The Wilson College Veterinary Medical Technology Club that had been set for Oct. 14 and 15 has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. It will not be rescheduled, according to the club president. However, the dog wash will be held in spring 2018 at a time to be announced later.
Wilson College is seeking artwork made by area high school students for an upcoming juried art show to be held at Wilson’s Bogigian Gallery in Lortz Hall. Submissions of up to three works of art are due by midnight on Oct 18.
The exhibition is an opportunity for area students to showcase their work and have it judged by the college art faculty, according to Wilson Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey.
Cash prizes of $200, $100 and $50 will be awarded for first, second and third places, respectively, and other works of note will receive honorable mention. In addition, the following monetary scholarships will be offered to winning students if they enroll at Wilson: $1,000 each year for up to four years for first place; $1,500 for one year for second place; $1,000 for one year for third place.
Students will also be encouraged to offer their work for sale during the exhibition, which will begin Wednesday, Nov. 1, with an opening reception at the gallery and will run through Dec. 8.
The show is open to students from Franklin, Adams, Cumberland and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania and Washington County, Md. All submissions must have been completed while the student was in high school.
There is no entry fee. Entries must be in digital (.jpg) format of up to one megabyte and should be emailed to wilsonartshow@gmail.com. Two- and three-dimensional works of art will be considered for the show. All entries must be exhibit-ready.
For more information, contact Lindsey at philip.lindsey@wilson.edu or 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305.
High school students attending the Global Vision Christian School in Scotland, Pa., as well as the school faculty and staff, will be able to earn college credits by taking courses at Wilson College, under a dual enrollment agreement signed today.
The dual enrollment agreement also makes it possible for Wilson instructors to travel to the GVCS campus—located at the former site of the Scotland School for Veterans Children—to teach courses if there is a large enough cohort of students taking a class, according to David Boisvert, Wilson’s interim vice president for enrollment.
The agreement, signed by Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick and GVCS Founder and President Jeanseok Nam (pictured right), allows students, faculty and staff from the South Korea-based school to take Wilson courses at reduced rates.
Founded in South Korea in 2003, GVCS joined with Broadfording Christian Academy at the Scotland campus in 2015 to establish an international, faith-based high school aimed at cultivating future global leaders, according to Joshua Kang, the school’s principal. He said the school has more than 90 high-achieving students from all over the world in grades 9 to 12.
“A lot of our students want more—they want challenges other than just regular high school classes,” said Kang, who is particularly impressed with Wilson’s state-of-the-art science labs. “This will give more options to our students.”
Although the dual enrollment agreement was not officially finalized until today, a total of seven GVCS students are enrolled in classes at Wilson this fall, with five taking biology and two taking a chemistry course, Boisvert said.
Wilson is focused on formalizing similar agreements with area schools as part of its commitment to making a college education more affordable. “Students attending Wilson early benefit not only by being exposed to the academic rigor of college but by earning college-level credit at a discount they can finish college more quickly, saving on the eventual cost of their degree,” Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick said.
Some students entering Wilson College in recent years have brought as many as 21 college credits with them, shaving more than a typical 15-credit semester off their completion schedule. “It’s really all about time to completion,” Boisvert said. “If you save a semester’s worth of expenses, that equates to thousands of dollars. We’re going to see more and more of this as time goes on.”
Today’s prospective college students are different from those 20 or 30 years ago, according to Boisvert, describing them as “entrepreneurial” in their approach to finding the best education deal possible and minimizing their costs. “They have a plan. They know what they want,” he said. “They look for opportunities.”
Named a “best value” college by U.S. News & World Report last week, Wilson has frozen or reduced tuition for the past seven years and recently made the first monetary awards through a student loan buyback program that rewards students for academic performance and campus involvement by paying back some of students’ federal Stafford loans.
Chambersburg, Pa. — Less than five years after enacting a series of bold measures aimed at strengthening its financial position, Wilson College is growing and gaining national recognition for its programs, affordability and value for students and families, and overall quality of education.
