FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Feb. 23, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — As part of National Women’s History Month in March, Wilson College will host a speaker series in March, beginning with a lecture by Shippensburg University Professor of Political Science Alison Dagnes at noon, Tuesday, March 7, in Wilson’s John Stewart Memorial Library’s Lenfest Learning Commons. The series is free and open to the public.
Dagnes, who has written and gives talks about American politics and the media, will present “False Equivalencies: The Contortions of Modern Political Media.” This relevant and timely presentation will discuss how, in an effort to appear fair and balanced, the modern American political media has constructed a system that gives equal time and attention to all opinions — even when the opinions may be factually incorrect or false. Dagnes will also explore the damage this practice has done to discourse, democracy and journalism itself.
Other presentations, which will be held at noon in the library, include:
Tuesday, March 21 — “The Struggle for Racial Integration at Wilson College” by Amy Ensley, director of Wilson’s Hankey Center. Wilson College did not become racially integrated until 1951. Ensley’s talk will trace the efforts of Wilson students and alumnae, local African-American ministers and others, including national civil rights leader James Farmer, to overcome opposition to integration held by Wilson’s administration at the time.
Tuesday, March 28 — “It’s All Relative: Status, Gender and Equality in the Middle Ages” by Shepherd University Associate Professor of History Sally Brasher. Brasher, who has written and published widely on the subjects of medieval, early modern and gender history, will explore how the complexity of women’s history is informed by the diversity of their experiences.
The Women’s History Month speaker series is sponsored by the Hankey Center and the Women’s Studies Program.
A number of other activities are planned for Women’s History Month at Wilson, which this year has the theme of “Women of Character, Courage and Commitment.” The series of events is being coordinated by Wilson’s Women’s Studies Program and the Hankey Center.
For more information, contact Amy Ensley at 717-264-4141, Ext. 3279, or amy.ensley@wilson.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Amy Ensley, Director of the Hankey Center Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3279 Email: amy.ensley@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 has a fall 2016 enrollment of 1,098, which includes students from 18 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 13, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) session at Wilson College scheduled for Tuesday, March 14, has been postponed due to inclement weather. The session has been rescheduled for 4:30 and 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, in Wilson’s Brooks Science Complex.
Sessions are open to anyone who is interested; however, those attending must register for a session of their choice by calling Wilson’s financial aid office, which will provide instructions on what paperwork and documents to bring to the workshop. The office can be reached at 717-262-2016.
A representative from the Pennsylvania Higher Assistance Agency (PHEAA) will also be on hand at the workshop to answer questions.
The FAFSA is used to determine if college-bound high school seniors qualify for nearly all forms of need-based financial assistance, including the Pennsylvania State Grant; Federal Pell Grant; federal student loans; and many scholarships, work-study programs and school-based awards.
MEDIA CONTACT: Laura Peiffer, Assistant Financial Aid Counselor Phone: 717-262-2016 Email: laura.peiffer@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Feb. 20, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College has added a master’s degree in special education designed for those who are already certified to teach in grades K-12. Classes for the Master of Special Education (M.S.E.), which can be completely primarily online, will begin in the spring II semester starting March 20.
The new master’s degree in special education was added as a result of strong local interest in a graduate program in the field, and the critical need for teachers with special education certification, as expressed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, according to Eric Michael, director of Wilson’s Master of Education program. He said there is a shortage of teachers certified in special education not only in Pennsylvania, but across the nation.
Students enrolling in Wilson’s program will be able to choose from three degree paths: a general M.S.E. without certification, an M.S.E. with Pre-K-8 special education certification and an M.S.E. with 7-12 special education certification.
“Wilson’s program is based on the premise that successful special education teachers need an in-depth knowledge of pedagogy, a mastery of current theory and an understanding of research-based practices and technology,” Michael said. “The main focus of our program is to hone teaching skills through research and classroom practices, thereby fostering teaching excellence and teacher leadership.
On completing the M.S.E., students will be qualified to teach special education in both public and private schools and will also be prepared to work in state, local and private organizations that provide behavioral health services to people with disabilities, including Manito, Abraxas Youth & Family Services, Skills of Central PA, Laurel Life and United Cerebral Palsy.
For many working public school teachers, tuition for the M.S.E. will be reimbursed by their school districts, Michael said, adding that Wilson does not add any additional fees that teachers would have to pay out of pocket.
The M.S.E. program consists of 10 courses. Students don’t have to adhere to a specific sequence of courses – they can jump in and out as their schedules permit.
Courses are offered online, face to face and in hybrid formats. If, for example, a local school district has a cohort of teachers interested in enrolling in the M.S.E. program, “we will bring an instructor to the individual district,” Michael said.
