FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 28, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College’s on-campus volunteer, migrant education tutoring program, Learning Campus, has received approval from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the Pennsylvania Campus Compact (PACC) for a second AmeriCorps/VISTA grant. The grant, which was first awarded a year ago, funds a full-time coordinator for the program.
The seven-year-old tutoring program, conducted in partnership with Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, provides after-school tutoring for children of migrant farmworkers in the Chambersburg area. The program currently provides literacy and math enrichment services twice a week throughout the school year to children in kindergarten through fifth grade within the LIU’s Migrant Education Program. The Wilson students who volunteer to tutor – many of whom are majoring in education – also benefit from the program through experiential learning.
The AmeriCorps/VISTA coordinator, Wilson 2016 graduate Brie Burdge, recruits, trains and manages tutors for the Learning Campus program.
The Learning Campus program is overseen by Wilson Vice President for Student Development Mary Beth Williams, along with Lynn Newman, Wilson’s education division chair, and Eric Mandell, LIU student support specialist.
The AmeriCorps/VISTA program seeks to develop and support community service, service-learning and civic engagement programs at higher education institutions by placing AmeriCorps/VISTA members at colleges and universities across Pennsylvania.
MEDIA 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 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 24, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Kittochtinny Players, the drama club at Wilson College, will present three performances of the play, “Alice in Wonderland,” on Friday, March 31, and Saturday and Sunday, April 1 and 2, in Laird Hall. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.
The performances are free and open to the public. Door will open 30 minutes before show time.
Written by Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus, the play is based adapted from the class children’s fantasy book, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. It follows the story of Alice, a 7-year-old girl who falls through a rabbit hole and finds herself in the most curious of places – Wonderland. On her journey, Alice meets a number of strange, talking creatures.
Starring Melissa Rankin as Alice, the play is directed by Breana Park and Dana Kessler serves as stage manager.
MEDIA CONTACT: Breana Park Email: breana.park@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 20, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Orchesis, the Wilson College modern dance ensemble, will present its annual spring concert on Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8, in Laird Hall. Performances, which are open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with a Saturday matinee at 1 p.m.
The performances will feature dances choreographed by Wilson College faculty and students, including a guest work choreographed by the Philadelphia dance company, allendance.
Tickets will be available at the door and prices are:
Orchesis was founded at Wilson in 1942 under the direction of Roberta Jones to further the liberal arts education and encourage young women to explore ideas through movement. Today, Orchesis is open to both female and male students and is currently advised by Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Megan Mizanty.
MEDIA CONTACT: Megan Mizanty, Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Phone: 570-851-7372 Email: megan.mizanty@wilson.edu
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College will host an information session about its master’s degree program in the humanities at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28, in Norland Hall. The session will cover how to apply and provide an overview of the program, including new courses and five concentrations now available; financial aid; career opportunities; graduate assistantships and more.
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.
MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Cornelius, Chair, Department of English and Communications Phone: 717-262-2712 Email: michael.cornelius@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 16, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Bloomsburg couple who founded and operate “Wild for Salmon” will speak at the next Wilson College “FRESH! (Finding Responsible Eating Strategies for Health) lecture series, which will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, in the Warfield Hall auditorium.
Steve and Jenn Kurian will talk about their unique business, which makes Alaskan sockeye salmon and other sustainably sourced wild seafood available at affordable prices. All Wild for Salmon fish is wild-caught in Alaska’s pristine Bristol Bay and then flash-frozen to preserve a fresh taste. Individual customers can buy online or form groups called Buying Clubs, to which Wild for Salmon’s products are delivered periodically. More information about the business can be found at www.wildforsalmon.com.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, will double as the Wild for Salmon Chambersburg Buying Club spring pickup time and place. Fish will also be available for public purchase while supplies last.
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 | March 9, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — When she was 13 years old, Samantha Jallah and her family fled to the United States as refugees to escape civil war in their home country of Liberia. Since then, Jallah has overcome many obstacles to forge a successful life and career in the U.S., but she hasn’t forgotten the atrocities of war that shaped her early life. “When you come from an environment like that, you realize how precious life is,” she has said.
Jallah and two other women who immigrated to the U.S., Maria Chesterton and Marcelle Giovannetti, will talk about their life experiences as immigrants at a town hall-style meeting sponsored by the Wilson College Department of International Scholar Services on Tuesday, March 21. The forum, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Brooks Science Center auditorium.
