Wilson College celebrated its newly renovated John Stewart Memorial Library today with a rededication ceremony outside the historic, 1925 library building now enhanced by a new, state-of-the-art learning commons.
Wilson students, staff, faculty, alumni, trustees and friends attended the rededication for the $12 million Reimagining the John Stewart Memorial Library project, which included a complete rehabilitation of the original library building and the replacement of an outdated addition with a learning commons designed to meet the needs of today’s educators and students.
“The John Stewart library project embodies all of the best qualities of Wilson College,” said Wilson College President Barbara K. Mistick. “The Wilson community came together to support our students while the library was closed, and then again in making sure we could create a dynamic library and learning commons that will serve as the hub of academics at the college for years to come.”
In addition to Mistick, speakers included State Rep. Rob Kauffman, Wilson Board of Trustees Chair Barbara L. Tenney, trustee and library fundraising committee chair Betty Lou Thompson and Katelyn Wingerd, president of the Class of 2016.
Libraries are the heart of a college campus—places not only for studying and research, but more and more today, also places for social gatherings, relaxation and student support services, according to Wingerd.
“In essence, they provide that much-needed balance between academic and social life on campus,” she said. “As students, we look forward to having that place—that central space—where academics and campus life can thrive. We are very excited to have the John Stewart Memorial Library as the heart of Wilson College once again.”
The college was forced to close the library after a catastrophic heating system failure in spring 2011. That fall, library functions were relocated to the former Sarah’s Coffeehouse in Lenfest Commons and Wilson’s Board of Trustees authorized the library capital project. The college then entered a silent phase of a fundraising campaign, which was formally announced in March 2013.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the library project was held Oct. 9, 2014. In just 12 months, the library project has taken shape, with contractors working year-round to bring it to near completion. The library will be fully open for the spring 2016 semester, according to officials.
The library project encompassed the repair and restoration of the 92-year-old Collegiate Gothic building and the replacement of a 1961 addition with a contemporary learning commons that will house academic support, writing labs, two “smart” classrooms, a commuter lounge, coffee shop, college store and outdoor plaza, as well as an art gallery.
The new learning commons was designed by architect Benedict Dubbs of Murray Associates Architects of Harrisburg. The general contractor for the project is R.S. Mowery & Sons of Mechanicsburg, which served in the same capacity for Wilson’s Harry R. Brooks Science Complex.
The library fundraising effort has been one of the most successful in Wilson College history. Approximately 750 donors contributed to the project, allowing it to exceed its original $12 million goal. Several key contributions were important in generating momentum, including early gifts of $1.1 million from Thérèse “Terry” Murray Goodwin, a 1949 graduate of the college; a $3.6 matching gift from Marguerite Brooks Lenfest, a 1955 graduate; and gifts totaling $3.6 million from Sue Davison Cooley from the Class of 1944.
“We had an amazing response from a small community—impressive by any measure, but especially at a time of tremendous change for Wilson,” said Camilla Rawleigh, Wilson vice president for institutional advancement. “We are deeply grateful to all who supported the effort.”
In 2013, the college enacted the Wilson Today plan to transform the college into a thriving liberal arts institution, including adding programs, improving infrastructure and expanding coeducation. An updated library is an important component of Wilson’s revitalization.
In addition to the library rededication, Wilson is celebrating several other events during the Oct.23-25 weekend, including Family Weekend and a “meet-the-artist” with Patrick Dougherty at 4:30 p.m. to celebrate the completion of Dougherty’s “stickworks” environmental sculpture on the campus green.
The genesis of Wilson’s original Stewart library was a $75,000 gift to the college made in 1922 by longtime Wilson trustee George H. Stewart, who made the contribution in honor of his late brother, John Stewart. Also a longtime Wilson trustee, John Stewart was a prominent Chambersburg citizen. A Civil War veteran, former chief burgess (mayor) of Chambersburg and local judge, he went on to become a justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He was serving in that capacity when he was struck and killed by a trolley car outside his home on Thanksgiving Day, 1920.
Ground was broken for the original library—which was designed by famed Philadelphia architectural firm Furness, Evans and Co.—in August 1923 and the building was completed the following November. The library served Wilson well until the book collection outgrew the facility and an annex was added in 1961-62. The first gift to the annex was made by actor Jimmy Stewart in honor of his mother, Elizabeth Jackson Stewart from the Class of 1894.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Oct. 12, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Wilson College will host a performance of Tres Vidas, a theatrical work for solo voice and piano, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, in Thomson Hall’s Alumnae Chapel. The work, which is free and open to the public, is based on the lives of three pioneering Latin American women: the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Salvadoran political activist Rufina Amaya and Argentinean poet Alfonsina Storni.
