Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

6 COLLEGE PROFILE COLLEGE PROFILE7Virginia Wesleyan College has repeatedlybeen chosen as one of the nation’s best byThe Princeton Review, most recently selected forinclusion in its guide The Best 378 Colleges: 2014Edition. It has also been named among the top tier ofNational Liberal Arts Colleges in U.S. News & WorldReport’s 2014 Best Colleges guide and is recognized asone of the country’s top eight liberal arts colleges forveterans in the publication’s 2013 inaugural rankingof the Best Colleges for Veterans. Also featured onCollegesofDistinction.com, the College is noted for itsdemonstrated excellence in four specific distinctions:engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communityand successful outcomes.VisionVirginia Wesleyan College will be a beacon for theliberal arts in the 21st century, where experientiallearning opportunities empower students to grow asprincipled scholars and community leaders.Mission Statement Preparing each student fora meaningful life and careerThe mission of Virginia Wesleyan College is toengage students of diverse ages, religions, ethnicorigins, and backgrounds in a rigorous liberal artseducation that will prepare them to meet thechallenges of life and career in a complex and rapidlychanging world. In this endeavor, the Collegeemploys a wide range of approaches to teaching andlearning and provides opportunities to connect thestudy of the liberal arts with practical learningexperiences on campus, in the Hampton Roadsregion, and throughout the world. In accord with ourUnited Methodist heritage, Virginia Wesleyan aspiresto be a supportive community that is committed tosocial responsibility, ethical conduct, higher learning,and religious freedom.Proud of Our Past,Focused on Our FutureChartered in 1961, Virginia Wesleyan College firstopened its doors to students in 1966. The concept forthe College actually began two years earlier as an ideaof Methodist minister Joseph S. Johnston. Withintwo years of planning, the school had a name, acharter, and an expanding body of supporters fromthe United Methodist Church and the regionalbusiness community. The College received fullaccreditation in its first year of eligibility, enjoyedsteady enrollment gains, and attained membership inthe Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.Rooted in the liberal arts tradition as well as itsMethodist heritage, Virginia Wesleyan has beenCOLLEGE PROFILEfocused on providing a broad academic foundationwhile cultivating productive and engaged citizens. Ameaningful liberal arts education includes the searchfor humane, social and scientific principles which,after thorough examination, provide the basis forunderstanding oneself, society, and the world. Across-disciplinary approach allows students to buildknowledge and explore their interests in theclassroom and beyond.The 2011-12 academic year marked the officialcelebration of the College’s 50th anniversary. Thisimportant milestone was recognized during manycampus events and promotions and with acommunity celebration that brought noted New YorkTimes columnist and author David Brooks to campusto speak. A commemorative book, Wisdom Lights theWay: Virginia Wesleyan College’s First Half-Century(Donning Company Publishers) was written byCollege archivist and former dean of the College, Dr.Stephen Mansfield. The book, which details theCollege’s rich history, is available in the ScribnerBookstore on campus.The future at Virginia Wesleyan includes anexciting, enhanced new curricular model that isdedicated to preparing students by providing themwith expanded opportunities to learn by doing, toconnect theory to practice, and to link the classroomto the world. Living and learning communities oncampus are also an important part of helping studentsconnect with each other and with faculty insubstantive ways during the transition to college life.Through individualized attention and activementoring, students develop invaluable relationshipsand support networks and are encouraged to growinto independent thinkers and leaders who areoptimally prepared for graduate study and thechallenges of rapidly changing workplaces.Virginia Wesleyan has often been defined by itsdesirable and unique location in southeasternVirginia. The College is just minutes from theAtlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, on abeautiful 300-acre wooded campus, set in the heart ofthe state’s most populous metropolitan region.Hampton Roads is