The M.S.E. is Wilson’s ninth graduate program. In addition to the Master of Education, the college has master’s programs in educational technology, nursing, management, fine arts, the humanities, accountancy and healthcare management.
Wilson is currently registering students for M.S.E. courses. Prospective students can get more information or register at www.wilson.edu/master-special-education or by calling 717-262-3109 or 262-2045.
Wilson’s Board of Trustees approved the M.S.E. program at its Feb. 18 meeting. The general and Pre-K-8 certifications have been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and approval of the 7-12 certification is expected soon, according to officials in Wilson education department. Pennsylvania certification is valid in 46 states with which interstate agreements exist.
MEDIA CONTACT: Eric Michael, Director of the M.Ed. Program Phone: 717-262-3109 Email: eric.michael@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Feb. 14, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College's international student organization, the Muhibbah Club, will host a spring dinner featuring dishes from around the world on Saturday, March 4, in Jensen Dining Hall in Lenfest Commons. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner begins at 6. It will be followed by entertainment presented by the students at 7:30 p.m. in Laird Hall.
The dinner will feature a variety of international foods, including:
After dinner, members of the Muhibbah Club will entertain guests with performances from their home countries, including traditional dances from Ghana, Barbados, and Armenia; Albanian poetry reading; a Broadway reenactment and more.
The public is invited to attend and dinner and/or the performance. There is no cost to attend the performance, but tickets for the dinner are $10. Reservations are required for the dinner and must be made by Monday, Feb. 27. To reserve dinner tickets, contact club adviser Crystal Lantz at iss@wilson.edu and provide your phone number, name and number of tickets needed. Payment (cash or check) for tickets will be collected at the door.
The Muhibbah Club will also accept donations at the performance. All donations, as well as a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales, will be given to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The word "Muhibbah" means unity among nations. This year's Muhibbah Club president is Nana Ohene-Manu. Wilson's international students this semester come from 19 countries, including Albania, Ghana, Nepal, Vietnam, Armenia, Saudi Arabia, Australia, South Korea, Ireland, France, Uganda, Argentina, China and Uganda.
MEDIA CONTACT: Crystal Lantz, Director of International Scholar Services Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 2536 Email: iss@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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Feb. 9, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Wilson College 2016-17 Performing Arts Series will continue Friday and Saturday, March 10 and 11, with a production of a Broadway classic with a twist, Guys and Dolls Jr., performed by students ages 8 to 18 from the Cumberland Valley School of Music. The show will be held in Laird Hall, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday; a 2 p.m. matinee will be held Saturday.
Guys and Dolls Jr. is based on the legendary, award-winning musical comedy about rolling the dice and falling in love under the lights of Broadway. The show follows gambler Nathan Detroit and friends, from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana.
The show is directed by Laura J. Martin, with musical direction by Lindsay Owen.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for children 6 to 16; and free for kids under six or Wilson College students and employees. Tickets can be purchased online at www.wilson.edu/events or by calling 717-262-2003.
The performance is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
For more information on Wilson’s Performing Arts Series events, visit www.wilson.edu/events.
MEDIA CONTACT: Joel Pagliaro, Director of Conferences and Special Events, Sage Dining Services Phone: 717-262-2003 Email: conferences@wilson.edu
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Wilson College lecture series “FRESH! — Finding Responsible Eating Strategies for Health” — will continue on Saturday, Feb. 25, with a discussion of the book The American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan. The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Sarah’s Coffeehouse, which is located on the lower level of Lenfest Commons.
The Oprah-style book chat will explore McMillan's undercover experiences in the American food system, from Walmart, the world's largest food retailer, to the Applebee’s restaurant chain, farm fields and the dinner table. In her book, McMillan examines the reasons Americans eat what we do and the implications for our health, nation and the planet.
Wilson’s Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies sponsors the FRESH! series. For more information, contact FCSS Director Chris 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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Jan. 20, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa -- Wilson College will host a free information session about its master’s degree program in the humanities at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, in Norland Hall. The session will cover the application process, an overview of the program and available financial aid.
The session will provide descriptions of the five humanities degree concentrations currently offered and also outline how students can design a personal master’s degree and apply for graduate assistantships.
Registration may be completed at www.wilson.edu/humanities. For more information, visit the website or contact Master of Humanities Program Director Michael Cornelius at michael.cornelius@wilson.edu or 717-262-2712.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Jan. 6, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Wilson College lecture series “FRESH! — Finding Responsible Eating Strategies for Health” — will kick off its 2017 sessions with “Nutrition Made Clear: Why We Eat What We Do,” at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, in Warfield Hall’s auditorium on the Wilson campus. All FRESH! events are free and open to the public.