In the 2018 U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” guide released today, Wilson College is ranked fifth in the “best value” category among regional colleges in the North, and is rated 11th overall in the same classification. Wilson also was named a “best college for veterans,” ranking sixth in its classification.
In addition to the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Wilson has been named one of the nation’s Colleges of Distinction for its “commitment and proven achievement” in four areas: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes.
Wilson has created a unique learning environment where students not only earn college degrees and valuable life experiences, but also participate in character-building first-year seminars, spring break service programs, interdisciplinary study, service learning programs, undergraduate research, study-abroad and internships in a collaborative academic environment, according to Colleges of Distinction, a consortium of member institutions formed in 2000.
“Being recognized by Colleges of Distinction not only honors the strong academic core that has always characterized Wilson, but also the exciting changes we’ve made on campus and in the student experience in recent years,” said Barbara K. Mistick, president of the 148-year-old liberal arts college.
The annual process of selecting the nation’s Colleges of Distinction requires that institutions adhere to the “four distinctions”—engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes—and also includes a review of each institution’s freshman experience, as well as its general education program, strategic plan, alumni success and satisfaction levels, among others.
“Colleges of Distinction applauds Wilson College for pushing the envelope with its up-to-date curriculum, enriching the college experience with high-impact educational practices and providing every student with an education that stretches far beyond what’s typically required from an academic major,” said Tyson Schritter, chief operating officer for Colleges of Distinction.
According to Schritter, Colleges of Distinction is more than an annual ranking. “Our goal is to select the best schools that are 100 percent focused on the student experience and on producing the most well-rounded graduates who are prepared for a global society and economy,” he said.
Wilson’s enrollment has been growing steadily over the past five years and in fall 2016, the college had the largest enrollment in its then 147-year history, with a total of 1,098 students enrolled in all programs. This year, total enrollment increased by nearly 11 percent to 1,216 students. The largest gain was in the traditional undergraduate college, with a nearly 21 percent increase from 458 students last fall to 554 this year. Graduate programs grew by more than 11 percent, to 390 students enrolled in nine programs compared to 350 students in fall 2016.
“We are seeing the results of the Board of Trustees’ decision to adopt a series of visionary steps to make Wilson College more affordable and nimble in our ability to offer today’s students the programs and value they want from a college,” Mistick said.
Adopted in January 2013, the Wilson Today plan followed a period of review and evaluation by the Commission on Shaping the Future of Wilson College conducted to address more than 30 years of stagnant enrollment. The Board of Trustees approved a series of recommendations from Mistick aimed at rejuvenating the liberal arts institution by significantly increasing enrollment, strengthening programs and facilities, addressing issues of education cost and value, and ensuring financial sustainability in the future.
Specific measures included reducing tuition and establishing an innovative student debt buyback plan; strengthening existing majors and adding a number of new academic programs, including nursing and several graduate programs; making facilities and infrastructure improvements; and expanding coeducation across all programs.
The move to coeducation and the addition of programs are fueling Wilson’s growth, including graduate programs in education, healthcare, business and the arts, as well as the addition of undergraduate programs in nursing. One of Wilson’s fastest growing programs, nursing offers a number of different tracks to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, including the newest offering—the LPN-to-BSN—which provides an accelerated path for licensed practical nurses to earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing.
“We are now firmly on a path toward a more financially sustainable future,” Mistick said. “The changes occurring on campus—with new and updated facilities, new and expanded programs, a greater number of students and the addition of men’s athletics to our women’s teams—is gratifying and exciting. A stronger, more vibrant Wilson College benefits not only those who work and attend school here, but enhances the entire community, as well.”
CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
__________________________________
Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 35 majors and graduate degrees in education, healthcare, business and the arts and humanities. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2017 enrollment of 1,216.
Recent Wilson College graduate Brant Swartz estimates that his entire student debt will be about $20,000 but he can deduct $5,000 right off the bat, thanks to Wilson’s unique student loan buyback plan—a program that rewards students who excel academically, complete their bachelor’s degree in four years or less, attend financial literacy sessions and are involved in college life.
