My Little Pony and G.I. Joe to Candy Land and Twister.

Hasbro also has a long-standing reputation for innovation. In 1952, the company introduced Mr. Potato Head, the first children’s toy to be advertised on television. Today, the treasured tater is Hasbro’s official mascot, and the brand has evolved to include a Mrs. Potato Head and special-edition figures, including a Star Wars-themed Darth Tater and a Spider-Man Spider Spud.

“Brands don’t get tired; people get tired,” Nyman explains. “A lot of folks have really deep emotional connections to the brands we have at Hasbro. So we’re constantly trying to make sure we’re connecting emotionally with them, but doing so in a way that’s fresh and relevant.”

Innovation is key, Nyman says. He cites a recent “token vote” contest for Monopoly in which fans were asked to choose, via Facebook, an original token from the classic board game to “retire,” and also to select its replacement.

“It wound up being a global sensation,” he says. Ultimately, fans felt the iron token should no longer pass “Go!” and collect $200. The new token, a cat, begins vying for Boardwalk real estate in August 2013.

Hasbro has continually distinguished itself as an industry leader by thinking outside the toy box. Hasbro brands are now leveraged through a variety of formats, including digital media, television, and even film. Its mega-successful Transformers line, which debuted in 1984 with action figures, has his since grown to include online and mobile games, comic and e-books, branded apparel and sporting goods, an animated television show and a blockbuster live-action film series.

The Transformers success story is in part Nyman’s own, as the brand is one of many for which he oversees all marketing efforts. Officially, he’s in charge of Hasbro’s robust “boys’ portfolio,” which also includes Nerf, Spider-Man, and Star Wars; its educational toy and creative play divisions, anchored by the Sesame Street, Play-Doh, and Playskool brands; and its gaming division, which boasts such seminal titles as Monopoly, Risk, and The Game of Life. Needless to say, Nyman is a busy man. And, he’s the first to admit, a “fortunate” one.

“I feel really privileged to be a part of the Hasbro team,” he says.

“There are very few adults who can’t remember their favorite action figure or doll or toy growing up. [To be able to help] create that favorite toy or game for a new generation of kids all around the world,…well, that’s a really fun endeavor.”

Nyman is particularly excited about a new product line he’s helped develop: Nerf Rebelle, which debuts this fall. Touted as Hasbro’s first active sports line for girls, Rebelle features foam-blasting guns similar to those offered in the boys’ line, as well as crossbows that shoot foam darts up to 75 feet. It’s a project he takes to heart as the father of two daughters—Brooke, 12, and Ava, 10—with his wife, Laura.

“It’s very much top of mind for me to develop great play experiences for girls. It’s important to provide products and experiences that build their confidence and make them feel empowered.”

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A FAMILIAR FACE: Then senior Eric Nyman and fellow student Rhea Vaflor were featured on the very first issue of Virginia Wesleyan College’s magazine in 1993. That year, Nyman became the College’s first-ever nominee for a Rhodes Scholarship.

To ensure that Nerf Rebelle will do just that, Hasbro sought what Nyman calls “the right girl insight” by appealing directly to its target audience. Brooke and Ava were among those who gleefully tested products and offered opinions about their design. The girls were thrilled to act as consultants, he says, and “they’re really fired up” about the Rebelle line.

THAT HIS WORK MIGHT ONE DAY INVOLVE DINNER-TABLE discussions with his daughters about Nerf color palettes was inconceivable to Nyman when he enrolled at Virginia Wesleyan. At the time, his career ambitions involved vague notions of law school. Yet, he had some sense of what he wanted out of his undergraduate experience.

“I was definitely looking for a liberal arts experience.” Having grown up in the Cape Cod hamlet of Eastham, Massachusetts, Nyman admits he also “wanted something near the beach.”

But the single biggest motivating factor behind his decision to become a Marlin was the Wesleyan Scholars program.

“I have two younger sisters,” he explains, “and our family didn’t have enough money for a private college. Being a Scholar allowed me to go to a premier school that otherwise I couldn’t have afforded, a school with a fabulous faculty, where I got a great education.”

In addition to being a Wesleyan Scholar, Nyman was editor of the student newspaper, The Marlin Chronicle, a member of the tennis team, and captain of the basketball team.

“Basketball was a big deal for me back then,” he says, so it was especially meaningful for him when, during his junior year, the team made the NCAA tournament “for the first time in a long, long while.”

His involvement in a variety of extracurricular activities was made possible, in part, by Virginia Wesleyan’s size.

“I was able to do a lot of things there that I just wouldn’t have been able to at a larger school,” he says. “It was great to be part of such a supportive community.”

Nyman graduated with a degree in history in 1994 and a year later enrolled in a joint M.B.A. and law program at Boston College. After taking classes at the Carroll School of Management, however, he found his passion in marketing and he ultimately decided to pursue only his M.B.A. As he neared completion of his degree, Nyman began thinking about the next steps in his career—and, in doing so, drew inspiration from Virginia Wesleyan’s president, Billy Greer.

“I remember his graduation day speech distinctly,” he says. “His theme was, ‘When you get where you’re going, where will you be?’ That’s

something that’s really stayed with me throughout the years.”

With this in mind, Nyman decided that where he wanted to be was doing something that he loved. So he created a “passion list,” writing down five things he enjoyed most—being outdoors and playing sports, for example—and identifying five companies for each interest that offered related products or services. When he was finished, he wrote letters to all 25 companies on his list and was rejected summarily by all of them. Undaunted, Nyman repeated the exercise, identifying 25 more companies; he received 25 more rejection letters.

“I put them all on my wall,” Nyman laughs, “and my roommates and I played darts with them.”

By the third or fourth round, however, his persistence paid off, and he began receiving positive responses. Soon after, he began working in brand management for The Lego Group.

A few years later, Nyman moved on to Timberland, where he worked for four years until receiving a call, in 2003, from a former Lego boss who now worked for Hasbro.

“He asked me to come work on the Star Wars line of toys,” he explains, “and I just couldn’t say no. After all, Star Wars was the first movie I’d ever seen in a theater.” He’s been working happily at Hasbro ever since.

Nyman takes a moment to think about the path that brought him to Hasbro, to a job that allows him to spend his days “brainstorming ways to make Nerf Super Soaker water blasters more fun and interesting.” His professional journey, he says, began at Virginia Wesleyan.

“I didn’t necessarily go there knowing I was going to someday work in the toy industry, but I certainly learned a lot of skills there, and met a lot of incredible people there, that helped me find my passion and become the person that I am today.” He pauses.

“Quite simply, I couldn’t have gotten here without going there.”

Molly (Long) Mastantuono, a freelance writer, graduated from Virginia Wesleyan in 1998 with a degree in English. Like her interview subject, she was also a Wesleyan Scholar and editor of The Marlin Chronicle. A Virginia Beach native, Molly now lives in Newton, Massachusetts, with her husband, Massimo, and their inquisitive and energetic toddler, Ilaria.

"There are very few adults who can’t remember their favorite action figure or doll or toy growing up. [ To be able to help] create that favorite toy or game for a new generation of kids all around the world, well, that’s a really fun endeavor. "

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 21 /

EVER MINDFUL NEW BOOK EDITED BY PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR STEVEN EMMANUEL EXPLORES BUDDHIST THOUGHT FROM DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

By Mike Knepler

T

HIRTY YEARS AGO, A BOSTON UNIVERSITY PHILOSOPHY seminar was suddenly interrupted by a belligerent student.

At the front of the classroom, distinguished philosopher John Niemeyer Findlay remained remarkably unbothered by the outburst, keeping an unusual level of composure for the situation at hand. It was this display of control that ultimately sparked then-undergraduate philosophy student Steven Emmanuel to delve into Buddhism.

“It was impressive the way he was able to maintain that kind of calm in a situation that struck all of us as quite volatile,” Emmanuel recalls.

“The student was emotionally disturbed, very agitated and loud.”

A few days later, Emmanuel asked the professor how he was able to keep his cool. The aging philosopher explained that he was a practitioner of Buddhism. He recommended that Emmanuel look into Buddhist meditation, a “mind-training” discipline aimed at developing concentration, tranquility and insight.

“Meditation isn’t just being quiet. It is a mode of inquiry,” says Emmanuel. “Allowing the mind to clear is preparatory to insight. Not all knowledge is the product of an uninterrupted sequence of logical reasoning. It’s a different kind of process, but it’s a wonderful source of creativity, original thought and deep understanding that you’ll never achieve if you’re constantly living at the edge of your own thought process.”

Emmanuel has always been fascinated with different cultures, so it seems only natural that the VWC professor of philosophy would want his new book, A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy, to help build bridges between Eastern and Western philosophic traditions. After all, he has been journeying across cultures for much of his life.

The 736-page tome, which he organized and edited, is just the latest of his intellectual forays into the thoughts and traditions of other cultures. Previous endeavors include three books, numerous articles on philosophy, and four video documentaries, including Making Peace with Viet Nam, Contemplating Thoreau, Religion Serving Humanity and The Monks of Pungo. Emmanuel’s studies have garnered major grants and fellowships, including research travels to Viet Nam and a 1980s Fulbright to the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He can speak or read five languages and has taught philosophy at Virginia Wesleyan for 21 years.

Despite his professional accomplishments, studying and teaching philosophy is much more than academic pedagogy for Emmanuel.

It’s a way of living, reflecting and sharing the philosophic lessons he believes can help improve the life of a community.

As an example, Emmanuel and several students visited Viet Nam in 2007 to study and film the lingering effects of war. On / 22 / MARLIN

returning home, the professor organized the Mindful Marlins, a campus organization using meditation to address community issues. Members of the club share their contemplative skills at the Seton Youth Shelter in Virginia Beach, helping troubled teens develop healthy, peaceful problem-solving strategies.

Learning the philosophical traditions of other cultures, Emmanuel notes, can also have dollars-and-cents results.

“Given the reality of our global economy, it’s important that we know more about Eastern cultures,” he says. “If I’m a Thai businessman and you come to Thailand wanting to do business with me, I’m going to respect you a lot more, and take it as a sign of your respect for me, if you know something about my culture. I’d be less likely to feel that you’re out to exploit me if I know that you’ve taken time to find out about who we are as a people and what we believe.”

For the past dozen years, Emmanuel also has advocated that the teaching of philosophy be more inclusive of Asian contributions.

“We do courses called ‘Introduction to Philosophy,’ semester-in, semester-out, all across the country. But really what [many teachers] do is ‘Introduction to Western Philosophy,’ neglecting that there is a whole, vast tradition of thinking that actually has amazing insights to contribute.”

Emmanuel also believes that interest in Asian philosophies has grown, as evidenced by the current job market.

“When I first started looking for jobs out of graduate school, nobody was hiring anybody to teach courses in Buddhist philosophy,” he says. “Today you can find a handful of job ads.

[Asian philosophy] really has entered popular culture in a way that has made people curious.”

Emmanuel sees a broad audience for A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy, which was published in April 2013 as part of the Wiley-Blackwell Companions to Philosophy series. The volume, he says, will appeal not only to undergraduate and graduate students but also to Buddhist scholars and teachers of philosophy. continued on page 24

MANY FACES OF BUDDHA: An ancient and complex tradition, Buddhism has amazing insights to contribute when considering humanity’s most enduring questions, says Steven Emmanuel.

These paintings of Buddha’s face were created by VWC alumnus Clayton Singleton ’94.

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 23 /

We have a beautiful lake on campus.

Go sit there, think about what you’ve read and get some insight. That’s the precious thing that comes from creating time to reflect.”

“It’s a resource book for potentially anybody who has a serious interest in learning about Buddhist thought,” Emmanuel says.

But creating the book was not such an easy accomplishment. As he explains in the introduction, the challenge “of producing a comprehensive, single-volume treatment of Buddhist philosophy” included “how to do justice to the sheer breadth and diversity of a tradition that spans some two and a half millennia.”

Emmanuel recruited 44 scholars to contribute chapters to the book, which was several years in the making. The chapters are organized into five sections: Conceptual Foundations, Major Schools of Buddhist Thought, Themes in Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist Meditation and Contemporary Issues and Applications.

Topics in the contemporary issues section may sound familiar to American society: environmental and biomedical issues, war and peace, human rights, gender and diversity. But the discussions show the diversity of Buddhist thought and bear the nuances from several Asian cultures that make them distinct from Western societies.

Certain bioethical debates, such as abortion, do not compare easily to Western versions. As Damien Keown, author of the biomedical chapter, writes, “The Buddhist belief in rebirth clearly introduces a new dimension to the abortion debate. For one thing, it puts the question ‘When does life begin?’ in an entirely new light. For Buddhism, life is a continuum with no discernible starting point, and birth and death are like a revolving door through which an individual passes again and again.”

Concerning war and peace, chapter author Sallie B. King presents Buddhist beliefs in a wide range of historical contexts and situations, including ancient and modern wars, state violence, warrior monks and self-immolation during the Viet Nam War. Chapters on human rights, gender and diversity contrast ideals, such as the practice of “lovingkindness” (a popular form of Buddhist meditation), compassion and alleviation of suffering, with the realities of Buddhist societies where “gender discrimination…is especially glaring.”

Dr. Steven Emmanuel is a Professor of Philosophy at Virginia Wesleyan College.

His latest book, A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell) was published in April 2013.

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The authors of the chapters on contemporary issues, Emmanuel says, are certainly not stating the last word on these issues.

“They are trying to explain issues within the traditions, with tools that are available within those traditions, and showing how the traditions could be useful in helping us think about these issues today.”

Emmanuel believes Buddhism offers a promising perspective in the area of environmental issues with its focus on interconnectedness of all things, of human beings living interdependently with nature.

Interconnectedness is another one of Buddhism’s central precepts. In the book’s introduction, Emmanuel elaborates on the notion.

“All phenomena arise within a complex network of mutually conditioning causes and effects. As Buddha succinctly put the point: ‘When this exists, that comes to be; with the arising of this, that arises. When this does not exist, that does not come to be: with the cessation of this, that ceases.’”

Or, as Emmanuel often summarizes, “This is like this because that is like that.”

Emmanuel encourages his students to allow themselves time for contemplation and believes the practice leads to better discussions in the classroom.

“I tell them to read something and then go take a walk,” he says. “We have a beautiful lake on campus. Go sit there, think about what you’ve read and get some insight. That’s the precious thing that comes from creating time to reflect.”

The meditative discipline also continues to mesh with Emmanuel’s longtime interest in the martial arts, including his current practice of the Japanese art of iaido, focusing on body movements in the drawing and returning of a sword. He was also involved in Olympic-style fencing for many years, helping to start the Tidewater Fencing Club, which still meets on campus.

Although Emmanuel admires many aspects of Buddhist philosophy and has benefitted from Buddhist-style meditation, he does not consider himself a Buddhist.

“I’m a practicing non-Buddhist,” he allows.

“That’s all I will say about that.”

Mike Knepler is a Norfolk-based freelance writer and editor and a longtime journalist.

Visit him at www.MikeKnepler.com.

Make what matters FPO, new ad coming count “I teach to nurture my students’ inner vision – to see politics and culture with mind and heart and soul together.”

William M. Jones, Ph.D. VWC Professor of Political Science 1979-2006

A TribuTe To The Life And CAreer of Professor biLL Jones

B

ill Jones believed profoundly in the value of a liberal arts education and he devoted his professional life to it. A beloved professor of political science at Virginia Wesleyan for 27 years, Bill cared as much

for his students’ lives as for their learning. His academic interests focused on popular culture – he was passionate about movies, every imaginable kind of music, and the novels of William Faulkner. Bill was well-known for using film clips to illustrate key points during his lectures. He found film, music, television and literature to be magical wellsprings of inspiration that brought opportunities for intellectual inquiry and rapturous enjoyment.

