West Virginia Wesleyan College Winter/Spring 2015 The Bells of Campus {See page 4} inside this Title III A Towering Gift of Class Notes, Student Sundial Grant Program Generosity Profiles and More! Features Title III Grant WINTER/SPRING 2015 Sundial Editorial Staff 2 Erica Byrd, Assistant Director of Public Relations Rochelle Long ’00, Director of Public Relations Towering Gift of Robert Skinner ’75, Vice President for Generosity Advancement Layout and Design: 4 Angelic Designs, Buckhannon, West Virginia CONTACT: Office of Alumni Relations Student Profiles 304-473-8509, or [email protected] Office of Advancement 8 304-473-8485, or [email protected] Office of Admissions Homecoming 800-722-9933, 304-473-8510, or [email protected] 15 www.wvwc.edu Sundial is published biannually by West Virginia Wesleyan College. Story suggestions, comments, Athletic News address changes, and class notes should be directed to the Office of Alumni Relations, Erickson Alumni Center, 59 College Ave., Buckhannon, WV 26201. West Virginia Wesleyan College, a private educational 19 institution, is committed to the principle of equal opportunity for all qualified persons, welcomes students Class Notes, of all backgrounds and takes pride in the diversity of its Alumni Profiles & faculty and staff. It assures students access to all the In Memoriam privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available at the College. West Virginia Wesleyan College strongly supports affirmative action principles 22 and does not discriminate on the basis of creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, or handicap in the administration of its educational programs, admission policies, financial aid programs, athletics, co-curricular activities or other College administered programs. Thank A specialYou! thanks to Kristi Lawrence Wilkerson ’99 for her service to Wesleyan as Director of Alumni Relations from 2008 to 2015. We wish her happiness and success in her Thanks to a generous donation by William ’58, Hon. ’05 and Mara Linaberger Watson ’58, new career role as Director of Christian the beautiful hourly chimes and sounds of My Home Among the Hills will once again ring Education at the First United Methodist loudly over Wesleyan’s campus and Buckhannon. Pictured here with President Balch. Church of Buckhannon. Full article {see page 4} From the President Since its founding in 1890, West Virginia Wesleyan College has challenged its students to set and uphold standards of excellence while making a life-long commitment to develop their intellectual, ethical, spiritual, and leadership potential. Wesleyan’s strong tradition of academic excellence is a result of its dynamic and dedicated faculty. From our early heritage, students have been involved in a strong co-curricular program complementing our academic programs. The combination of these programs has helped Wesleyan attract outstanding students from West Virginia, 31 other states, and over 28 countries. The ranks of our alumni include winners of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, a Pulitzer Prize, an Emmy Award, and Country Music Songwriter of the Year, as well as GRAMMY® award nominees. As Patrick and I have traveled across the country these past nine years, we have met incredibly successful alumni in all walks of life who strive to positively impact their communities. In this issue of the Sundial, you will meet a group of current students who are poised for tremendous future accomplishments. You cannot help but notice that Wesleyan has remained true to the roots of the institution’s founders. As I encounter students, I find them eager to learn and energized to make a difference. Their passion for learning and service is as inspiring as is their concern for others. While we have strived to offer new programs to meet the demands of the global economy, the traditional values of Wesleyan remain the same. We continue to challenge students to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, act responsibly, and demonstrate their local and world citizenship through service. West Virginia Wesleyan College has represented the best of higher education for 125 years. The institution continues to thrive today not only as a result of the passion of those who work here, but also the tremendous support we receive from our alumni and friends. Your generosity transforms the lives of each and every student. In Friendship, Pamela Balch ’71 www.wvwc.edu | WINTER/SPRING 2015 SUNDIAL 1 Title III Grant Program Historical Grant Makes Impact on Campus n September, the U.S. Department of Education approved an incredible $10 million Title III grant award to West Virginia Wesleyan College under the department’s Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP). The program helps eligible institutions of higher education to become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability. The grant, which will be distributed over five years, is Ithe largest grant of its type ever awarded to a college or university and the largest award Wesleyan has ever received in its history. Among the initiatives the grant will support are improving student services, academic instruction, enhancing faculty development, and classroom renovations. In addition, the grant includes a $2 million endowment match challenge. The Title III grant has allowed Wesleyan to create a Student Success Center which provides one-on-one guidance and assistance to students with academic, career, and personal matters. With the grant funding, staff will be able to offer support to students as they learn to navigate the world of higher education. We will provide classroom renovations with current technology and flexible furnishings to meet the needs of 21st century learners, and resources for faculty to develop a culture of support for at-risk students. Three positions were created within the Student Success Center and are filled by Alison Clausen as Title III and student success center coordinator, Shauna Jones ’92, MFA ’13 as first-year student academic advisor, and Jill A. Okes ’09 as experiential learning coordinator. 2 SUNDIAL WINTER/SPRING 2015 The grant will support improving student services, academic instruction, enhancing faculty development, and classroom renovations. Along with the Student Success Center, a Center for Teaching With new programs on campus come new ways alumni can and Learning was also developed to provide support and be involved in the success of Wesleyan students. The Student resources to faculty and staff. The Center provides workshops Success Center is currently building its experiential learning and programming that engage faculty, staff, and administration program. This program is focused on co-curricular experiences, in pedagogical development; support and technology training primarily internships, where students work in a professional for learning management and assessment systems; quality learning environment. Students will build proficient skills in resources for faculty, staff, and administration to explore best professional attitude, communication, critical thinking, and practices in teaching; and a culture that cultivates student more. learning through innovative teaching across the curricular and The experiential learning program affords alumni the co-curricular student experiences. Two positions were created opportunity to include their name or business as potential within the Center including Cynthia Brissey as teaching and internship destinations for students. This program not learning center coordinator and Traci Probst as instructional only caters to students, but also allows alumni to develop a technology specialist. stronger connection to Wesleyan, discover outstanding future Wesleyan plans to upgrade its academic spaces to include employees, foster and cultivate new perspectives to develop classrooms, laboratories, and support areas for academics future professionals, and sustain a strong reputation among –such as libraries, teaching and learning centers, and other current students and future alumni. learning spaces–in the next three years. The building upgrades will include the nursing program housed in Middleton Hall, Christopher Hall of Science, the second floor of the Lynch- If interested in taking part in the experiential learning program, Raine Administration Building, and the English Annex. The please contact Experiential Learning Coordinator Jill A. Okes at: College will continue remodeling as many classrooms as [email protected] or (304) 473-8607. possible with the Title III funds. Double Your Inve$tment in We$leyan Every dollar you donate to the Title III Endowment Fund is matched by the Federal Government If every Wesleyan graduate donated $25 each over the next five years, we could easily reach the $2 million goal! Make your gift to the The clock is ticking. Title III Endowment Fund Today! Help us meet the To make an online gift to the Title III match, go to www.wvwc.edu Title III Challenge! or mail your check to West Virginia Wesleyan College, Office of Advancement, 59 College Avenue, Buckhannon, WV 26201. www.wvwc.edu | WINTER/SPRING 2015 SUNDIAL 3 A Towering Gift of Generosity: Watsons Provide Funding for New Carillon System t has been a number of years since West Virginia Wesleyan College students have heard the sound of bells ringingI from atop Wesley Chapel. In 2009, the system that provided the sound for the chimes went silent.