Wilson College recently received a grant from WellSpan Health and the Summit Endowment that will assist the College in upgrading equipment that supports studies in nursing, healthcare, and exercise science education. WellSpan Health and the Summit Endowment provides grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that address health issues impacting Franklin County or Shippensburg, Pa. residents.
The grant will provide learning opportunities through the maintenance and purchase of new healthcare equipment, including an upgrade to an existing pediatric simulator and the purchase of a new metabolic cart. Using a pediatric simulator provides hands-on learning that will enable the students to feel more confident when assessing patients in a clinical setting. Providing students access to a metabolic cart will allow them to measure metabolic wellness and develop unique programs for the community that promote weight loss, disease prevention, management of chronic conditions, and overall well-being.
“The items purchased or upgraded through this donation will give students access to a higher level of technology that will enable them to assist others in the greater Franklin County community,” said Mindy Guinard, Ed.D., director of Nursing and Health Sciences.
With the high demand for skilled workers in all health and wellness careers, Wilson remains dedicated to preparing her students with the skills required to succeed in these patient care professions. Upgrading equipment and providing students with hands-on experiences will help prepare them for clinical settings after graduation. In addition to the equipment upgrades, Wilson College will participate in several health initiatives both on and off campus during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Political science major, Tristan Worlock '25 was stationed in front of Brooks Science Center on Constitution Day, encouraging students to register to vote while handing out free ice cream.
"A lot of students, especially around my age, think that their vote doesn't matter due to the Electoral College system. But in order for the Electoral College to cast a vote for the state, they need popular votes, so people need to get out and vote." he said.
Tristan is currently working as an intern for Wilson College to spearhead Wilson's involvement with ALL IN to Vote, a project of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization. This project aims to increase college student voting nationally.
“Having the right to vote for whoever you like, with no political persecution, is one of the basic human fundamentals that Americans have, and I believe it's taken for granted by many. It’s important students understand that they need to get out and vote.”
When asked why he chose political science as a major at Wilson College Tristan replied, “I was a business major, but I didn’t see myself going into the world of business. I love politics too much. I've always been a history nerd. It's been my favorite subject, and that slowly turned into learning about the history of political ideologies throughout time. With that, I started to inform myself more on American politics and world politics in general. After that, it kind of all smashed together.”
How has Wilson College played a role in Tristan’s future? He enthusiastically explained, “I’m a transfer student, and this is the fourth college I've been to. It's been a complete turnaround. Two years ago, I thought I did not want to go back to school at all. But my best friend graduated from Wilson last year and he brought me here, and I've loved it ever since. This is the best possible choice that I could have made for myself.”
Tristan plans to be back at encouraging students to vote on Election Day. He will working a table providing students with guidance on where they can go locally to vote.
The Wilson College Orr Forum on Religion invited the community to hear the perspectives and experiences of Palestinian and Israeli Peace Activists Osama Illiwat and Rotem Levin.
This duo, known as "Salt of the Earth", travels the country sharing stories of their personal experiences as a path toward collective safety and liberation.
“We are for humanity. No one will be free if the others are living under occupation. No one will be safe unless everyone is safe,”
Conferences are a great way for college students to learn about the latest research in their field, network with other professionals, and gain experience presenting their own work. Students from the Wilson College history program and history club attended the Pennsylvania Historical Association meeting, October 10 through 12, in Johnstown PA.
There were three undergraduate student poster presentations, one graduate student presentation, and a presentation by Maxine Wagenhoffer, Director of the Hankey Center for the History of Womens Education, while Bonnie Rock-McCutcheon, Assistant Professor of History & Ancient World Studies, was the coordinator of the Student Research Session.
Posters:
Anne Wolfrum '27, Queer History in Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Matthew Line '25, Native Americans of Pennsylvania: The Cultural Protection and Preservation of the Susquehannock-Conestoga People
Jeremiah Loyer '27, Wilson College and Its Effect on the Civil Rights MovementPresentations:
Ciji Holthaus (Master of Humanities graduate, Spring '24), Women of Wilson College: Wartime Response During World War II, 1941-1945
Maxine Wagenhoffer, Political Identity at Wilson College: Wilson Women and the Republican Party
On October 28, Wilson College held the second Common Hour of the 2024-25 academic year in the Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics, and Technology. The event featured presentations by faculty scholars Dillon Beede, M.M., Ed.M., director of choral activities and chair in music, and Melanie E. Gregg, Ph.D., professor of humanities.
Beede discussed his research regarding “The (Trans)formational Choir: Insights into Identity, Pedagogy, and Policy from a Trans and Gender Expansive Choir.” Beede’s study focused on the work of a trans and gender expansive choir with the aims of sharing their perspectives, their pedagogical approaches, as well as the social environments they co-create and the ways in which that environment facilitates and supports identity development. He said, “It is the written, spoken, and unspoken agreements in the organization that create a space in which identity exploration is able to unfold.”
Gregg’s presentation “Advancing Communication Equity: The Case for Neuroqueer Crip Techno Heteroglossia in AI Development and Beyond” focused on centering the leadership perspectives and experiences of neurocognitive minorities and people with speech-related disabilities in the development of AI-powered assistive communication. Her research, devoted to communication equity, is based on the fair and just access to communication opportunities, tools, and resources suited to unique circumstances and needs. She said, “Communication has always served as the lifeline for societal thriving, but in this era when technology is making communication easier and faster than ever, it is time for us to reimagine our understanding of communication and assert unequivocally who has the right to communicate and how.”
