Wilson College today announced the appointment of Dr. Wesley R. Fugate as the 20th president in the 150-year history of the college. Fugate, who will officially assume the Wilson presidency in January 2020, currently serves as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va. He will succeed Barbara K. Mistick, who left the post in August 2019 to become president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) in Washington, D.C. A. Richard Kneedler has served as interim president while the Wilson College Board of Trustees, with the assistance of Academic Search Inc., conducted a national search for Mistick’s successor. In making the announcement today to Wilson faculty, staff, alumni and students, Dr. Barbara L. Tenney, Wilson Class of 1967 and chair of the college’s Board of Trustees, said, “Dr. Fugate’s multi-disciplined experience in higher education, as well as his passion for small, private liberal arts institutions, makes him the perfect candidate for Wilson’s presidency. He has an infectious energy and commitment to the student experience that will serve our college well. I look forward to working with Dr. Fugate as Wilson College continues to evolve to meet the needs of our future students.” Over the course of his career, Fugate has worked extensively in enrollment management and student affairs; supported the work of college boards of trustees; and led successful communications and marketing efforts–specifically at Randolph College and the University of Georgia. He has also held several key leadership roles focusing on strategy and policy while working for the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Office of the Governor. As president of Wilson College, Fugate will be responsible for unifying the campus with a focus on enhancing the student experience and success in later life, managing enrollment, providing financial stewardship, fundraising, cultivating the alumni base, and building and enhancing relationships and partnerships in the local community. “I am humbled and honored to be selected to lead Wilson College into its next 150 years,” Fugate said. “While Wilson’s commitment to opportunity, honor and providing a high-quality liberal arts education are what drew me to consider this position, ultimately getting to know the people of Wilson helped me to fall in love with the institution. Wilson has a remarkable history and I am excited about collaborating with students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and friends of the college to chart a path for its future success.” Fugate earned a doctor of philosophy in higher education from the Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia, in 2012; a master’s degree in higher education administration with an emphasis in institutional advancement in 2005 from the Peabody College at Vanderbilt University; and a bachelor’s degree in dramatic arts and economics in 2002 from Centre College in Danville, Ky. In addition, Fugate has served as guest lecturer at Lynchburg College, Randolph College and the University of Georgia, as well as presented at numerous higher education professional conferences and consulted on higher education structure and policy. His many awards and accolades are testimony to his distinguished service within the higher education industry, as well as in community engagement initiatives. The Wilson College Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Oct. 19 to appoint Fugate president of the college. Fugate was selected from a pool of more than 100 highly qualified candidates after an extensive national search. Tenney commended Kneedler’s leadership during this time of transition. “Dr. Kneedler has done a great job leading the College in the interim, continuing the tremendous momentum begun by Dr. Barbara Mistick,” said Tenney. “It was critically important to the trustees that we not lose any ground on our current, successful strategic initiatives during the search process.” Tenney also extended thanks to the presidential search committee, chaired by Trustee Robin J. Bernstein. Both Tenney and Kneedler will work together to ensure a smooth transition to Fugate. “Under Robin’s leadership and with the guidance of Academic Search, a diverse mix of trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni worked diligently to screen and interview candidates, then ultimately recommend Dr. Fugate to the Board of Trustees, “ said Tenney. “On behalf of the full board, I want to personally thank these individuals for taking this responsibility seriously and dedicating their time, guaranteeing the right candidate was selected as the next leader of Wilson College.” Mistick announced her resignation in April. The search process began soon after with the Board of Trustees appointing an ad hoc subcommittee to oversee the selection of a national search firm. Once Academic Search was hired, a search committee was established. Fugate will relocate from Lynchburg to Chambersburg with his husband, Cody Ward, in early January. Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Chambersburg, Pa., that offers bachelor’s degrees in 35 majors and graduate degrees in education, healthcare, nursing, business and the arts and humanities. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation. Wilson has a fall 2019 enrollment of 1,620 students in all programs. Visit wilson.edu for more information.