After Bill’s death in May 2007, his wife, Connie, and children, David and Cary, paid tribute to his legacy at Virginia Wesleyan by establishing the William Milton Jones Endowed Scholarship, providing an opportunity for a Hampton Roads student to experience a liberal arts education. After meeting several of the student scholarship recipients, Connie has also made a deferred gift from her estate to build the scholarship fund.

Pay tribute to your passion

Like the family of Bill Jones, you can make a meaningful investment in a young person’s future. Naming Virginia Wesleyan College as a beneficiary of your estate can be a powerful tool for making what matters count.

For a confidential conversation about including the College in your estate plans, please contact Lori McCarel ’94, Director of Leadership Giving, at 757.455.8786 or lmccarel@vwc.edu.

Inquiring Minds UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH GIVES STUDENTS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES TO THINK CRITICALLY AND EXPLORE THEIR PASSIONS. MEET THREE RECENT VWC GRADUATES WHOSE CURIOSITY AND HARD WORK EARNED ACCOLADES ON CAMPUS AND BEYOND.

BETWEEN THE LINES: English major Mike Connors received a grant to travel to the University of Texas at Austin’s Harry Ransom Center to study the work of David Foster Wallace. Shown here, a handwritten draft of Wallace’s novel Infinite Jest. (Image courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center, ©David Foster Wallace Literary Trust)

By Leona Baker Photos by Janice Marshall-Pittman

“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning, boys. How’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’”

—David Foster Wallace / 26 / MARLIN

IN DAVID FOSTER WALLACE’S famed 2005 commencement speech at Kenyon College—later published as an essay titled “This is Water” and recently reimagined as unauthorized viral video—the celebrated postmodern author challenges graduates to consider the “real value of a real education.”

He argues that education “has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and

everything to do with simple awareness.”

Wallace goes on to suggest that the liberal arts prepare students, not by teaching them how to think, but by giving them the freedom to decide what to think about.

During his freshman year at VWC, English major Mike Connors ’13 came across the speech and was drawn to Wallace’s colloquial style and candor.

“His novels and stories are very diverse,” says Connors, “but I think an overriding theme exists in all of them: the difficulty extant in creating meaningful human connection. It’s a theme that’s important to me because I think it applies to every person on this planet.”

As a part of his senior capstone research project, Connors zeroed in on two of Wallace’s short stories, “My Appearance” and “Good Old Neon.”

He received a grant from VWC’s Undergraduate Research Program to travel to the University of Texas at Austin’s Harry Ransom Center to study Wallace’s work.

The Ransom Center’s David Foster Wallace Archive contains handwritten manuscripts—complete with the scribbles and scratch-outs of an author immersed in his own process. Connors was able to examine them up-close, to get a peek inside the mind of a man widely considered to be one of the most influential and innovative writers of his generation.

“When you read someone like Wallace, you think to yourself: Wow, I can’t fathom how he is able to write so intelligently and comically and urgently at the same time,” Connors explains. “But after looking at his manuscripts, the myriad changes he made in every story, the letters he sent to his mentor, I began to realize the final copy everyone sees didn’t just jump from his brain to the page. It took work. A hell of a lot of hard, lonely, lengthy work.”

Connors’ own work resulted in a 25-page research paper titled “Human Connectivity in the Fiction of David Foster Wallace,” completed with the help of his faculty mentors, English professors Gavin Pate and Stephen Hock.

Undergraduate research is a quintessential part of the Virginia Wesleyan experience and one that allows students like Connors and his fellow recent graduates Jenna Starkey and Delores Roberts the opportunity to exercise their freedom to decide what to think about.

“Undergraduate research frees students to pursue what interests them, what they have a passion for,” says Sara Sewell, Professor of History and Director of Undergraduate Research at VWC. “It’s just you and your brain and you get to figure out what you love. Research helps students to develop the highest level thinking skills, which are essential not only for graduate school, but also for other parts of life, including both professional and personal pursuits.”

For Connors, who was a member of the Marlin lacrosse team and the College’s

ROTC program, life after VWC began with a seven-year commitment to the U.S. Army where he is on track to become an Engineer Officer and where those high-level thinking skills will undoubtedly come in handy.

GOOD CHEMISTRY: A fellowship from the U.S. Department of Energy gave Jenna Starkey the “opportunity of a lifetime” to attend a summer radiochemistry program hosted by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Power to Pursue LIKE MIKE CONNORS, CHEMISTRY major Jenna Starkey ’13 earned a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to explore her passion in a unique setting as an undergraduate—not in a quiet university archive but in a storied, and heavily secured, government facility in the middle of the Nevada desert.

Mentored by Assistant Professor of Chemistry Maury Howard, Starkey received a fellowship from the U.S. Department of Energy to spend six weeks in California and Nevada for the 2012 Radiochemistry Fuel Cycle Summer School program hosted by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

As part of the experience, Starkey got to visit the Nevada National Security Site, formerly the Nevada Test Site. Known as the nation’s nuclear proving ground, the site’s mission now includes a mandate to improve the management and environmental impacts of nuclear energy waste.

As one of only 12 undergraduates in this exclusive program, Starkey was paired with a graduate mentor, took a radiochemistry class and was allowed to participate in research involving a new, more efficient route for synthesizing useful materials from nuclear waste.

The process involves technetium-99, a radioactive metal that can be utilized for medical imaging.

“They want to expand awareness about what they are doing,” says Starkey, “because it’s something that is fairly well known on the West Coast but not as much on the East Coast.

I got to handle radioactive elements.

That’s something that not many undergraduates can say. I was trained to handle radioactive materials and got a certification to do so: Radiological Worker II. It’s pretty amazing.”

Starkey’s research presentation on her work was titled “Characterization and

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 27 /

DIVERSITY MATTERS: Dolores Roberts presented her research paper on diversity in the workplace at the 2013 Society for the Advancement of Management Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

Synthesis of Binary Technetium Halides: A New Route to Technetium Tribromide.” She says the mentorship she received during the program made her recognize how she could use the things she’d already learned and put them into practice.

“They made me feel like I was so intelligent. I realized I did know this stuff— that I just had to access information I already had. It was one of the best summers I have ever had. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I went out on a limb and it turned out to be this incredibly rewarding experience.”

Starkey plans to spend some time teaching but hopes to pursue her doctorate and eventually a career in radiochemistry in which she can increase awareness about the often unseen processes that affect our daily lives.

Diversity and Determination DOLORES ROBERTS ’13 RADIATES positive energy when she walks into a room.

It’s easy to see why this mother of two teenage daughters and avid runner was readily able to make the transition into college life.

“I was really concerned when I got here as a non-traditional age student

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that I wouldn’t fit in,” Roberts admits, “But because from day one, my very first class, we were put into teams— that really helped me to feel like I was part of the school. I instantly felt connected. I felt like I was a Marlin.”

Roberts was able to draw on her experiences as a working professional—18 years in government contracting—when it came to participating in class assignments and thinking about what she might like to research before completing her degree in business at VWC. For most of her professional life, she was often the youngest person in any given work situation.

“I found that because I was younger, I could learn from my coworkers’ vast experience. And they could learn from my different points of view, my background. It helped the team to work better.”

She thought it would be interesting to research how the presence of different perspectives—including those related to age—might help or hurt a group of people working on a business project. She looked at all kinds of diversity: different abilities, interests, backgrounds, lifestyles.

“They all bring different qualities to the team,” she says. “So if everybody has the same background—they’re all farm girls from the same small town—they’re all going to have similar ideas. Not that they won’t be

good ideas, but the amount of ideas that come up is limited.”

Roberts’ mentor, business professor Paul Ewell, encouraged her to submit…her research paper on the topic, “Diversity in Work Teams,” and she was invited to present it at the 2013 Society for the Advancement of Management Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

“The paper is about not just teamwork, but how much diversity is necessary to create the right amount of cognitive conflict for a team to be effective. I got such positive feedback from the discussions for my presentation at the conference. I was smiling ear to ear. I felt so honored.”

Roberts was also able to put her own teamwork skills—and her passion for running—to the test as part of an internship she completed while at VWC. After graduation, she was thrilled to be offered a full-time position by the same company where she did her internship: locally based J&A Racing, which hosts the Anthem Wicked 10K in Virginia Beach and other racing events.

The job is a “perfect fit,” she says. Roberts doesn’t rule out post graduate study and hopes to carry what she’s gained at VWC into everything she does.

“I’m very passionate about learning. I just feel we should never stop learning. It keeps us alive. It keeps us interested in the world.”

Each year, with the guidance and support of dedicated faculty mentors, close to 100 Virginia Wesleyan students undertake the challenging task of producing original research. Whether focused on hot-button issues in business, technological developments in radiochemistry or the underpinnings of contemporary literature, undergraduate research helps VWC students establish lifelong learning patterns and ways of examining the world from different perspectives.

“We are a liberal arts college,” notes Sara Sewell. “Liberal arts, by definition, means that we engage a wide range of intellectual issues from an array of perspectives. The Undergraduate Research Program helps students to see the relationships between various disciplines and challenges them to think in different ways.”

In 2013, the College revamped its annual Undergraduate Research Symposium to reflect a more interdisciplinary approach in which student work from all three academic divisions is featured. The next symposium will take place during the spring 2014 semester.

Study A’Blog STUDENTS TRAVELING ABROAD AS PART OF VWC’S NEW GLOBAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES

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January

Discovering in Spain Allison Dazey ’14, Business and Hispanic Studies Studied at: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

By Stephanie Smaglo SCOTT WESTFALL ’14 HIKED through a rain forest and swam in the Great Barrier Reef. Carly Ciarochi ’14 stood in Saint Peter’s Square watching as white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel. In Morocco, Kaitlyn Dozier ’14 rode a camel for the first time in her life. This is just a small sampling of the many cultural experiences VWC’s first group of Global Scholars had as they embarked on international adventures during the spring 2013 semester.

In the last year, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, VWC’s Global Scholars Program has nearly doubled the number of semester abroad experiences for students. The award program generally covers costs associated with room, board, tuition, and incidentals and recipients are chosen through a competitive application and interview process. The three-year pilot program will continue through the 2014-2015 academic year, providing resources for at least 38 students to spend a semester abroad.

The spring 2013 Global Scholars kept blogs about their experiences, connecting them back home and keeping them active in their global community. Here are excerpts from some of the adventures they had along the way.

Blog content has been edited for clarity and space.

I

t’s hard to believe how much has gone on in just this first week. We’ve had orientation every day to learn about Madrid, the University, navigation, safety, and the different activities and volunteer opportunities that will be available this semester.

It’s been great to taste the different foods, to get to know everyone, and to start speaking Spanish again.

I really like my host and all of the students in my program.

There are Spanish students from the University that have signed up to help us out and to attend all of our functions.

Meeting Spaniards is essential to being immersed in the culture, so these students have been an amazing resource for us.

We’ve had some great activities this week including a walking tour of the Chueca neighborhood where we got to see a building designed by Antoni Gaudí. Next we went to a tapas bar and had a short flamenco (dancing) lesson, followed by dinner and a show. Today I went with a group of people in our program to the Real Madrid v. Getafe soccer game.

I feel like there is so much more to write about this week, but then I would be stuck at my computer instead of experiencing more of Madrid, so I’m going to try to keep my entries short, sweet, and weekly!

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 29 /

Connecting in Prague

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February

Engaging in Australia

25 March

Tempe Martens ’14, Business and Psychology Internship: Holmes Place

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had a great first day of my internship! My outfit looked great, I found the location easily, I was on time, and everyone was so nice. My internship is at an extremely nice and upscale fitness center (Holmes Place). It is beautiful, classy, trendy, and most important, friendly.

I was met by my internship supervisor (IS), the head of marketing for the area, who showed me to our little lounge office (very posh) and introduced me to the two other women who manage the club’s marketing/digital promotions.

She explained the annual marketing campaigns, current promotions, and what my main projects will be. I will be working on environmental scanning, research, and competitive analysis to see what kinds of campaigns are currently being used in the fitness and wellness industry, which are working best, and how we can use those ideas to create our own unique campaigns.

One of the best parts about this internship is that I will usually be spending the mornings in the office, but will also be able to work from home half the time. This flexibility will allow me to use my afternoons to discover this wonderful city.

My colleagues are kind, welcoming, and excited to have me. I think that I can be a great help to them, and I hope to present them with some great campaign ideas!

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Scott Westfall ’14, Psychology and Business Studied at: University of Melbourne

I

have been in Australia for over a month now and cannot believe how fast my time here is going. I can honestly say I have grown leaps and bounds and have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams with life-changing experiences.

One of the most influential experiences I’ve had so far was a free public lecture on “rethinking motivation” by world-renowned social psychologist Tory Higgins. He countered the classical hedonic theories of motivation, based on pleasure and pain, by adding another factor behind it: engagement. Unlike pain and pleasure –which give motivation, direction and intensity– engagement gives only intensity. I have never felt more engaged to learn, grow and explore.

Since being in Australia, I have caught the travel bug. I want to see the world. I want to understand different cultures. I have been blessed in the past month to see penguins return to land after a day of fishing, go kayaking, rock climbing, hiking, scuba diving and bungee jumping. This week I am going to live with an Australian family, surf the gold coast, and visit Sydney. I am blessed I have the opportunity to do all these things and it is incredibly hard to find a way to not be engaged in these conditions.

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April

Adventuring in Morocco Kaitlyn Dozier ’14, Communication and Hispanic Studies Studied at: La Universidad de Malaga

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May

Reflecting in Italy Carly Ciarochi ’14, English Studied at: John Cabot University

W I

took a day trip from Spain to Morocco yesterday!

So incredible. After a 3 a.m. bus ride to the city center, one hour procrastinating getting a cab, and a five-minute taxi ride to the police station meeting point, I was on a bus to Tarifa by 5 a.m.!

Tarifa is a small town in the Cadiz region, at the very southernmost tip of Spain. You can see the Strait of Gibraltar and the city is only a few miles from Africa!

Some of the day’s activities: riding a camel, touring the hills of Tangier, visiting a carpet and spice shop, having lunch at a traditional restaurant, watching a snake charmer perform, and of course, haggling souvenir prices on the streets. I got back to Malaga at 8 p.m. after an exhausting, but completely worth it, trip.

I am realizing the values of travel, and how important it is to see with your own eyes the different lifestyles of people in other places.

As citizens, we watch the news and read about foreign countries, but it takes being exposed firsthand to really have an impact. I am so grateful for this semester abroad. I have a new outlook on other cultures and lifestyles, and I am truly appreciative of all of the opportunities I am experiencing.

hat a ride it has been! My journey in Rome has been an emotional ride from start to finish. I still cannot believe that I have been to places that I never thought I’d see in my lifetime, like Prague, Paris, Florence, and the island of Capri.

I was blessed to see history unfold before my own eyes. I spent a great deal of my semester at St. Peter’s Square, saying farewell to Pope Benedict and welcoming Pope Francis.

I watched as Pope Benedict was taken away in the papal helicopter after his retirement ceremony as he waved a hearty goodbye to the people who flocked from all around the world.

I was there, again, during the papal conclave, when thousands of people stood in the freezing rain for hours, and were ecstatic to see the white smoke billowing out of the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel.

I shared in the delight of the millions who then swarmed the square to hear the famous words, “Habemus Papam” (“We have a Pope!”), followed

by Pope Francis’s first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. What a whirlwind adventure to have been in Rome for such an important time in the Catholic Church.

Grazie mille, to my wonderful family and friends who encouraged me to take this leap of faith and experience the most amazing four months of my life. I could not have done it without you.

Ciao, Rome!

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 31 /

Men’s vocal ensemble Cantus comes to campus November 22, 2013.

VWC CONCERT SERIES "A WORLD OF MUSIC" All performances take place in Hofheimer Theater, unless otherwise noted.

No reservations necessary.

