WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE Summer/Fall 2016 SUMMER/FALL 2016 Sundial Editorial Staff Will Armistead ’81 1 Associate Vice President for Advancement/Alumni Relations Erica Byrd The “Build It” President Assistant Director of Public Relations Rochelle Long ’00 Director of Public Relations Robert Skinner ’75 Features Vice President for Advancement Layout and Design: Angelic Designs, Buckhannon, West Virginia CONTACT: Graduate Office of Alumni Relations 10 Programs 304-473-8509, or [email protected] Office of Advancement 304-473-8485, or [email protected] Office of Admissions Bobcat 800-722-9933, 304-473-8510, or 14 Sports News [email protected] www.wvwc.edu Sundial is published biannually by West Virginia Wes- leyan College. Story suggestions, comments, address changes, and class notes should be directed to the Office Alumni Award of Alumni Relations, Erickson Alumni Center, 59 College 30 Inductees Ave., Buckhannon, WV 26201. West Virginia Wesleyan College strongly supports affir- mative action principles and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, ancestry, marital/family status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, Contents pregnancy, religion, age, blindness, or disability in the administration of its admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, educational programs, employment, ath- 14 Sports Feature: Boyd Dotson ‘62 24 Alumni Profile: Gustavo Machado ‘03 letic programs, co-curricular activities, or other College- 16 Athletic News Spring Sports Recap 26 Alumni Profile: Ben Tantillo ‘74 administered programs. 18 Sports Feature: Vicky Bullett 28 Alumni Profile: Colleen Hann ‘97 19 Sports Feature: Tanner McGrew ‘16 29 Harold T. Elmore Hon. ‘82 Retires 20 Hall of Fame 32 Homecoming “At A Glance” 21 Class Notes 34 In Memoriam ON THE COVER 23 Lindermans Support President Dr. Pamela Balch ’71 and her husband Patrick Balch. Pamela Balch: The “Build It” President Recalling a Decade of Growth for Wesleyan 2006-2016 Just imagine a vibrant college of over 1,500 quality students… Just imag- ine a curriculum that offers exciting undergraduate and graduate pro- grams responsive to changing societal needs… Just imagine a campus with renovated residence halls, newly built residence halls, and buildings with little or no deferred maintenance. aken from her inauguration speech in October 2006, Tthese words, spoken by President Dr. Pamela Jubin Balch ’71, have never rung more true. When Balch ac- cepted the position of President of the College in June 2006, she had a vision to bring Wesleyan from “good to great,” one that she has seen come to fruition in her decade-long term. This summer marked the 10th presi- dential anniversary for Balch who plans to retire to The Villages, FL with husband Patrick in December 2016. Before returning to West Virginia Wesleyan College, Balch spent 28 years in higher education after serving as president of Mayville State University, ND. Prior to May- ville, the Uniontown, PA native was the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Bethany College, WV; vice provost for academic planning at California State University, Chico; and associate dean for academic affairs at San Diego State University, Impe- rial Valley campus. She was a member of the education faculty at West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1978- 88. A 1971 alumna of Wesleyan’s education program, Balch received a Doctorate of Education with honors in curriculum and instruction in 1977 and a Master of Arts with honors in Education from West Virginia University. www.wvwc.edu | SUMMER/FALL 2016 SUNDIAL 1 In addition to her leadership at the College, she has been a mainstay in the higher education circuit. Some of her membership and affiliations include the National Association of Schools and College of the United Methodist Church, Appalachian College Association, National Association of Professional Women, College Summit Advisory Board of West Virginia, Mountain East Conference, and West Vir- ginia Independent Colleges & Universities. During her term as President, Balch focused on finance, academics, enrollment, and structure. She reinstated both the School of Nursing and promoted the Physics program within her first year. She also built two debt-free buildings, the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts and the David E. Reemsnyder Research Center, and completed reno- vations of Fleming Hall within her first four years. Her plans included redesigning the old dining hall space in Jenkins Hall to create a Wellness Center in 2011, building Dunn Hall in 2012, and constructing the O’Roark Nordstrom Welcome Center in 2014. Upon her arrival at Wesleyan, Balch instituted think tanks organized from faculty and staff volunteers to brainstorm next steps in several key areas for the College such as revenue enhancement, enrollment, church relations, and marketing. This grass roots approach began the domino