Media Advisory: Fugate is available for 10-minute interviews today (Oct. 28, 2019) from 11-11:45 a.m. and 3-3:45 p.m. To schedule an interview, contact Cathy Mentzer, 717-262-2604. Detailed background and biographical information about Fugate can be found at Wilson.edu/new-president.
Wilson College threw itself a birthday bash over the weekend that included a host of homecoming activities, a ribbon-cutting for a new veterinary education center, the naming of an outdoor space for a former president and the coup de grâce─a formal gala featuring a performance by a world-renowned children’s orchestra.
Wilson is celebrating its Sesquicentennial─the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1869 and opening in 1870─over a 15-month period that began in March with a celebration of the college’s Charter Day.
On Friday, Oct. 18, the college hosted its annual “BBQ and Brew” under a tent on the quad. Wilson’s Homecoming and Family Weekend also featured a number of exhibits and presentations, as well as building tours and several athletics contests that involved alumni and current students. One game featuring the “Invincibles” vs. the “Defenders” re-enacted an 1895 women’s basketball contest.
“It was a grand celebration of all that is Wilson, including our 150th birthday,” said A. Richard Kneedler, Wilson College interim president. “Wilson has a long tradition of helping students find their voice and becoming empowered as leaders. This weekend was about celebrating how Wilson makes a difference in the lives of each and every student, faculty and staff member, and alumna and alumnus. There is something truly special about this fine institution.”
The gala, which nearly 300 guests attended, was held Saturday evening in Laird Hall. Wilson friends, alumni, students, and current and former faculty and staff attended in black-tie attire, as well as several representatives from the Chambersburg Borough Council, Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, Franklin County Area Development Corp. and Franklin County Visitors Bureau.
Barbara K. Mistick, who served as Wilson’s president from 2011 through September of this year, also returned for the gala. Earlier in the day, Mistick was recognized for her service to the college when the academic quad she envisioned and directed during her tenure was renamed the Mistick Quad.
“It was gratifying to recognize one of Wilson’s most dynamic and impactful presidents in recent memory, Barbara Mistick,” said Dr. Barbara Tenney, a Wilson alumna and president of the Board of Trustees. “Overall, the weekend reflected a renewed vigor and enthusiasm at a college on the rise. I want to personally thank everyone who made our celebration such a great success.”
The Children’s Orchestra Society, a New York City-based group of orchestras, chamber groups and ensembles for musically talented children and teens, sent an 18-member Elite String Ensemble (ESE) to provide musical entertainment for the evening. After dinner, the ensemble performed several selections, including the 3rd Movement of Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.”
COS Executive Director Yeou-Cheng Ma─whose father, Dr. Hiao Tsiun Ma, founded the nonprofit organization for musically talented children and teens in 1962─attended with her husband, Michael Dadap, the orchestra’s artistic director. Like her brother, acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma was herself a child prodigy─on the violin─and later became a pediatrician. Wilson honored her during the gala with an honorary Doctor of Humanities. Ma and her husband, a guitarist, also performed together.
Another highlight of the weekend was a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, officially marking the opening of Wilson’s new, $3 million veterinary education center. The new center has been named the Breakefield Veterinary Education Center in recognition of Wilson graduate Susan Breakefield Fulton, who contributed $975,000 to the project─including a $500,000 lead gift in 2016─and her sisters and fellow Wilson alumnae, Xandra Breakefield and Beverly Breakefield.
Fulton, a Wilson trustee emerita, businesswoman and philanthropist from the Class of 1961, took part in the ribbon-cutting, as did Margaret Hamilton Duprey, a Wilson Trustee who contributed $1 million to the new veterinary center, where the interior and programmatic activity will be known as The Margaret Hamilton Duprey Center for Veterinary Excellence. A lifelong horsewoman, Duprey contributed $500,000 to Wilson in 2015 to establish an innovative home healthcare nursing program for horses called Equi-Assist®.
The 9,000-square-foot veterinary center, which has been open since the start of classes in August, replaces the smaller, outdated Helen M. Beach ’24 veterinary facility, which has been razed to make room for additional campus parking.
