The Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies at Wilson College will sponsor monthly educational sessions in lieu of selling produce, as part of its evolving role with the North Square Farmers Market in downtown Chambersburg.
The farmers market, now in its 17th year, has grown to include 15 full-season vendors. As a result, Wilson’s FCSS and Fulton Farm will no longer sell produce at the market in order to avoid competing with local growers. The college, one of the market’s founding members, will transition its role toward education according to FCSS Director Chris Mayer.
“As an institution, our mission is to educate,” said Mayer. “I think the role of a leader, our role, is to develop and then get out of the way.”
Wilson will present educational sessions for adults and children on a monthly basis, beginning on the farmers market’s opening day this Saturday, May 27. The first session in the “Growing Our Community: Fulton Center Summer Educational Series,” which will be held from 9 to 11 a.m., will focus on Lyme Disease prevention and symptoms, including how to spot and remove ticks, as well as on planting dates in our growing area.
The educational series was created by Wilson nursing master’s degree candidate Erin Young as part of a project exploring the intersection of health and agriculture, Mayer said.
Sessions will continue on the second Saturday of each month, from June through October. In June, the focus will be on sun safety and July’s emphasis will be on food waste and nutrition labeling. In August and September, presentations will examine eye safety and farm safety, respectively, and the October session will be centered on World Food Day, Mayer said.
The farmers market is located on the east side of North Main Street between King Street and Lincoln Way.
For more information, contact Mayer at 717-264-4141, Ext. 3247, or christine.mayer@wilson.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Mayer, Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies Director Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3247 Email: christine.mayer@wilson.edu.
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Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 34 majors and master’s degrees in education, educational technology, special education, the humanities, accountancy, management, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college had a fall 2016 enrollment of 1,098, which included students from 18 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
On April 4, the nursing program at Wilson College inducted 40 students and community members into its new nursing honor society during a ceremony at the college.
Members were welcomed into the society by the organization’s president, Sherri Stahl, Summit Health senior vice president of hospital services and chief nursing officer at Chambersburg Hospital. Wilson Vice President for Academic Affairs Elissa Heil was the guest speaker. Inductees of the honor society recited a pledge of membership.
The Nursing Honor Society at Wilson College was created, in part, as a forum to advance the profession within the Chambersburg community, according to Carolyn Hart, director of Wilson’s nursing program. “The purpose of the honor society is to support nursing scholarship and career advancement through mentorship and educational opportunities,” she said.
Wilson’s goal is for the college honor society to become a chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, in 2018, Hart said. SITI is a non-governmental organization that promotes nursing scholarship and advises the United Nations on global healthcare.
To become a member of Wilson’s honor society, nurses from the community must be invited and hold a bachelor’s degree or advanced degree in nursing. Students in Wilson’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in nursing who have completed at least three-quarters of their education and have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher are also eligible for membership.
Wilson’s nursing program, which began in 2014 with two programs that allowed existing registered nurses to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, has been growing steadily. Four nursing pathways are now offered, including a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in nursing (MSN). The first BSN completers graduate this month.
In February, Wilson’s nursing program received accreditation from the National League for Nursing’s Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA), an indication of excellence and adherence to nationally established standards for nursing education.
For information about Wilson’s nursing programs or to register, contact Hart at 717-262-4853, 717-414-6184 or carolyn.hart@wilson.edu.
Wilson College honored students and faculty members at its annual Academic Awards ceremony held Friday, April 28, in the Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics and Technology.
The following students and faculty received awards:
Edward and Sarah Anderson Psychology Prize, which is given to a graduating senior for outstanding scholarship in the discipline of psychology, was awarded to Jamie Burnett of Hagerstown, Md.
James Applegate Award, which is awarded to a student with an interest in drama and theater, went to two students: Darren Stephens of Hagerstown, Md., and Lauren Hampton of Lancaster, Pa.
Lucy Bremmer Global Citizenship Award, awarded to a student who participates in the service learning component of Wilson’s global citizenship initiative and provides assistance with expenses and travel to another country, was given to Abigail Selman of Chambersburg.
Alice Martin Brumbaugh Award in Sociology, which is given to a female student who has entered the college at a non-traditional age and shows a special interest and/or outstanding promise in the field of sociology, was awarded to Jamie Kauffman of Chambersburg.
Marel Harlow Cheng Memorial Prize, awarded to a student who has done well in international studies or has made some noticeable contributions to international understanding, went to Stephanie Marshall of Keene, N.H. Marshall also received the Helen Adams Nutting History Prize, which is given to a member of the junior or senior class who has demonstrated outstanding ability in the field of history.
