Levi Baker is a Wilson College Teacher Certification Pathways completer who earned his teaching certification in PK-12 Health and Physical Education.
His college supervisor shared, "Levi takes an active interest in the well-being of each of his students. His students respond to his engaging approach with genuine interest. He is very well-organized, committed, and provides numerous opportunities for class participation. He ensures that his students experience success by challenging their abilities in order to encourage as much growth and development as possible. He understands the active nature of student learning and acquires information about levels of development for individual students. I have been impressed by his caring dedication to his students and the high-quality teaching skills he brings to his lessons."
Wilson College and Franklin County Career & Technology Center Veterinary Assisting Program have signed an articulation agreement. FCCTC Veterinary Assisting Program students who complete the program with certain criteria can roll hours of credit into the Veterinary Nursing program at Wilson College. This agreement will be a benefit to the students, employers, and the community in the region. Veterinary nurses play an important role in quality care of our animals. Their duties help veterinarians work efficiently and optimally. The care they provide animals and the communication with their owners increase the success of the animal practices they work for.
Located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Franklin County Career & Technology Center provides education for both high school students and adults in Franklin County. The Veterinary Assisting Program is a three-semester preparatory program connecting classroom theory and laboratory experiences in areas including overall care in husbandry of companion animals, assisting with preparation and recovery for surgical procedures, proper nutrition, preventative medicine, basic grooming techniques, laboratory procedures, upkeep of medical records, and interpersonal relationships.
For more information on this articulation agreement, contact: Tammy Ege, Associate Professor of Veterinary Nursing at tege@wilson.edu
Wilson Instructor of Psychology, Alexandra Toms, knows firsthand how Wilson College is a special place for students. She shared, "People genuinely care about each other. I asked students recently what they love about Wilson, and a student said, 'Nobody wants to see you fail.' This is true in the way we care for our students but also for each other as faculty and staff." Read more about Alexandra at https://mag.wilson.edu/meet-wilson-alexandra-toms
The College launches show choir
If you’ve seen the Fox Network’s long-running show “Glee,” you’ll know that a show choir performs energetic live music, song, and dance routines before live audiences. With the launch of Wilson’s new show choir program, regional and local audiences will soon have a chance to see professional-grade performances like this in person. “The enthusiastic, energetic singing, high energy dance, and consummate performance skills featured in “Glee” are a good reflection of what show choir is all about,” said Dillon Beede, Wilson’s new director of choirs and chair of music. “It’s the combination of the art of entertainment, healthy vocal production, dancing, and showmanship. It’s meant to be a high-energy and fun spectacle, and that’s what show choir will bring to Wilson College.”
The first students are slated to enter the program in the fall of 2023 and will perform before live audiences that same semester while working up to performing a full-length show scheduled for the end of the academic year. “I am delighted Wilson has added a show choir to her performing arts offerings,” said Wesley R. Fugate. Ph.D., the College’s president. “Students will have the opportunity to develop their vocal, musical, and performance skills under Dillon Beede, a choral director who has performed with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic.”
Before Beede was performing with world-famous orchestras, his musical career began less auspiciously on his parents’ horse ranch in Nebraska. As an only child, he entertained himself by singing to the horses and goats. The livestock has not commented on his talent for this article. In high school, he discovered show choir and was the dance captain and section leader. During his undergraduate studies at Hastings College, Neb., he sang traditional choral masterworks. In graduate school, he learned a deeper appreciation for classical masterworks when singing with the Westminister Symphonic Choir, N.J. “I pull from these three threads – show choir, traditional choral ensemble, and symphonic choir,” Beede said, “and recombine for my own unique style and choral sound.” His goal for the Wilson College show choir is to “combine the elegant and profound with the brash and energetic.”
Wilson’s rich music tradition began in 1881 when we offered a Bachelor of Music degree. In the early twentieth century, this changed into the more familiar bachelor of arts degree with a major in music. Our choirs toured widely and hosted and performed with choirs and glee clubs from other colleges. In the late 80s, due to nationally low enrollment in music programs at liberal arts colleges, we sunset our music program. Thanks to an endowment funded by generous alums, Beede has been hired to revive, revitalize, expand, and grow the music program. The College also received a grant from the Gilmore-Hoerner Endowment to help establish a show choir.
“At Wilson, we pride ourselves on developing well-rounded students who excel academically, socially, and emotionally and have the broad skill set to be future leaders,” Fugate said. “The show choir continues Wilson’s long history of fostering artistic and musical talent.” Beede added that show choir develops skills that are transferable to other areas of life. “The far-reaching impact of an ensemble like this is that students develop the confidence and the ability to carry themselves with a certain amount of dignity and learn how to present themselves to others.”
Students interested in participating in the new show choir program can get more information from Beede at dillion.beede@wilson.edu
Last Friday Wilson College celebrated White Dinner and the Hankey Center shared some history on this Wilson tradition.