This event will feature a video lecture by Roberta H. Anding, a registered dietitian, director of sports nutrition and a clinical dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital. In addition, she is a registered dietitian with the American Dietetic Association, a certified specialist in sports dietetics, a certified diabetes educator and the dietitian for the Houston Texans NFL franchise.
Following the video, there will be a discussion with panel members B.J. Reed, a plant-based health food coach; Julie Raulli, Wilson associate professor of sociology; and Cindy Bryant Weidman, a registered nurse and health educator.
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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Jan. 5, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — An exhibition of artwork by Wilson College studio art students will open at The Foundry, 100 S. Main St. in Chambersburg, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, marking the first exhibit in a new partnership between the two organizations. A reception will be held for the exhibition, which is free and open to the public and will continue through Feb. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3.
Wilson’s history as a community partner dates to the founding of the institution, and its commitment to rich and meaningful partnerships continues as the community grows and evolves.
The Foundry, a grassroots, artist-led organization, shares a similar vision and mission as that of Wilson College and its Division of Arts and Letters. Both organizations’ missions include promoting critical and creative thinking through artistic exploration and expression; and providing venues for the exhibition of creative works of art that educate, inspire and provide a framework for cultural expression of local and regional artists.
Further, the mission of Wilson’s art exhibitions program is to educate, collect and stimulate appreciation for, and expand knowledge of, visual literacy within the college environment, according to Professor of Art Philip Lindsey.
The new partnership provides opportunities for exhibition exchanges, as well as possible studio/workshop opportunities. Foundry artists will have the opportunity to exhibit their work at Wilson College beginning in fall 2017.
For more information, contact Lindsey at 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305, or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu; or Anita Crawford at The Foundry at 717-261-0706.
MEDIA CONTACT: Philip Lindsey, Professor of Fine Arts Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305 Email: philip.lindsey@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, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.
Janice “Jay” Johnson ’61 Has Led an Activist’s Life
By Gina Gallucci-White
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt once stated, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
When people ask Janice ‘Jay’ Johnson ’61 why she became president last year of People’s Action—a network of three grassroots organizations dedicated to advancing economic, social and racial justice—she cites Roosevelt’s speech as the reason. “I have aspirations to be ‘the woman in the arena’,” she said. “I am with (People’s Action) because I really felt like it was a progressive stream and a hell of a challenge … to bring the cultures of three different organizations together and form a baseline in terms of values and action.”
Whether volunteering her time for the Young Women’s Christian Association, serving as a Girl Scout executive or being president of a national grassroots organization, Johnson has spent her life dedicated to activism—both at the community and national level—to help bring a voice to those who feel they have been ignored.
“(Activism is) important to me because I don’t believe citizenship is a spectator sport,” she said. “I believe unless people take action, things can go quickly awry. I believe that too many people sit silently and watch things happen and think that they can’t do anything about it. We at least need to be able to sit down and reason about what we think is good for this country and for our families and communities. The conversations that everybody says that we need to have, somebody needs to start.”
She has been active in Virginia Organizing for the past two decades. Founded in 1995, Virginia Organizing is a nonpartisan, non-profit community action group that brings people together to address issues that affect the quality of life in their local communities. Johnson has worked with the organization to reform the state’s tax system and push for policy changes in housing and redevelopment.
Over the years, Johnson has served as both chairperson and treasurer for Virginia Organizing. “Jay is an incredibly dynamic person,” said executive director Joe Szakos. “I think one of the real things that Jay brings to an organization like Virginia Organizing is that she can be incredibly thoughtful about big-picture items, but really stays grounded in what has to happen day-to-day in (terms of) what one person can do, what two people can do, what small groups can do and how they can fit into working on long-term change in a broader sense. She lives on both ends of the continuum at the exact same time."
Johnson is now leading People’s Action, a national group founded in June 2016 and formed by a merger of three powerful organizing groups: Alliance for a Just Society, National People’s Action and USAction. The nonprofit’s mission is “nothing less than to create a new people’s politics in America,” according to its webpage. People’s Action’s campaigns take on the issues of social justice, climate change and immigration.
LeeAnn Hall, executive director for the Alliance for a Just Society, said Johnson has heart, compassion and a real desire to fight for the dignity and well-being of poor and working-class families, not only in Virginia but across the country. “She is a natural leader,” Hall said. “She’s really good at listening and reaching out to people and hearing where they are at, and starting a conversation with people.”