Regina Shaputnic Cuomo Mathematics Award, given to a student or students who exhibit outstanding ability and are pursuing a major in mathematics, was awarded to Cameron Wolfe of Chambersburg.
Margaret Criswell Disert Honors Scholarship, given to a rising senior who has, in the judgment of the selection committee, submitted the proposal for senior advanced study and research considered most worthy of support, was awarded to Deborah Rifflard of Harrisburg, Pa.
Estep-Lawson Memorial Prize, awarded to a student in lower-level French course who demonstrates excellence and shows future promise in French studies, went to Dionna Edwards of Philadelphia, Pa.
Mildred Franklin Prize, given to a senior for excellence in Latin or Greek and who has shown an understanding of the literature and thought of ancient civilizations, was awarded to Catherine Clayton of Howell, N.J.
Donna Gomer VMT ADP Award for an adult degree student displaying excellence in the study of veterinary medical technology went to Kaitlyn Hartman of Camp Hill, Pa.
Davison Greenawalt Grove Award, which is given to a member of the junior or senior class participating in research in physical and life sciences, was awarded to Anna Harutyunyan of Yerevan, Armenia.
Richard C. Grove Award in Business and Economics, which goes to a student who has demonstrated outstanding ability and distinguished themselves academically in accounting, business administration, financial mathematics or economics, was awarded to Ryan Stine of Greencastle, Pa.
Dorle Haas Memorial Prize, awarded to a senior for outstanding service within the greater Chambersburg area, was given to Kristin Hoffman of Greencastle, Pa.
Margaret Strode Haines Award, which recognizes a student with outstanding qualities of scholarship, interest in the humanities and strength of body, mind and spirit, was given to Patricia Hall of Orbisonia, Pa.
Gloria Randle Scott-Frances Richards Hesselbein Prize, awarded to the senior who has demonstrated outstanding volunteer service during their four years at Wilson College, was given to Molly McElroy of Middle River, Md. McElroy also got the Wilson Equestrienne Award, which goes to a graduating senior who has excelled in academics and equitation.
Joanne Harrison Hopkins Literary Achievement Award, given for the finest piece of imaginative literature in fiction, poetry or drama produced during the academic year, went to Christie Munson of Shamokin, Pa. Munson also received two other awards: the Mary Beers Sheppard Prize, awarded to the member of the senior class who has shown the keenest understanding and appreciation of literature; and the Carolyn Zeleny Prize, which goes to a sociology student in the junior or senior class on the basis of academic excellence and/or community service.
Josef Michael Kellinger German or Foreign Language Award for a student who has demonstrated excellence in German or foreign language studies was given to Sabrina Spinelli of Fayetteville, Pa.
Catherine Herr Langdon Award is, by vote of the women students with the approval of the Dean of Students and the President of the College, bestowed upon a senior or seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence and who have fully, unselfishly and willingly given comfort, compassion, encouragement, guidance, help and understanding to fellow students during the year and was awarded to Lily Rembold of Franklin, Pa.
Jack Malachuk Equestrian Award, given to an equestrian student who has demonstrated a high level of commitment to equestrian studies, was awarded to Karen Saltzgiver of Biglerville, Pa.
Mary-Eleanor Maule Travel Grant, awarded to graduating seniors or students entering their junior or senior years for travel planned in support of study in Spanish, was given to Ashley Horn of Fredericksurg, Va.
Robert Shannon McElwain Prize, awarded to the best student in mathematics, went to Thuy-Hang Ngo of Hanoi, Vietnam.
Organic Chemistry Award, given to the student in organic chemistry who earned the highest grades for the year, went to Alyssa Engel-Swift of Leesport, Pa.
Outstanding Peer Teacher Award, given to honor exemplary service as a First-Year Seminar peer teacher for the year, went to Marissa Rankin of Mount Joy, Pa.
Nicky Hoffman Reich Award, given to the student whose work with animals shows commitment to humane treatment, was awarded to Gabrielle Wagaman of Waynesboro, Pa.
Helga Rist Prize, which is given to a dedicated, successful, American Wilson College foreign language student who has demonstrated integrity, promise and potential, was awarded to Elsa Zavala Hurtado of Chambersburg.
John D. Rose Award in Environmental Studies, given to an outstanding junior majoring in environmental studies or biology to fund a summer research project or internship, went to brothers Marquise Beckett and Martez Beckett of Randallstown, Md.