Swartz and fellow Wilson graduate Cassandra Watkins, who also qualified for $5,000 in debt relief after completing a summer internship, are the first two students to reap the rewards of Wilson’s student loan buyback plan—the first of its kind in higher education. The buyback program pays up to $10,000—depending on a student’s grade-point average toward their federal Stafford loans.
The $5,000 will put Swartz way ahead of the typical Pennsylvania college graduate, who in 2015 (the most recent year for which data is available) had an average student debt load of nearly $35,000, according to the Institute for College Access and Success
“It’s always good to help reduce loans any way you can,” said Swartz, of Pottsville, Pa. He said Wilson’s loan buyback, especially popular with his parents, takes a certain measure of hard work and discipline, but advises prospective and current Wilson students: “I think anybody can accomplish it, as long as they set their mind to it.”
Both Swartz and Watkins worked hard, earning their bachelor’s degrees in less than the typical four or more years. Although neither knew about Wilson’s loan buyback plan before enrolling in the southcentral Pennsylvania liberal arts college, they said it provided an incentive once they knew they were in the running for funding.
““I’m getting married after college so it will help with my first loan payments,” said Watkins, of Akron, Ohio. “I think it’s a great program and a great thing for the college to be doing for the students. It’s a great benefit.”
Inspired by cash-back offers used by auto manufacturers to sell cars, Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick came up with the idea for the student loan buyback plan. She wanted to not only make a Wilson education more affordable—beyond Wilson’s track record of holding tuition steady or reducing it for the past seven consecutive years—but also to provide students with an incentive to get more involved in and informed about their financial future. The requirement that students attend financial literacy sessions is a crucial component of the buyback program for her.
“We want students to be committed to their own success,” Mistick said. “I am confident we are on a unique path here. Students learn how to LEARN when they are at Wilson, but they also learn how to LIVE—and part of that learning how to live is learning how to manage, financially.”
Mistick also wants to convey to students the importance of completing their undergraduate degree in four years or less. “You can keep your debt down so much more if you’re not taking an extra year or two to finish,” she said.
Watkins and Swartz entered Wilson in fall 2014 and both accelerated their graduations by, in Swartz’ case, taking classes every summer, as well as taking a college class in high school. Watkins also earned college credit in high school, took summer and January-Term classes and took an 18-credit load (15 is more typical) each semester for an entire year.
Watkins graduates with a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medical technology and plans to work as a technician in a veterinarian’s office. She was president of the VMT Club and a member of the Hunt Seat Club. Swartz, who earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability, is attending Vermont Law School through a 3+1 program that allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Wilson and a master’s degree from VLS in just four years. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in environmental law and policy at VLS. At Wilson, he was an officer in the student government organization.
Both students said they have also benefited from other financial aid offered by Wilson, including scholarships.
The loan buyback program was approved by the Wilson College Board of Trustees in January as part of a bold series of measures aimed at rejuvenating the college by significantly increasing enrollment, strengthening programs and facilities, addressing issues of educational cost and value, and ensuring financial sustainability in the future.
Wilson officials expect the plan to cost up to $100,000 a year, depending on variables. The college is funding the plan through additional revenue generated by increased enrollments and retention of students participating in the program.
Specifics of the loan buyback program include:
An educational, fun-filled day of free events that encourage the appreciation and celebration of interdisciplinary arts will be held Wednesday, Oct. 11, on the Wilson College campus.
Arts Day is a day established by the Wilson community to celebrate the arts across the curriculum. It is an opportunity to take note of the impact of the arts on our daily lives and to explore the critical and creative nature of the visual and performing arts.
Community members will have a chance to attend exhibits, participate in a variety art activities and consider the numerous ways in which the arts impact our lives.
All events are free and open to the public.
A complete schedule of events is available online at https://www.wilson.edu/arts-day-2017. For more information, contact Philip Lindsey 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305.