Public ticket prices are $5, free to VWC community.

September 19, 2013 Tom Teasley “World Peace Through World Percussion” Internationally known percussionist performs and explains his latest Middle East project.

Showtime: 12 p.m.

The Arts at VWC 2013-2014 CALENDAR VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE CONCERT SERIES All performances take place at 7:30 p.m. in Hofheimer Theater, unless otherwise noted. Reservation number for the concert series is 757.455.2101. Public ticket prices range from $5-$15, free to campus community.

September 23, 2013 The Alborada Trio Homage to Ravel features works by Schifrin and Ravel performed by Lee JordanAnders, piano; Jorge Aguirre, violin; and Jeffrey Phelps, cello. Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

November 11, 2013 The Amara Quartet The internationally known ensemble includes Jonathan Sturm, son of the late VWC philosophy professor William Sturm, with Mei-Hsusn Huang, piano; Boro MartinicJercic, violin; and George Work, cello. Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

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November 22, 2013 Cantus “A Place for Us” The premiere men’s vocal ensemble in the United States (Fanfare), and winner of the prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence from Chorus America, presents a celebration of our unique and rich national identity.

Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

December 6-7, 2013 A Wesleyan Christmas Traditional sounds of the season with choirs, bells, brass and guest artists.

Call 757.455.2101 for reservations. Showtimes: Dec. 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m.

(Abridged performance: Dec. 5 at 11 a.m.)

February 13, 2014 A Community Sing with Ysaye Barnwell Former member of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Barnwell invites you to be part of a choir of uncommon voices, singing in the oral tradition with joyous abandon. Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

February 20, 2014 JoAnn Falletta & Friends Virginia Symphony Orchestra conductor JoAnn Falletta puts down the baton and picks up the classical guitar.

Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

April 22, 2014 Yun Chang & Ya-Ching Chen Yun Zhang, violin, associate concertmaster of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, is joined by his wife Ya-Ching Che, flute, first prize winner of numerous international competitions. Showtime: 7:30 p.m.

October 24, 2013 Barbara Chapman “500 Years of the Harp” Virginia Symphony Orchestra Principal Harp performs repertoire spanning a half-millennia. Monumental Chapel. Showtime: 11 a.m.

November 21, 2013 Anthony Hailey “The Sound of Africa” Educator and performer Hailey demonstrates African instruments and explains their uses for communication and entertainment.

Showtime: 11 a.m.

February 6, 2014 Padmarani Rasiah Cantu “Hindu Dance” Artistic Director of the Fine Arts Society of Yogaville, as well as consummate artist and choreographer, Cantu performs dances used in Hindu religious ceremonies.

Showtime: 11 a.m.

The Arts at VWC Travis Donovan's unique sculpture and installation work, including Grounded (shown left), will be on display February-April, 2014.

April 9-13, 2014 “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare Come frolic through a woodland wonderland with Titania and Oberon in this timeless classic. Tickets: $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, students, and military.

Showtimes: April 9-12 at 7:30 p.m. and April 13 at 2 p.m.

STUDENT MUSIC PERFORMANCES THEATRE All performances take place in Hofheimer Theater.

For reservations, call 757.455.3381. Public ticket prices may vary, free to campus community.

November 6-10, 2013 “Big River” by William Hauptman and Roger Miller Based on Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, “Big River” sweeps us along the mighty Mississippi with hilarity, suspense, and heartwarming adventures as the irrepressible Huck Finn helps Jim, slave and friend, escape to freedom. Tickets: $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, students, and military. Showtimes: Nov. 6-8 at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE: All event details are subject to change.

For the most current listings, refer to the College's website: www.vwc.edu

For pricing, reservations and other information, call 757.455.3282.

October 18, 2013 Young Men’s Festival of Song Workshop and day of singing for male voices, grades 8-12. By advance registration only: 757.455.3282. Hofheimer Theater. Event time: 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

April 2014 Requiem by John Rutter Combined choirs of Virginia Wesleyan and Tidewater Community College. Free admission, no reservations needed. Showtimes: April 23 at 12 p.m. at TCC’s Roper Performing Arts Center, Norfolk; April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hofheimer Theater.

May 26, 2014 The Voices of Virginia Wesleyan in Carnegie Hall Virginia Wesleyan choirs make their Carnegie Hall debut.

Showtimes: Music of Stillness, Peace, and Hope at at 2 p.m.; and Requiem by John Rutter at 8 p.m.

NEIL BRITTON ART GALLERY Changing exhibitions and programs that include the work of both professional artists and students.

Admission to the gallery, located inside the Hofheimer Library, is free and open to the public. Hours: MondayThursday 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday noon-5 p.m. Phone: 757.455.3257.

August 24-October 9 VWC Faculty Show Including works by Associate Professor of Art Sharon Swift, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Glass Charlotte Potter, Batten Professor of Art Ceramics Phil Guilfoyle, and Associate Professor of Art John Rudel. Opening reception: September 5, 6:30-8 p.m.

October 21-December 9 “Remainders” Manuela Mourão Works by mixed-media artist Mourão, a literature professor at Old Dominion University, are greatly influenced by her Portuguese heritage.

Artist Lecture: October 24, 6-6:50 p.m.

Opening Reception: October 24, 7-8 p.m.

February 10 - April 11 Down South Travis Donovan Using common materials reimagined by smoke machines, pumps and motors, Donovan coaxes poetic connections from objects he’s encountered growing up in the South.

Opening Reception: February 10, 6:30-8 p.m.

April-May, 2014 Senior Exhibition VWC students display their senior thesis work.

BARCLAY SHEAKS GALLERY A display of works by Barclay Sheaks, the late Distinguished Artist-inResidence at VWC. An expression of the value of liberal and lifelong learning.

Admission to the gallery, located inside Godwin Hall, is free and open to the public.

Hours: Monday-Friday 9:40 a.m.-4 p.m. Phone: 757.455.3200.

Virginia Symphony Orchestra conductor JoAnn Falletta performs on February 20, 2014.

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 33 /

Centers at VWC

CENTER FOR SACRED MUSIC October, 27, 2013 Fall Hymn Festival “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” 4 p.m. at Great Bridge Presbyterian 333 Cedar Rd., Chesapeake

July 28-August 2, 2014 2014 Sacred Music Summer Conference Featuring guest faculty and workshop sessions, with evening worship services, a hymn festival, and choral concert. Ysaye Barnwell leads “Then Sings My Soul”; Bob Chilcott conducts “Finale.” For more information, visit: www.vwc.edu/csm.

SOUND & SYMBOL LECTURE SERIES “With What Shall I Come Before the Lord?”

The words of the Hebrew prophet Micah echo throughout the centuries and are as essential to Jewish and Christian conduct today as when they were written. Center for Sacred Music Director Dr. Sandra Billy is joined by faculty and guests in an exploration of how such straightforward language has been obeyed or overlooked. All sessions take place at 11 a.m. in Fine Arts 9.

No admission charge. Reservations not required. For further information, call 757.455.3376.

September 26, 2013 When Christian Worship First Moved Beyond Jewish Prayer Craig Wansink, Professor of Religious Studies Entertainment as Education: Medieval Morality Plays Travis Malone, Associate Professor of Theater

November 7, 2013 Patronage to Enlightenment: Art with a Purpose Joyce Bernstein Howell, Professor of Art History

November 7, 2013 (continued) A Charge to Keep – A Call to Glorify: The Wesley Brothers Terry Lindvall, C.S. Lewis Endowed Chair in Communication and Christian Thought Professor of Communications

February 25, 2014 Blind Indeed is He Who Sees Not the Hand of God in Events So Vast: America Takes God Abroad, 1898-1960 Eric Mazur, Gloria and David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies

March 11, 2014 On Silence and the Spiritual Life Steven Emmanuel, Professor of Philosophy Notions of “Sacred” in Space and Imagery Design John Rudel, Associate Professor of Art

April 3, 2014 I Come With Empty Hands: The Life of a Roman Catholic Woman Priest Rev. Mary Ann Schoettly, RCWP

Big Brother-Big Oil: America Takes Command Dan Margolies, Professor of History

CENTER for the STUDY of RELIGIOUS FREEDOM All events free and open to the public. Additional information (not finalized at time of publication) can be found online at www.vwc.edu/csrf or by calling 757.455.3129.

September 17, 2013 Constitution Day Debate: The Evolving Meaning of Equal Rights: A Review of Recent Supreme Court Cases Dr. Timothy O’Rourke, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College, and Dr. Paul Rasor, Joan P. and Macon F. Brock Jr. Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom will debate.

3-4:30 p.m., Pearce Hospitality Suite

September 21, 2013 One Love/UN Peace Day Festival An afternoon and evening of music and the spoken word, demonstrating unity in diversity, fostering a closer interfaith community, and celebrating United Nations Peace Day. For additional details, visit: onelovefestivalva.com.

September 26, 2013 When Did You Become a Person?

Dr. Howard W. Jones Jr., Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. This event inaugurates the Justine L. Nusbaum Lectureship. 12-12:50 p.m., Pearce Hospitality Suite.

October 29, 2013 The Global Decline of Religious Freedom Fall 2013 Cookson Religious Freedom Lecture Dr. Brian J. Grim, Senior Researcher and Director of Cross-National Data at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. 7:30-9 p.m., Monumental Chapel

NEXUS INTERFAITH DIALOGUE SERIES "How Our Faiths See Marriage and Family" All sessions take place in Monumental Chapel from 7:30-9 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

October 7, 2013 Interfaith Marriage Panelists: K.Lynne Loving (Baha’i), Nathan Oman (Mormon), Dr. Dilip Sarkar (Hindu).

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November 4, 2013 Same-Sex Marriage Panelists: Rev. Pamela Bro, Living Waters Sanctuary, Virginia Beach; Fr. James Parke, retired pastor of Church of the Ascension, Virginia Beach; Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz, Congregation Beth El, Norfolk.

Coming in 2014 Topics for 2014 lectures include Reproductive Technologies and Personhood (Feb. 17) and Polygamy, Domestic Partnerships, and Other Non-traditional Relationships (March 10).

VWC Homecoming and Parent Weekend MarlinMasquerade

Oct. 4-6, 2013

Get ready for a weekend packed with fun and Marlin spirit, including: Homecoming Parade H Marlin Masquerade H Marlin Tailgate Alumni Games & Reunions 5k Run H Soccer H Field Hockey Contests H Fall Arts Festival and more!

We look forward to seeing you all back on campus!

For a full schedule go to: vwc.edu/homecoming

Academia

Web of Words THE PHENOMENON OF ‘FAT TALK’ AMONG MILLENNIALS IS ONE OF THE ISSUES STUDIED BY PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR AND EATING DISORDER EXPERT TARYN MYERS

By Leona Baker

MODERN PSYCHOLOGISTS RECOGNIZE AN inherent flaw in the old adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Words can pack a proverbial punch, especially in cases of emotional abuse.

But what happens when we turn those words on ourselves? And how might the power of social media fuel the verbal fire?

Assistant Professor of Psychology Taryn Myers, whose areas of expertise include body image, eating disorders and gender issues, wondered specifically about how certain kinds of words young people use to describe themselves or even their acquaintances on the internet might be affecting them.

“People who engage in social comparison while on social media, many of them are engaging in what is called fat talk,” Myers explains. “‘Does this make me look fat? No, you look great. No, I look fat. I feel fat’…that kind of thing.’”

The data she has collected suggests that millennials—both women and men—who are engaging in fat talk are more likely to experience body dissatisfaction or symptoms of an eating disorder. It’s a finding that seems in line with the ways in which social media acts as an accelerant, both positive and negative. In this case, even seemingly harmless online chatter among friends may be a breeding ground for self-esteem issues.

Myers hopes to publish these findings soon. It’s one of a number of research projects she has done recently, several of which involve Virginia Wesleyan students.

Among the issues she’s examined are risk and protective factors for body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, feminist beliefs and their possible effect on eating disorders, the media’s perpetuation of the thin ideal, and selfsexualization in young girls.

During Winter Session 2012 at VWC, Myers taught a new course called “Psychology of Eating Disorders.” On the first and last days of class, she collected data examining students’ knowledge about eating disorders and their attitudes toward those with abnormal eating habits. She found ILLUSTRATION:BRENDA MIHALKO

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Academia

Social Science Lab Renovation that students gained significant insight, their empathy toward people with eating disorders increased, and their own body image improved.

Promising results like these drive Myers not only to explore further but to look for real-world solutions to what has become an all-too-common problem.

“Eating disorders are so prevalent in college students,” she says. “In my research I find that 20 to 30 percent of college women meet the criteria for eating disorders. Why are the numbers so high?

I’d like to really integrate information about social comparison and how unrealistic these images are, and I’d like to start creating prevention programs for these things.”

In her third year at VWC, Myers has also taken on a task that will dramatically improve the College’s ability to serve students with interests in psychology, social work, history, business and more. As chair of the faculty committee for the renovation of Wesleyan’s Social Science Lab (see sidebar), she collected faculty input from the school’s Social Sciences Division—including a wide range of disciplines from recreation and leisure studies to political science to education—on ways in which a renovated space might be used to better engage students academically.

That information has been utilized to create formal plans for the renovation, which is in the fundraising stage and tentatively scheduled for construction in the summer of 2014. Located in Residential Village II Commons, the remodeled area will include versatile classroom space for group work, discussion and speakers; a functional layout appropriate for a variety of simultaneous uses; an expanded computer lab with upgraded systems; and interview and observation rooms. The latter would offer privacy for confidential interviews (such as with crime victims), opportunities for hands-on practice,

The renovated Social Science Lab at Virginia Wesleyan will provide a modern space for cross-disciplinary research among the Social Science Division, promoting expanded opportunities for undergraduate research. The new space will feature: Versatile classroom space Functional layout Expanded computer lab Upgraded systems Interview and observation rooms

• • • • •

Virginia Wesleyan College has been awarded a $250,000 challenge grant from The Cabell Foundation of Richmond for the renovation of the Social Science Lab. The challenge grant requires that the College provide matching funding on a two-to-one basis by June 30, 2014.

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NORTH ISOMETRIC 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110

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Observation Room Interview Room Office 01 Computer Lab Passage Research Lab / Lounge Office 02 Office 03 Women’s Resource Lounge Multi-purpose Classroom

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undergraduate research, behavioral experiments and more.

“What we are hoping is that it will be a space that will foster interdisciplinary research,” says Myers.

The interdisciplinary approach— in which, for example, students in criminal justice and sociology might be able to work collaboratively on a single project—is key to Virginia Wesleyan’s liberal arts curriculum.

A recent announcement about a challenge grant from The Cabell Foundation of Richmond represents a key step in funding this important project, which is expected to cost approximately $725,000.

Dr. Taryn A. Myers earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Kent State University, where she served as a Teaching Fellow and Assistant Director of the Psychological Clinic. She received her B.A. in Psychology with an interdisciplinary minor in Women's and Gender Studies from Kenyon College. A native Midwesterner, Myers completed her clinical residency at the Medical College of Georgia and the Charlie Norwood Veteran's Affairs Medical Center. She chose VWC because of her passion for teaching and the liberal arts.

She enjoys integrating stories from her clinical work and findings from her research into her teaching.

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 37 /

Settling Into the Silence

TUCKED AWAY ON VIRGINIA BEACH Boulevard amidst the blare of fast food restaurants and honking horns lies Quintin’s Tea Emporium, a peaceful escape from the commotion and tonight’s meeting place for the senior seminar course, “Silence in Media and Culture.” Inside, the tables are set for an evening of contemplation about a rare channel of communication in today’s world: silence.

Co-taught in fall 2012 by communication professors Kathy Merlock Jackson and Terry Lindvall, the idea for the course was inspired by a 2009 survey investigating the role of silence in the lives of VWC students. Not surprisingly, it revealed that silence had little to no place in many students’ lives.