The veterinary center is a hub for students in the college’s VMT program—the only four-year bachelor’s degree program of its kind in Pennsylvania and only one of 22 such programs in the nation. After nursing, VMT is the most popular major at Wilson. This year, 69 students have declared VMT as their major and another 95 students intend to major in it. Forty-five pre-veterinary students are also enrolled at Wilson.
Other officials who participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony include Wilson Interim President A. Richard Kneedler, Board of Trustees Chair Barbara Tenney, Trustee James Orsini, Vice President for Academic Affairs Elissa Heil and Professor and Director of VMT Freya Burnett.
A number of events were held on campus for the families of Wilson students during the weekend, including tours, talks and a family dinner Saturday evening in the dining hall. The weekend celebration concluded with a service on Sunday at Rocky Spring Presbyterian Church, which Wilson namesake Sarah Wilson and her family attended for many years in the 1800s. The service was officiated by the Rev. Derek Wadlington, Wilson’s Helen Carnell Eden Chaplain.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 21, 2019 For further information, contact cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu or ccole@frederick.edu
FREDERICK, Md.─Wilson College and Frederick Community College (FCC) have finalized an agreement that guarantees qualified FCC students admission to Wilson bachelor’s degree programs and allows them to transfer all credits earned with a grade of C or better.
The articulation agreement, signed today by college officials at FCC in Frederick, Md., gives FCC associate degree graduates with a grade-point average of at least 2.0 benefits that will make continuing their education at Wilson as smooth as possible, including being granted full junior status at Wilson if they transfer 60 credits. Students will have Wilson’s admission fee waived and qualified FCC students will also receive coordinated academic advising by both colleges to ensure that they take courses that can be applied to their bachelor’s degree.
In addition, high-achieving students will receive monetary benefits: FCC graduates who are members of Phi Theta Kappa─the largest and most prestigious honor society for two-year college students─will be awarded a Wilson Presidential Scholarship of $12,000 if the student enrolls as a full-time residential student taking 15 credits or more per semester.
“We are happy to partner with Frederick Community College on this agreement because it expands Wilson’s footprint and provides FCC students a seamless path to a Wilson bachelor’s degree,” said Wilson Vice President for Academic Affairs Elissa Heil. “Students will benefit professionally from having the tools they need to achieve even greater success.”
The economic benefits of higher levels of education increase with each advancing degree, according to The College Payoff: Education, Occupations Lifetime Earnings. Over the course of a lifetime, someone with a bachelor’s degree earns an average of $541,000 more than someone with an associate degree, the report states.
FCC sees this agreement with Wilson as a unique opportunity for its graduates to continue their education.
“We prioritize ensuring our students have many opportunities to continue their educational or career goals after completing their studies at FCC,” said FCC President Elizabeth Burmaster. “This is the newest of many agreements we have with four-year institutions that ease the transition for our students, saving them time and money."
The agreement was signed by Heil and Tony D. Hawkins, FCC provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, continuing education and workforce development.
“FCC and Wilson College have a shared commitment to putting the needs of our students first and increasing access to higher education for all,” said Hawkins. “This new agreement does just that, and we are proud to partner with Wilson College to set our students up for continued success.”
About Wilson College Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Chambersburg, Pa., that offers bachelor’s degrees in 35 majors and graduate degrees in education, healthcare, nursing, business and the arts and humanities. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation. Wilson has a fall 2019 enrollment of 1,620 students in all programs. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
About FCC Located in Frederick, Md., Frederick Community College (FCC) offers more than 85 degree and certificate programs through flexible learning formats that include day, evening, weekend, online and hybrid options. Accredited programs, comprehensive instruction and affordable costs of attendance have made FCC the learning destination for more than 200,000 students since 1957. With teaching and learning as our primary focus, FCC prepares a diverse student body to complete their goals of workforce preparation and credentialing, transfer, career development and personal enrichment with quality, innovative lifelong learning. Visit www.frederick.edu for more information.
