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Dedication set for Morrison-Novakovic Center at D&E

Ceremony, tours planned as part of Inauguration Week activities; main events slated for Thursday

During a visit to the Morrison-Novakovic Center for Faith and Public Policy, David Morrison, right, speaks with D&E President Chris A. Wood, Director of the Morrison-Novakovic Center Dr. Bryan Wagoner and students Thabo Madzimure and Shirley Fox.

ELKINS — The official dedication ceremony for the Morrison-Novakovic Center for Faith and Public Policy at Davis & Elkins College will take place at noon Thursday as part of Inauguration Week activities for the college’s 15th president, Chris A. Wood.

The Center, named for alumnus and trustee David Morrison, 1979, and his wife, Phebe Novakovic, opened in fall 2016 and provides an open space where students, faculty, visiting scholars and others can explore issues of faith, and social and public policy beyond what they learn in the classroom.

The Center is located in the three-story house adjacent to the Gatehouse. The college was able to acquire the property through the generosity of Board of Trustees Chair June Myles. Extensive renovations were made to the house over the summer, thanks to Morrison and Novakovic, who agreed to underwrite the structure’s rehabilitation.

The eight students selected to reside in the Center are Brittany Bolinger of Vienna; Elise Cardot of Petersburg; Sierra Carney of Charleston; Emily Coffman of Elkins; Shirley Fox of Elkins; Mackinzie Smith of Renick; Thabo Madzimure of Kerens; and Dakota Peak of Berkeley Springs. Freshman Jenna Burnett of Belington is also part of the program.

Under the guidance of Dr. Bryan Wagoner, assistant professor of philosophy and religious studies who serves as director of the Center, the students assist with leadership and programming that revolves around five broad themes: faith traditions, public policy, ethics, sustainability and service.

“Physically the Center has come along nicely and the structure is functioning well,” Morrison said, adding the programs and concepts are just beginning to take off. “We had to get the infrastructure in place first. Bryan has done a fabulous job in pulling everything together, and he and I are working on some ideas for speakers and programs, most likely for next fall.”

As a highlight of the dedication, Morrison and Novakovic will share their visions for the Center. The event also will include a welcome by Wood, an introduction of the students, a presentation by one of the students, a tour of the facility, ribbon cutting and closing prayer.

“The dedication of the Center marks the fulfillment of a dream, and the beginning of the challenge to live into that dream,” Wagoner said. “We now have superb facilities, thanks to generous donors and college leadership, and we have a dynamic group of student residents and scholarship recipients. We now begin the work of expanding the academic offerings and of looking to the future, providing opportunities and resources for the entire campus community through the Morrison-Novakovic Center.”

Prior to the dedication, Morrison will deliver a lecture titled “American Dreamin'” at 11 a.m. in Robbins Memorial Chapel. A reflection on the inauguration, the American dream and the theological virtue of hope, Morrison’s lecture will feature quotes from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“It’s time to listen to his words and hold them up as hopeful,” Morrison said.

Both Morrison and Novakovic have had extensive careers in high-level government and private industry, and are members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). A retired corporate vice president, federal legislative affairs and government operations for Boeing Corporation, Morrison recently earned a Master of Divinity degree and is pursuing a Ph.D. in theology. Novakovic is chairwoman and chief executive officer of General Dynamics Corporation, and as of 2014 was listed as the 56th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

Morrison’s lecture and the dedication of the Morrison-Novakovic Center take place prior to Wood’s inauguration, which begins at 4:30 p.m. in Myles Center for the Arts Harper-McNeeley Auditorium. Events for inauguration week begin with Celebrate D&E’s Community Service and Worship on Sunday and continues with Celebrate D&E’s Athletics on Monday, Celebrate D&E’s Arts on Tuesday and Celebrate D&E’s Academics on Wednesday.

A native of Huntington, Wood was named to D&E’s presidency in June and assumed the duties on Aug. 1. Wood, his wife, Lisa, and their two daughters, Lacey and Lexi, along with their miniature schnauzer puppies, Hallie and Henry, reside at Hearthstone.

Prior to coming to D&E, Wood was vice president for advancement at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. He also has worked as vice president for advancement at the University of Mount Olive in Mount Olive, North Carolina, executive director of Mission West Virginia Inc., and, as an ordained United Methodist pastor, served congregations in Illinois and Maryland.

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