As late as the 1950s, Southside Hampton Roads lacked a private, four-year institution of higher education. The creation of Virginia Wesleyan College, by action of the Virginia Methodist Annual Conference in June 1961 and chartering by the State Corporation Commission the following month, resulted from the confluence of a state-commissioned study of higher education needs in Eastern Virginia; the initiative of District Superintendent Joseph S. Johnston, Bishop Paul Neff Garber, and other Methodist leaders; and community support from influential citizens across Hampton Roads. With Dr. Johnston as its first chairman, the Board of Trustees assumed the task of selecting a site, continuing fund-raising, selecting an architect and campus design, and hiring the administrators and faculty to develop an appropriate curriculum and attract students. From among 18 potential campus sites the trustees chose the Smith Farm tract and an adjoining parcel owned by the city of Norfolk and approved a campus design modeled after the Jeffersonian Village concept.
Since opening in 1966 with 75 pioneering students, Virginia Wesleyan College has become Virginia’s most distinctive private liberal arts college and one of the nation’s best. Virginia Wesleyan focuses on creatively mixing core academic courses, a wealth of extracurricular activities and opportunities to gain real-world experience through internships, fieldwork, study abroad and community service. Through the college’s partnerships with businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations, students explore various career paths; “shadow” professionals as they go about their work and take a hands-on approach to helping solve local community problems.
Virginia Wesleyan College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Assoc. of Colleges and Schools to award the bachelor of arts degree, and individual disciplines have specialized accreditations where appropriate.
Quick Facts:
Re-chartering Chapter Officers:
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Number I: Doyle Gillis
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Number II: Kenny Tyrell
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Number III: Tom Drabyczk
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Number IV: Cameron Larson
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Number V: Kevin Nichols
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Number VI: Chris Wheeler
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Number VII: Chris Dolan
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Number VIII: Ben Henderson
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Number IX: Zachary Gonzalez
Re-chartering Date: May 6, 2004
Original Chartering: October 5, 1984
Chapter Address:
Kappa Alpha Order
1584 Wesleyan Drive
Norfolk, VA 23502