This fall, the Common Hour sessions coincided with plenary sessions of Wilson’s first-year seminar course (FYS), providing an added opportunity for FYS faculty to present their research to the FYS seminar students while also sharing with the broader community. The faculty presentations helped model both the end-product of FYS and the passion and dedication to research and learning that is so integral to Wilson. In Spring 2025, Common Hour will return to its roots, focusing on faculty research presentations in more intimate settings, allowing for plenty of time for questions, conversation, and consideration. The College’s annual ArtsFest celebration will incorporate an arts-related Common Hour presentation in April.
Wilson College hosted a vaccination clinic for students, staff, and faculty and at the same time a health fair was held.
Nursing students promoted hand washing and healthy drink choices–comparing sugar and caffeine in common drinks.
The vaccination clinic and health fair were both successes and there are plans to grow the health fair even larger next year.
Campus celebrated Sarah Wilson Week with a trivia night, capture the flag, Halloween events and a special look at the life of Sarah Wilson.
EVENS vs. ODDS - students went head to head during capture the flag.
Brooks Science Center was hopping during the annual Halloween Spooktacular.
WCGA hosted a Trunk-or-Treat for the community. Wilson clubs decorated trunks and handed out candy and treats to kids in costume.
Sarah Wilson Week wrapped up with a presentation by Maxine Wagenhoffer, Director of the Hankey Center, on the life of Sarah Wilson, the College's most generous donor. Items from the Hankey Center archives relating to Sarah Wilson, such as the family bible and photos of Sarah, were on display for students to examine.
Five Wilson College students will each receive a $3,000 scholarship from a grant awarded by The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) for the 2024-2025 academic year. Since 2015, TERF has generously provided Wilson student recipients with over $112,000 in scholarship awards, including this year’s grant of $15,000.
TERF’s mission is to support Thoroughbred health and welfare by funding scholarships, educational programs, and equine research with a priority to make racing safer. Students majoring in equine studies, equine-facilitated therapeutics, veterinary nursing, or animal studies, are eligible for the awards, which are granted based on student need, academic achievement, and equine-related aspirations.
This year’s recipients are Wynter Cooley '25, Veterinary Nursing major with a concentration in Equine Medicine; Jasmine Gruver '25, Equine Studies major; Kendi Long '26, Equine Studies major; Makayla Reiter '26, Veterinary Nursing major with a concentration in Equine Medicine; and Regina Snyder '26, Equine Facilitated Therapeutics major.
Gruver '25 expressed her commitment to equine studies when she said, "After graduation, I hope to have a job where I can continue to work on the training of horses because that is what I enjoy doing the most. I know becoming a trainer takes a lot of time and dedication, but it is something that I have been passionate about my whole life."
Wilson’s scholarship recipients participate in programs led by Janice Holland, associate professor and director of Equine Studies, and Tammy Ege, assistant professor and director of Veterinary Nursing, who ensure scholarship recipients receive top-quality education in their respective fields.
To learn more about the TERF scholarships and awards, visit https://www.terfusa.org/
We welcomed the Wilson community to explore campus while enjoying the beautiful fall weather. Here are a few photos from Wilson Weekend.
Wilson students, staff, and faculty gathered to thank our generous donors.
Parents Council hosted a brunch where families heard an update on the college from President Wes.
The women's and men's soccer teams arrived at the fields in style–via wagon! Magic and her rider, Judi Wolf '25 escorted the teams and carried the US flag for the National Anthem.
There were fun fall activities at the equestrian center–pony rides, horse painting, food trucks, and scarecrow making.
Alums enjoyed a happy hour before the evening continued with the popular BBQ&Brew.
On the last day, Magic made another appearance at Henninger Field for the baseball intersquad black/blue series. Magic and Judi took to the field with the US flag and then head coach Vaugh Parker threw in the first pitch from the saddle!
It was a great weekend and we look forward to next year!
Wilson College announces the launch of three new academic programs that will provide students with the expertise needed to succeed in some of the fastest-growing job markets. These new offerings include two programs aimed at undergraduate students—Cybersecurity and Computer Science—and a new graduate level program in Educational Leadership.
“These programs were chosen because they represent areas where job growth is projected to be high over the next decade. All three complement Wilson’s existing curriculum, and I commend our faculty and academic leadership team for working together to provide our students with skills and training that will be highly relevant to the workplace and economy for years to come.” said Wilson President Wesley R. Fugate, Ph.D.
The new undergraduate programs include select online courses as part of the curriculum. Available through the College's partnership with Rize Education, these courses will offer students a cutting-edge curriculum, greater scheduling flexibility, access to nationwide experts in the field, and access to even more resume-ready skills. The Computer Science program was built in direct collaboration with Google with the goal of developing graduates to fill important and understaffed roles across tech industries. With employment in the field expected to grow at roughly 22% over the next decade (nearly 3x the national average), Wilson students will be qualified for increasingly valuable jobs. Similarly, the Cybersecurity degree will equip students with the technical and business knowledge needed to secure high-paying and growing jobs in this field, all without needing to be high-ranking programmers. Both undergraduate programs include portfolio-building and project-based classes to ensure a robust resume before graduation.
The new Master of Education in Educational Leadership will provide certified educators with the opportunity to pursue a degree in educational leadership and policy. This degree will provide students the opportunity to earn K-12 Principal Certification, Supervisory Certification, and/or a Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility.