“In our highly technological world, people find it difficult to experience silence,” said Merlock Jackson. “If we lose silence, we may be undermining our capacity for thought, reflection, creativity, deep reading, and spirituality.”

PHOTO: TRIOCEAN

STUDENTS EXPLORE THE POWER OF QUIET IN A COMMUNICATION COURSE TAUGHT BY PROFESSORS KATHY MERLOCK JACKSON AND TERRY LINDVALL

The class studied music, film, theater, environment, politics, and literature and also gained hands-on experience through meditation and miming techniques.

A handful of guest speakers also visited the class, including Sara Blachman, a graduate of the Westtown School, a Pennsylvania college preparatory school run by Quakers. As a student, Blachman attended the school’s weekly “Meeting for Worship,” a gathering similar to a church service. The meetings open with a question or statement, followed by up to an hour and a half of silence allowing for

Exploring Judaism NEW MINOR IN JEWISH STUDIES OFFERS STUDENTS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BROADEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGION AND CULTURE STUDENTS NOW HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY to explore Judaism in depth at VWC. The College’s newly created Jewish Studies minor is one of only two such programs at private colleges and one of six overall in Virginia. Requirements to complete the minor include three traditional courses, an internship with a local Jewish organization and one semester of directed readings in Jewish studies.

“As unusual as it might seem at first, a Jewish studies minor at Virginia Wesleyan is a natural fit,” says Eric Mazur, VWC’s Gloria &

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David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies. “It is part of the long tradition—in the Methodist movement, and at VWC—of a spirit for religious exploration partnered with an appreciation for religious pluralism.”

Mazur will act as the unofficial caretaker—or “Shammes” in Yiddish—of the minor, assisting students who may be interested in adding it to their program of study. In addition to his regular

consideration of that day’s query, a practice referred to as “settling into the silence.”

“Never before had I thought about the possibility of sitting alone, but with other people,” Blachman recalled. “You end up with a room full of positive, healthy energy.”

Lindvall hoped the class would inspire students to make more room for quiet in their lives.

“With us it is talk, talk, talk, yet all the time silence is the great and useful thing,” he said.

“When one becomes silent, one is more apt to learn.”

—Stephanie Smaglo

teaching schedule, Mazur organizes trips and special events on campus related to Jewish culture: from outings to nearby synagogues to the annual Purim Shpiel fundraiser in which local Jewish leaders are invited to VWC to participate in a humorous debate on the merits of traditional Jewish food items.

Internships for the minor can be completed at local synagogues or one of any number of Jewish organizations such as the Beth Sholom Village, Jewish Family Services of Tidewater, or the Jewish Museum & Cultural Center.

“The minor is a natural outgrowth of the long and healthy relationship between VWC and the Jewish community of Southeastern Virginia,” Mazur explains. “And it is a perfect minor for a liberal arts college like VWC, with an emphasis on experience as well as knowledge.”

—Leona Baker

Academia

Publisher's Desk

Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square

By Paul Rasor, with foreward

by Dan McKanan Skinner House, 2013

Business and Pleasure?

In

WESLEYAN SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR KATHY STOLLEY EXAMINES THE GROWING PHENOMENON OF MEDICAL TOURISM A 63-YEAR-OLD KENTUCKY MAN IS IN need of a double hip replacement. He does his research and finds that, for about a tenth of the cost, he could have the surgery done in India. Intrigued by the idea of saving money and seeing the world, he books a flight to Chennai, a city deemed “India’s health capital” due to its specialty hospitals that bring in an estimated 150 international patients each day.

This scenario is a growing phenomenon known as “medical tourism,” the idea of traveling for the purpose of obtaining health care or wellness services, usually at a lower cost. VWC Professor of Sociology Kathy Stolley explores this developing industry in her latest book Medical Tourism: A Reference Handbook (April 2012, ABCCLIO). Co-authored with Stephanie Watson, the book provides relevant social context for the multi-billion dollar industry, discussing its limited research, the ethical issues involved, and its significant impact on health care systems.

“Because the phenomenon has grown so rapidly, research and policy are still catching up,” says Stolley.

“When health care becomes a commodity in a global, profit-driven marketplace with arguably insufficient oversight, the context is set for problems. Travelers with means buy transplant organs on the black market; desperate patients seek unproven or dangerous treatments. On the other hand, medical tourists often receive top quality medical care at excellent prices.”

Stolley is not the only member of the Wesleyan community interested in medical tourism. In October 2012, she and communication professors Kathy Merlock Jackson and Lisa Lyon Payne presented a paper entitled “Traveling Across Uncharted Waters: An Examination of Medical Tourism Messages” at the Association for Applied & Clinical Sociology Conference.

In March 2013, the three women traveled to the Popular Culture Association/ American Culture Association National Conference in Washington, D.C., to present a panel on “Navigating Medical Tourism in the 21st Century.” The trio now has a book about celebrities and medical tourism under contract.

While its future is still being written, medical tourism is rich with possibilities and opportunities brought about by new technologies. However, little empirically solid research has been done to study the growing trend, its implications, or its potential risks. Examinations like Stolley’s are an important first step toward understanding the increasing globalization in the health care arena and addressing the growing demands and expectations of individual health-care consumers.

“One thing is for sure,” Stolley says.

“Whether or not you or I ever travel for health-related reasons ourselves, medical tourism is one of the factors shaping the future of the health care we will have.”

—Stephanie Smaglo

his new book, Joan P. and Macon F. Brock Jr. Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom and VWC Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Paul Rasor focuses on liberal religion in the United States. From the publisher: "In this clarion call to action, leading Unitarian Universalist theologian Paul Rasor dispels the myth that conservative Christianity is the only valid religious voice in the national debates on social policy. Showing that religious liberals are more numerous than many realize, he calls on them to embrace their prophetic heritage and bring their religious convictions to bear on the issues of our time.

Reclaiming Prophetic Witness will lift your spirit, while inspiring you to lift your voice and reclaim a place in the public square."

A Companion to Harry S. Truman Edited by Daniel S. Margolies Wiley-Blackwell, 2012

In

A Companion to Harry S. Truman, Virginia Wesleyan Professor of History Dan Margolies reveals the policies, attitude and enduring legacies of the 33rd President of the United States. From the publisher: “With contributions from the most accomplished scholars in the field, this fascinating companion to one of America's pivotal presidents assesses Harry S. Truman as a historical figure, politician, president and strategist. Assembles many of the top historians in their fields who assess critical aspects of the Truman presidency; provides new approaches to the historiography of Truman and his policies; and features a variety of historiographic methodologies.”

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 39 /

With a Little Help from Michelangelo HOW THE HISTORIC ELECTION OF A NEW POPE HELPED A GROUP OF ART HISTORY STUDENTS BRING THE PAST INTO THE PRESENT

By Joyce Howell IT’S WEEK SIX OF SPRING SEMESTER, two weeks until spring break. My students and I are in the thick of it. We’ve left the dock and are cruising, and they are getting their sea legs in the discipline of art history.

Generally speaking, they are attracted to the art part more than the history part—especially when it comes to distant historical eras, like Renaissance Italy, for instance.

If students are totally unfamiliar with an historical period, it is very difficult to get intellectual hold of even a basic framework for understanding art history. It is as if they must build memories of events they had not experienced and people they never met. Not only that, but students are so wonderfully in the moment that it can be unpleasant for them to abandon the present even temporarily, in order to imagine the past and its relics.

But this week six was extraordinary for the class studying Renaissance art. Something was occurring outside of class that was going to cut right through the intellectual obstacles. The Conclave of Cardinals was meeting in the Vatican to elect the new Pope.

For their deliberations the Cardinals would be sequestered in the Sistine Chapel.

The media swarmed the Conclave; all the cameras followed the Cardinals as they filed right into our Art History assignment-the frescoes of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel—making this week six like no other.

A Florentine, Michelangelo was barely 30 when the newly elected Pope Julius II lured him to Rome with the promise of a major sculptural project. A couple of years into the project, Julius reneged and gave him the job of painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel instead. Michelangelo wasn’t happy at all; he thought painting vastly inferior to sculpture.

Nonetheless the chapel was a plum commission because it was where the Papal Court assembled, making his frescoes constantly visible to the most privileged and powerful elite of the era. He covered the vaulted ceiling with a series of well-known pictures inspired by the book of Genesis, glorious images of the origins of the cosmos and the heroic and tragic entry of humans into the creation.

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Thirty years and several Popes later, sixty-year old Michelangelo returned to the Chapel to fresco the wall behind the altar with a 45-foot-tall image of the Last Judgment. At the top, surrounded by the blessed Saints, Christ gestures as if thrusting the damned downward to the tortures of Hell. These poor creatures sink down to the bottom of the painting where the demons and Lucifer await.

Conventionally, Hell scenes of Last Judgments are horrific and gruesome. But Michelangelo’s go further. Fundamental to his art was the human body, which he understood to be a prison of the divine soul.

In his best known sculptures there is a tension between the divine soul within and the mortal vessel of flesh. Now, demons of Hell don’t have souls and Michelangelo acknowledges this fact by creating images of utterly depraved carnality, especially Lucifer himself who would be x-rated today.

These days, the Chapel is usually filled with tourists, and both the ceiling and the end wall are challenging to view. Modern photographs, taken from scaffolding erected for the purpose, make them much easier to see. In photographs the vantage is as if one were hovering mid-air. As a result the Genesis scenes look as if they were hanging upright on a vertical plane, and in the Last Judgment we view Christ at eye level.

Compared to the originals, photographs make the pictures much easier to study as art.

However, in so far as the same photographs remove the images from the context of their real space, they make them harder to study as history. Standard photographs do not reveal how the paintings would have been seen in the Chapel by the audience for which they were made, the Vatican elite. But in this week six we got to see relic come alive. Instead of isolated images, students would see historical objects, the frescoes, functioning in a presentday event. Here was a great hook to get them engaged in the history part, and not just the art part.

Together in class we watched excerpts of some of the better news coverage. In one rather minor part of a broadcast, the cameras showed something rather boring, the Cardinals filing into

With a collective gasp, the questions started. Did the cardinals see the frescoes?

Or were their minds so focused on their sacred responsibility that all else was invisible?

the Chapel. But for me and my students this shot was anything but boring. The cameraperson was standing behind the Cardinals, so we saw the backs of their heads as they faced the alter and behind it, the Last Judgment.

My students and I had studied the Last Judgment in detail, and we knew it well.

But we were not prepared for what we suddenly realized by virtue of the chance camera angle: the Cardinals would be looking directly at Hell. Inescapably.

With a collective gasp, the questions started. Did the cardinals see the frescoes? Or were their minds so focused on their sacred responsibility that all else was invisible? Did Michelangelo intend to rub Hell in their faces, so to speak?

Back in his day, were the members of the Papal Court offended? Did he do it to get back at the Papacy for making him do what he considered “women’s work,” i.e. painting? Did he intend that to see images of glory, those inside the Chapel would have to turn their eyes upward?

What was thrilling for my students was the process of discovery, and by that I mean they discovered the past by the questions it raised.

Academia

PHOTO COURTESY WWW.WGA.HU

HELL ON EARTH: Modern photographs of Michelangelo's "Last Judgment" make it easy to study as art, but the presence of the Conclave of Cardinals—broadcast around the world— made the space come alive with irony.

With questions they can’t easily answer, students begin to map the unknown.

Questions from the present send them to the past for the answers, and by the nature of the human mind, all at once the distance between the art and the history collapses.

Michelangelo himself was acutely aware of the tensions of art and time. He created a sculpture of the wealthy and powerful Giuliano de Medici that looked nothing like the man. It was deliberate. He made Giuliano into

a young Roman general, thereby representing a truth about Giovanni’s persona more meaningful than fleeting, temporal likeness.

According to the story, when criticized for the dissimulation, he replied that in 500 years nobody would remember Giuliano , but everyone would know Michelangelo.

And so here we are, almost 500 years to the day from his labors in the Sistine Chapel, seeing Michelangelo’s prediction come true and then some: not only is the

artist immortalized in collective memory, but he is still at the table, so to speak, playing his card in events of the present.

Faulkner famously quipped, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” He was thinking of the weight of history and the difficulty of freeing oneself of the past.

This is not the problem for students today.

Their challenge is finding the past. This week six my students, with a little help from Michelangelo, experienced a direct encounter with the past. I hope they will not forget how powerful such an experience can be because it enables them to remember, and not just learn, history.

Dr. Joyce Howell is Professor of Art History at Virginia Wesleyan and Co-Chair of the College’s Academic Effectiveness Committee. She was a member of the first women's class (1974, Phi Beta Kappa) of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia, and she holds a Ph.D. in the History of Art also from UVA. Her research focuses on 19th and 20th-century European Art, and in particular pedagogical enterprises undertaken by modern artists.

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 41 /

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

BY THE NUMBERS: Assistant Professor of Mathematics Audrey Malagon and the "beautiful structure" of the “E8” exceptional Lie algebra.

Beautiful Structures MATH PROFESSOR AUDREY MALAGON USES CONCRETE METHODS TO EXPLORE ABSTRACT CONCEPTS IN THE CLASSROOM AND IN HER OWN RESEARCH

By Leona Baker BUILDING PROFICIENCY IN MATH IS about building confidence, says Assistant Professor of Mathematics Audrey Malagon. And students build confidence best, not by mimicking what they’ve seen a professor scribble on a board, but by cultivating skills in a hands-on way.

With a $5,000 grant based on a recommendation from the Academy for InquiryBased Learning (IBL), Malagon recently reinvented a course called “Foundations of Logic and Proof.”

The new course uses the IBL instructional method, which places the student, the subject, and their interaction at the center of the learning experience.

“The IBL approach has been much more effective in helping students really own that knowledge and own those skills because they’re discovering it themselves,” Malagon says.

In teaching the course for the first time, Malagon found that the students relied less on the internet or their peers and learned to trust their own instincts when it came to putting those skills into practice. It’s something she and her colleagues hope to implement more in the VWC curriculum, whether in a 200-level course like “Foundations of Logic and Proof,” in more advanced classes for math or science majors, or in independent research.

Malagon’s own research since she arrived at Virginia Wesleyan in 2011 has focused primarily

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on “Lie superalgebras”—abstract structures with applications in theoretical physics, named for Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie. Her article “Killing Forms of Isotropic Lie Algebras" was published in the Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra in 2012.

“I looked at the structure of Lie algebras over an arbitrary number system. There hasn’t been much research done on superalgebras when you move away from complex numbers or real numbers.”

When the vectors that make up these structures are visually mapped—either as twodimensional drawings or as brightly colored geometrical objects that resemble children’s toys, they are striking to observe.

“The exceptional Lie algebra known as E8, for example, is 248 dimensional,” she explains. “It has a really beautiful structure.”

Malagon ties complex mathematical concepts like these into her work with students in upper level courses.

“Even though it’s this abstract thing, we can relate it back to things they understand.

They understand vectors. They understand matrices. These things are not out of reach. They learned them in sophomore level classes like ‘Linear Algebras’ and ‘Multivariable Calculus.’”

One of Malagon’s students, math and computer science major Michael Corder ’14, received an Undergraduate Science Research Fellowship from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges to write a computer program for use in Malagon’s research. He created the program using a software system called Mathematica, utilized it to speed up calculation times, and helped check the computations and assist in interpreting their results.

With the support of the math department faculty, Malagon has also helped invigorate the College’s math program by establishing the “Monday Night Math” program to build community among math students and faculty and even “Pi Day” celebrations in which students and faculty mark the national day to honor the mathematical constant pi (or 3.14) with pizza and pie-eating contests. These events are meant to be fun, yes, but also engaging for anyone who might be considering math as a major, something she obviously hopes to see more of.