The Wilson College Veterinary Medical Technology Club will hold its popular dog wash from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26 and 27. The location this year has changed to the new college veterinary education center next to Lortz Hall and the Brooks Science Center. The dog washes are open to the public. The cost is $10 for small dogs, $15 for medium dogs, $20 for large dogs and $25 for extra-large or double-coated dogs. The price includes ear cleaning, nail trim, bath, blow dry—all of which will be performed by VMT Club members—and a bandana. Owners must present a paper copy of their dog’s rabies vaccination.
For more information, contact VMT Club President Sydni Berkihiser at sydni.berkihiser@wilson.edu.
The annual Wilson College extravaganza of all things related to interdisciplinary arts─Arts Day─will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The day-long celebration of the arts, which is held at locations all over the campus, is free and open to the public.
One of the most popular events, steamroller printmaking, will return this year. Arts Day usually includes a variety of activities─both all-day events and scheduled events─such as exhibitions of art, film screenings, dramatic presentations, pottery-making, poetry readings, equestrian mounted drill team performances and more. A complete schedule of events will be available closer to the date at www.wilson.edu/arts-day.
The Wilson community established Arts Day to celebrate the visual and performing arts and provide an opportunity for everyone to take note of the impact of the arts on our daily lives.
Wilson College will hold its annual Blessing of the Animals at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 2, on the main campus green. The blessing, which is conducted by the Wilson's chaplain, the Rev. Derek Wadlington, is open to the public. All friendly pets in cages or on leads or leashes are welcome. Those attending are asked to clean up after their pets.
A brief scripture reading and general prayer will be following by an individual blessing of any animals owners wish to have blessed. If they are unable to bring their pet to campus, those attending may bring pictures of pets to be blessed. If a pet has died, a memorial blessing can be given.
In the event of rain, the ceremony will move to Laird Hall.
Wilson College continues to buck the higher education trend of declining enrollments. A total of 1,620 students are enrolled for the fall semester, an 8 percent increase over fall 2018 and another record for the 150-year-old college.
The greatest growth came in the college’s teacher certification programs, where enrollment is up 39 percent over last year. Officials attribute the increase to Wilson’s expansion of all certification programs to include an online format, as well as a traditional classroom format, and to a shortage of qualified teachers in Pennsylvania.
Enrollment in Wilson’s 10 graduate programs also increased by double digits, with 546 students enrolled this year compared to 455 last fall, a 20 percent increase.
Officials point to Wilson’s ability to respond to market demands for programs like nursing and the expansion of its graduate programs in education, as well as an increase in the college’s online offerings, as some of the reasons for the college's growth.
“The college has been adept at providing the programs our students and prospective students tell us they want, while maintaining the personal attention, smaller class sizes and academic excellence for which Wilson is known,” Vice President for Academic Affairs Elissa Heil said.
The 1,074 students enrolled in Wilson’s undergraduate programs, including adult learners, is up nearly 2.9 percent this year. Of those, 662 students are enrolled in Wilson’s traditional undergraduate program, nearly 60 percent of whom live on campus. The number of new freshmen entering the traditional undergraduate program grew more than 5 percent.
Wilson’s top five majors this year among undergraduates are nursing, veterinary medical technology, animal studies, equine-facilitated therapeutics and business management.
This year’s enrollment increase marks the sixth consecutive year of growth since Wilson enacted a series of measures approved in 2013 to revitalize the college and set it on a path toward economic health and sustainability. The steps included a tuition reduction and student loan buyback program, new career-oriented academic programs, campus improvements, coeducation in all programs and increased marketing and retention efforts.
Wilson’s enrollment increases stand in stark contrast with national enrollment trends. Based on the most recent data available, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported a decline of 1.7 percent in higher education enrollment nationally for fall 2018, while showing a 2.4 percent increase at four-year, nonprofit private colleges─largely due to the conversion of a large for-profit institution to nonprofit status, according to the NSCRC report.
“All in all, we did exceptionally well this year,” said Interim Vice President for Enrollment David Boisvert. “I think our efforts to improve recruitment and financial aid strategies played a role, along with Wilson’s reputation for excellence and value and the college’s ability to provide programs that are in demand today.”