William and Ivy Saylor Prize, established through the Academy of American Poets to support young poets at colleges nationwide, was awarded to Shawn Price of Hagerstown, Md.
Grace Tyson Schlichter Award in Communications, which is given to a senior who has shown general academic excellence and outstanding promise for a career in a field of communications, went to two students: Jenna Kauffman of Waynesboro, Pa., and Nicole Zuleger of Berryville, Va.
Sophie’s Six Award, given to a senior who is majoring or minoring in psychology or related field with an intended career in counseling, was awarded to Heather Jordan-Clapsaddle of Chambersburg.
Joan M. Thuebel ’52 Earthwatch Prize, which sponsors a Wilson student or faculty member to participate in an Earthwatch Institute project of his or her choosing, was awarded Molly Lemke of Camp Hill, Pa.
William P. Van Looy Business Prize, awarded to the junior or senior business and economics major who has demonstrated excellence in business studies and in service to the well-being of both the Wilson College community and larger community, went to two students: Daniel Glazier of Mount Airy, Md., and Netha Kane of Chambersburg.
E. Grace White Prize, which is awarded to a senior whose major field is biology or biochemistry, and who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and plans a career involving the biological sciences, was given to Gaser Ahmed of Chambersburg.
E. Grace White Summer Scholarship, which is awarded to outstanding juniors in biology for use at approved laboratories, was awarded to Kirsten Lehman of Coopersburg, Pa., and Deborah Rifflard of Harrisburg, Pa.
Wilson College Education Award, given to one elementary education major and a student preparing for teacher certification in a secondary school level who have shown outstanding achievement in both their academic studies and in their professional preparation, was awarded to Emily Eckert of Harrisburg, Pa., and Fawn Stitley of Waynesboro, Pa.
Wilson College Fine Arts Prize, awarded to a graduating senior for outstanding achievement in both art history and studio art, was given to Annika Dowd of Chambersburg.
Wilson College Scholar-Athletes, those who have maintained a grade-point average of 3.4 or higher and participated in at least one Wilson varsity athletic team, are: Elen Harutyunyan of Yerevan, Armenia; Marquise Beckett of Randallstown, Md.; Emily Dematteo of Partlow, Va.; Katelynn Gilbert of Thousand Palms, Calif.; Amanda Haase of Culpepper, Va.; Ashley Horn of Fredericksburg, Va.; Evan Hoke of Chambersburg; Lauren Moss of Bloomburg, Pa.; Jennifer Patton of Greencastle, Pa.; Lee Price of Waynesboro, Pa.; Lily Rembold of Franklin, Pa.; Jarrett Rickards of Knoxville, Md.; Aaron Russ of Burke, Va.; Ethan Russ of Burke, Va.; Alison Shockey of Greencastle, Pa.; Erin Stephan of Gettysburg, Pa; Carrie Stemple of Baltimore, Md.; Justin Vizzi of Spotswood N.J.; Caylin Walp of Parkville, Md.; and Charity Zimmerman of Williamstown, Pa.
Several faculty members were honored during the awards ceremony, including the following faulty who received the Donald F. Bletz Award for Excellence in Teaching: senior faculty award, Ann O’Shallie, professor of equestrian studies; junior faculty award, Alexander Munson, assistant professor of mathematics; and adjunct faculty award, Karl Muller, adjunct instructor of Latin.
For more information, contact Wilson College Manager of Media Relations Cathy Mentzer at 717-262-2604 or cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu.
MEDIA 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 34 majors and master’s degrees in education, educational technology, the humanities, accountancy, management, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college had a fall 2016 enrollment of 1,098, which includes students from 18 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
Entrepreneur and education access advocate David Risher will address the graduating class at the 147th annual Wilson College commencement ceremony, to be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 14.
Risher, who will receive an honorary degree from the college, is the president and cofounder of Worldreader, an international organization that works to expand literacy in the developing world; and a former top executive with Microsoft and Amazon.
This year, approximately 108 students will receive bachelor’s and associate degrees during Wilson’s commencement ceremony, which will be held outside on the college’s main green. (In case of rain, the ceremony will be held in Laird Hall.) In addition, approximately 75 graduates of Wilson’s master’s degree programs in education, accountancy, healthcare management, humanities and fine arts will receive their degrees.
During the commencement ceremony, Susan Breakefield Fulton of Washington, D.C.—a 1961 Wilson graduate, former college trustee and faithful donor to her alma mater—will be honored with trustee emerita status, which is the highest honor a college can bestow on a trustee.