“A math major is one of the most applicable degrees. It gives you abstract thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, the ability to generalize and pay attention to detail—all skills employers are looking for.”

A winning formula, indeed.

Academia

Winning Words POETRY BY KYLE AUSTIN '14

Pen

Psalm 23

Old pen.

With your shiny silver handle now a stained green glass, marked by age.

Broken pen.

Your cap twisted and chewed, a casualty of nerves, the impressions of anxiety.

Dearest pen.

You pierce my thoughts and dance.

A ballerina that bleeds blue As she pirouettes across my page.

Death, Has wrapped me in this endless alley.

The glow in your garnet is gone, and the scent of elderberry has vanished from you, just as their blooms each winter.

My ears fill with the chorus of Rosary beads folded into the palms of your family. I approach your body and my mind begins to spiral as I see the stitches climbing out, from where the scalpel tickled your chest in search of some fatal malady.

Now, as I look upon you, you are just a skeleton of lace but I am haunted.

I cannot rid my mind, of the monitor as it crooned your hearts final song,

of the tremble in my body as I felt your ghost rise and murmur up my spine,

and of the moment I lost my breath

as I felt it chew into my lungs.

I look upon you, in your bed of mahogany, ready for this final sleep, and still I cannot breathe.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.

A Narrative It’s at the moment, in which I’ve finally spotted the place where the horizon beaten by the painters brush bleeds into the ocean, that the voice behind me pulls me back into reality.

It’s lovely it declares as I turn to meet the face and the glinting smile of a guard.

The real beauty though, he says turning is over here.

It takes no convincing from his crescent smile to follow him across the gallery, to a fair skinned Victorian venus whose blonde ringlets bathe her face just as if they were the rays of a morning sun.

This is my lady he claims, and his eyes breathe in her life.

We stare for a moment, he enthralled in her beauty, and I by the beauty born of a man and his brush.

She has only one rival he assures me.

I follow his gaze and we twist to find ourselves standing before a piano a grand, with a satinwood body ornamented in bronze.

You appreciate it, he states all of it, I just can tell.

I don’t let a lot of people do this but, play it I stand unsure, until he repeats Go ahead, you won’t get in trouble.

I lift the woven satinwood cover and my bones brush across the grand’s ivory teeth.

It sings to my soul, his soul. our soul.

English major Kyle Austin ’14 presented her original poetry at the Sigma Tau Delta conference at Shepherd University in West Virginia in October 2012. Under the guidance of faculty mentor Vivian Teter, Austin has created a body of work with a range of inspirations.

“Pen” was the result of an assignment Teter gave to write a poem about an object; “Psalm 23” is a personal reflection on the death of her grandparent; and “A Narrative” is based on trip to the Chrysler Museum Austin took as part of her “First Year Experience” class.

ILLUSTRATION: VICDD AND MARY MILLAR HESTER

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine / 43 /

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN

Living & Learning

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Living & Learning LIVING TO SERVE: Junior Mindy Bertram’s Village II residence room paints a peaceful picture of who she is and who she hopes to become.

Room For

Change

SHE KNOWS HOW TO PLAY ONE JACK JOHNSON song on her ukulele. She shaved her head her senior year of high school to make a statement about judging others on appearance. Her wardrobe is decorated with scarves of every color and style (her safety blanket, she says). Artwork and artifacts—some from her various travels to faraway places like Italy and Nicaragua, others gifts from close friends—cover the walls of the Johnston Hall room where she lived her sophomore year. If you’re wondering who this culture connoisseur is, her personality bursting with passion, education, and calling, look for the nearest humanitarian cause and you will likely find her listed as an avid supporter. Meet junior Melinda “Mindy” Bertram.

Bertram has spent the last several years establishing herself as an advocate for change and world peace, starting in her own community. Inspired by the strength and resilience her single mother modeled while raising and supporting Bertram and her four sisters, she knew that she could accomplish anything she put her mind to. Since her freshman year of high school, she has immersed herself in a lifestyle of service. From managing her high school’s community engagement program to fundraising for their arts department, she has been preparing herself for a future of outreach.

Her ambitions led her to Virginia Wesleyan, a place where she was certain she could make a difference without being just a number. She majors in both biology and international studies with a focus in culture and peace. She is a frequent volunteer with the College’s Office of Community Service and has traveled twice to Nicaragua as part of Marlin Ministries’ annual spring break mission trip.

The summer before her sophomore year, Bertram worked as an intern for Organizing for Action (OFA), an organization established to support President Barack Obama’s 2012 election campaign. That fall, she was offered the unique opportunity to serve as an OFA paid field organizer in Richmond. She took the semester off from VWC and immersed herself in the crusade, an experience she credits with bringing her future career goals into clear focus.

After graduation Bertram plans to pursue a master’s degree in global public health through the United States Peace Corps, an achievement that will bring her one step closer to her ultimate mission of changing the world.

– Chiereme Fortune ’13

Shelter Stories ANNUAL ON-CAMPUS SHELTER SERVES COMMUNITY, CHALLENGES PERCEPTIONS

thoughts. I came into this thinking I would be helping the guests when, in reality, they helped me. They not only opened my eyes, but my heart.”

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“The spirit and faith of our guests is only EACH JANUARY, THE VWC equaled by their grace and thankfulness. community opens its doors and its heart What a wonderful experience.” for the College’s week-long student-led homeless shelter. Established by two “Shelter week reminds me of all students in 2007 as a partnership with the the good there is in the world. Some of Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless, us give money, some give time, some the community service initiative has give appreciation, but we all share in this become a tradition of giving back at experience. Each year that I participate I Virginia Wesleyan. For student volunteers, learn something new about myself and the shelter is a tangible opportunity to leave refreshed.” come face-to-face with the human toll of homelessness and to make meaningful connections with HELPING HAND: guests. Volunteers Meg Groah '14 shares express their feelings a laugh at the seventh about the experience annual on-campus in journals as they homeless shelter. leave the shelter. Here are excerpts from the 2013 responses.

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“Our guests truly •amaze and inspire me. Although they live on the generosity of others, they have a PHOTO: THOMAS MILLS ’15 never-ending supply of hope and joy. I wish we could all view life with the same appreciation as these “Being that this is my first year at folks because we would learn so much the shelter and my last year at VWC, about loving others.” this experience really weighs heavily on me. I not only got to speak to interesting “First night back at the shelter since guests, but had a great experience with last year. It was bittersweet. I enjoyed my peers as well. Graduating at the end being here, but it was also a little sad of Winter Session means I get to leave to see some of the same guests from this place with a sense of hope.” last year. It almost made me cry when a guest remembered my name and face.”

“Although my night was long, I would do it all over again. I’ve learned that prayer “This is my first time volunteering at and hope drives the homeless and I have the shelter. It was really great to see all the enjoyed being the answers to their prayers.” amazing work being done. Life is full of a lot of happy moments, but I am always “While serving popcorn the other happiest helping others. This is such a night my shaking flared up. A guest great opportunity and a blessing. We need noticed my tremor and immediately our guests just as much as they need us.” asked if I was okay. It was a small thing to ask. My friends rarely even notice. For “Being able to experience the shelter this guest to notice it right off the bat these last two days has been amazing. blew my mind. For all the chaos he must I have gotten to talk to and meet people have in life, to ask if I was okay was really that will forever be in my prayers and commendable in my book.”

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Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 45 /

VWC 101

GRADUATES REMEMBER THEIR FAVORITE CLASSES

We asked friends of our alumni Facebook page to tell us about their favorite academic courses while they were at Virginia Wesleyan.

Here are some of the many responses.

American History (Colonel Robert E. Tucker) “The most fun were the history classes taught by Colonel Tucker. He brought the subject matter alive, props and all.”

– John Boyle ’82 Extreme Religion (Dr. Craig Wansink) “I loved how passionate the students and professor were about learning about different cultures. He really challenged all of our thinking by presenting us with topics that made us uncomfortable.

Ultimately best class that I think everyone should take.”

– Nina Nicole ’11 Biomedical Ethics (Dr. Larry Hultgren) “Dr. Hultgren had the vision to see how the advances in science and medicine would collide with our moral and religious values causing us to redefine or reinforce such ‘simple’ concepts as life, death and humanity.”

– Peppi Dayton-Schwartz ’79 English Literature (Dr. L. Anderson Orr) “Dr. Orr always got so enthused relating literature to all of the other academics of the time period.

What a wealth of knowledge he had in so many other subjects. He could tell you what musical composition was inspired by a certain work of literature and could read Middle English.”

– Amber Havens ’95

Sculpture (Mr. Philip Guilfoyle) “I learned everything from chisel sculpting a totem pole to how to fix my surfboard!”

– Scott Roberts ’08 Urban Politics (Dr. Bill Gibson) “Using a pseudo city council session, Dr. Gibson assigned groups, set goals and objectives and managed to give us each a specific role. Rather than having us simply attend lectures and read from the textbook, he presented us with the opportunity to handle ourselves in a situational debate. That experience has helped me to develop group dialogue in the workplace.”

– Bill Miller ’09

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Media Law and Ethics (Dr. Stuart Minnis) “Dr. Minnis was very informative and engaging. I learned so much about copyright law and media ethics and how it impacts journalists, musicians, and filmmakers today. Great class to take senior year before beginning my career as a journalist.”

– Jordan Bondurant ’12

Children’s Theater (Mr. Bentley Anderson) “We performed a twist on the classics ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ at local elementary schools. Bentley would stand behind the audience swinging his arms in the air, using his version of sign language to let us know when we needed to talk louder or move on stage.”

– Lynn Downey Aydlett ’93 Medieval History (Dr. Clay Drees) “It’s hard not to love a class that is taught by someone with so much enthusiasm and love of his subject matter. Mix in his anecdotes and sense of humor, and this was the class that made me become a history major.”

– Marc Brown ’04 Physics (Dr. Garry Noe) “I remember the last day of class. Dr. Noe blew a hole in the ceiling with a cannon he made. He also gave me extra credit because I turned in my homework via the internet."

– John Massingill ’96 Literature of Mystery & Detection (Dr. Gordon A. Magnuson) “Dr. Magnuson introduced me to a genre of ‘mind candy’ I could not do without.”

– Cortney Baker Cain ’93 American Poverty (Dr. Stuart Minnis) “Although I was already familiar with certain aspects of American poverty, that class made me want to become an activist and fight for the working poor.”

– Leon Spinner ’11

Living & Learning

VWC 101

GRADUATES REMEMBER THEIR FAVORITE CLASSES

What’s in a

Tradition?

Ornithology (Dr. Maynard Schaus) “I learned lots about birds and animal behavior in general. Almost every lab was a field trip for bird identifications; I still constantly identify birds everywhere I go.”

– Michelle White ’12

Political Science (Dr. Bill Gibson) “I had the honor of debating former Governor George Allen on an issue in King William (where I grew up) on the topic of Newport News building a reservoir on the Mattaponi River. As a conservative I felt bad smoking him, but Dr. Gibson loved it. Just ask him.”

– Stephen Sturtz ’02 Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies (Dr. Karen Bosch) “Dr. Bosch’s class was always fun and she gave us such great real life tips to use in the classroom. She was the best professor I have ever had.”

– Aimee Ballentine ’10 Fundamentals of Information Systems (Dr. Paul Ewell) “It had fundamentals of every section of business in it...management, marketing, accounting, and human resources. I learned a lot in that class and had a great team to work with.”

– Ray-Ray Wells ’10 American Violence (Mr. Gavin Pate) “I loved the variety of books Mr. Pate chose for us to read, and I had a lot of fun debating the motives of the various characters and comparing one character to another.”

– Bronwyn Sciance ’11 Adolescent Development (Dr. Gabriela Martorell) “That class made me realize the different developmental trajectories adolescents go through and how certain aspects of development vary by cultures. I always wanted to be a Clinical Psychologist. Now, I am thinking about adding developmental psych as well.”

– Edwina Rosulia ’13

Women, Power and Politics (Dr. Aubrey Westfall) “Excellent class that teaches you a lot about American and international politics and why women work so well in other countries but not here.

Highly recommend it!”

– Tiffany Meagan Oglethorpe ’13

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL-PITTMAN

Economics (Mr. David Garraty) “Wish I could be in Professor Garraty’s class again to hear more about what is going on with the economy today.”

– Charlotte Holtry ’83

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL-PITTMAN

ALL YOU CAN EAT: Katie Tassa ’14 prepares to feast at the 2013 Seafood Party in the Dell. Over the past three decades the event has become a sign of spring and a much-anticipated celebration for students, alumni, faculty and staff.

>> Seafood Party in the Dell SPICY STEAMED SHRIMP, BUSHELS OF SUCCULENT clams, all-you-can-eat crab legs, and plenty of Marlin spirit. What’s not to love about the Seafood Party in the Dell? This highly anticipated yearly event has become a longstanding tradition—30 years, to be exact—at the College since its first incarnation in 1983. But, as is sometimes the case with well-established customs, its origins have become the stuff of legend.

Some alumni, like Jason Smith ’87, remember the first “Party in the Dell” as something of an impromptu get-together in the area of campus between Old and Eggleston Halls, at the time referred to as “The Dell.”

There were oysters from the Eastern Shore, makeshift barrel grills and chairs gathered for the occasion.

An article by Denise Prosser ’82 in the April 12, 1983 issue of VWC’s student-run newspaper The Marlin Chronicle announced that t-shirts and tickets for the first “Party in the Dell” could be purchased from any Residence Life staff member or through the Dean of Students.

Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Enrollment Services David Buckingham, who was the newly appointed Dean of Students at the time, remembers hearing the suggestion of a seafood party from then Resident Assistant John Boyle ’82. The Director of Residence Life Anita Naugle ’78 got on board, Buckingham recalls, and the first official “Party in the Dell” was held, complete with all-you-can-eat shrimp, clams and burgers.

However it got started, a seafood party just made sense for a College located in Hampton Roads, a region surrounded by waterways. It was also a great way for Marlins to come together in helping to establish a culture and lasting connections to an institution like VWC, still in the early years of its development.

“Traditions are important to a college,” Buckingham says. “This event has become part of our fabric and it’s just a lot of fun.”

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 47 /

Reality Check PHOTOGRAPHER CASEY SCALF ’99 BRINGS VWC HISTORY TO LIFE AS PART OF HER EXPLORATION OF “AUGMENTED REALITY” FOR YEARS, DUSTY BOXES OF PHOTO negatives, slides and prints dating as far back as 1868 lingered in storage vaults at Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s headquarters on Granby Street, where Casey Scalf works as a web developer and designer.

Scalf, who graduated from VWC in 1999 with a degree in communications and an emphasis in journalism, oversaw the task of restoring and salvaging these images one-

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by-one through photo digitization. As a result, an estimated 23,000 images showcasing 143 years of Norfolk’s history have been preserved for posterity in an invaluable digital archive.

Scalf’s experience with this restoration project led her to explore “augmented reality” photography—when a past-era photo is inserted in the center of a present-day photo taken in the same place, often with the

photographer’s hand as part of the image.

Her “Augmented Norfolk” project was chosen for display at the city’s Selden Gallery for a month-long exhibit in 2012.

In the spring of 2013, Scalf brought her love of history and her camera lens to the Virginia Wesleyan campus, where she sifted through old photos with the help of College Archivist and former history professor Stephen Mansfield. She chose several photos from which to create a few augmented reality images unique to VWC. While looking through the archives, Scalf came across a black and white snapshot of a young couple seated outside Hofheimer Library. A little homework revealed the couple in the late ’60s or early ’70s photo to be alumni Tom Brett ’71 and Susan (Ralph) Brett '72

Living & Learning

WINDOWS IN TIME: (Clockwise from left): Tom Brett ’71 and Susan (Ralph) Brett ’72 pose next to the very spot where they were photographed as VWC students more than 30 years ago; Village II Residence Hall in the College’s early years and a current image that includes a portion of Godwin Hall; A view from the roof of Hofheimer Library before the construction of the Batten Center or the installation of the John Wesley statue juxtaposed with a recent photo. (All photos by Casey Scalf ’99)

who are happily married and living in Smithfield, Virginia. A basketball standout while at VWC, Tom Brett was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012. The Bretts made a special visit to campus to be photographed by Scalf in the same spot where the original photo was taken.