Dual enrollment agreements with 11 regional high schools and articulation agreements with three community colleges have also helped to keep Wilson’s enrollment on the upswing, according to Boisvert. Wilson has agreements that allow associate degree earners from Hagerstown Community College, Harrisburg Area Community College and Montgomery College in Maryland to seamlessly transfer here to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Since 2013, Wilson has seen a 115 percent increase in traditional undergraduate enrollment, with a 145 percent increase overall.
Wilson, which is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1869, has students from 26 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and 14 countries. The college has expanded its athletics program to include 11 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s teams. The college offers 35 undergraduate majors, 10 master’s degree programs and a wide variety of teacher certification programs.
In The Second City, Greatest Hits Vol. 59, today's audiences can watch the next generation of comedy superstars put its spin on the best of the legendary Chicago improv troupe's hits during a show at Wilson College at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in Laird Hall.
From sketch comedy to original songs to world-famous improv, the show will leave audiences rolling in the aisles as The Second City celebrates nearly 60 years of cutting-edge satirical revues, rebooted and reimagined for today.
The Second City opened its doors in Chicago in 1959 and the small caberet theater grew to become the most influential improv comedy company in the world. It launched the careers of some of the biggest names in the genre-from John Belushi and Dan Akroyd to Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Steve Carrell, Bill Murray and many, many more.
This show is rated PG-13. Tickets are $15 per person for general admission and can be purchased at the door or in advance at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-second-city-greatest-hits-vol-59-wilson-college-performing-arts-series-tickets-65559270543. Wilson College students, faculty and staff get in free with ID. For more information, contact Wilson Director of Conference and Special Events Kelsey Young at 717-262-2847 or kelsey.young@wilson.edu.
Wilson College will hold a reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, in Lortz Hall's Bogigian Gallery to mark the opening of a new exhibition featuring works made by artist members of The Foundry. The exhibition, which will run through Oct. 11, is free and open to the public.
The Foundry at Wilson will include a selction of paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture and more made by members of Chambersburg's artist co-operative based at 100 South Main St. Wilson College and The Foundry have partnered for a number of exhibition opportunities for Wilson students and Foundry members.
The Bogigian Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. For additional information or an appointment, contact Philip Lindsey at 717-264-2783 or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu.
In recognition of its 150th anniversary, Wilson College is expanding its Common Hour series of lectures this year to include three evening talks at the Coyle Free Library, 102 N. Main St. At 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, scholar and author Robert P. Jones will present Why Religion and Race are at the Heart of America’s Identity Crisis in Coyle’s new conservatory.
In the lecture, Jones will examine demographic and cultural changes taking place in America, notably that the United States is─for the first time in its history─no longer a nation where a majority of its citizens identify as white and Christian, and how the shift is affecting our politics and communities.
Jones also will speak at Wilson Monday, when he presents E Pluribus Duo? Partisanship, Polarization and Pluralism in America. The talk will be held at noon in the Stewart Library’s Lenfest Learning Commons.
Both talks are free and open to the public.
Jones, author of the book The End of White Christian America, is a leading scholar and commentator on religion and politics. He is the founding CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and education organization that conducts public opinion polls on a variety of different topics, specializing in the quantitative and qualitative study of political issues as they relate to religious values.
Jones writes a column for The Atlantic online on politics and culture and appears regularly on Interfaith Voices, the nation’s leading religion news-magazine on public radio. He is frequently featured in major national media such as MSNBC, CNN, NPR, the New York Times and Washington Post.
Wilson’s Common Hour─a lecture series dedicated to fostering inquiry and conversation across the campus community on pressing issues and big questions─this year has the theme “Living Boldly” to mark the college’s Sesquicentennial. The 2019-20 series kicked off on campus on Sept. 2 and will feature a total of 11 talks and one dance performance.
The next lecture at Coyle Free Library will be held Oct. 7 with a talk by June Eric-Udorie, a journalist and feminist named “Female Activist of the Year” by Elle UK magazine in 2017. The last talk at Coyle will be held Nov. 4, featuring Kait Parker, host of the Weather Channel’s Warming Signs podcast. Topics will be announced later.
For more on the Common Hour, including a schedule and biographies of the speakers, visit wilson.edu/common-hour.
