# Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) is a private university in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university is nonsectarian but historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church. It enrolls 4,632 learners in all locations: 1,676 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs, 2,601 in VWU Global Campus (online and continuing education), and 355 students at LUJ/VWU Global (Japan). Virginia Wesleyan transitioned from a college to a university in 2017.
The Virginia Wesleyan University campus is also home to the Chesapeake Bay Academy, an educational institution that educates and guides students with learning disabilities, including attention disorders (ADHD), dyslexia, and dysgraphia, and the Tidewater Collegiate Academy, an innovative laboratory for teaching and learning that extends from the primary grades through high school.
Through academic collaboration with local arts and sciences partners, on-site learning experiences are also provided at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach; The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk; Sentara College of Health Sciences in Chesapeake; and the Norfolk Botanical Garden.
In July 2023, Virginia Wesleyan and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art announced their collaboration on the construction of a $25 million facility to be built on the University’s Virginia Beach campus. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in August 2024, celebrating the facility’s donors: Jane Batten, Joan Brock, and Susan and David Goode.
VWU collaborates with Virginia Beach Economic Development for a work development center, The Hive, in Virginia Beach. Approximately 3,000 continuing education learners benefit from joint programs at The Hive. In 2025, the University opened VWU-Chesapeake, a comprehensive program for those incarcerated at St. Brides Correctional Center and Indian Creek Correctional Center.

## History

The school was chartered in 1961 as Virginia Wesleyan College under the initiative of Methodist minister Joseph Shackford Johnston, later the college's first president. It became a university in 2017.
Presidents of Wesleyan :
| Name | Tenure |
| Scott Douglas Miller | 2015- |
| William Thomas Greer Jr. | 1992-2015 |
| Lambuth McGeehee Clarke | 1966-1992 |
| Joseph Shackford Johnston | 1965 |

## Academics
### Colleges and schools

Virginia Wesleyan University consists of four schools devoted to specific areas of study: the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities, the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Birdsong School of Social Science, and the D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies.

### Batten Honors College

The Batten Honors College, named for Virginia Wesleyan Trustee Emerita Jane Batten and her late husband Frank Batten, Sr., was founded in 2017 with a mission to "inspire, engage, and prepare academically talented students to become leaders, environmental stewards, and impactful citizens in the global community."

### VWU Global Campus

Founded in 2017, VWU Global Campus enrolls 2,601 students in early enrollment, evening and weekend, online (undergraduate, graduate, and non-credit) and at LUJ/VWU Global (Japan). VWU Global Campus operates all for-credit programs outside of the traditional undergraduate program, the campus in Japan, and also supports non-credit, continuing-education offerings. In 2024, Lakeland University (WI) and VWU announced the joint establishment of the Jane P. Batten and David R. Black School for International Studies. Virginia Beach Economic Development, Tidewater Community College, and VWU share a workforce development center, The Hive, in Virginia Beach. Approximately 3,000 continuing education learners benefit from joint programs at The Hive.

### Westminster/Wesleyan Lifelong Learning Institute

The Westminster/Wesleyan Lifelong Learning Institute, a component of VWU Global Campus, was launched in 2017. Several courses will be taught during each of two regular semesters, and roughly half will be on faith-related topics. The University offers a wide variety of courses throughout the year for the nearly 1,000 residents of the Westminster-Canterbury on the Chesapeake Bay campusand roughly half are on faith-based topics. Over 1,100 learners enroll in Institute courses in 2024.

## Diversity and inclusion

Virginia Wesleyan often states its commitment to inclusivity and one of the institution's core values within its Forging our Future: Building on Strength 2020-2030 strategic plan reads, "Inclusive and Caring Community that empowers members to form meaningful relationships through listening, understanding, and communication."
The university is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 25 institutions in Campus Ethnic Diversity for National Liberal Arts Colleges. According to the university profile, students represent 34 states and 10 countries, with 43 percent from underrepresented populations.
Virginia Wesleyan's campus is the South Hampton Roads home for the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities. The 83-year-old organization opened a satellite office at VWU in December 2018.
Business leader and known civil rights advocate Harvey Lindsay made a $250,000 gift to Virginia Wesleyan in 2019 to enable the university to begin expanding the study of African-American history and traditions in Virginia.

## Campus

Situated on 300 acres (1.2 km$^2$) in Virginia Beach, the university is separated into five villages. Bray Village (Village I) and Allen Village (Village II) offer combined living-learning environments built on the Jeffersonian model, with multi-purpose buildings. Brock Village (Village III) and Honors Village (Village IV) are solely housing units. Coastal 61 was added as a fifth village in 2020.
The Robert "Bobby" T. Williams Trail, leading from the Blocker Youth Center to Lake Taylor, was dedicated in October 2019 in memory of the 1975 graduate who was killed in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting in May 2019.
The Greer Environmental Sciences Center, dedicated in 2017, received the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s National Conservationist of the Year Award in 2018. The facility is a state-of-the-art center for teaching and research. The 18-acre Wilson Arboretum was established in 1995 in memory of William M. Wilson, dean of the university from 1971 to 1994. Since 1997, retiring faculty members have chosen a tree to be planted within the arboretum to honor their service to the institution
The 12-acre Beech Forest, a rare example of an old-growth stand of beech trees, was designated a Natural Heritage Resource by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1992. The campus features over 13 miles of biking and hiking paths and trails.