“It was great to see VWC’s transformation through the years.” Scalf says. “I really enjoyed connecting with the Bretts and photographing them next to where they were standing 40-plus years ago. It made me realize how lucky the students are now and how much the College has grown.”

Scalf cites communications professors Kathy Merlock Jackson and Bill Ruehlmann as her “mentors and greatest cheerleaders” while she was at VWC. In 2008, Scalf also received a degree in computer science from ECPI. In addition to her job at Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, she has been a professional fine art and portrait photographer for 15 years. Her eclectic body of work includes images of rock bands, children magically transformed into fairies and even a “barely boudoir” series. Visit www.caseyscalf.com for more information.

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 49 /

Living and Learning

GOOD FORM: (From left) Students JoyAnn Fletcher ’15, Alyssa Kozma ’16 and Jeramie Goode ’16 execute a side lunge punch in the Tang Soo Do style of martial arts.

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PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL-PITTMAN

MOVING TO STRIKE

AS LEGENDARY MARTIAL ARTIST AND film star Bruce Lee once said, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough: we must do.” These words ring particularly true for VWC students kicking, blocking and striking their way through Master S. Ray Shackelford’s “Martial Arts” classes.

As part of their liberal arts education, Virginia Wesleyan students are encouraged to take their learning outside the classroom to study new skills, develop new relationships, and cultivate new ways of looking at the world. In a perfect balance of knowledge and application, students of all experience levels are invited to join Shackelford each semester as the adjunct instructor of Recreation and Leisure Studies schools his pupils in the ancient traditions of martial arts.

“Any student who’s open to learning something new is welcome to come and join,” says Shackelford. “We’re always looking for new talents, even students who may have already learned a different style. We’ll work with them and encourage them to continue with their style while learning new techniques. I call it ‘increasing their arsenal.’”

Shackelford, who has taught at VWC since 1986, focuses his current classes on two martial arts styles: the Korean art of Tang Soo Do and the hybrid, freestyle form of Jeet Kune Do, originated by Bruce Lee in the late 1960s. Martial arts are practiced for a variety of reasons and offer many benefits, including physical and mental development, entertainment, selfdefense, and competition.

Each semester, students in Shackelford’s classes are given the opportunity to participate in a local martial arts competition. In April 2013, members of his 100-level course competed in the East Coast Martial Arts Challenge, where Alyssa Kozma ’16 earned a 1st place trophy in the women’s Adult Beginner Forms category and JoyAnn Fletcher ’15 received 2nd place honors in women’s Adult Beginner Fight.

Shackelford encourages all students to learn more about martial arts, considering it a beneficial addition to a well-rounded education. And as Bruce Lee believed: “Learning is never cumulative, it is a movement of knowing which has no beginning and no end.”

—Stephanie Smaglo

Athletics

PHOTO: JERRY KEYS

AIR TIME: Outfielder Tori Higginbotham ’14 defies gravity during a game against Averett University.

Ever Seen a Marlin Fly? SOFTBALL STANDOUT TORI HIGGINBOTHAM LEADS IMPRESSIVE GROUP OF ALL AMERICANS ONE LOCAL SPORTS REPORTER affectionately refers to her as “Beast.” Rising senior outfielder Tori Higginbotham has certainly made a monster of an impression on the field since she arrived at VWC. In 2012, she became one of the first two women in Virginia Wesleyan softball history to receive Division III All-American recognition. In 2013, she was the first woman to earn this honor for the second consecutive year, and she was the first to be named to the first team.

Higginbotham led the Marlins with a .470 batting average and the ODAC with 70 hits. She also tied the Marlins’ home run record with 13, ranking her No.

9 nationally. She is now VWC’s all-time home run leader with 24.

Higginbotham’s All-American honor adds to a list of post-season honors that includes first team All-Atlantic Region and first team All-ODAC honors. She was named the ODAC’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, another first, and also received back-to-back Player of the Year nods from the Virginia Sports Information Directors. Higginbotham was recently featured in the sports sections of both the Virginian-Pilot and Richmond Times-Dispatch newspapers.

See sidebar for a list of other studentathletes who received All-American honors for the 2012-2013 season.

Other All-American Honors for the 2012-2013 Season Kyle Chowhan’13 (Cross Country/Track & Field) Named first team Academic AllAmerican by the Sports Information Directors of America Mike Connors ‘13 (Men’s Lacrosse) Named a Scholar All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Josh Currier ’16 (Men’s Lacrosse) Named honorable mention All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Jessica Edleman ’13 (Soccer) Named to the 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Continental Tire NCAA Division III All-American second team Kala Guy ’13 (Volleyball) Named honorable mention All-American by the Volleyball Coaches Association Nick Pappas ’14 (Men’s Lacrosse) Named honorable mention All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 51 /

Trending at Trinder

PHOTO: THOMAS MILLS ’15

CONTINUING UPGRADES DESIGNED TO MAINTAIN COLLEGE’S FACILITY AS AN ELITE ATHLETIC VENUE

Trinder Center and Foster Field are home to VWC men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse.

BUILT IN 1998 AND LOCATED NOT FAR from the College’s main entrance along Wesleyan Drive, VWC’s Trinder Center and Foster Field serve as home to men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer. Though a marquee venue that is among the best in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Trinder has recently been in need of some improvements that will enhance the experience of fans and players alike.

In addition to a variety of minor upgrades, the Center’s Blue Marlin Room was renovated in the spring of 2013 and reestablished as a meeting area for coaches and recruits as well as a special event venue for alumni and Marlin Athletic Club members. Those renovations included comfortable seating, new lighting, storage and more. Further renovations to the men’s and women’s locker rooms will be completed by the end of 2013.

Nineteen Innings, One Epic Victory MARLINS SOFTBALL TEAM ONCE AGAIN CLAIMS THE ODAC CHAMPIONSHIP, THIS TIME IN A RECORD-SETTING GAME

On Track in the Classroom VWC CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS PRODUCE A FIRST IN PROGRAM HISTORY WITHOUT RUNNING A RACE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER BOTH MARLIN cross country teams earned a place among the nation’s top academic squads named by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. While the honor is the third for the VWC women, it is the first for the men.

Teams must have a cumulative team GPA of 3.10 or better to qualify for the prestigious

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honor. The Marlin women combined for a 3.28 GPA and were one of 197 teams, representing 39 conferences to receive the academic award. The VWC men also produced a 3.28 GPA and were one of 141 teams honored. Thirty-four conferences were represented.

Darren Driscoll ’14 was also named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference/Farm Bureau Scholar Athlete of the Year in men’s cross country. The chemistry major holds a 3.96 GPA. Eight members of the women’s team compiled a GPA of 3.1 and higher, led by Liz Wade ’15 with a 3.75 GPA as a double major in Hispanic studies and biology.

PHOTO: DAVE HESTER

PHOTO: J.J. NEKELOFF

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN’S SOFTBALL MARLINS ARE NO strangers to success. The team’s thrilling 8-6 victory over Shenandoah University in April 2013 represented the seventh Old Dominion Athletic Conference title in Marlin softball history and the second in the past three years.

But this championship game was memorable for another reason.

The Marlins battled Shenandoah University’s Hornets through 19 long innings, easily breaking the previous ODAC record of 15 for most innings played, set in 2000 by Roanoke College and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

In the tournament games leading up to the championship, the team also broke a 26-year-old record by knocking out 21 hits in backto-back games. Virginia Wesleyan ended the season 41-8, setting a program record for victories and receiving the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Their season ended with a regional championship loss to Montclair State University’s Red Hawks.

Athletics

Anatomy of an Athlete In sophomore Josh Currier’s native Ontario, Canada, lacrosse is a way of life. “Back home, every Thursday night you go out and watch the senior team, the Peterborough Lakers,” he says. "The whole town is out watching.” Like many Canadians, Currier grew up playing hockey. But one summer, he was introduced to lacrosse and there was no turning back. Currier visited the U.S. several times as a young player before being recruited

by VWC, where he has quickly become a standout. During his freshman year, he emerged as the team’s overall scoring leader with 74 points, became the first Marlin in lacrosse program history to be selected as ODAC Rookie of the Year, and was named an honorable mention All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. “With all due respect to many great current and past players,” says Head Coach J.P. Stewart, “Josh is hands-down the best player to ever wear the Marlin uniform.”

[O CANADA] The Canadian flag Currier kept in his room freshman year helped remind him of home. Some things are different in the States, he notes: the drinking age, for one, and then there’s the weather. “My mom was so paranoid when Hurricane Sandy hit, Coach had to let her know I was going to be OK.” Mostly he misses being able to drive, his friends and family, and his stepmom’s Romanian cooking: “I eat a lot of microwave mac and cheese."

[TEAM SPIRIT] It didn’t take long for Currier to bond with his lacrosse teammates, many of whom are from elsewhere in the U.S. “I hang out with the team 90 percent of the time,” he says. “Now I can visit most states in America and have a friend there – Texas, Maryland, wherever.”

They often spend their down time at Chick’s Beach, about 15 minutes from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. He’s still hoping one of the guys will teach him the local pastime: surfing.

[SISTER ACT] Currier keeps in touch with his family via technology: “I Skype them as much as I can.” He has a brother, a stepbrother and a 9-year-old sister, Grace (pictured in her hockey uniform), with whom he shares a special bond. “I’ve enjoyed hanging out with her as she grows up,” he says.

PHOTO:LEN ROTHMAN

[SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT] Currier attended Holy Cross High School and the prestigious Hill Academy in Vaughn, Ontario, a school known for cultivating disciplined student-athletes.

Though still officially undeclared, he’s leaning toward a major in education inspired in large part by his close relationship with his elementary school-age sister and his experience working with kids at summer lacrosse camps.

[OUT OF THE BOX] Currier found his love for the game by playing what’s known as box lacrosse.

Wildly popular in Canada and traditionally played on a covered ice hockey rink during the off-season, it’s essentially an indoor version of field lacrosse. As an attacker on the Marlins team, Currier has found his place on the field and off – practicing two to three hours a night in season and balancing study and personal time. “It’s awesome here,” he says. “I love the coaches; they’re great to work with.”

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 53 /

Coach's Corner

Q&A ON SET: Head Volleyball Coach Andrea Hoover brings experience, passion and a game-winning attitude on the court and off.

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL-PITTMAN

HEAD WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL COACH Andrea Hoover began her Virginia Wesleyan coaching career in March 2006 and has since guided the program to a 137-83 record, including five trips to the ODAC Championship semifinals. She has steered six VWC players to a total of 10 All-Virginia honors, including three first-team honors, and nine players have earned 22 All-ODAC honors. In 2013, outside hitter Kala Guy graduated as VWC’s first honorable mention All-American and All-South Region player.

In addition to her coaching duties, Hoover serves as the Athletic Department’s first-ever Academic Integration Coordinator, a studentathlete guidance position developed in fall 2011. A collegiate volleyball player herself, she received a bachelor’s degree in 1999 from Slippery Rock University with a degree in health and physical education and earned her master’s in education from Marietta College. We asked Coach Hoover about her experiences as a player and a coach, her new academic counseling role, and the direction she hopes to take the team in years to come.

Serving With Purpose TIME-OUT WITH HEAD WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL COACH ANDREA HOOVER

By Stephanie Smaglo

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You are listed among your alma mater’s all-time leaders in career aces and digs.

How has your personal experience as a player influenced your coaching style?

I truly enjoyed my experience as a collegiate volleyball player, and I walked away from Slippery Rock University a different and better person because I had that opportunity. I want our players to leave Virginia Wesleyan feeling the same way.

I strive to make our team environment a challenging and enjoyable one. My college coach pushed us every day to work as hard as we could, making us tougher both as individuals and as a team. She stressed hard work, relentless pursuit and a passion for our game. Our college team was known for being a strong defensive team. I bought into my coach’s philosophy, and I have adopted many of those characteristics into my VWC coaching style.

Athletics Volleyball is a physically demanding sport, especially at the college level. How do you help incoming players make the transition to a higher intensity level?

We begin to discuss the physical demands of being a collegiate volleyball player during our recruiting process. Because we’re a fall sport, it is imperative that our players come to us in August in shape and ready to focus on volleyball. We send incoming freshmen an optional workout plan that will help prepare them for our season and introduce them to some of the fitness activities we incorporate into our practices and in the weight room. We want our practices to be physically harder than our matches and try to put the players in drills where they may have to think and act faster and for a longer period of time than in a regular match scenario. We also take time to discuss the mental aspects of the game, and we plan drills that put our players in pressure situations.

You were named Academic Integration Coordinator in fall 2011. What does this role entail and how has your personal academic experience influenced your advising style?

The Athletics Department coaching staff believed that we needed a person within the department to work with student-athletes requiring additional support with their academic endeavors. Coaches refer student-

athletes who they believe should be part of our Student-Athlete Academic Success program and I meet with them on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending on their individual needs. We discuss their academic progress, time management and organizational skills, and their ability to balance the responsibilities of being a successful student-athlete. As a student-athlete, teacher and coach, I have observed that people learn in very different ways. I strive to help our student-athletes find their individual way to academic success, and I hope they adopt a sense of ownership and pride in getting the most from their educational experience at VWC. There is delicate balance student-athletes must maintain between their sport and studies. What advice do you have to help keep them on track?

I stress to student-athletes that their first priority is their education. Playing a collegiate sport is a privilege and a wonderful experience, but earning a college degree is why they are here.

Student-athletes have responsibilities that the general student-body does not have, so they need to make good choices regarding the use of their time. Because they sometimes miss class for athletic competitions, I stress the importance of going to class on all other days and

developing good relationships with their professors. Other good bits of advice are to use a planner, use our fantastic Learning Resource Center, work ahead and get sleep!

You are beginning your eighth season at VWC this fall. What are your biggest takeaways from the last seven years and your long-term goals for the team?

What I love most about my job is seeing the girls we recruit grow as players and people throughout their time at VWC and then seeing them walk across the stage at graduation.

Although I enjoy winning, collegiate athletics is about so much more. I love to see our young women ready to confidently take on the world and all its challenges. I am thankful every day for the meaningful relationships I have with my players, former players and colleagues. Our Athletic Department is one of the most unique work environments of which I have been part. As a group, we guide each other, challenge each other, learn from each other and enjoy each other every day.

As our program moves forward, our goals as a staff are to continue to foster a positive learning environment where our players grow and enjoy their collegiate athletic experience.

We want to continue the success our program has had, forge ahead to become a nationally recognized program, and continue to foster alumni support for our young program.

Most Valuable Players SIXTH CLASS OF HONOREES WILL BE INDUCTED INTO VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE’S ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME ON JANUARY 25, 2014

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL-PITTMAN

Athletic Hall of Fame inductees for 2013 included (pictured below, from left) Brandon Adair ’12, Anne Marie Nash Burroughs ’04, William H. Williard ’82, Sonny Travis, and (pictured right) the 2006 Men’s Basketball Team.

PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL-PITTMAN

THE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME, established in 2007, honors those whose outstanding athletic achievements, service or significant contributions have had a lasting effect on Virginia Wesleyan College's intercollegiate athletic program.

The College’s sixth class will be inducted during the 2013-14 academic year.

Nominations for the Athletic Hall of Fame are accepted each year from April 1 -August 31. Student athletes are eligible for nomination five years after they have graduated. Marlin teams, coaches and friends of athletics may also be nominated. More information is available at www.vwc.edu/AHOFnomination.