Wilson College will join the Colonial States Athletic Conference in 2018-19, a move that is expected to enhance the overall student-athlete experience by aligning Wilson with other small, private colleges and providing more balanced conference competition.
"The CSAC is thrilled to welcome Wilson College as a full member of the conference. Wilson is an institution on the rise and it is evident that intercollegiate athletics plays a pivotal role in the direction that the institution is heading,” said CSAC Commissioner Adrienne Mullikin. “I am confident that this partnership will be a rewarding one for both Wilson and the CSAC."
Wilson, which competes in NCAA Division III athletics, will continue to play in the North Eastern Athletic Conference in the 2017-18 academic year, according to Wilson Director of Athletics Lori Frey. She said the move to the CSAC in fall 2018 will bring a number of advantages, including allowing the college’s 10 men’s and women’s sports teams to compete against similar schools, while reducing travel time to away games—in some cases by as much as half.
“One of the primary attractions for Wilson is that all of the CSAC member institutions are private, independent colleges, which aligns us with schools who have a similar philosophy,” Frey said. “With the CSAC, we’re going to be competing against institutions that have the same priorities in the academic success of the students. The competitive levels of the schools we’ll be playing will more closely match ours and the member institutions are closer to Wilson than many of the NEAC members. All of that, to us, equates to a better experience for the student-athletes.”
The CSAC, which announced today that Bryn Athyn College will also join the conference in 2018-19, sponsors 17 men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III, including men’s and women’s cross country, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, tennis and outdoor track and field. In addition, the conference sponsors field hockey, softball, women’s volleyball and men’s golf and baseball.
Wilson joined the NEAC in 2007 when the college’s previous conference disbanded. The NEAC is currently made up of 14 public and private institutions in the Northeast. The college currently plays non-conference games against some CSAC member colleges, including Cedar Crest, Rosemont, Notre Dame of Maryland and Cairn University.
Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick agreed that the CSAC will be a good fit for Wilson, not only in terms of size, competitiveness and proximity of rival colleges, but also when it comes to conference members’ shared commitment to competitive excellence, sportsmanship and academic standards.
“We’ve had a good run with the NEAC and we are grateful to the conference,” Mistick said. “But the opportunity to elevate our student-athlete experience in 2018-19, the same year that Wilson begins play in its 10th sport—baseball—makes it the perfect time for a new beginning.”
The CSAC was established in 1992 as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference to “meet the needs of small, private, four-year colleges in eastern Pennsylvania,” according to the conference website: csacsports.com. The conference changed its name to the Colonial States Athletic Conference in 2008. The CSAC embraces a “student-first philosophy by ensuring that institutions place the overall educational experience and successful completion of academic programs above all else.”
Beginning in fall 2018, Wilson and Bryn Athyn will join current CSAC members Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Centenary University, Clarks Summit University, Keystone College, Notre Dame of Maryland University and Rosemont College in competition. Cedar Crest and Notre Dame of Maryland are women’s colleges, providing nine schools for conference competition in women’s sports and seven for men’s teams. Most CSAC schools are located in eastern Pennsylvania, with one in Maryland and one in New Jersey.
Wilson’s athletics program, which has been a member of the NCAA since 1996, has grown to include 10 sports, including five women’s teams and five men’s. The Phoenix women’s teams play field hockey, volleyball, basketball, soccer and softball. Men’s teams currently play soccer, basketball, volleyball and golf, and recruiting for baseball is underway for the spring 2018 inaugural season.
Wilson College will host simultaneous receptions marking the opening of two free art exhibitions on Wednesday, Sept. 13—one featuring the work of members of The Foundry and one featuring the work of Hagerstown, Md., artist Kate Miller. The receptions will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in their respective venues—The Foundry exhibit in Lortz Hall’s Bogigian Gallery and the Miller exhibit in the Wilson library’s Sue Davison Cooley Gallery.
