4th Annual Housing Summit returns to SU
The Housing Coalition of the Northern Shenandoah Valley is holding their Fourth Annual Housing Summit on March 14th at the Shenandoah University School of Business’s Stimpson Auditorium.
The event will start with a breakfast and meet and greet at 8 am.
The first speaker will start at 9 am and the event will conclude around 3:15 pm.
Two of the featured speakers include Ryan Price, Chief Economist of Virginia REALTORS, and Sean Suder, the Lead Principal and Founder of ZONEco.
Some of the topics covered include the state of affordable housing, building our way out of unaffordability, zoning, planning, and more.
The event is free to attend but registration is required before Wednesday, March 8th through Eventbrite or the housing coalition’s website.
Janet Michael spoke with Kim Herbstritt, Executive Director of Blue Ridge Habitat for Humanity, and Barbara Marmet, staff attorney for Blue Ridge Legal Services, about the event and more in a recent episode of the Valley Today.
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Front Royal fills Town Council seat
Front Royal has filled their vacant Town Council seat after appointing Dr. Melissa DeDomenico-Payne to the role.
She was born in New York and then moved to Front Royal where she is a graduate of Warren County High School.
She received her Bachelors Degree from Shenandoah University, Masters from Marymount University, and her Doctorate in Public Administration from Capella University.
Her career experiences include work in executive and administrative roles in non-profits and educational organizations.
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Winchester helps bring back native thistle
The City of Winchester’s Arborist Jordan Herring and retired Shenandoah University professor and wetlands expert Woody Bousquet are assisting the US Fish and Wildlife Service with a new project.
They are working together to help bring back native thistles.
Native thistles are an important part of the ecosystem, especially for pollinators and birds.
They have been disappearing rapidly due to habitat loss and indiscriminate weed control efforts.
Native thistles are often mistaken for the invasive Canada thistle which also leads to their removal.
Three native thistle seeds are being collected for the project including pasture, field, and swamp.
Abrams Creek in Winchester is a great source for swamp thistle but the project is still in need of pasture thistle.
If you are interested in learning more about this project or would like to submit native pasture thistle seeds, contact Kathleen Patnode at 814-357-1735.
To learn more about the importance of native thistle, click here.
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SU is certified a Virginia Values Veterans employer
Shenandoah University (SU) announced that the school is now a certified Virginia Values Veterans employer.
Virginia Values Veterans was introduced by the Department of Veterans Services to help train and help employers implement best practices in recruiting hiring and retaining highly skilled and dependable veterans.
SU’s certification is an important step toward the school hiring the most qualified employees.
The university already employs more than 30 military affiliated faculty and staff members.
The school is working on expanding its veteran opportunities to become a regional anchor.
New services at the school will include providing comprehensive support and resources to veterans their families and caregivers and survivors as well.
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Royals ban sunflower seeds and peanuts
The Winchester Royals of the Valley Baseball League made the difficult but necessary decision to ban sunflower seeds and peanuts from Bridgeforth Field.
The concessions stand removed those products and fans cannot bring their own.
The team made the decision to stay compliant in their agreement with Shenandoah University to use the newly renovated stadium and turf field.
SU had asked the Royals to keep the field in the same or better condition from when they started the season which includes keeping the surface clean of any peanut or sunflower seed shells.
Those shells can burrow into the surface over time and cause issues with the drainage system and lead to the growth of mold.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
SU president wins Virginia Business Women in Leadership Award
Shenandoah University President Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons is a recipient of the 2022 Virginia Business Women in Leadership Awards.
She will be featured on the cover of the Virginia Business July ’22 issue.
Dr. Fitzsimmons was awarded in the large business category and selected from more than 300 nominees.
She was chosen based on her overall career accomplishments, mentoring work with women and girls, and community engagement.
Dr. Fitzsimmons is the first female president in SU history as well as the vice-chair for Shentel’s board of directors, secretary of the Loudoun Education Foundation, and member of the GO Virginia Region 8 Council.
Reflecting on the award, Dr. Fitzsimmons said, “I am honored to have been included among such an inspiring group of women leaders. But more importantly, I am mindful that this award is really about the strength, creativity and vision of the whole SU community.”
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
SU joins the Common Application
Students interested in applying to Shenandoah University will soon be able to do so using the Common Application.
The Common App is a not-for-profit member organization that helps universities, students, counselors, and advisors streamline the application process.
Joining the Common App will also help expose SU to more students who may not have previously considered the school.
Over 1 million applicants use the Common App each year.
A third of those are the first in their family to attend college.
In addition to the application system, students will also have access to a mobile app, virtual mentors, counseling resources, 24/7 technical support, financial aid, and scholarship information.
The Common App also has a separate application designed for transfer and adult students.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
SU holds commencement and honors President Zelenskyy
A Shenandoah University (SU) press release show’s the plan for the commencement ceremony along with plans to honor Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy.
SU will see 1,337 students graduate this Saturday May 21 at the James R. Wilkins Jr. Athletics and Events Center beginning at 10 a.m..
The ceremony will be streamed on SU’s Facebook page as well.
Attendees of the ceremony will not be required to wear masks or show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.
However the school is asking attendees to take responsibility for their own health.
If you are experiencing signs or showing symptoms of COVID-19 you are asked to not attend.
During the ceremony SU will award Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy an honorary Doctor of Law degree.
SU is one of 20 American Colleges and Universities offering President Zelenskyy an honorary degree to honor he and the Ukrainian people.
The degree is to honor President Zelenskyy’s ability to motivate the collective courage of his citizens and the broader world the defense of freedom and democracy.
SU went on to add a number of Zelenskyy facts in their announcement including:
Zelenskyy was sworn in as the sixth president of Ukraine on May 20, 2019. A former actor, comedian, and award-winning television and film producer.
Zelenskyy stepped onto the political stage as an anti-corruption figure at the beginning of 2019, and was elected president in a landslide victory in April of that year.
Since that time, Zelenskyy has guided Ukraine through the dissolution of Ukraine’s Supreme Council (Verkhovna Rada), the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting global economic recession.
Now the President and his people struggle in the ongoing, full-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
Zelenskyy became the face of Ukrainian resistance during the Russian invasion.
His leadership during the conflict has garnered international acclaim.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
SU hosts Out of the Darkness Walk
Shenandoah University is partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to host the Out of the Darkness Walk.
The Walks take place at schools around the country and are designed to engage students in the fight to prevent suicide and raise money for the cause.
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 15-24.
SU has risen to the occasion so far by nearly doubling their original goal.
Help them keep the momentum by donating or joining a team before the start of the opening ceremonies at 10 am.
For more information, head to afsp.org/su.
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Gardening in the Valley Symposium
The Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners Association is hosting the Gardening in the Valley Educational Symposium at Shenandoah University’s Henkel Hall today from 8 am to 4 pm.
The symposium will feature guest speakers on topics like attracting pollinators,natural remedies in pet health care, educational public gardens, and more.
Tickets are still available for purchase and all proceeds benefit their scholarship fund.
For more information or to purchase your ticket, head to nsvmga.org.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.