home to a host of business,governmental, and cultural institutions, as well as richhistorical and natural resources that offer tremendousopportunities for students.The Honor CodeVirginia Wesleyan College is committed to valuesof citizenship and social responsibility fundamental toa community of scholars. People who join thisacademic community agree to maintain academichonesty. The purpose of the Virginia Wesleyan HonorCode is to foster an environment of learning basedupon trustworthiness and willingness to assumepersonal responsibility for honorable behavior.Responsibility for safeguarding honor and trustbelongs to the entire academic community; therefore,students need to assume responsibility for honorablebehavior in themselves and others. Acts of academicdishonesty, which include cheating, plagiarism, lying,theft, and falsifying data, are violations of the HonorCode. Once students become members of the Collegecommunity and are presumed to understand thenature of such violations, they are responsible foravoiding them and for the consequences if they donot.The Honor Code offers guidelines for academicconduct and disciplinary procedures for infractions ofthe code. For a complete statement of the HonorCode, see the Student Handbook distributed throughthe Dean of Students Office.The Virginia Wesleyan CreedWe accept and support the Virginia WesleyanHonor Code.• a commitment to trustworthiness and awillingness to assume personal responsibility forhonorable behavior.We seek experiences that enhance personalacademic excellence and an integrated liberal artsperspective.• a commitment to sustained achievement in theclassroom.We abide by and uphold the Virginia WesleyanCommunity Standards.• a commitment to good campus citizenship in allundertakings.We value and respect diversity in all facets of ourmulticultural society.• a commitment to recognize and to celebrate theimportance of cultural differences within ourcampus community and to oppose all forms ofdiscrimination.We aspire to be a supportive community thatrespects the value of faith and religious freedom.• a commitment to cultivate spiritual sensitivityand to foster personal commitment that leads toethical conduct.We respect the personal belongings of others andthe property of the College.• a commitment to oppose all forms of vandalismor theft of personal and College property.We accept our role in protecting the environment.• a commitment to stewardship through sustainablepractices.We embrace the importance of personal wellbeing.• a commitment to a healthy lifestyle in all itsfacets.We engage in the civic life and activities of ourcommunity.• a commitment to improve the quality of life ofothers.The SettingThe setting of the College complements its dualcommitment to the development of the intellect andto involvement in society. Nestled on a 300-acrecampus in the heart of Virginia’s largest metropolitanarea, the College is physically insulated from thebustle of the city traffic, and yet the vast resources ofthis metropolitan area are easily accessible. Regardlessof their major, students are only a few minutes awayfrom a living laboratory. The Norfolk/Virginia Beacharea is one of the fastest growing urban centers on theAtlantic Coast. The College offers many opportunitiesfor students to bring the theoretical and thepractical together in this rich environment.Physical FacilitiesVirginia Wesleyan’s buildings, all constructedsince 1966, are situated in the midst of expansivelawns, numerous athletic fields, and pleasantwoodlands. The long-range plan calls for four villagessurrounding a central academic core. The followingcomplexes and buildings, with completion datesnoted, now house the college’s academic,administrative, and residential functions.■ Jerry G. Bray, Jr. Village (1966)Residence Halls:Louise W. Eggleston HallAbel E. and Clara Eaton Kellam HallMargarette Hanes Old HallPaul Howard Rose HallAcademic Buildings:Birdsong HallPeter D. Pruden HallAubrey L. Eggleston Commons■ Academic Village IIResidence Halls:East Dormitory (1990):J. Franklin Little Hall (1990)Alison J. and Ella W. Parsons Hall (1990)Walter Clarke Gum Hall (1970)Joseph S. Johnston Hall (1990):Landmark HallWilliam Travis Smithdeal Hall (1970)Academic Buildings (1990):Charles and Bertha Mast Graybeal HallGuy C. and Ora Goodwin Roop HallFloyd E. Kellam, Jr. Social Science Center(2002)■ Joan and Macon Brock Village (1993)Residence Halls:North HallSouth HallHarry I. and Elizabeth W. Teagle HallApartments and Townhouses (2005)