A baccalaureate service will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, in Alumnae Chapel at Thomson Hall.
Worldreader, which is headquartered in San Francisco, works to transform literacy by giving children in developing countries virtually unlimited access to local digital books through Kindles and cell phones. The organization has supported over six million readers worldwide over its first seven years. Before co-founding Worldreader in 2010, Risher played pivotal roles at Microsoft and Amazon. At Microsoft, he was general manager in charge of developing the company’s first database product, Microsoft Access. As Amazon’s first vice president of product and store development, he oversaw a sales explosion from $16 million to more than $4 billion. Risher later became a senior vice president of Amazon, overseeing the marketing and general management of retail operations.
Risher, of San Francisco, graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature. He has a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. His mother, Sarah Walker Risher, is a 1963 graduate of Wilson College.
April 18, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College students will present the results of their undergraduate and graduate research at Wilson’s 8th annual Student Research Day on Friday, April 28. The public is invited to join Wilson students, faculty, staff and administrators at all events. A total of 29 students will present their work, which was produced in conjunction with faculty advisers, beginning at 9 a.m. Sessions will run concurrently in the Brooks Science Center auditorium and John Stewart Memorial Library’s Lenfest Learning Commons. In addition, a dance presentation choreographed and performed by students will be held at 11:30 a.m. in the dance studio in Davison Hall. All presentations will conclude by 5 p.m. In addition to the oral presentations, other students will share their work graphically in a poster session, to be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m., also in Brooks. “Student Research Day is an important day at Wilson College, providing a time to showcase the remarkable achievements of our students, “said Elissa Heil, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. “It’s also a celebration of our strong student and faculty collaboration, upon which Wilson College prides itself.” Oral presentations throughout the day focus on the humanities, sciences and social sciences, including the prestigious Disert Scholar session from 4:30 to 5 p.m. in the Brooks Complex. The Disert award, given to the student with the best honors thesis proposal, went this year to Anna Harutyunyan of Armenia, who will present the results of her research on how an iron derivative of the AIDS drug AZT (Fe-AZT) affects cancer cells in the liver. Other presentations will include examinations of: artist and feminist icon Frida Kahlo and the effect of her chronic physical pain on her self-portraits; the effects of gluten proteins and low-gliadin wheat products on celiac disease in mice; the relationship between outdoor recreation and depression; Christianity, capitalism and America’s devaluation of the poor; Holocaust remembrance and collective memory; a risk assessment for oak wilt – a threat to oak trees similar to that of Dutch elm disease – in Pennsylvania; pets and their relationship to their owners’ personality traits and self-esteem; factors that increase the contamination risk of pathogenic E.coli in the Conococheague Creek; and effects of apiary practices on Colony Collapse Disorder in European honey bees; Also on Student Research Day, Wilson senior Amanda Dunn will hold a capstone exhibition of her artwork in Wilson’s Bogigian Gallery. The exhibition will continue through May 14. Wilson’s Student Research Day will conclude with the annual Academic Awards presentation at 6 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium. Student Research Day at Wilson was founded in 2010 as a way to recognize and celebrate the research, scholarship and creative activities of students and their faculty mentors. For more information, visit www.wilson.edu/student-research-day. MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2016 enrollment of 1,098, which includes students from 18 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
April 13, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Five Wilson College students presented the results of their research and two were recognized with research grants at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, held March 31 to April 2 at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
The following students presented research: seniors Gaser Ahmed, a citizen of Egypt living in Chambersburg; Anna Harutyunyan of Armenia; and Vanessa Lybarger of Bedford, Pa.; and juniors Ahmed Alshahrani of Saudi Arabia and Tracy Dile of Orrstown, Pa. Ahmed and Harutyunyan were awarded a PAS Outstanding Research Grant for their projects.
Ahmed, who is majoring in biology and chemistry, presented his research project, Analysis of the Effects of Gluten Proteins and Low-Gliadin Wheat Products on Celiac Disease in NOD-DQ8 Mice. This study was performed to determine the effects of gluten, gliadin, glutenin and low-gliadin products on the progression of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of a wheat gluten protein called gliadin; as well as to determine whether there is a maximum amount that is safe to consume in a mouse model prone to developing the disease. Results of the study will provide further information about the immunotoxicity of gliadin and glutenin, and the safety of consumption of low-gliadin products, which may set the stage for application in humans.
Ahmed received Wilson’s E. Grace White Summer Scholarship last year in support of his undergraduate research and also has received several Wilson chemistry awards. He was selected to participate in the 2016 Summit Health Summer Work Experience program.