effect that led to the creation of a seven-school system; the addition of new graduate programs in Education, Athletic Train- ing, Creative Writing, and Nursing; a 10-year ac- creditation from the Higher Learning Commission; 2006-2007 u Began July 15, 2006 u State of the College: low enrollment, low salaries, low retention, and high debt u Accomplishments: return of nursing program and promotion of physics program; addition of women’s golf TIMELINE 2 SUNDIAL SUMMER/FALL 2016 President’s Feature increased rankings in scholarly publications such as U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and Washington Monthly; improved fundraising efforts including a Capital Campaign and several multi-million dollar upgrades to athletic facilities; the awarding of 13 Fulbright Scholars; the institu- tion of Key Performance Indicators; additional international travel opportunities; the strategic acquisition of property around the College; and countless other initiatives that truly have taken Wesleyan from “good to great” in the last decade. The capstone of her career came with the $10 mil- lion Title III Grant in 2014, making Wesleyan one of only two institutions to receive that amount. The grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Strengthening Institutions Program, created the Student Success Center and the Center for Teaching & Learning at Wesleyan. The program helps eligible institutions of higher education to become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by pro- viding funds to improve and strengthen academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stabil- ity. The grant, which is distributed over five years, was the largest of its type ever awarded to a college or university and the largest award Wesleyan has ever received in its 125-year history. In addition, the grant will help increase Wesleyan’s endow- ment. Upon Balch’s retirement, $6 million of the grant will still be available to help Wesleyan’s future administration continue toward these goals. 2007-2008 u Major Projects: David E. Reemsnyder Research Center and Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts u Accomplishments: welcomed formerly-contracted physical plant employees back to the Wesleyan family, resulting in major cost savings and a feeling of belonging; MS in Athletic Training; reduced draw on endowment from 15% to 10% www.wvwc.edu | SUMMER/FALL 2016 SUNDIAL 3 Sundial: How does it feel knowing that it is your last summer and up- coming semester here at your Home Among the Hills? President Balch: I have mixed emotions, obviously. On one hand, I feel that the time is good to leave Wesleyan in great shape for the next administration, which has always been my goal. On the other hand, I will miss many of the people and things that make this job so special. I know that while it is a good time to depart, it is also a difficult time to leave. Sundial: You are invested in Wes- leyan on many levels, as an alumna, former educator, and now President. How has your passion for Wesleyan evolved over the past decade? President Balch: This is the longest I have been at any one institution, and of all the jobs, it is the most With a decade rewarding that I have ever had of collaboration, because I feel like I have invested so dedication, much time and energy in trying to and hard work make a profound difference. It has for Wesleyan been extremely special for me. under her belt, Sundial: In your first interview with the Sundial sat the Sundial, you listed numerous down with the long-term goals you had for Wes- President to leyan, including the construction of reflect on her residence halls, an increase in the tenure at endowment, and a diverse campus. How do you feel those long-term WEST goals were addressed? VIRGINIA President Balch: When I began in WESLEYAN this role, I was not confident that COLLEGE. we could ever become financially stable. I would have never dreamed we could have done as much as we have done, but teamwork, great co- 2008-2009 u Major projects: Grand opening of Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts; renovated HVAC in Wesley Chapel, refurbished steeple, and interior reconstruction in Fleming Hall u Accomplishments: 100% pass rate for nursing NCLEX; broke ground for David E. Reemsnyder Research Center; added pre-art therapy and media studies TIMELINE majors and BS in Athletic Training 4 SUNDIAL SUMMER/FALL 2016 operation, and outstanding people have and appreciation from the community, different functions of the community allowed us to make tremendous prog- faculty, staff, and students. That started and Wesleyan work very well together. ress. I feel like we have accomplished this entire process in a positive light, We have completed projects with the everything we tried to do and beyond. and we worked hard to reach a recent community, and those have been im- When we said “good to great,” we really two-year record of a 100% pass rate on portant.