Wilson College continues to expand its intercollegiate athletics program with the addition in 2020-21 of women’s lacrosse─the fastest-growing NCAA women’s sport of the past 15 years. Women’s lacrosse will become Wilson’s 11th NCAA Division III program. In the past six years, the college has added six intercollegiate programs─most recently baseball, which begins its inaugural season this spring, with home games to be held at Chambersburg’s historic Henninger Field. “Our sport sponsorship continues to expand and we are excited to add the growing sport of women’s lacrosse to Phoenix Athletics,” said Wilson Director of Athletics Lori Frey. “We look forward to yet another sport competing in the Colonial States Athletics Conference.” A national search for a head coach will get underway immediately to allow the new coach to begin recruiting during the 2019-20 academic year, officials said. The full-time head coach will also coordinate a new recreation and intramural program.
“The CSAC is thrilled that Wilson College is enhancing its sport sponsorship offerings with the addition of women’s lacrosse,” Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Commissioner Adrienne Mullikin said. “Wilson will become the seventh core member in the conference to sponsor women’s lacrosse in 2020-21, which allows the CSAC to achieve one of its primary goals of maintaining automatic qualifiers to the NCAA tournament. The CSAC applauds the administration at Wilson for recognizing this opportunity to strengthen the conference and we look forward to watching this program flourish in the years to come.” Over the past 15 years, the number of women’s lacrosse teams has increased by 97.3 percent, making it the fastest-growing sport for women during that time, according to the NCAA. In 2017-18, 45.3 percent of NCAA schools sponsored women’s lacrosse, which is officially a spring sport. The sport’s growth shows no signs of slowing and in the past two years alone, NCAA women’s lacrosse has gained 22 teams, officials said.
“Expanding our athletics offerings is a strong component of Wilson’s overall enrollment growth and student retention strategy,” said David Boisvert, the college’s vice president for enrollment management. “Adding women’s lacrosse is another important step in reaching those goals.”
Lacrosse has a long history at Wilson. The college officially fielded a team in 1934-35 and lacrosse continued until 1984, when a shift in sport sponsorship occured. During the late 1960s, the lacrosse team was coached by Kathy Heinze, an English Reserve player who went on to coach the undefeated, 1975 U.S. Lacrosse Team that included Wilson alumnae Sandy Walker '74 and Constance Burgess Lanzl '72, who was later inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. In addition to lacrosse in 2020-21, Wilson-sponsored Division III athletics programs include: field hockey, softball, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, golf, and the previously mentioned baseball.
Fiction and humor writer Seth Fried will read from his short story collection, The Great Frustration, and his forthcoming novel, The Municipalists, as part of the Wilson College Writers Series at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9, in the Brooks Science Center auditorium. The reading - which will take place during Wilson's Colloquium on Creative Writing - is free and open to the public.
Twice named a Distinguished Story Fried is a recurring contributor to the New Yorker’s "Shouts and Murmurs" and NPR’s "Selected Shorts." His stories have appeared in Tin House, One Story, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, the Kenyon Review and Vice. He is the winner of two Pushcart Prizes and the William Peden Prize. Fried, who has worked as an assistant editor of the Mid-American Review, has a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University.
Wilson College's international student organization, the Muhibbah Club, will host its popular spring dinner featuring dishes from around the world on Saturday, March 2, in Jensen Dining Hall in Lenfest Commons. Doors open and appetizers will be served starting at 5 p.m., followed by dinner. Afterward, students will provide entertainment at 7:30 p.m. in Laird Hall.
The dinner will feature a variety of international foods, including:
• Appetizers — Sate padang, gambas al ajillo, arancini • Entrées — Paella, sou-berag, Korean bulgogi, chicken biryani • Side Dishes — Mie aceh, jollof rice, garden salad, Caesar salad • Soups — Opor ayam and soto ayam • Desserts — Pavlova and tres leches cake • Beverages — Matcha and hot fruit tea
After dinner, members of the Muhibbah Club will provide entertainment, including traditional dances, piano pieces and other performances.
The public is invited to attend the dinner and free performance. Dinner tickets are $10 each. Reservations are required for the dinner only and must be made by Monday, Feb. 25. To make reservations, contact club adviser Crystal Lantz at iss@wilson.edu and provide your phone number, name and number of tickets needed. Payment (cash or check) will be collected at the door.