While she is praised for both her planning and insight, Johnson also knows when to act. Several years ago, the Center for Community Change was putting together a protest on immigration policy in Washington, D.C. Virginia Organizing at that time was doing a lot of work on behalf of undocumented immigrants. Johnson met a woman who decided to participate in the protest even though she was undocumented. “Understanding what the risk was for her and her family, I felt like if she could do it, then I could do it. So for the first time in my life, I volunteered to be arrested,” she said. Johnson was 70 years old at the time.
The group marched and chanted in front of then-Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner’s office and about 10 protestors, including Johnson, were arrested by the U. S. Capitol Police. For Johnson, it was worth it. “We were trying to get attention to stop separating (immigrant) families,” she said. “Sometimes you have to take a stand. It can't be all talk. You've got to do some walking along with it.”
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Born and raised in Hampton, Va., Johnson became active with Girl Scouts at the age of 7. She credits being selected as one of two high school-aged girls to represent her home state at an All-States Encampment as one of her reasons for selecting Wilson College. “That was the first time that I even had any thought to go to a college that was not a black college because I met girls from all over the United States,” she said, adding she befriended girls who were from different backgrounds such as Italian, Scandinavian and Native American.
When Johnson returned from the encampment, her high school guidance counselor connected her to the National Negro Scholarship and Service Fund, which was dedicated to helping African-American students in the top 10 percent of their class find integrated colleges. She was given five colleges to choose from and picked Wilson, sight unseen.
“I chose Wilson because the correspondence and other communication from both college and alumna were the warmest and most caring that I received, which led me to believe that I would be in a friendly, supportive environment,” Johnson said. “Wilson and the friendships I formed there have not disappointed me—even after all these years.”
She earned her bachelor’s degree at Wilson in psychology and after graduation, worked for several years at the welfare department in Baltimore. She later returned to Virginia to be closer to family and get her master's degree in guidance counseling from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). Her résumé includes time spent in social work, entrepreneurship, Girl Scouts and in the City of Hampton’s youth department. She served as the executive director for both the Northwest Settlement House Early Learning Center in Washington, D.C. and the Western Reserve Girl Scout Council in Ohio, before starting her own real estate business, I. Jay Enterprises, in Hampton.
Then, nearly 20 years ago, a member of Virginia Organizing approached Johnson about starting a chapter in Hampton. “I was too busy and I kept sending her to other people, and she kept coming back to me because other people sent her back to me,” Johnson recalled. The back and forth occurred for about two years until she was invited to a state board meeting with the promise that if she didn’t like it, she would not be asked again. Johnson said she was initially hesitant because she didn’t “want to be part of another organization that meets to meet, meets to greet or meets to eat—or a combination of all of those things.”
Johnson attended the conference and met people from all different educational and racial backgrounds. “These people were for real,” she said. “(They) respected each other and were serious about the issues, but managed to have fun with each other while they were going about the business. I thought, ‘You know what? This might not be too bad.’ ”
From that meeting, Johnson emerged as a leader of the group. Johnson can go from high-level meetings across the country to back home to Newport News, Va., to work on local issues such as voter registration or helping people in flooded neighborhoods, according to Szakos. “They are both important to her,” he said. “Nothing is too big and nothing is too small for Jay Johnson.”
Johnson's first taste of activism actually came when she was attending Wilson. She and several friends had gone to a cafe in Chambersburg to celebrate a classmate’s birthday. After being seated, they watched as table after table were waited on, yet no one came to serve them. Johnson told her friends the service wasn’t slow. They weren’t being served because she, an African-American, was sitting with them. Having never seen racism this close before, one of her friends confronted the waitress. The owner would not let her wait on them.
Growing up in the South, Johnson had experienced segregation from a young age. But since Wilson was north of the Mason Dixon line, “I really did not expect this to happen,” she recalled. She and her friends decided to organize a protest, stage sit-ins and lobby the student government to boycott the restaurant—which did later change its stance on serving African-Americans. The incident was highlighted in a recent exhibit about civil rights at the college’s Hankey Center.
At a Wilson class reunion many decades later, one of her friends told her they participated in the protest because, “The fight became our fight because you were important to us, and it hurt us that this is what your life had been. We needed to do something different as people.”
Looking back on that experience, Johnson wrote on her blog this year: “Our protest was about more than vindicating the right of black and brown people to eat in a restaurant without discrimination. For me, protest was a way to exert my humanity and claim that I am a person exactly like everyone else in our free nation.
“That’s why, at the age of 70, I engaged in civil disobedience to support my friends who need a path to citizenship, and was arrested. I decided to stand with them, just as my friends stood with me,” Johnson wrote. “We all need to do a lot of soul-searching, remember our history lessons and stand together.”
