Wilson College will host a community health and safety fair from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 in Laird Hall. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature speakers and offer free health screenings. English-to-Spanish translators will be available. Building Safe and Healthy Communities is sponsored by students taking a Wilson “Environmental Sociology” course this fall, the college’s nursing department and BOPIC (Building Our Pride in Chambersburg). Keynote speakers include: • Chambersburg Police Chief Roland Camacho, who will talk about “Situational Awareness” and how to be safe when you’re in unfamiliar surroundings. • Jocelyn Melton of Baxter Environmental Services, who will discuss indoor human health threats such as mold and radon. • Erin Young, a Summit Health nurse who will discuss healthy eating and personal care. • Yissel Lopez, a licensed social worker who will speak in Spanish on “Salud Mental” (mental health).
Other organizations taking part in the fair include: Women in Need, Keystone Health, Norex, Costa Academy, the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and the Wilson College Counseling Center. The event will offer free health screenings and translators will be available. The fair is “kid-friendly” and Wilson’s Learning Campus tutoring program will provide activities for children. Refreshments will be provided. The fair is part of a project developed by students in the “Environmental Sociology” class, whose goal is to help inform Chambersburg residents and the college community about how to stay safe and healthy.
Wilson College will hold a reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, to mark the opening of an exhibition of art created by area high school students. The juried exhibittion, which is free and open to the public, will continue through Dec. 8 in the Bogigian Gallery, which is located on the second floor of Lortz Hall. The exhibition will include works for art submitted by students in Franklin, Adams, Cumberland and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania and Washington County, Md. Students have been encouraged to offer their works of art for sale during the exhibition.
At a time when many colleges are only now considering tuition resets, the Wilson College Board of Trustees voted this past weekend to hold the line on tuition for an eighth consecutive year. On the recommendation of President Barbara K. Mistick, the board agreed to hold tuition at the current rate of $23,745 for undergraduates for the next academic year, 2018-19. Wilson’s actions are unique in today’s higher education landscape. The College Board reports that nationally, private colleges and universities have increased tuition an average of 13 percent over the past five years, while public institutions have raised tuition an average of nine percent over the same period. Locally, PASSHE (Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education) universities have raised tuition 13 percent since the 2013-14 academic year. Under the decision, next fall’s tuition for the majority of Wilson’s students—including traditional undergraduates and those in the Adult Degree and Teacher Intern programs—will remain at this year’s rates. Graduate degree students in nursing will see their tuition increase $165 per three-credit course and accounting graduate students will see it decrease by $180 per course. Along with the tuition freeze, the college approved a modest 2 percent increase in room (the first increase in four years) and 2 percent in board. Board members also approved a plan to replace technology and activities fees with a new comprehensive fee that will also include graduation and administrative fees. The comprehensive fee was set at $850. The net effect of the trustees’ action means that Wilson’s full-time residential students will pay a total of $36,249 for tuition, fees and room and board next year, an increase of just 1.2 percent. “We know that cost is a key factor for today’s families when it comes to choosing a college,” said Mistick. “A significant percentage of Wilson’s students are the first in their families to attend college. We want to make sure as many deserving students as possible can afford a Wilson education.” Wilson, which is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as fifth in the “best value” category among northern regional colleges for 2018, continues to lead in college affordability and value. After freezing tuition for three straight years, the college reduced tuition for 2014-15 by $5,000 as part of the Wilson Today plan, which also included the creation of an innovative student debt buyback program. With that tuition decrease, the college became one of fewer than 30 colleges and universities in the nation to cut tuition between 2002 and 2014, according to a Sept. 25 article in Inside Higher Education. The article, “The Tuition-Reset Strategy,” adds that between Sept. 5 and 15 this year, at least eight schools announced tuition reductions for fall 2018, calling it significant, yet “a tiny percentage of the roughly 1,200 degree-granting private nonprofit institutions operating across the country …” Wilson’s efforts to keep tuition down are paying off for students. An Institute for College Access and Success study on the average debt level from student loans for the Class of 2016 shows the debt level for Wilson graduates is $4,146 below the state average of $35,759. U.S. News & World Report lists the percent of Wilson students receiving need-based grants at 87 percent. Prospective students and their families are responding to Wilson’s “value plan”—tuition affordability and the loan buyback program—according to the college’s admissions office, a fact borne out by the increasing number of enrolled students. This fall, overall enrollment increased by 10.7 percent from fall 2016, to a total of 1,216 students. Wilson’s enrollment increases continue to buck national enrollment trends. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported a decline of 1.5 percent in higher education enrollment nationally in spring 2017 over the previous year, while showing a slight 0.2 percent decrease at four-year, nonprofit private colleges. In contrast, since 2013 Wilson has seen a 44.6 percent increase in traditional undergraduate enrollment, with an 83.6 percent increase overall. Approved by the Board of Trustees in January 2013, the Wilson Today plan included a set of forward-looking initiatives to ensure that the college remains a thriving institution well into the future. In addition to the 2014-15 tuition reduction and student loan buyback program, the plan included infrastructure improvements, coeducation, improved marketing and new academic programs. Undergraduate programs introduced at Wilson since the plan was adopted include nursing, animal studies, health sciences and special education, while graduate programs have been added in education, healthcare, business and the arts.
Orchesis, Wilson College’s undergraduate dance ensemble, will present its fall performance—Glimpse—at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, in the Appenzellar Buchanan Dance Studio in Davison Hall on campus.
Glimpse features original dances choreographed by Wilson undergraduates, alumni, faculty and guest artists.
Tickets, which will be sold at the door, are $10 for general admission, $3 for students and free for military personnel and veterans.
Orchesis introduces students to a broad range of opportunities for active participation in the various forms of dance. Student participants work with visiting artists; attend performances in other venues; study in New York City; engage in choreographic projects; gain experience in lighting, sound and costume design; and work in the community to educate and develop an audience for dance.
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
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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.
