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Virginia Wesleyan Establishes D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies
Named for longtime VWU Trustee and supporter, school will build upon existing academic programs
University News | February 21, 2019
91风月楼 has established the D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies, according to VWU President Scott D. Miller. The new school will build upon undergraduate and graduate programs in the Departments of Business, Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies, and Social Work.
In 2016, the University elevated its academic program with the launch of the Batten Honors College and the structuring and naming of three schools—the Birdsong School of Social Science, the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities. Now, as the growth and prominence of VWU continues, the University has established its fourth school.
“In addition to honoring the donors who have been instrumental in our success,” said Dr. Miller, “our purpose was to unite the strengths that all departments have individually and collectively, and to prepare comprehensively for the academic and co-curricular needs and expectations of students in the 21st century. Simultaneously, we planned to equip and empower those who teach, with the understanding that students today learn and process information differently from those of earlier generations.”
The University’s fourth academic school is named with gratitude for longtime Trustee Henry Watts, recognizing his 30 years of leadership and support of Virginia Wesleyan and his outstanding contributions to the Hampton Roads business community.
Dr. Watts has been a member of Virginia Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees since 1989, currently serving on the Executive and Enrollment Committees. He is a past Board Chair and Parliamentarian, and in 2007, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University. An avid fan of Marlin athletics with his wife, Eleanor, Dr. Watts was appointed in 2018 as Trustee representative to the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. The Watts are frequently on campus cheering for Marlin basketball and supporting VWU’s National Champion softball team.
A retired Vice Chairman of Norfolk Southern Corporation, Dr. Watts has also been very active in the community. He has served on the Board of the Virginia Opera and the Norfolk Airport Authority Board of Commissioners, and he and Eleanor are active members of Virginia Beach United Methodist Church.
The Watts’ generosity to Virginia Wesleyan has taken many paths, from gifts to Marlin Athletics and University arts programs to the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom, the Eleanor and Henry Watts Endowed Scholarship, and more. In recognition of their further support, VWU will dedicate the Eleanor and Henry Watts Grand Lobby and Gallery in March as part of the celebration of the new Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center.
“We thank Henry and Eleanor not only for their wonderful support of so many areas of the University, but also for their friendship and loyalty to all that we stand for and strive to be,” said Dr. Miller. “Our students can have no better role model than Henry’s example of community leadership and dedication, the pursuit of professional excellence and valued knowledge, and the many and diverse qualities of service that define a true citizen.”
The D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies will be in effect with the start of the 2019-2020 Academic Year on July 1.