A Place in History - Virginia Wesleyan College

Wesleyan Window
Pre-Engineering at VWC
AGREEMENT WITH ODU EXPANDS
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WESLEYAN STUDENTS
PLANNING CAREERS IN ENGINEERING
VIRGINIA WESLEYAN HAS RECENTLY ENTERED INTO AN
agreement with Old Dominion University that provides
students the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor of
Science degree from VWC and a master’s degree in civil,
environmental, mechanical, electrical, computer, aerospace
engineering or modeling and simulation from ODU.
Students in this newly articulated program would enroll
at Virginia Wesleyan and take several pre-determined
undergraduate engineering courses at ODU. VWC Associate
Professor of Mathematics Margaret Reese was the catalyst for
this agreement.
“Over the last several years students have expressed an
interest in engineering as a career,” says Reese. “This is the
only program that I know about in which students enrolled at
a liberal arts college without an engineering program can take
engineering courses while in residence. Most programs require
that students transfer to the engineering school for the senior
year. Our students will be able to stay in the Virginia Wesleyan
community for the entire undergraduate part of their program.”
The Master of Engineering program is designed to require
approximately 12 months to complete, assuming full-time
graduate status. A Master of Science degree would take
longer (typically 18 months) because of the thesis research
associated with the degree.
Happy Birthday, Batten
JANE P. BATTEN STUDENT CENTER CELEBRATES 10 YEARS AS
THE HEART AND HUB OF CAMPUS LIFE
WHEN THE COLLEGE BROKE GROUND ON THE BATTEN STUDENT CENTER IN
2000, its namesake, longtime Board of Trustees member and tireless supporter
Jane Batten, hoped the new facility would “make an enormous difference to the life
of the campus.”
That it has—and then some. For the last decade, the Jane P. Batten Student
Center has served as the heart and hub of campus life for students, faculty, staff
and visitors from near and far. On Feb. 18, 2012, the College hosted a special
“Batten Center Birthday Celebration” that included a cake cutting by President Billy
Greer and Jane Batten before the men’s basketball game.
Designed to serve as the “town square” of the campus, the 137,000 squarefoot
Batten Center features a modern convocation center with an elevated jogging
track, an eight-lane pool, a training and fitness center, an aerobics room, racquetball
courts, a climbing wall, an aquarium, the campus bookstore, and the popular Marlin
Grille as well as offices, classrooms and meeting spaces.
“The Jane P. Batten Student Center was a catalyst for making campus life what it
is today,” says Dean of Students Keith Moore. “It brought learning, fitness, and fun
under one roof, a dynamic our students benefit from every day.”
PHOTO: JACK MELLOTT
New Heights
ALPINE TOWER A WELCOME ADDITION
FOR VWC’S ACADEMIC, RECREATION
AND ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
NO, IT’S NOT A GIANT MEDIEVAL
weapon. Or a pirate ship. It’s the Alpine
Tower, an imposing assemblage of
massive wooden beams, ropes, swings and
platforms that stands 50 feet tall and weighs
more than 18,000 pounds. The tower,
designed for climbing and teambuilding
exercises, was recently put in place in the
grassy area along the tree line off of Smith
Drive, just west of the main entrance to the
VWC campus.
The Alpine Tower is the result of a
partnership between Virginia Wesleyan and
the YMCA of South Hampton Roads. The
YMCA will use the tower primarily in the
summer for its camps and youth activities,
while VWC will utilize the tower for classes,
recreation activities and teambuilding
programs mostly during the academic year.
As many as 36 participants at once,
including six climbers, can engage in a
variety of challenges on the Alpine Tower.
Among them is the “Giant Swing by
Choice,” which connects to a pole 110 feet
away from the center of the tower. The
upper platform of the tower can even be
used as a campsite for up to six people
to spend the night while harnessed in for
safety. The tower is also equipped for use
by people with disabilities.
Virginia Wesleyan is the only school in
Virginia that has an Alpine Tower on its main
campus. It will also be available for use by
outside groups for a fee and is an extension
of the College’s Outdoor Achievement
Center. Professor of Recreation and Leisure
Studies Doug Kennedy was instrumental in
making the tower a reality.
YMCA Youth Development Director
Samantha Smith tackles the tower
PHOTO: JANICE MARSHALL–PITTMAN
Virginia Wesleyan College Magazine 2012-2013 / 7 /