The 2014 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2014. Join us to recognize Marlin athletic accomplishments and to reminisce with fellow alumni and coaches!

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2012-2013 / 55 /

Alumni Pages Elizabeth Maxwell ’10 stops to smell the flowers while completing her master’s in human rights at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Alumni abroad

Have Heart, Will Travel Elizabeth Maxwell ’10 SITTING ON A SIDEWALK IN BERLIN, Germany, Elizabeth Maxwell ’10 made a distressed call home to her parents.

Overseas for an internship with the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, the German and international studies

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graduate had just learned that her trip was being cut short due to issues with her visa. She was scheduled to fly back to the United States the next day, and had accidentally locked herself out of her apartment.

“I called my parents crying,” she recalls.

“And then my dad got on the phone and said, ‘But wait, you got a Fulbright Award!’”

At that realization, the Texas native stopped crying and started screaming.

The recipient of an English Teaching Assistantship, she spent nearly a year in the Berlin suburb of Weissensee in 20102011 helping high school students with their English. Selected on the basis of her academic achievements and leadership potential, Maxwell was one of only 1,500 U.S. citizens chosen to travel abroad that year through the Fulbright Student Program.

She continued her studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, receiving a master’s degree in human rights in December 2012. Focusing on the interdisciplinary aspects of human rights, the program included studies in international law, domestic human rights law, sociology and philosophy.

Maxwell embarked on her latest adventure to Budapest, Hungary in May 2013 for an internship with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

She will spend up to six months with the worldwide refugee protection agency, working within supply management, quality assurance and product development to help improve core relief items like tents, kitchen sets, and jerry cans (liquid containers).

Up next for this worldly Marlin? One day Maxwell hopes to achieve her dream position working for Transparency International, a non-governmental organization fighting corruption. But for now, she is planning to move to Norway with her family, where her father’s job was recently transferred.

“I'm taking the opportunity to be close with my family and to live in the hub of humanitarianism and human rights opportunities.”

Alumni Pages

Class Notes

1970s

Bill Shelhorse (1970), current member of the College’s Board of Trustees, refereed at the Special Olympics Basketball Tournament held in the Jane P. Batten Student Center on February 23, 2013.

C. Michael Fisher (1976) died in Virginia Beach, Virginia on September 25, 2012.

John Porter (1978) died in Charlottesville, Virginia on June 29, 2012. John is survived by his wife, Susan, and sons, Chris and Ashton. He will be remembered for his quick-witted, dry sense of humor and his dedication to family and business.

Richard Kurzenknabe (1979) recently accepted a position at Navy Federal Credit Union as Member Service Representative. Richard recently was employed at Town of Front Royal as Code Enforcement, Dept. of Planning & Zoning. “After 5 years as the Code Enforcement Officer with the Front Royal Department of Planning & Zoning, I am hanging up my career as a public servant, moving into the private sector after 33½ years. I retired from the Front Royal Police Department on January 1, 2008, and began working shortly thereafter for the Planning and Zoning Department. I’m looking forward to the change and am very excited about the new opportunity!

Send me a note.”

CDR. Alfred Lee Van Horne, Sr. (1979), United States Navy Retired, 84, entered Heaven on November 5, 2012. He was married to the love of his life, Helen Margaret Van Horne, for 64 years.

1980s

Elena Montello (1983), Hope House Foundation Development Director, was featured in Inside Business in March 2013 for her work with the Stockley Gardens Art Festival. Montello, whose organization provides support for adults with developmental disabilities, was also chosen as an honoree in the arts category for the 2013 YWCA South Hampton Roads Women of Distinction Awards.

Joe Ruddy (1983) was named President and CEO of Virginia International Terminals on April 1, 2013. He soon after served as a keynote speaker at a dinner reception held as part of VWC’s Spring 2013 Business Conference.

Bernadette Hogge (1984) was featured in the Virginian-Pilot in April 2013 for her role as Portsmouth, Virginia’s ombudsman.

Byron “B.J” Wilkinson (1984) was featured in the Star-Herald (Scottsbluff, Nebraska) for his recent selection as Police Chief for the City of Sidney, Nebraska.

Anthony Busic (1985) died in Salem, Virginia on July 23, 2012 from cancer. He is survived by his wife, Vickie, siblings, and children. Anthony served as a United Methodist minister in the Virginia Conference.

Melissa Burroughs (1986), Chair of the Board for the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast, was recognized by Virginia Lawyers Media as a member of the Class of 2013 of Influential Women of Virginia.

This award recognizes the outstanding efforts of women making contributions in all fields across the Commonwealth.

Burroughs was formally recognized at a gala luncheon in Richmond, Virginia.

Howard Krum (1985), an aquatic animal veterinarian and science writer, recently released his first novel (to rave reviews).

“An Animal Life: The Beginning” is a scientific medical mystery and a quest for True Love that unfolds as newbie first-year students struggle to survive the academic gauntlet of veterinary school. All proceeds from sales through the author’s website benefit animal charities (www.

AnAnimalLife.com). Also available in paperback and eBook through Amazon, iBooks and 20+ outlets.

Susan Batten Warren (1987) died on March 4, 2013 in Waxhaw, North Carolina.

She is survived by her husband, Brent, children, Justin and Elizabeth, two brothers, and parents, R. Wesley Batten and Betty E. Batten, of Williamsburg, Virginia. Susan will be remembered for her loving attitude toward others, cheerful smile, and sweet spirit by her family and abundance of friends.

William T. Clare Sr. (1987) died in Portsmouth, Virginia on October 21, 2012.

Angela (Ward) Costello (1987), a member of the Poquoson Economic Development Authority, has produced a promotional video highlighting the city. She recently finished filming new high-definition aerial footage of Poquoson using the same technology used in the Discovery Channel’s “Planet Earth” series.

Patrick Horan (1989), 55, passed away on June 5, 2013 in his home. He was predeceased by his parents, Betty and Bob. An inveterate sports fan (Go Sox!), Pat was a statistical encyclopedia of virtually every athletic endeavor. Pat was a member of the Board of Directors of Accessible

Space Inc. A 36-year quadriplegic, he inspired all with his courage, grace, and humor. Left to honor his memory are his brothers Rob (Tina), Sean (Jacquie), Bill (Betty), and Terry; as well as nieces, nephews, and a grand-nephew.

1990s

Steve Roberson (1992) visited Professor of Music Lee Jordan-Anders’ class “A World of Music” in April 2013 to provide students, faculty and staff with a behindthe-scenes look at acoustic guitar building and tonewood selection.

Anne (Filer) Vogt (1992) has been promoted to Vice President of Financial Development for the YMCA of South Hampton Roads.

Wendy Jo Pfeifer Evans (1993) died in Knoxville, Tennessee on September 22, 2012 after a five-year battle with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband, Russell, and sons, Simon and Seth.

Lynn (Downey) Aydlett (1993) received her license in Academically or Intellectually Gifted Education from the University of North Carolina Charlotte.

Mair Downing (1993) published her children’s book “Presto!” in October 2012.

The picture book (ages 0-6) tells the story of Prissy, a princess who is getting ready to dance in her first ballet recital. But oh no – she doesn’t know how to twirl!

With two preschool-age daughters, Mair always finds a need for stories involving princesses, tutus, and wacky adventures. www.mairdowning.com Jonathan Stemmle (1993) was recently hired as an Assistant Professor in strategic communication at the University of Missouri School of Journalism located in Columbia, Missouri. In addition, earlier this year, Stemmle was promoted to the Director of the Health Communication Research Center at the University of Missouri. He will serve in both roles when his faculty position begins.

Amy Clipston (1995) recently published A Hopeful Heart (June 2013, Zondervan), the first book in her new series, the Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel. She is also author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery Series, three young adult inspirational books and a contributor to An Amish Kitchen (December 2012, Thomas Nelson). An advocate for organ and blood donation, Clipston donated a kidney through an exchange program in June 2011, a generous act that allowed her continued on page 59

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2012-2013 / 57 /

Virginia Wesleyan Alumni Awards THE VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE Alumni Association hosts an annual awards ceremony to recognize alumni who have achieved distinction in their fields or served their communities in a variety of ways. Since 1981, the Alumni Awards have honored alumni who have made their professional mark.

“As VWC graduates, each and every one of us enters the world well prepared for success,” notes Christopher Dotolo ’91, President of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. “But there are those graduates who take all of the lessons that our campus provides and use them to change the world around them and to change the lives of others.”

Nominate a Marlin The Alumni Association currently recognizes alumni in three categories: Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have attained distinguished achievements in a professional capacity.

Alumni Service Award recognizes alumni who have rendered outstanding continuing service to the College as a whole and/or meritorious public service on a local, state, national or international level.

GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade) Award recognizes alumni who have graduated from Virginia Wesleyan within the last decade and have attained distinguished achievements in a professional capacity.

• • •

2012 Alumni Award Recipients ON OCTOBER 5, 2012, THE VIRGINIA WESLEYAN College Alumni Association hosted the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony in the Hofheimer Library. Included here are photos of the award winners and special guests.

Photos by Leona Baker (Right) Distinguished Alumni Award winner Michael Cobb '75 with Mary Lou Hultgren and President Billy Greer.

(Bottom left) Alumni Service Award winner Elena Montello '83 with her friend, VWC college roommate, and award presenter Mary Wright '83.

(Bottom right) College Archivist Stephen Mansfield, GOLD Award winner Kevin Otey '05, Alumni Association Board President Chris Dotolo '91 and presenter James Holmes.

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2013 Alumni Awards The 2013 Alumni Awards will be held on September 12, 2013.

Honorees include: Bonnie Sutton '99 Distinguished Alumna Award Thomas Taylor '00 Alumni Service Award Bladen Finch '03 GOLD Award Know a VWC graduate who deserves to be recognized for their achievements? Go to www.vwc.edu/alumniawards to submit a nomination.

Alumni Pages

Class Notes husband to receive a second transplant.

The busy mom of two works full time for the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, where she lives with her family. Learn more at www.amyclipston.com.

Bonnie Sutton (1999), CEO of the ACCESS College Foundation, was chosen as an honoree in the education category for the 2013 YWCA South Hampton Roads Women of Distinction Awards. Sutton’s foundation is committed to providing students with the tools necessary to be successful in their educational endeavors.

2000s

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D. (2000) was named Middlesex County Public Schools’ Superintendent in January 2013.

Taylor also recently received the 2012 Outstanding Alumni Principal Award from the Curry School of Education Foundation (University of Virginia) for his work at Charlottesville High School.

Michelle (Superczynski) Hurst (2001) recently accepted a position at W.M. Jordan located in Newport News, Virginia as Human Resources Manager.

Lee Sullivan (2003) and Carley are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Ryder. He was born in Florida on April 23,

2013 and weighed 8 lbs., 1 oz. Rider joins brothers Brittin, age 5, and Ridge, age 2.

Kelly (Turner) Olmstead (2001) and Michael Olmstead (2000) are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Kaylee. She weighed 6 lb., 15 oz.

Bladen Finch (2003) is the recipient of the 2013 Legislative Staff Achievement Award from the National Conference of State Legislatures (LINCS). Bladen joined the LINCS staff section in 2009 as a director and successfully ran for vice-chair in 2011. One year later, he was elected chair of the staff section comprised of nearly 350 information, communications and constituent staff members in legislative chambers across the country. He is charged with planning the annual staff section meeting this fall in Washington, D.C. where his award will officially be presented. He will moderate a corporate communications session at the NCSL Legislative Summit in Atlanta this August.

Over the course of two years as vice-chair and chair, he served on NCSL’s Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee. Mr. Finch is employed as the Senate Page Program Director at the Virginia State Capitol.

Kelly (Convirs) Fowler (2003) was featured on the cover of the “Home” section of the Virginian-Pilot. She is a teacher at

Lynnhaven Elementary in Virginia Beach, but started her own business renovating Victorian-era houses.

Anne Marie (Nash) Burroughs (2004) and Chamie Burroughs are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Max. He was born in September 2012.

Heather Campbell (2004) was featured in The Flagship in February 2013 along with VWC Assistant Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies Wayne Pollock and current recreational therapy students for their work with an adapted sports clinic for wounded military personnel at Naval Station Norfolk.

Victoria Holliday (2005) and James Kieffer are happy to announce their engagement.

The wedding ceremony will take place in March 2014 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

After two and a half years of dating, James proposed to Vikki on Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, the same spot where they said “I love you” to each other for the first time on New Year’s Eve 2010.

Erica Clarke (2005) recently accepted a position at Penn State, Greater Allegheny located in McKeesport, Pennsylvania as Director of Career Services/Senior Instructor of Communications. Erica recently was employed at the University of continued on page 61

WO R K .

KIDS. FA M I LY. COMMUNITY. We know life doesn’t stop just so you can get that degree you’ve always wanted. That’s why the Adult Studies Program at Virginia Wesleyan is designed to give you the support you need to take the next step in your education.

Your life. Your future. The support you need.

ADULT STUDIES PROGRAM www.vwc.edu/asp ASP information sessions held the first Thursday of each month.

For reservations, call 757.455.3263 Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 59 /

Scott Ramsey ’90, a tour guide with Chilkat Guides in Alaska, with his dad, Neil Ramsey, who taught sociology at Virginia Wesleyan for 32 years.

Alumni abroad

Marlins in the Land of the Midnight Sun A WILDERNESS GUIDE AND A BANKER TAKE ON ALASKA William Baynard ’06 Scott Ramsey ’90 SCOTT RAMSEY STARTS HIS DAY WITH yoga—sometimes in the timber-framed house that he built in Haines, Alaska, sometimes in a tent along the Tatshenshini River. William Baynard begins his day at 6 a.m. in the sauna with a copy of the Alaska Journal of Commerce. Ramsey then heads off to

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a day working for Chilkat Guides—training new wilderness guides or leading rafting expeditions to glaciers. Baynard, who works as a commercial lender at Northrim Bank in Anchorage, commutes to work to find out which deals have fallen through and which new deals are waiting to be made. Ramsey

graduated from VWC in 1990 and Baynard in 2006. Both Wesleyan alumni call Alaska home.

The two men say that they are surprised to find out where their lives ended up.

“There is no way I would ever have dreamed that I would have this life,” says Ramsey.

Ramsey won the award in 1990 for most promising business student in the Liberal Arts Management Program at VWC. “I often chuckled to myself that [Dave] Garraty, [Bob] Cass, and [Linda] Ferguson would come and take the award away if they knew I would become a wilderness guide and not some ‘big-business guy,’” he says.

Ramsey says the passion of the professors was the most important aspect of his life at Wesleyan. His father, Neil Ramsey, taught sociology at Wesleyan for 32 years. After he retired, he moved to Alaska to be close to his son. Professor Ramsey passed away in 2010.

It’s Father’s Day, and Ramsey says that tears roll down his face as he thinks about his dad.

“I took one class from him, and it was great to see his passion,” Ramsey says.

Ramsey planned to work in Alaska for a while and then follow in his dad’s footsteps as an academic. But while leading a hike in the wilderness, he suddenly realized that he could stay in the place that he loved and still teach.

“We were hiking back, and a lady from Chicago was so overwhelmed by the trip that she told me, ‘I can see now why it is important to save these places.’”

Today, Ramsey lives with his wife, Mandy, and his two-year-old daughter, Lily Jo. At Chilkat Guides, in addition to teaching other guides, he leads daily trips through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and expeditions along the Tatshenshini and Alsek rivers. He’s helped to save a week-old moose calf and watched bears wrestle as he rafted with his dad down the Tatshenshini.

“We raft by glaciers, walk on glaciers, and see tons of wildlife,” he says. “The expeditions end in a six-by-eight-mile glacial lake surrounded by icebergs and grandeur.”