“Aliens Among Us: Inspiring Stories of Women Who Survived War and Immigration” will include Jallah, Chesterton and Giovannetti – who represent three continents – telling their personal stories, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.
Jallah, a graduate of Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law who has more than a decade of experience in business and law, is the founder of Liberian Awards, a nonprofit organization that mentors and serves immigrant and minority students. Liberian Awards has also partnered with colleges to create a series of events like the one at Wilson that give immigrants and refugees a place to share their unique stories and to allow both natural-born Americans and other immigrants an opportunity to share their questions, concerns and fears in a nonpolitical environment.
Giovannetti is a former international student who was born and raised in India. After going through the immigration and naturalization process, she is now a U.S. citizen and is in the process of sponsoring her parents in their own immigration to the U.S. A passionate advocate for social justice, Giovannetti works with marginalized groups. She is as a licensed professional counselor at Messiah College and an adjunct instructor at Messiah and Shippensburg University.
Chesterton, who is from Argentina, immigrated to the U.S. around the age of 5. She recently retired from the Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel, where she served as senior counsel at the Department of Health.
According to organizers, Wilson College is happy to host a forum on refugees and immigrants at a time when the nation is grappling with controversial changes in policies, including President Donald Trump’s new executive order that temporarily blocks citizens of six countries from visiting the U.S. and suspends the admission of refugees for 120 days.
“Primarily, we want to have a non-political conversation about immigration and the refugee crisis,” said Crystal Lantz, Wilson’s director of international scholar services. “It is intended to promote a greater understanding of these topics through understanding personal experiences.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Crystal Lantz, Director of International Scholar Services Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 2536 Email: iss@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 7, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College will host The Arsenal Duo – Pittsburgh musicians Nathan Carterette and Edward Alan Moore – in the final 2016-17 Van Looy Organ Series performance, which will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 26, in Thomson Hall’s Alumnae Chapel. The performance will be followed by a complimentary reception in the first-floor lobby of Lenfest Commons.
Pianist Carterette and organist Moore joined forces as The Arsenal Duo in 2013, combining their respective instruments to draw from a diverse repertoire, including works originally composed for piano and orchestra, works original to piano and organ, and their own transcriptions and solo offerings.
When The Arsenal Duo made its debut performance at Youngstown’s (Ohio) historic Stambaugh Auditorium, the duo attracted on of the largest audiences since the restoration of the hall’s E.M. Skinner pipe organ. The duo has also performed at Pittsburgh’s East Liberty Presbyterian Church and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
Tickets for the performance are on sale now for $7 for general admission; admission for Wilson students and employees, and children under age 16 is free. Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased in advance by calling 717-262-2003.
The Van Looy Organ Series is named in honor of Ellen Van Looy Reed, a 1953 graduate of Wilson College. Her mother, Priscilla Van Looy, donated funds to rebuild the console and relays of the Moller Organ in Alumnae Chapel and the Van Looy Endowment provides funding for the annual organ series at Wilson.
MEDIA CONTACT: Joel Pagliaro, Director of Conferences and Special Events, Sage Dining Services Phone: 717-262-2003 Email: conferences@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 2, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation recently awarded a $540,000 grant to fund scholarships for Wilson College students with financial need through the Stabler Scholarship Endowment. The endowment has provided scholarships for 182 Wilson students since the program began in 2008.
The foundation has provided $3.31 million for the Stabler scholarship program since its inception. Students are selected for scholarships based on financial need, academic achievement and service to the community.
"Gifts of endowed scholarship are vital in enabling talented students with financial need to complete their education," Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick said. “This gift from The Stabler Foundation will allow us to help even more students and families who need assistance. We are thankful for the foundation’s generous and steadfast support.”
Although the number changes throughout the year, a total of 71 students at Wilson are currently being helped with Stabler scholarships in the 2016-17 academic year, according to Margaret Light, director of corporate and foundation relations.
Since 1985, The Stabler Foundation has provided Wilson with nearly $4.33 million in funding for a number of programs, including the Stabler Scholarship Endowment; Curran Scholars program, which promotes student volunteerism; and daycare support for students in Wilson’s Single Parent Scholars program.