The Muhibbah Club will accept donations at the performance. All donations, as well as a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales, will go to the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter.
The word "Muhibbah" means unity among nations. This year's Muhibbah Club president is Brooke McLachlan. Wilson's international students this semester come from over 15 different countries, including Albania, Ghana, Nepal, Vietnam, Armenia, Australia, South Korea, Pakistan and Uganda.
The Foundry will host an exhibition of works by Wilson College studio art students at its 100 S. Main St. gallery space in downtown Chambersburg. The show, which will open Feb. 18 and run through March 10, will feature a meet-and-greet with the artists from 5 to 7 p.m. on March 1 during downtown's First Friday activities. The event and the exhibition are free and open to the public.
This exhibition is the third in a series of exhibits held as part of Wilson’s partnership with The Foundry, which began in 2016. A grass-roots, artist-led organization, The Foundry shares a similar vision and mission as that of Wilson College and its Division of Arts and Letters to promote critical and creative thinking through artistic exploration and expression, provide venues for the exhibition of creative works of art, and offer a framework for cultural expression of local and regional artists. Through the partnership, Foundry artists will have the opportunity to exhibit their artwork at Wilson in fall 2019.
For additional information, contact Professor of Art Philip Lindsey at 717-264-2783 or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu, or The Foundry at 717-261-0706 or info@foundryartscoop.com.
Wilson College will host a free seminar for aspiring writers age 14 and older from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, in the Brooks Science Center. The Wilson College Colloquium on Creative Writing will be led by six published authors ─ including two Wilson faculty members ─ who will offer sessions on fiction and poetry, and discuss such topics as writing technique, developing characters and plotlines, engaging readers, creating concrete imagery and making revisions.
After the included lunch, the colloquium will conclude with a question-and-answer session with all of the instructors, who will answer any question─from how to come up with story ideas and how to get published to writing tips and more.
“The colloquium is for anyone who has a passion for writing or has a desire to learn more about writing creatively,” said Michael Cornelius, Wilson Professor of English and author/or editor of 18 books. “This is a great opportunity to spend time with authors who are working writers, who have published with large publishing houses, multiple books in some cases, to be able to ask them questions about the publishing industry and what it’s like to be a writer in this day and age.”
Colloquium instructors are:
• Cornelius, an award-winning author whose published works include five novels and short story collections. His short fiction has been published in a number of journals, magazines and anthologies. He is director of Wilson’s Master of Humanities program. • Matthew Diltz McBride, a Wilson instructor of English and creative writing whose first book, City of Incandescent Light, was published in 2018. • Hagerstown Community College Assistant Professor of English Alicia Drumgoole, a published writer whose first novel, Premonition ─ written under the pen name Agnes Jayne ─ is available through Amazon and major retailers. • Fiction and humor writer Seth Fried, author of the forthcoming novel, The Municipalists, and a recurring contributor to The New Yorker’s “Shouts and Murmurs” and NPR’s “Selected Shorts.” In addition to presenting a session on creating compelling plotlines, Fried will also offer a keynote reading of his work ─ open to anyone, whether or not they are attending the colloquium ─ from 12:30 to 1 p.m. in the science center auditorium. • Heather Hamilton, a prize-winning poet whose works have appeared in a number of journals and who teaches at Penn State Harrisburg. • Penn State Harrisburg instructor Eric Bliman, whose chapbook, Travel and Leisure, won the Poetry Society of America's National Chapbook Fellowship in 2012 and whose poems have appeared in a number of literary journals.
More information on the colloquium instructors and workshop topics can be found at www.wilson.edu/cwc, where students also may register for the colloquium. Space is limited so those who plan to attend should register early. Registrations must be completed by March 1.
For more information, contact Michael Cornelius at michael.cornelius@wilson.edu or 727-262-4841.
When Wilson College expanded its teacher certification program last fall to include an online-only option, it offered a limited number of Pennsylvania teacher certifications, including all secondary (7-12), as well as Spanish and business certifications. Now, based on current enrollment and inquiries, the college has expanded its offerings.
