Campus Events

Special events recognize the achievements and contributions of Black Americans throughout history:

February 1 - 28  Celebrating Legends Wall

Throughout the month of February, there will be a collaborative display wall outside Campus Life and Operational Management in the Jane P. Batten Student Center that showcases inspirational Black legends in various industries. The Marlin Community is invited to add to this wall throughout the month to share the stories of personal legends as well.

February 5 | 4 – 7 p.m.  Uni-Tee 

Join Off the Hook in the Harbor Grille to make your own Unity t-shirt and tote bag.

February 16 | 11.a.m – 1 p.m.  Talk & Paint: How Racism Impacts Mental Health  

Join the conversation in Kramer Lounge, a supportive space for students to reflect, create, and engage in dialogue about the emotional impact of racism. 

February 18 | 6 – 7 p.m.  Music Trivia Night (featuring Black artists)

Off the Hook will host a music trivia night featuring Black artists in the Boyd Dining Center.

February 19 | 7- 8:30 p.m.  A Dream Deferred: Black Excellence, Voice, and Resistance

Through spoken word, music, a Frederick Douglas historical reenactment, visual art, and student scholarship, this evening in the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center is hosted by the Robert Nusbaum Center at VWU. The program explores Black excellence as sustained moral pressure on a nation slow to fulfill its promises. Inspired by Langston Hughes’s question—What happens to a dream deferred? — the program examines freedom promised, postponed, and pursued across generations.

February 20 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.   Identity Wall Art - Black History Month          

An interactive push-pin and yarn display in front of Boyd Dining Center invites students to explore and visually represent their identities using different colors as symbolism. Educational information about identity supports reflection, dialogue, and connection, highlighting both individual experiences and shared community.  

February 23 | 6 - 8 p.m.  Honoring Black Joy Throughout the Diaspora

Join us in the Athenaeum for a student-centered celebration of the Black Diaspora featuring dance, music, spoken word, step, and powerful cultural storytelling, including reenactments of playwrights.

Participants will be immersed in a tapestry of Black culture spanning West, Central, East, and Southern Africa, alongside African American, Afro-Latino, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Asian community experiences. Grounded in both historical and contemporary contexts, this program honors local, national, and global Black identity, joy, and community. This event is free and open to the public, with special invitations extended to Tidewater Collegiate Academy, Norfolk Academy, Chesapeake Bay Academy, and the Urban League of Hampton Roads. 

Presented in partnership with Virginia Wesleyan University’s President’s Council on Inclusive Communities (PCIC), Student Success, the Black Student Union, and the World Stage, along with the Tidewater African Cultural Alliance (TACA) and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

February 26 | 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.  Black Mental Health Providers & Businesses Showcase

An event highlighting Black mental health providers and Black-owned businesses will be held in Brock Commons to increase awareness of culturally responsive care, promote community connection, and support student access to affirming resources both on and off campus. 

February 26 | 4:45 – 7 p.m.  Soul Food Night in Boyd Dining Center

The Black Student Union and the Office of Student Engagement will sponsor “Soul Food Night” in Boyd Dining Center. Join in the celebration with music and prizes, and enjoy special dishes! The event is hosted by Black Student Union, Off the Hook, Student Engagement, and Dining Services.

Read more

Join us for an Education Fair hosted by the Athenaeum Center for Exploration & Discovery's Career & Professional Development office. This event is designed for students and alumni interested in shaping the next generation through careers in education. Connect with potential employers, explore opportunities in the field, and take the first step toward landing your ideal role in education. Open to all VWU students and alumni.

Virginia Wesleyan University invites prospective students and their families to experience life as a Marlin at during Marlins Day Open House. This signature event is one of the best ways to explore all that VWU has to offer—academically, socially, and beyond.

Learn more

Join us for an opportunity to meet local providers and business owners for a tabling and networking opportunity before our Annual Soul Food Night. This is a chance to connect and learn more about the shared lived experiences and importance of representation in mental health care and community-based businesses. This  free event is open to all. 

In this talk, historian Kathleen Casey discusses how purses functioned as portable private spaces—carrying tools of resistance, survival, and autonomy throughout the civil rights and gay liberation movements. Through vivid stories from her new book, The Things She Carried: A Cultural History of the Purse in America, Casey reveals how something as ordinary as a purse became an extraordinary vessel of freedom in the enduring struggle for equality.
For more information, contact the Robert Nusbaum Center at 757.455.3129 or NusbaumCenter@vwu.edu.

The Concert Jazz Series will feature a night of Vocal Jazz Favorites performed by Vocal Music Majors and accompanied by a professional jazz rhythm section. Hosted by Jason Squinobal.

Concert is free and open to public.

Explore exciting opportunities at VWU's Spring Fair! Connect with employers offering careers, internships, and volunteer positions across various fields. This is your chance to network with organizations, learn about opportunities, and take the next step in your professional journey. Check Handshake for the complete employer list and additional details.

Hosted by the Athenaeum Center for Exploration & Discovery | Questions? Contact CareerDevelopment@vwu.edu

Join Virginia Wesleyan Vox Vera, under the direction of Bryson Mortensen, and Deke Sharon for the annual A Cappella Festival. This year’s festival concert will be a collaboration between Virginia Wesleyan Vox Vera, Hampton Roads Academy, and St. Catherine's School for an exciting evening of a capella music.

Reserve your free ticket at buytickets.at/GoodeCenter

Production dates and times: April 9 through April 11 at 7:30 p.m.;  April 12 at 2 p.m.

AVENUE Q is a gut-bustingly hilarious modern musical focusing on a group of unique 20- somethings making their way in the big city, seeking their purpose in life. Although the show addresses humorous adult issues, it is similar to a beloved children's show; a place where puppets are friends, Monsters are good and life lessons are learned. Winner of the Tony "Triple Crown" for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, AVENUE Q is part flesh, part felt, and packed with heart. AVENUE Q is a laugh-out-loud musical that tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that although the residents seem nice, it's clear that this is not your ordinary neighborhood. Together, Princeton and his new-found friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life. WARNING: Adult language, themes, and puppet nudity. Book by Jeff Whitty. Based on the original concept by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx.

Directed by Travis Malone, Music Direction by Cristina Loyola, Choreography by Stephanie Greeves & Desiree Frogosa. Production is part of VWU Alumni Weekend.

TICKETS

Virginia Wesleyan University invites prospective students and their families to experience life as a Marlin at during Marlins Day Open House. This signature event is one of the best ways to explore all that VWU has to offer—academically, socially, and beyond.

Learn more

Virginia Wesleyan Camerata and Bravura join to perform music presenting a variety of vignettes of the human journey and the people that we meet along the way. The evening culminates with Footprints by Jake Runestad, a multi-movement work setting the texts of Guatemalan poet Humberto Ak'abal with instrumental accompaniment.  Bryson Mortensen, conductor

Reserve your free ticket at buytickets.at/GoodeCenter

Join The Virginia Wesleyan Orchestra for their Spring Semester Concert under musical director Alexander Chen. The Orchestra will celebrate American composers by performing a variety of classic and new works with a focus on small-ensemble chamber music. 

Concert is free and open to the public.

Join the Marlins Jazz Ensemble for their spring semester concert. The Jazz Ensemble will perform jazz favorites from a variety of different styles. Hosted by Jason Squinobal.

Concert is free and open to the public.