From Good to GREAT

PHILANTHROPIA and SUSTAINABILITY.

Those words aren’t often found in the same sentence— except when VWU President Scott D. Miller reflects on his immense gratitude for the University’s donors.

“When I arrived at Virginia Wesleyan in 2015,” President Miller said, “a goal of mine was to establish a culture of philanthropy. I believe this campaign has enabled us to achieve that goal.”

President Miller is referring to the University’s eightyear capital campaign known as “Transformation Now!” Launched in 2015, it concluded in 2022 as a tremendous success of historical significance and proportion to the University, raising over $172 million in private support. With additional gifts and pledges that occurred outside the official campaign dates, VWU’s total private support surpassed $181 million.

In expressing his gratitude to campaign donors, President Miller cited the two words referenced above. The first, philanthropia, is a Greek word meaning “love for humanity.”

“ The philanthropists who gave transformational gifts to this campaign,” he said, “did so because of how much they care about our challenged society and how convinced they are that VWU is a university of consequence designed and determined to graduate problem solvers.”

The second word, sustainability, has two applications, he explained.

“Sustainability is central to our academic programs. The advancement of sustainability is an intended learning outcome for students in the sciences, business, the arts and community development.”

The word also applies to VWU itself, President Miller added. More than 70 institutions similar to VWU closed or merged for financial reasons while VWU was engaged in the campaign.

“Margins remain too small for us to relax for even a minute,” he said. “Even so, we are by all measures a sustainable and powerfully relevant university.”

David Kaufman H’19 echoes that sentiment. Kaufman is founder and senior managing director for Envest Private Equity as well as a current member and former chair of the VWU Board of Trustees.

“ The transformation and growth of Virginia Wesleyan into a vibrant University with excellence in relevant liberal arts has been nothing short of remarkable,” Kaufman said, “especially during what has been generally a difficult environment for private higher education.”

That achievement is a direct result of working toward a collaborative vision, said VWU Trustee Gary Bonnewell ’79, H’16, senior vice president with Morgan Stanley.

“No great institution can attain ongoing success by luck.

A prophet once said, ‘Where there is no vision, there is no hope.’ The Transformation Now! campaign was the collective vision of President Miller and our great supporters, and it gives us great hope for the future.”

GARY BONNEWELL ’79, H’16

For faculty members, the campaign secured a future full of promise thanks to the new facilities and equipment it funded, said Dr. Victor Townsend, professor of biology and the Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. He credits the Greer Environmental Sciences Center with transforming the Environmental Science and Environmental Studies programs at VWU.

“It allowed us to expand and diversify undergraduate research in current issues involving the local environment,” Dr. Townsend said. “And it enabled the development of novel and exciting natural-science education partnerships and summer programming.”

Retired PAPCO chairman and CEO John Malbon H’22 is a past chair and current member of the VWU Board of Trustees. He, too, is optimistic about the University’s future.

“My financial and board contributions are investments in a Virginia Wesleyan I believe in,” Malbon said. “My willingness to support the University’s students, faculty and administration is because of the quality of learning and leadership that is so evident there.”

Nancy DeFord, vice president of DeFord, Ltd., is also a VWU trustee. She explained that her late husband, Bob DeFord, served as a trustee from the creation of the campus out of farmland, and they’ve both seen numerous changes over their years of board service.

“Watching the flurry of improvements and additions during the campaign has been remarkable,” she said. “Investing time and money in the University made sense to us over many years. We’ve donated in the past to various building projects and scholarships, but more recently the opportunity to help create a President’s home for the campus seemed important as a way to elevate hospitality on the campus and to welcome friends and supporters. We were honored to be part of the continued development of the University as a center for learning the arts and sciences and beyond.”

The Transformation Now! campaign lived up to its billing in every way, explained current Board of Trustees Chair Jon Pruden, CEO of the TASTE family of businesses.

“One need not look far to see VWU’s rapid evolution over the past seven-plus years,” Pruden said. “Our once sleepy campus has been energized through investments in our buildings, grounds, educational programs and community partnerships. Our endowment has ballooned as a down payment on a more secure and sustainable future. For the larger community, our change from college to university status underscores this metamorphosis.

“None of this would be possible,” Pruden continued, “without the visionary leadership and drive of Dr. Miller and the Advancement team as well as the support of our Board of Trustees. Most importantly, we owe a debt of gratitude to the unwavering commitment of our incredible donors and their enduring legacy, which is unfolding before our eyes.”

That enduring legacy spans 12 new campus facilities and renovations to seven existing structures. Dr. Antje Schwennicke, associate professor of political science and dean of the Birdsong School of Social Science, hasn’t failed to notice.

“I am always so proud of the amazing resources at VWU,” Dr. Schwennicke said, “especially when I walk into the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center. This beautiful building has become so integral to campus events such as Founders Day, plays and musicals, and concert performances. We are very lucky to have such an impressive event space on campus.”

Former Board of Trustees Chair Kaufman has more good things to say. “With Transformation Now!, VWU was able to harness the most generous philanthropy of Hampton Roads leaders due to the strategic clarity and execution by Dr. Miller and his outstanding team of faculty and staff. VWU’s mission to provide exceptional liberal arts education in our community and beyond is a challenging one for a small private university, but the support for VWU from the community has always been stellar.”

Theatre professor Dr. Travis Malone, the Anne B. Shumadine Dean of Batten Honors College, is quick to point out that the campaign expanded VWU’s learning options well beyond its students.

“These new facilities have given VWU greater opportunities to welcome the community to campus,” Dr. Malone said. “Now, the campus has become a place where the community can come together to explore the creative and intellectual ways that connect humans and the world.”