Anna Harutyunyan of Armenia, who is majoring in biology and chemistry, presented a research project called Synthesis and Effects of Fe-AZT and Pd-AZT on Viability of Human Hepatocytes and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells. Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, is the fifth-most common cancer and third-most common cause of cancer mortality around the world. It is difficult to treat due to early metastasis and progression. Harutyunyan’s study investigates the potential toxicity of an iron derivative of the AIDS drug AZT (Fe-AZT) in a cell culture model by analyzing cell viability. Results could provide evidence for using this compound as an anticancer treatment for liver cancer.
Harutyunyan received Wilson’s E. Grace White Summer Scholarship last year in support of her undergraduate research and also was a recipient the college’s Margaret Criswell Disert Honors Scholarship.
The students were accompanied to the PAS annual meeting by Wilson professors Deborah Austin, Brad Engle, Dana Harriger, Andrea Nagy, Christine Proctor and Brad Stiles. Five other students also attended the PAS meeting.
Students will share the results of their research during Wilson’s annual Student Research Day on April 28.
PAS judged oral presentations for scientific merit ¬- ranging from experimental methodologies to analysis of results - and presentation qualities, including visual impact and fielding of questions.
This is the sixth year for the award competition.
Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 34 majors and master’s degrees in education, educational technology, special education, the humanities, accountancy, management, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. 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 2016 enrollment of 1,098, which includes students from 18 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College President Barbara K. Mistick has been chosen as a recipient of the 2017 Women of Influence award, an annual Central Penn Business Journal program recognizing 30 of the midstate’s top women leaders.
The Women of Influence Award goes to women leaders who are influential in their companies, industries and communities; and have solid reputations based on their experience, integrity, leadership and accomplishments, according to CPBJ. Judges chose Mistick, who was nominated by the Harrisburg law firm Rhoads & Sinon, for her leadership and achievements at Wilson, as well as her contributions to the community.
“I am honored and humbled to be included among such an inspiring group of women in the midstate region,” said Mistick. “Women in leadership are not always recognized for their achievements, so I want to thank Central Penn Business Journal and the other sponsors for the Women of Influence awards program. I’m also grateful to Rhoads & Sinon for nominating me for this distinction.”
Mistick joined Wilson College on July 1, 2011. One her first actions was leading an initiative to transform the chronically under-enrolled institution, resulting in the expansion of coeducation and the creation of the Wilson Today plan, which set out five key areas of focus to improve Wilson’s enrollment levels. Wilson Today includes a “value plan” that has reduced or kept tuition steady for the past seven years and created a first-of-its-kind student loan buyback plan.
Mistick has also led an initiative to transform the campus, renovating three residence halls and constructing a new academic quad and main entrance for the institution. In addition, she successfully completed a $12 million fundraising campaign for the award-winning renovation and expansion of the John Stewart Memorial Library, reopening the building after four years of closure.
Under Mistick’s leadership, Wilson College has increased total enrollment from 695 students in fall 2012 to 1,098 students last fall —the largest class in Wilson’s history—and has added eight undergraduate programs, along with seven graduate programs.
“Wilson College's transition to a coeducational institution, followed by its subsequent growth, is a testament to Dr. Mistick's leadership and vision as president of Wilson,” said Drake Nicholas, an attorney with Rhoads & Sinon.
Prior to her unanimous appointment as Wilson’s president, Mistick was president of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where she provided strategic leadership and operational oversight of the Pittsburgh public library system, which serves approximately 1.2 million people.
Mistick has a doctorate in management from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Business, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Carlow College.
As an award winner, Mistick will be recognized at an event to be held June 26 at the Hilton Harrisburg, as well as in the June 30 issue of CPBJ.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, manager of media relations Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
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April 7, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College sophomore Keion Adams has been named a Campus Compact 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, an honor given to “community-committed” students who have demonstrated “an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country and abroad.”
Adams, one of 273 Newman Fellows named across the country, is the student director of Wilson’s campus food pantry and volunteers with the college’s Student-Athlete Mentor (SAM) program, which provides peer-to-peer mentorship and guidance for first-year students to help them adjust to the demands of college. He has been active in volunteerism since childhood.
