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Dear friends,

As I think back on the last 12 months lived in the age of COVID-19, while there have been many hard decisions and countless heartaches, I am proud that Â鶹´«Ã½rtb has continued to progress despite the challenges.

Our students are well into another semester of in-person instruction, and all 22 athletic teams are now practicing and/or competing. We were pleased to announce Andrea Hoover-Erbig as the next Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, effective June 1. However, just a few days later we learned the sad news of the passing of Don Forsyth, a founding father of VWU Athletics. The many successes of our athletic programs today are a direct result of the strong foundation Don helped to build during Virginia Wesleyan's early years. We are grateful for his pioneering spirit and visionary leadership and look forward to Andrea continuing the tradition of excellence in Marlin Athletics.

We recently shared our plans for Commencement 2021 and celebrated our . We commemorated Black History Month through speakers, exhibits, cuisine and more. The University served as a host institution for the 2021 Climate Action Pursuit for the first of four meetings this year. VWU Global Campus continues to flourish with continuing education offerings for individuals in various career fields.

Yes, there is much to be proud of at VWU. It has been a very tough year, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and are thankful to have made the journey together.

Sincerely,
Over the years I have enjoyed writing regular columns and contributing to articles.
Included below are links to several recent publications. Visit vwu.edu/president for more.
President to President: Fostering A Culture of Innovation
The sixth chapter of the 2020-2021 thought leadership series is now available online. In "," James Madison University President Jonathan R. Alger, JD, illustrates how his university pursued innovative new approaches to student and institutional success while facing the many challenges of the past year.

In this year's President to President series, titled "," prominent higher education leaders share how they are meeting the challenges of an unprecedented era through an ongoing focus on innovation. Each chapter contains the invaluable expertise of a college or university president and offers tangible solutions to the issues many campuses now face. We hope this series provides useful ideas for your campus and look forward to continuing to share a new chapter each month.
Â鶹´«Ã½rtb officials continue to monitor the outbreak of COVID-19, following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

The University's Emergency Response Team has created VWU CovidSafe to provide information about the current number of confirmed cases impacting our campus. It will be updated weekly on Wednesdays to keep the community apprised of our current situation.
Dr. Scott D. Miller is president of Â鶹´«Ã½rtb. Respected as one of the most entrepreneurial higher education executives in America, he is in his 31st year as a university president. Dr. Miller has dedicated his career to the opportunities available through education. He especially values the small, classical, liberal arts college environment that offers students personalized pathways to life and career success.

Previously, he was president of Bethany College (2007-2015), Wesley College (1997-2007), and Lincoln Memorial University (1991-1997). He was also Executive Vice President (1988-1991) and Vice President for Development (1984-1988) at Lincoln Memorial University and Director of College Relations and Alumni Affairs at Rio Grande College (now University) in Ohio. Read more.