Starting immediately, students can enroll and pursue certifications in early childhood preK-4, middle level 4-8 (English language arts, math, science and social studies), and health and physical education. In addition, Wilson is offering dual certification in preK-4, middle level, secondary and special education.
For more information about all of Wilson's Teacher Certification Pathways program, including the online-only option, visit www.wilson.edu/tcp.
An exhibition of artwork created by members of the Wilson College staff and faculty will open with a reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, in the Bogigian Gallery, which is located on the second floor of Lortz Hall. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will run through March 8.
The exhibition - a mix of serious and playful explorations in creativity - is a diverse show of traditional and nontraditional work, including painting, drawing, photography, ceramics and quilting.
The Bogigian Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by appointment. For more information, contact Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey at 717-264-2783 or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu.
Wilson College will be able to digitize its archived collection of print editions of its student newspaper, The Billboard, thanks to a $6,000 grant from the Council of Independent Colleges. The CIC grant was made possible by a contribution from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Digitizing issues of The Billboard will make copies of the newspaper, which dates to 1921, widely available to researchers and others from virtually anywhere, according to Amy Ensley, director of Wilson’s Hankey Center. The Hankey Center houses and manages Wilson’s C. Elizabeth Boyd ’33 Archives.
“These newspapers cover every turning point in the last 100 years through the eyes of students. They also represent nearly 100 years of women’s history,” Ensley said, referring to the fact that for most of the time period, Wilson was a women’s college. The college went coed in 2013.
Digitizing Wilson’s collection of student newspapers enhances its value as a historical record by making it searchable, which means the wealth of information contained within newspapers will be easier to tap by anyone researching a variety of topics─from gender and social issues to national and world affairs.
Once published weekly, The Billboard today is published every three weeks.
The timetable for completing the digitization project and details about how the collection will be accessed off campus will be announced in the coming months. On campus, users will be able to access the newspapers using JSTOR Forum, a software platform that allows digitized materials to be organized, accessed and shared.
Founded in 1956, the Council of Independent College is the leading national association for nonprofit, independent colleges and universities, working “to support college and university leadership; advance institutional excellence; and enhance public understanding of private higher education’s contributions to society,” according to the organization’s mission statement. More information can be found at www.cic.edu.
The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation recently awarded Wilson College a $720,000 grant to fund scholarships for students with financial need through the Stabler Scholarship Endowment.
The endowment has provided scholarships for 305 Wilson students since the program began in 2008. Students are selected for scholarships based on financial need, academic achievement and service to the community.
Students who receive Stabler Scholarships sign a “debt of conscience” indicating that when they are able, they will make contributions to the endowment in an amount equal to what they received. The agreement, while not a formal legal pact, serves as a commitment to future philanthropy on graduation.
“We are thankful for this gift from The Stabler Foundation because it will enable deserving students who need financial assistance to receive an education at Wilson College,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “We are tremendously grateful for the foundation’s faithful and generous support.”
Since 1985, The Stabler Foundation has provided Wilson with more than $5.5 million in funding for a number of programs, including the Stabler Scholarship Endowment; Curran Scholars program, which promotes student volunteerism; and daycare support for students in Wilson’s Single Parent Scholars program.
Located in Harrisburg, The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation was established by the Stablers in 1966 exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes. The foundation awards grants to educational institutions, parochial or church-related schools, nonprofit hospitals and medical facilities. The foundation also supports religious institutions and social service organizations that seek to preserve and instill traditional moral and ethical values, respect for the family, concern for others, self-reliance and a productive life.
Wilson College has received a $4,500 grant from F&M Trust. The grant will augment the existing F&M Trust Scholarship Endowment, which provides scholarships for Wilson adult students (those who earned their high school diplomas or completed their G.E.D. at least four years ago) with financial need. F&M has a history of supporting Wilson dating back at least 20 years. To date, the bank has contributed more than $121,000 to the college through the scholarship endowment, capital campaigns and the annual fund, in addition to supporting Wilson's annual golf tournament for a number of years. A subsidiary of Franklin Financial Corp., F&M Trust is an independent community bank headquartered in Chambersburg. With approximately $1.2 billion in assets, F&M Trust has 22 community-banking locations in Franklin, Cumberland, Fulton and Huntingdon counties.