Located in Harrisburg, The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation was established by the Stablers in 1966 exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes. The foundation awards grants to educational institutions, parochial or church-related schools, nonprofit hospitals and medical facilities. The foundation also supports religious institutions and social service organizations that seek to preserve and instill traditional moral and ethical values, respect for the family, concern for others, self-reliance and a productive life.
MEDIA CONTACT: Margaret Light, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Phone: 717-262-2010, Ext. 3179 Email: margaret.light@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Feb. 27, 2017
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College’s nursing program has 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.
The initial six-year accreditation applies to all four of Wilson’s nursing pathways: the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for existing registered nurses (RN-to-BSN and RN-to-MSN), the Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) and the Master of Science in nursing (MSN).
The college’s nursing programs were approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing in 2015. Wilson pursued accreditation, which is voluntary, to ensure the quality and integrity of its programs and because of the advantages to nursing graduates, according to Carolyn Hart, director of Wilson’s nursing program.
“It’s a student’s assurance that the program they’re in meets or exceeds industry standards. Then after graduation, if they want to go on to get a master’s degree or doctorate in nursing, they are required to have a nursing degree from an accredited school,” said Hart. “And employers very often want to hire people who have graduated from an accredited school. It says a lot about the program.”
For Wilson, accreditation brings another set of benefits. “CNEA accreditation really helps you focus on continually improving and continually making sure that what you’re offering to students is current, addresses the needs of employers and makes sure that nurses are prepared to excel in the workplace,” Hart said.
The accreditation process was lengthy, with planning starting before Wilson launched its first nursing programs – the RN-to-BSN and RN-to-MSN – in fall 2014, according to Hart. She said the application process began in October 2015 and a site visit – where a CNEA evaluation team comes to campus and evaluates the program – occurred in September 2016.
“Four nurses from all over the country, with nearly 40 years of accrediting experience and doctorates in nursing, spent two and a half days with us looking at absolutely everything,” said Hart. “They interviewed students, the community, faculty and our clinical partners. They went to Summit Health to watch a clinical group and sat in on classes. It’s a very intense period where they scrutinize everything.”
Before leaving, the team debriefed Wilson’s nursing staff and shared their opinions, which Hart said were positive. “Our relationship with our students is very close-knit and very supportive. They were very impressed with that,” Hart said. “At Wilson, we have a very interdisciplinary approach to education, which many institutions strive for but don’t achieve. They thought that we have something unique here.”
Wilson’s accreditation was approved at a Feb. 16 CNEA board meeting and the college received official notice Feb. 27.
A total of 126 students are enrolled in Wilson’s four nursing pathways. In addition to taking classes both in-person and online, pre-licensure students benefit from hands-on opportunities with the college’s local clinical partners. The largest of those are Summit Health, Keystone Health and Menno Haven.
Wilson nursing students work to gain experience and exchange ideas with nurses and other medical professionals with those organizations. “Our nurses are working hand in hand with staff nurses providing patient care, because human beings learn by doing,” said Hart.
In addition to gaining practical experience, Wilson students are engaged in some “innovative” efforts with the college’s local healthcare partners, according to Hart. “Even though every nursing program has clinical partners, we’re perhaps using our clinical partners in a way that is unique,” she said.
For example, at Summit Health, Wilson students are partnering with bedside nurses to perform research on best practices. At Menno Haven, students become familiar with not only chronic illness, but how that affects quality of life “so that they understand not just the science of nursing, but also the art of nursing,” Hart said.
She said that clinics at Keystone Health provide a broad range of experiences to Wilson students, fostering a better appreciation of the problems associated with obtaining healthcare.
Sherri Stahl, Summit Health senior vice president of hospital services and chief nursing officer at Chambersburg Hospital, said having a nursing program in the area is important to help address shortages in the field. She gives Wilson’s program high marks for exposing students to real-life applications in clinical lab sessions from their very first semester.
“We think (Wilson’s) model is one of the best, if not the best, that we've seen,” Stahl said.
For information about Wilson’s nursing programs or to register, contact Hart at 717-262-4853, 717-414-6184 or carolyn.hart@wilson.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Carolyn Hart, director of nursing Phone: 717-262-4853 or 717-414-6184 Email: carolyn.hart@wilson.edu
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