Alumni Pages PERHAPS WILLIAM BAYNARD HAS fewer moose in his daily life, but he catches dozens of Pacific Salmon in the summer, backcountry skis on untouched snow, and makes deals about islands in the Bering Sea, among other things.

“Everything is beautiful,” he says. “I am sitting in my office in Anchorage right now looking out the window at a wonderful green mountain range—in the wintertime, it will be covered in snow.”

Baynard majored in history with a minor in Spanish before going on to get his master’s from George Mason and his JD from Case Western.

“Professors [Dan] Margolies and [Mavel] Velasco had a tremendous impact on my life,” Baynard says of his time at Wesleyan.

He also remembers a memorable incident with some fireworks on the roofs of the dorms, though he’s careful not to recommend the behavior to current Wesleyan students.

The opportunities offered by a creditunion job in Anchorage brought Baynard to Alaska. Economically, Baynard is living in a whole different country because of oil revenues, federal spending, and Alaska

Class Notes

People do things just a little differently in Alaska. Even banking, says William Baynard ’06, who works as a commercial lender at Northrim Bank in Anchorage.

Native Regional Corporations, which are set up to administer the land and financial claims of Native Alaskans.

“It’s like the 1980s up here,” he says. “People are making deals, and there is no sense of gloom and doom about the economy.”

Working with the Alaska Native Regional Corporations makes Baynard’s life rather different from those of bankers in New York or Chicago. National banks might think it sounds crazy to loan millions to a Native

Pittsburgh as a Graduate Teaching Fellow.

“Now that I am in the dissertation editing stages, I felt it best to pursue a full-time position at a four-year institution.”

Nicole (Sanzi) Turner (2005) was recently promoted to Greek Life and Leadership Programs Advisor at CSU Stanislaus located in Turlock, California. She will be working with 16 different sororities and fraternities on campus, as well as planning leadership programming for the student body. She also received an M.A. in Education from CSU Stanislaus on December 18, 2012. Concentration: School Counseling; Credential: Pupil Personnel Services; Honors: Graduated with distinction with 4.0 GPA. Laura Cox Taylor (2006) was recently promoted to Supervisor Freight Accounting at Norfolk Southern located in Atlanta, Georgia. She also published her first novel, an urban fantasy titled “Nightfire,” on April 25, 2013. The book is available in both paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon.com.

Joseph Durso (2006) and Kelly (Donnelly) Durso (2007) are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Keegan Patrick Durso. He was born on December 12, 2012 in Kettering, Ohio, and weighed 6 lbs., 3 oz.

Corporation to construct a radio tower on a mountain on an island in the Bering Sea. “What may seem like a crazy project to people outside can really be a mint,” he says.

Baynard currently lives and works in Anchorage, and on Labor Day he married his fiancée, Sarah Melton.

And like Ramsey, Baynard has found that life in Alaska is far from typical.

“Even stuff that is routine, like going to see customers, always has some quirky Alaskan twist to it. Whether it’s pallets of bottled glacier water sitting around the offices of a multimillion dollar company or just terrifying business owners, there is always something peculiar about every transaction,” he says.

The only downside to life in Alaska, both alumni say, is the month of January. Ramsey explains why.

“There’s not much daylight to get out and play.”

Greg and Lindsey Otto Brown (2007) welcomed Miles Colton into their lives on April 16, 2013. He weighed 7 lbs., 4 oz. and was 20½ inches long.

Jennifer “Jenn” White (2007) was featured on the Virginian-Pilot website in November 2012 for her post-graduation career success, an achievement she credited to her internship with Virginia Beach-based non-profit, the Roundtable of Business Leaders. White currently works for the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and serves as the chair of the Mentor and Internship Program with the Roundtable of Business Leaders.

Will Wheeler (2008) and Matt Hovsepian (2010), both VWC lacrosse alumni, ran into each other in November 2012 on a military base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where they were both stationed. Having not seen each other in four years, the two caught up, compared stories and shared a little Marlin history in the process.

Geoffrey Bell (2009) played a piano part in fellow alumnus David E. Weirich’s “Spiral Spectrum,” which was premiered by the Orchestra of the Eastern Shore in April 2013.

He is currently working toward a master’s degree at Shenandoah Conservatory.

David E. Weirich (2009), the first VWC music student to graduate with a

— Elizabeth Blachman

concentration in composition, wrote a piece called “Spiral Spectrum” that was premiered by the Orchestra of the Eastern Shore in April 2013. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of New Mexico.

2010s

Elisa Mangubat (2010) was named Lutheran Family Services of Virginia’s Diamond Service Award Winner in the youth category at the Hearts & Hands awards ceremony in June 2013. Mangubat is working to create a Montessori School in Haiti through vigorous fundraising and community education efforts.

Chelsea R. Wiseman (2010) graduated from Navy Officer Candidate School (OCS) and has received a commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy while assigned at Officer Training Command, Newport, Rhode Island.

Jordan Bondurant (2012) recently accepted a position as Sports Writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia.

Please note: Class Notes are usersubmitted and are reprinted with only minor edits for style and consistency.

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 61 /

Alumni abroad

For Olivier Mussat '00, pictured here in Bhutan, the opportunity to travel the world has been rewarding in his personal life and invaluable for his career in the oil and gas and finance industries

PHOTO: OLIVIER MUSSAT

Banking on International Success

Olivier Mussat ’00 WHEN OLIVIER MUSSAT, AN international student from Paris, walked into his room in Smithdeal Hall in January 1996, it was the dawn of the internet era—when noisy modems were still the norm, but the world was changing at a break-neck pace. Mussat describes the culture shock he experienced as coming from a “56K view of the world” to a place that was “already connected at T1 speed.”

“I have to give thanks to the patience and dedication of the staff, faculty, friends at VWC, and especially professor Bill Jones,” says Mussat. “They understood the challenges I was facing and helped me through them. Suddenly, it all clicked and made sense. I know it’s a bit corny, but I truly believe that through the VWC experience, I learned that the world can indeed be your oyster if you believe in yourself, if you create and keep strong networks, and if you take a chance and not wait for things to happen.”

It’s hard to imagine Mussat as a fish out of water given an incredibly successful career and personal life that have led him around the globe and ultimately landed him at the world’s largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries.

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In late 2012, Mussat moved to Washington, D.C., to take on the job of Principal Investment Officer for Oil & Gas at the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Mussat’s professional journey began with an internship at Ecolochem Inc. in Norfolk (now part of GE Power & Water) while he was an international studies major at Wesleyan.

That led to a full-time job at the company’s international offices in the UK; a master’s degree from a top French engineering school; and a stint at Schlumberger, the world’s largest oil service company, where he was involved in billion dollar investments for national and international oil companies in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

He took a career turn into the area of finance at Standard Chartered Bank in London, where he admits navigating the ins and outs of investment risk—both technical and political—came with a sizable learning curve. Then he received “an offer I could hardly refuse” from the IFC. The opportunity to travel so broadly has given Mussat a unique perspective. He remembers a particularly humbling experience in a poverty-stricken village in Cameroon a

couple of years ago. He met a disadvantaged 15-year-old whose high school education was being supported by the charity with which Mussat’s wife, Odile, works.

“He asked me to explain my understanding of Plato's ‘Allegory of the Cave,’ as he had read The Republic on his own after hearing it was one of the founding books of western civilization, but wasn't sure he understood it correctly.

I got to share some of my VWC education with a teenager who was much smarter and more mature than my 21-year-old self when I took Dr. Del Carlson's amazing ‘Political Philosophy’ class.”

Mussat realized the teenager would never have the kind of educational opportunities he was lucky enough to experience at VWC and elsewhere.

“Traveling has made me never want to take things for granted, to always make the most of what was offered to me out of respect for those who gave me so much. Traveling also helps you grow up faster, to become a more rounded individual with a better understanding of the world. Perhaps most importantly, it makes you more employable.

Companies are now competing on a global scale and so are job seekers.”

Wherever his travels lead him, a part of Mussat will always be at Wesleyan.

Once he got over the initial culture shock, he jumped in with both feet academically and socially at VWC—joining the Model UN, becoming a brother of Phi Kappa Tau, working for Residence Life, and serving in the SGA. His many fond memories include classes with professors Ehsan Salek and Joyce Howell as well as cheese omelets from Boyd Dining Hall and trips to Chick’s Beach. Then there’s the 1970s powder blue leisure suit, purchased for three dollars at a thrift store, he wore to compete in the College’s annual Mud Games. Chances are that one probably won’t make an appearance at Mussat’s next international business meeting.

— Leona Baker

Alumni Pages

Pull Up a Chair A MESSAGE FROM LINA GREEN, VIRGINIA WESLEYAN'S NEW DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS LET ME START off by saying that I am thrilled to be back “home” at VWC, where I began my Wesleyan career in Residence Life 25 years ago. It is an honor to serve as the College’s new Director of Alumni Relations.

It’s an exciting time to be an alumnus of Virginia Wesleyan College, as the 2012-13 academic year was filled with innovative change for our graduates. The Alumni Association Board of Directors has been hard at work on the development of a new strategic plan, adopting four words that support our mission: connect, participate, champion, support. Whether through recruitment, student interaction, event participation, or support with a gift that

helps meet the College’s strategic priorities, the new plan encourages all alumni to get involved with the life of the College.

I am also happy to report that the Alumni Association’s annual membership dues have been discontinued, welcoming all graduates as members at no cost.

We have embraced a new alumni logo, featuring an iconic element that has become a VWC staple: the Adirondack chair. This logo is a symbol of welcome and comfort, chosen to let alumni know, “There is always a chair waiting for you.”

I look forward to getting back in touch with each of you and continuing to build the foundation of our alumni family. My office door is always open and I can be reached at lina@vwc.edu or 757.455.2115.

The Alumni Association Board of Directors The Alumni Board of Directors represents all VWC alumni by serving as advocates to the College. Members volunteer their time each year, actively participating in the planning of networking events, regional socials, and Homecoming and Parents Weekend.

The Board’s goal is to provide leadership as alumni and to connect, participate, champion and support Virginia Wesleyan College.

Meet the members of our 2013-2014 Board: OFFICERS Christopher L. Dotolo ’91 President Director of Annual Giving, Norfolk Academy Amy M. Rickard ’98 Vice President Vice President of Marketing, AAA Tidewater VA John Haynes ’98 Secretary Campus Minister and Director, Tidewater Wesley Foundation at ODU Ron Swan ’77 Treasurer President, VDS

MEMBERS Aaron L. Bull ’95 Owner/President, Bull & Company MediaWorks

Jesse H. Fanshaw III ’72 Former Director of Alumni Relations, Virginia Wesleyan College

Molly B. Phillips ’02 Teacher and Coach, Dover High School and Thomas More Academy

Richard Carmichael ’86 President/Real Estate Appraiser, R.L. Carmichael & Associates

Bladen C. Finch ’03 Director, Senate Page Program, Senate of Virginia

Amber R. Randolph ’05 Attorney, Willcox & Savage, P.C.

Angela D. Costello ’87 Consultant, Communication Strategy & Production, Angela Costello Group

Laura B. Gadsby ’90 Director of Enrollment and Marketing, Beth Sholom Village

Noelle P. Davis ’91 Adjunct Faculty, Everest College Desiree M. Ellison ’08 Director of Housing, Sigma Tau Delta, Syracuse University

Catherine L. Holava ’93 VP, Global Fraud Detections: Programmer/Analyst, Bank of America Ryan G. Metz ’10 Village Coordinator, Residence Life, Virginia Wesleyan College

Rachel H. Rigoglioso ’10 Paralegal, Boleman Law Firm, P.C. Kim M. Sypniewski ’09 Training Program Director, Community Personal Care Beth Widamier ’99 Registered Nurse, Riverside Regional Medical Center Carter Youmans ’06 Member Services, YMCA of South Hampton Roads

Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2013-2014 / 63 /

A good liberal arts education gives one the tools to think about the here and now and how the present brings the future into focus. That future begins with a multitude of ideas and experiences in the classroom and in the community.

Parting Words

PHOTO: GLEN MCCLURE

Photo: FPO

If You Get Where You Are Going, Where Will You Be? A LETTER FROM PRESIDENT BILLY GREER VIRGINIA WESLEYAN ALUMNUS ERIC NYMAN ’94, featured on the cover of this publication, reminded me of a question I posed to his class as they embarked on life after Virginia Wesleyan College: If you get where you are going, where will you be? In 2013, this is still an exceedingly important question. I have seen many people, young and old, get so caught up in building their résumés that they fail to enjoy the moment. They get so wrapped up in tomorrow that they simply cannot appreciate today.

It’s a question we are asking ourselves right now at VWC through an in-depth strategic planning process. Of one thing I am certain, the answers we find will challenge us as we have never been challenged before. Our already wonderful College will be shaken to its foundation as we consider how best to build on a dream that began five decades ago.

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We will ask the same question, in turn, of each and every student who comes to Wesleyan. We will push these young Marlins to think about their futures, yes, but we will ask them to give even more thought to the here and now. A good liberal arts education gives one the tools to think about the here and now and how the present brings the future into focus. That future begins with a multitude of ideas and experiences in the classroom and in the community.

One comes to Wesleyan to take a glass blowing class at the Chrysler Museum or climb aboard our 45-foot Ocean Explorer research vessel with classmates and professors. One comes here to dip a paddle in the Chesapeake Bay, to stroll the beaches of the Atlantic, to travel back in time during a visit to Colonial Williamsburg or to walk on the deck of the Battleship Wisconsin. One comes to Wesleyan to grow in intellect and faith. These are

experiences our graduates will carry with them throughout their lives.

To my young friend Eric Nyman, I say thank you for reminding me of that important query: If you get where you are going, where will you be? Right now Marlins are traveling the world far and wide, answering that very question every day. Hopefully you have learned about a number of them in the pages of this magazine.

Olivier Mussat ’00 is exploring the world’s emerging financial markets in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Elizabeth Maxwell ’10 is fighting for human rights in Hungary. William Baynard ’06 and Scott Ramsey ’90 now call Alaska home, each doing what they love in the “Land of the Midnight Sun.” Back home, Joe Ruddy ’83 graciously visited campus in 2013 to share insight on his new role as President and CEO of Virginia International Terminals.

Wherever Virginia Wesleyan alumni end up, they take with them a piece of this College, its history, its values, its future. This sense of unity, of community, calls to mind the final line of our alma mater: Our paths may lead around the world, but our hearts stay at Wesleyan.

To all alumni and students past and present, wherever you are in your life’s journeys, I ask you to consider: If not now, when? Life is happening in this moment. It is important to enjoy it as it happens. Develop a sense of urgency about now. But remember, urgency is not panic. It is not rushing through an assignment or relationship.

Rather, it is fully embracing the here and now— taking advantage of all that’s offered to us—so that we might lay the foundation for a richer and more rewarding future.

Billy Greer President

Connecting Classroom to Career In the classroom and on the soccer field, Bethany Bayles ’12 consistently worked to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for a promising future after college. Bethany, a double-major in political science and history, combined her learning experiences at VWC with consecutive summer internships in the office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, one of the largest and most complex components of the Department of Homeland Security. Through those opportunities, she received a job offer prior to Commencement.

The Annual Fund for Academic Excellence supports annual scholarships, undergraduate research opportunities, study abroad programming and internships, ensuring that Virginia Wesleyan students like Bethany have access to a 21st-century liberal arts education that prepares them well for their futures.

CONTRIBUTE TO SECURE FUTURES Support the Annual Fund for Academic Excellence Visit www.vwc.edu/annualfund, call 757.455.3242 or write to President’s Office, 1584 Wesleyan Drive, Norfolk, VA 23502

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Norfolk, VA Permit No. 27

OFFICE OF COLLEGE COMMUNICATIONS 1584 Wesleyan Drive Norfolk, Virginia 23502 757.455.3200 www.vwc.edu

I am Virginia Wesleyan.