In 1925, the festive dinner was described in the Billboard: “The white clad college family, the flickering light of many candles, the carols of the College Choir, the plea for financial gifts to those less fortunate than ourselves, the general air of congeniality and good spirits-all these were factors in making the White Dinner 1925 a true fulfillment of the Wilson tradition in which the YWCA shall be in charge of a Christmas dinner on the last Saturday before Christmas vacation.”
Wilson will host an opening for Breana Sneed’s senior capstone exhibition at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 8, at Bogigian Gallery in Lortz Hall. The show will continue through January 18, 2023. Before the opening, professor Denise Joyal will host a ceramic pit firing along with Ms. Sneed. This firing event will take place at 6:15 p.m. at Lortz Hall. All are welcome!
Sneed, from Camp Hill, Pa., is majoring in studio art with a concentration in ceramics. For her capstone project, she created a body of work exploring the abstract representation of her emotions. Sneed uses a variety of materials and finishing techniques to express emotional depth in ceramic form.
The Bogigian Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. For additional information or an appointment, contact Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey at 717-264-2783 or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu.
The Wilson community gathered together Sunday evening for Christmas Vespers with readings, singing, and candle lighting. It was a lovely evening to celebrate the season.
For the first time Wilson College marched in the Chambersburg Christmas parade. Students, staff, and faculty joined President Wes and Blaze in downtown Chambersburg to kick off the festive season.
You can watch a short clip of Wilson in the parade here, or the entire parade here.
Before heading out for Thanksgiving break, students enjoyed one of Wilson College's oldest traditions–Thanksgiving dinner. The event is hosted by Wilson CAB (Campus Activity Board) while staff and faculty volunteer to serve up the turkey and all the trimmings for the meal. And don't forget the pie!
Wilson is proud and excited to launch Wilson College Online. This new, digital pathway to a Wilson degree is built upon the success of the online degrees and certifications the College has offered for many years and on its reputation for innovation and accessibility. For over 150 years, we have been a leader in expanding educational opportunities, and this online expansion is a continuation of that vital mission. The College was founded to provide high-quality education to women at a time when women were excluded from most higher-education institutions. Wilson Online continues this tradition of access to education by making our undergraduate and graduate degrees available to students regardless of where they live in this country.
“Launching Wilson College Online is a momentous occasion in the 153-year history of the college,” said Wesley R. Fugate, Ph.D., Wilson College President. “Wilson has always been proud to provide access to post-secondary education, and these new online offerings will help ensure that an affordable, transformative education is available to those, such as adult learners, who need the convenience of learning online.” Wilson Online will be a life and career changer for students whose busy work and family schedules make attending a traditional in-person college difficult. The online classes are designed to be taken asynchronously, meaning students can take their classes at the times that work for them. The path to a degree is structured to be as flexible as the students are unique, and they can customize the number of courses they take at any one time to fit their individual needs.
Providing individualized and very personal education has set Wilson apart since its inception. Today, where large class sizes and low faculty involvement typify many larger institutions, we maintain small class sizes, high levels of contact between faculty and students, and a faculty-to-student ratio of 1:13. Wilson Online will mirror this level of individualized instruction and close contact between faculty and students in the digital domain. “Our faculty have always prized the close ties they have with our students as they navigate their education,” said Elissa Heil, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Students. “Our Wilson Online programs are laser-focused on student success, staying true to our mission of empowering students to excel to their potential.”
“As the needs of students have evolved, so has Wilson,” Fugate said. “We launched Wilson Online to ensure that more students than ever before will be able to enjoy the benefits of the personalized, high-touch educational experience for which the college is so well-regarded.” With numerous undergraduate degrees, including accounting, criminal justice, business management, healthcare, and psychology, to name but a few, and master’s degrees in nursing, education, applied leadership, and more, Wilson Online will provide students with the tools and qualifications to earn more in their current positions, gain promotions, or change careers while working or raising a family.
Not only will students benefit from an education where they are treated as individuals and known by their names instead of as numbers, but Wilson Online is also committed to delivering this education at costs per credit that are affordable and manageable for most students. Wilson Online will help students understand the costs of their education and find the best financial package for their situations. “With our expansion into the online world, Wilson can reach more students and deliver a private education experience at public school price points,” Heil said. “We are eager for prospective students to look at what Wilson Online has to offer.”
Wilson Online is now accepting students for classes beginning in January 2023. Go to online.wilson.edu to learn more about Wilson Online and discover the range of degrees and support it offers students. Having a degree from an accredited institution has never been more critical in terms of a lifelong career, and it more than pays for itself over time. According to a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, “Adults with a bachelor’s degree earn an average of $2.8 million during their careers, $1.2 million more than the median for workers with a high school diploma.” Wilson is proud to play its part in preparing students from all backgrounds for the high-paying careers of the future and to be honorable leaders, creative visionaries, effective communicators, and agents of justice in their communities and the world.
