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New Scholars Join the VWU Faculty
Meet Assistant Professors Derek Eley and Drian Glyde
University News | October 21, 2024
Our series on new faculty members continues as we get to know more about Assistant Professor of Art Derek Eley and Assistant Professor of Management, Business, and Economics Drian Glyde.
Derek Eley, Assistant Professor of Art
Derek Eley joined the faculty at Òùµ´ÉÙ¸¾ this fall as an assistant professor in the Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities. A collection of his work is scheduled to be featured as a solo exhibition in the Barclay Sheaks Gallery, located in the Henry Clay Hofheimer II Library, from November 7, 2024 – February 7, 2025.
We reached out to him, asking him to tell us more about himself: his background, areas of expertise, outside interests, and what he is most looking forward to as he begins his tenure at VWU.
Background: I'm originally from Zuni, Virginia. I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography; I also have a bachelor of arts in graphic design. I earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography from Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia. Before coming to Virginia Wesleyan, I taught for The Art Institute of Virginia Beach, Old Dominion University, Virginia Peninsula Community College (formerly Thomas Nelson Community College), and most recently, Norfolk State University.
Areas of expertise: I am a true digital artist that dabbles in photography, graphic design, and video. I started out mainly as a photographer but grew to love other areas of digital media and include them in my personal work.
Outside interests: Finding new trails to walk during fall and trying to understand any new technology such as artificial intelligence.
What he's most looking forward to at VWU: Building relationships with faculty, administration, and more importantly students. I like the close-knit community here at VWU and love working with the current generation of students to help them realize their ideas.
Dr. Drian Glyde, Assistant Professor of Management, Business and Economics (MBE)
Dr. Drian Glyde comes to Òùµ´ÉÙ¸¾ after serving as an adjunct professor at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has also been an adjunct professor at Southern New Hampshire University, and at Altierus Career College. In addition, he has been an assistant professor at Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs. Moreover, he's had roles in the corporate space before settling into academia and consulting work, serving as a managing consultant and a vice president of business operations for APC International, LTD in Mackeysville, Pennsylvania. He earned his bachelor of science degree in ceramic engineering from Pennsylvania State University and his MBA and doctoral degree from Colorado Technical University.
We asked him to tell us more about himself, including his background before coming to VWU, areas of expertise, outside interests, and what he is most looking forward to at Virginia Wesleyan.
Background: I was born in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and I am a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. I have spent most of my life in the U.S., growing up in State College, Pennsylvania (Penn State Country), and raising my five grown children there. I moved to Pittsburgh in 2017 to be close to the grandkids and other family.
Areas of expertise: Ethical organizational culture; organizational development and change; accounting; fraud detection & prevention; corporate finance; and strategy --- most of my research has been in ethical organizational culture and decision-making, a topic I spoke about at the ACFE 2021 Global Fraud Conference.
Outside interests: I am a whole-food, plant-based foodie, so I spend lots of time cooking and dabbling in the kitchen; Grandkids, grandkids, grandkids — They are still in Pittsburgh, but I make time to see them often. They've been to Virginia Beach for a week already. I like to stay active by hiking, kayaking, biking, camping, tennis, or racquetball. I also love a good trip. This summer, I was in Mexico City on an eight-day vegan food trip that included seeing incredible sights like Teotihuacan and exploring pre-hispanic food. I also spent time exploring stoicism and some eastern philosophy.
What he's most looking forward to at VWU: Being part of the community, on and off campus. When I came down to interview, I was struck by VWU’s level of involvement in the community and how uniquely engaged the majority of people seemed to be. Most of my experience has been with larger, less personal schools, and VWU continues to be refreshing.