Greetings, campus community!
Where did April go? The end of the semester is always moving at an astonishing pace, but this year in particular, it seems we have hit warp speed. Our formal Honors Convocation and Senior Awards Ceremony was last weekend, Wespys athletic awards later this week, the Student-Faculty Research Forum next week, followed by Baccalaureate, Senior Lunch, and finally, Commencement--with many, many year-end celebrations in between. I do hope in the rush, we can stop, find some quiet, and settle into the joys of the season.
This week is also the week of our Higher Learning Commission comprehensive accreditation site visit (April 22-23). As a campus community, we have worked collaboratively to prepare the many elements involved in the accreditation process, from the Assurance Argument to the Federal Compliance Report. If you have not had a chance to read the college's Assurance Argument, it is available on our website via the HLC landing page or direct link.
Our site visit team will provide a report of its findings in the months to come. I will share those as I receive them. I want to extend deep and heartfelt gratitude to all who have worked on aspects of this process, the report, site visit logistics, federal compliance, or otherwise.
Visioning Workshop: Setting Strategic Priorities
On April 19, 2024, the campus community gathered for a Visioning Workshop both in person and on Zoom. I began the meeting with brief updates from the All-Campus Visioning Series, which took place between September 2023 and January 2024. Participants at the workshop were asked to then provide feedback and prioritization on the ten themes derived from the comprehensive visioning process. The workshop was active and participatory and repeated separately for students and online for Board members. Results will be compiled and shared in the coming weeks with the campus community. Thank you to Leslie Nichols, John McKiernan, and Daniel McCamish for assisting with workshop logistics and to AVI for providing breakfast.
Commencement Updates
Wilmington College proudly announces that alum Dr. Noris Price ('81) will deliver the keynote address at our 2024 commencement ceremony. Dr. Price is the superintendent of Baldwin County School District in Milledgeville, Georgia. Under her leadership, the district has seen the high school graduation rate increase from 66 percent to 85 percent.
Across her 30-year career as an educator, Dr. Price has served as an elementary school teacher, assistant principal, principal, associate superintendent, and deputy superintendent. She was selected as a finalist for Georgia Superintendent of the Year in 2020 and 2021.
She holds a bachelor's degree in education from Wilmington College, a master's degree in education from Lehman College of the City University of New York, a certificate in educational leadership from George Mason University in Virginia, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
The college will also recognize two exceptional individuals with honorary degrees during the commencement ceremony: Dr. Noris Price and Dr. James Reynolds, president emeritus of Wilmington College (2012-2020).
During his time at Wilmington College, Dr. Reynolds oversaw the successful reaccreditation of the institution by the Higher Learning Commission in 2017.
Under his leadership, the college renovated and expanded the Center for the Sciences and Agriculture (CSA) facility and launched partnerships with three medical health care providers that resulted in the construction of the Center for Sports Sciences (CSS).
The college also increased its Annual Fund support and overall giving during the last three years of Dr. Reynolds’ presidency, concluding its largest fundraising campaign in institutional history in December 2017, which exceeded its $21 million goal. Dr. Reynolds came to Wilmington College in 2007 to serve as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. Prior to Wilmington College, Reynolds served as Academic Vice President and Dean at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska, from 2003 to 2006.
Dr. Reynolds currently serves as President of Milikin University in Decatur, Illinois.
Commencement updates can be found at: https://www.wilmington.edu/current-students/commencement
Barreling into May and full of excitement gratitude for the events ahead,
Corey
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