## Facilities

The following complexes and buildings, with completion dates noted, now house the university's academic, administrative, and residential functions.
* Jerry G. Bray, Jr. Village (Village I) (1966)
** Residence halls:
*** Louise W. Eggleston Hall
*** Abel E. and Clara Eaton Kellam Hall
*** Margarette Hanes Old Hall
*** Paul Howard Rose Hall
** Academic buildings:
*** Birdsong Hall
*** Peter D. Pruden Hall
*** Aubrey L. Eggleston Commons
* Dennie Allen Village (Village II)
** Residence halls:
*** East Hall (1990)
*** Franklin Little Hall (1990)
*** Alison J. and Ella W. Parsons Hall (1990)
*** Walter Clarke Gum Hall (1970)
*** Joseph S. Johnston Hall (1990)
*** Landmark Hall
*** William Travis Smithdeal Hall (1970)
** Academic buildings (1990):
*** Allen Commons
*** Charles and Bertha Mast Graybeal Hall
*** Guy C. and Ora Goodwin Roop Hall
*** Floyd E. Kellam, Jr., Social Sciences Lab (2002, 2014)
* Joan and Macon Brock Village (Village III) (1993)
** Residence halls:
*** North Hall
*** South Hall
*** Harry I. and Elizabeth W. Teagle Hall
** Apartments and townhouses (2005)
* Honors Village (Village IV) (2008)
** Residence townhouses:
*** Broyles Hall
*** DeFord Hall
*** Hendrix Hall
*** Mastracco Hall
*** Watts Hall
*** Shumadine Hall
* S. Frank and Wilma Williamson Blocker Hall
* Lambuth M. Clarke Hall (1998)
* Susan T. Beverly Hall (2020)/Fine Arts Building (1966)/Edward D. Hofheimer Theatre (1981)
* Greer Environmental Sciences Center (2017)
* Henry Clay Hofheimer II Library (1969, 2008)/Neil Britton Art Gallery/Barclay Sheaks Gallery
* Greenhouse (2017)
* Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center/Joan and Macon Brock Theatre/Eleanor and Henry Watts Grand Lobby and Gallery/Susan Beverly Grand Terrace and Pond (2019)
The following complexes and structures house additional administrative buildings as well as athletic and student activities facilities:
* Jane P. Batten Student Center (2002)/TowneBank Arena (2020)
* Birdsong Field – Paphites Pavilion (2015)
* Frank Blocker, Jr., Youth Center – Tidewater Collegiate Academy/YMCA Camp Red Feather (2017)
* Brock Commons (2022)/ Robert F. and Sara M. Boyd Dining Center (1991)
* Everett Tennis Center (2011)
* Katherine B. and Mills E. Godwin, Jr., Hall (1999)
* Facilities Management (1993)
* The Alpine Tower (2008, 2017)
* Monumental Chapel and Beazley Recital Hall (2020, 1975), The Beacon (2019)
* TowneBank Park—Kenneth R. Perry Field (2017), Tom and Betty Broyles Field (2019), Watts Field House (2023), Perry Field House (2023)
* Betty S. Rogers Track and Field Center (2017)
* Trinder Center (1998)
* Sue Benton Birdsong Entrance Gate (2020)
* DeFord Manor (2021)
* Paphites Soccer Complex (2024) with Foster Field (1998)
* G. Robert Aston Jr Hall (2002/2024)
* Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (2025)

## Athletics

Virginia Wesleyan University sports teams are known as the Marlins. The university participates in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) and is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. VWU added supplemental conference membership with the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor/outdoor track and field, and volleyball. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, indoor/outdoor track and field, and volleyball. VWU added co-ed Esports in 2019. In 2025, they announced the addition of women’s flag football.
In 2024, through a contract with the City of Virginia Beach, VWU added the new indoor track facility at the Virginia Beach Convention Center as its home site. The 2024 NCAA Division III National Indoor Track and Field Championship was hosted there. The University and Virginia Beach were awarded the 2028 hosting of the same event.
The university maintains an Athletic Hall of Fame honoring those who have made lasting contributions to Virginia Wesleyan's intercollegiate athletic program through outstanding achievements or service.
In recent years, Virginia Wesleyan University has earned recognition as one of the top NCAA Division III programs in the country. The men's basketball team won the national championship in 2006, and the following year returned to the championship game, which they lost. The women's soccer team made it to the final four in 2006 after winning the ODAC tournament for the first time in program history. In 2016, Evan Cox was the Individual NCAA National Champion for Men's Golf. The Virginia Wesleyan softball team won the 2017 NCAA Division III National Championship with a record 54 wins. Head Coach Brandon Elliott was named ODAC Coach of the Year and State Coach of the Year, while his coaching staff earned Regional and National Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Freshman pitcher Hanna Hull earned 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Freshman of the Year and honors as the first National Player of the Year in program history. In 2018, they repeated as NCAA Division III champions. Hull was again named National Player of the Year, and Elliott's staff again earned National Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Despite a 42–6 overall record, and number one regular season rating in the NFCA Division III poll, the Marlins lost to the University of Lynchburg in the 2019 NCAA Regional Finals. In 2021, the VWU Softball team won its third national title in four (complete) season defeating the Texas Lutheran University in the NCAA Division III Championship best of three series with the Marlins claiming a 9–1 win in five innings in the deciding third game.

## Notable alumni

* Brandon Adair, National Basketball Association referee
* Kelly Convirs-Fowler, representative, U.S. State of Virginia's 21st House of Delegates District
* Kevin Nickelberry, assistant basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida State, former head coach at Hampton University and Howard University
* Randy Peele, assistant men's basketball coach at Texas Southern University
* Sam Presti, executive vice president and general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder
* Richard H. Stuart, State Senate of Virginia, representing the 28th District
* Bob Valvano, American sportscaster
* Keller Williams, American musician
* Karl McDonnell, CEO Strategic Education, Inc.; Former president of Strayer University
* Eric Nyman, CEO, Revelyst; Former CEO, Hasbro
* David Green, Chief Operating Officer, Georgetown University
* Michael Rawls, retired CEO, Xome