Adams is majoring in exercise and sport science and is a Wilson College Curran Scholar. The son of Kim and Juanita Adams of Gaithersburg, Md., he is forward on the college’s men’s basketball team and was selected as one of the top 18 players in the North Eastern Athletic Conference for 2016-17. Campus Compact is a Boston-based, nonprofit coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities committed to “the public purposes of higher education.” Reserved for Campus Compact member institutions, the Newman Civic Fellowship honors the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders and a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. The fellowship is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate. The fellowship, which is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation, also provides fellows with access to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities. “The cultivation of community-committed leaders has never been more crucial,” said Campus Compact President Andrew Seligsohn, who added that “our country needs more people who know how to bring communities together for positive change.” For more information about Campus Compact, visit www.compact.org. MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
April 5, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Entrepreneur and education access advocate David Risher will address the senior class at the 147th annual Wilson College commencement ceremony, to be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 14.
Risher is the president and cofounder of Worldreader, an international organization that works to expand literacy in the developing world. With headquarters in San Francisco and offices around the world, Worldreader works to transform literacy by giving children in developing countries virtually unlimited access to local digital books through Kindles and cell phones, even creating an app for cell phone use. The organization has supported over six million readers worldwide over its first seven years.
“Reading and education unlock our potential,” the organization states on its website, www.worldreader.org. “Worldreader is on a mission to create a world where everyone can be a reader.”
A voracious reader himself, Risher played pivotal roles at Microsoft and Amazon before co-founding Worldreader in 2010. At Microsoft, he was general manager in charge of developing the company’s first database product, Microsoft Access. He left Microsoft in 1997 to join Amazon as its first vice president of product and store development. Under his leadership, Amazon grew from a small digital bookstore to “the everything store,” expanding sales from $16 million to more than $4 billion. Risher later became a senior vice president for the company, overseeing the marketing and general management of Amazon’s retail operations.
Risher graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature. After working for a time for a consulting firm and then bicycling across the country, he entered the MBA program at Harvard Business School, moving to Seattle after graduation and joining Microsoft.
Risher has a Wilson College connection – his mother, Sarah Walker Risher, is a 1963 graduate of the college.
Risher is a Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Social Entrepreneur, a Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellow, and an invited member of the Clinton Global Initiative. He was named one of 12 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2016. He has lived in or visited 47 countries, speaks four languages and lives in San Francisco with wife Jennifer and two daughters.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 29, 2016
Chambersburg, Pa. — The 2016-17 Orr Forum at Wilson College will host Professor Henry Mugabe, a theologian and president of the Zimbabwe Theological Seminary who will present two lectures on Tuesday, April 4. The lectures are free and open to the public.
Mugabe, who has been lauded for his work on theology from an African perspective, will give his first lecture at noon in the John Stewart Memorial Library’s Lenfest Learning Commons. In “A New Christianity in Africa: The Health and Wealth Gospel in a Sea of Poverty,” Mugabe will examine theologies of prosperity in the context of disease and poverty, raising the question of whether these theologies liberate or continue to enslave followers.
Mugabe’s second lecture, “The Practice of African Traditional Religion in Modern African Society,” will be held at 5 p.m., also in the library’s Learning Commons. In this presentation, Mugabe will discuss the practice of African Traditional Religion in modern African society, highlighting the nature of the religion and its ethical concerns for preserving and enhancing life.
Mugabe is teaching and preaching throughout the United States this spring as part of his goal of building partnerships between churches here and his native Zimbabwe, as well as with the Zimbabwe Theological Seminary. Mugabe has a doctorate from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He has served as a visiting professor at the Wake Forest School of Divinity in Memphis, Tenn., and the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond in Virginia. The Society of Christian Ethics recently named him one of two Global Scholars for his work on theology from an African perspective.
Begun in 1964, the Orr Forum is Wilson College’s most widely known and prestigious academic event. Before the establishment of the Orr Forum, Wilson sponsored annually what was called “Devotional Week,” with a series of chapel services, sermons and a communion service. In 1962-63, Associate Professor of Bible and Religion Harry Buck and Professor Graham Jamieson, who chaired the Department of the Bible and Religion, proposed using a fund established by Thomas J. Orr in honor of his parents Mary and William, to start an endowed lecture series that would bring to campus outstanding thinkers in various aspects of religion studies. Topics addressed by the Orr Forum have reflected the wide and shifting interests in religion studies in America, including such topics as bioethics, race relations, the relationship of church and state, the nexus between religion and environmental issues, the AIDS crisis and contemporary Islam.
For more information visit: www.wilson.edu/common-hour.
MEDIA CONTACT: David True, Associate Professor of Religion Phone: 717-460-8228 Email: david.true@wilson.edu