The Foundry exhibition features a selection of member artwork from the Chambersburg artist cooperative, which is based at 100 S. Main St. The exhibition will include paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and more.
Entitled Chronicles, Miller’s exhibition is a collection of new and recent paintings inspired by the artist’s desire to “record the world as I experience it.” Miller, whose work is inspired by Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Alice Neel, has a bachelor’s degree in studio art from George Washington University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Delaware, where she taught drawing and painting as a graduate student. She is a member of Tag Gallery in Frederick, Md., and has shown recently at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown.
Chronicles will continue through Dec. 8 in the Cooley Gallery, which is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 11 p.m. Sunday. The Foundry exhibit will continue through Oct. 13 in the Bogigian Gallery, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information, contact Wilson College Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey at 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305, or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu.
Wilson College in Chambersburg and Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg today signed an articulation agreement that guarantees qualified Wilson student admission to Widener’s law program and allows them to complete both degrees in six years rather than the usual minimum of seven years.
A five-year agreement to create the new “3+3” program was signed today by Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick and Widener Law Commonwealth Dean Christian A. Johnson. It takes effect immediately. Successful students would earn a bachelor’s degree from Wilson College and a juris doctor degree—otherwise known as a law degree—from Widener.
Under the new program, students would complete the first three years of college at Wilson and three years at Widener, where they would complete the requirement for their Wilson bachelor’s degree while also completing courses for their law degree.
“(Widener) believes that the 3+3 agreement can be a huge benefit to undergraduate students who intend to go to law school,” Johnson said. “The most important reason is that the program enables students to reduce the total educational time commitment from seven years to six years. This results in students effectively saving a year in tuition costs, as well.”
In addition to the savings in time and money, qualifying Wilson students would be guaranteed admission to Widener Law Commonwealth, under the agreement.
“The fact that Wilson can offer graduates who qualify guaranteed admission to a highly regarded law school like Widener provides an incredible opportunity and value for our students,” said Elissa Heil, Wilson’s vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty.
The Wilson-Widener pact offers students other advantages, as well, according to Heil. “This innovative program also focuses students on choosing an undergraduate curriculum that will best prepare them for their graduate work, enabling them to be more fully ready for the demands of law school,” said Heil.
Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 35 majors and graduate degrees in education, healthcare, business and the arts and humanities. In fall 2016, 1,098 students were enrolled across all programs. In the 2018 “Best Colleges” guide from U.S News & World Report, Wilson is ranked fourth in the best value category for regional colleges in the North and 13th overall in the same group. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
Widener University Commonwealth Law School was founded in 1989 and is accredited by the American Bar Association, which gave Widener its Outstanding School of the Year Award in 1994. Widener was named one of the top 20 law schools for government law in 2016 by preLaw magazine and has been recognized by National Jurist as the fifth-best law school in the nation for bar exam preparation. More information can be found at commonwealthlaw.widener.edu.
The Henry R. Luce Foundation has awarded a $200,000 grant to the editors of the academic journal Political Theology— Wilson Associate Professor of Religion David True and Vincent Lloyd, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The Luce grant was awarded to True and Lloyd to help develop an interdisciplinary community of scholars interested in the intersection of religion and politics—building on the intellectual community that has already gathered around the journal, according to True, who also chairs Wilson’s Department of Philosophy and Religion.
“Political theology is a subject that’s addressed in an array of disciplines,” said True. “The grant will help us try to, in some ways, act as a catalysing force for those many different conversations—to try to bring them within shouting distance, so to speak; to try and create something of a shared conversation or at least a shared conversation space.”
True, who joined the editorial team of Political Theology in 2004, was originally recruited to serve as a book review editor and later was named journal co-editor. He helped launch the journal’s blog, Political Theology Today, which he serves as executive editor.
True, of Camp Hill, Pa., organizes Wilson’s annual Orr Forum on matters of religion, as well as the Common Hour discussions held throughout the academic year. He is a current recipient of Wilson’s Drusilla Stevens Mazur Research Award.