Tres Vidas will be performed by The Core Ensemble, which has toured nationally and internationally since 1993, in the chamber music theater format—a unique performance format developed by the Core Ensemble featuring a marriage of theatrical narrative to chamber music performance.
With a script written by Chilean poet/writer Marjorie Agosin, Tres Vidas offers powerful portrayals of each woman and includes the singing of traditional Mexican folk songs, as well as Argentinean popular and tango songs made famous by Mercedes Sosa and Carlos Gardel. Additional music by Astor Piazzolla, Orlando Garcia, Pablo Ortiz, Alice Gomez, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Michael DeMurga and Osvaldo Golijov round out the musical score.
The performance is sponsored by the Wilson College Government Association, Spanish Club and Department of Global Studies.
For more information, contact Wendell Smith, Wilson associate professor of religion studies, at wendell.smith@wilson.edu or 717-254-0599.
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 29 majors and master’s degrees in education, 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.
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2015 enrollment of 923, which includes students from 22 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Oct. 9, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — As part of Wilson College’s annual Arts Day celebration on Oct. 14, renowned artist Patrick Dougherty—who with volunteer help is creating one of his “stickworks” sculptures on campus over the course of October—will present an artist’s talk at 7 p.m. in the Brooks Science Complex auditorium.
Dougherty, who will also sign copies of his 2010 monograph-memoir, Stickwork, will talk about his work, materials, history and inspiration as an environmentally conscious artist making ephemeral sculptures from locally harvested materials.
Arts Day will also feature two screenings of a documentary film about Dougherty entitled Bending Sticks: The Sculpture of Patrick Dougherty. The film will be shown at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Room 200 in Lortz Hall.
Arts Day at Wilson is an educational, fun-filled day of free events that encourage everyone to appreciate and celebrate interdisciplinary arts, take note of the impact of the arts on our daily lives, and explore the critical and creative nature of the visual and performing arts. All events are free and open to the public.
A complete schedule of events is available online on the calendar on www.wilson.edu. For more information about Arts Day, contact Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey at 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305, or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu.
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 29 majors and master’s degrees in education, 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.
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2015 enrollment of 923, which includes students from 23 states and 21 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College will host an information session about its master’s degree program in the humanities at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, in Norland Hall. The session will cover how to apply and provide an overview of the program, including new courses and concentrations now available; financial aid; career opportunities; graduate assistantships and more.
Registration may be completed at www.wilson.edu/MAHum. For more information, visit the website or contact Master of Humanities Program Director Michael Cornelius at michael.cornelius@wilson.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Cornelius, Chair, Department of English and Communications
Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3308
Email: michael.cornelius@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Sept. 25, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Wilson College Veterinary Medical Technology Club will host dog washes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3 and 4, in the college veterinary building near the Park Avenue campus entrance off U.S. 11 (Philadelphia Avenue). The dog washes are open to the public.
The cost is $10 for small dogs, $15 for medium dogs, $20 for large dogs and $25 for extra-large or double-coated dogs. The fee includes a bath, nail trim, ear cleaning and drying — all of which will be performed by VMT Club members. Owners must present a paper copy of their dog’s rabies vaccination.
For more information, contact Wilson VMT Club President Jordan Massey at jordan.massey@wilson.edu.
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College is seeking artwork made by area high school students for an upcoming juried art show to be held at Wilson’s Bogigian Gallery in Lortz Hall. Submissions of up to three works of art are due by midnight on Oct 13.
The exhibition, the fifth of its kind at Wilson, is an opportunity for area students to showcase their work and have it judged by the college art faculty, according to Wilson Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey.
Cash prizes of $200, $100 and $50 will be awarded for first, second and third places, respectively, and other works of note will receive honorable mention. In addition, monetary scholarships will be given to winning students if they enroll in Wilson.
Students will also be encouraged to offer their work for sale during the exhibition, which will begin Wednesday, Nov. 11, with an opening reception at the gallery and will run through Dec. 4.
The show is open to students from Franklin, Adams, Cumberland and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania and Washington County, Md. All submissions must have been completed while the student was in high school.
There is no entry fee. Entries must be in digital (.jpg) format of up to one megabyte and should be emailed to wilsonartshow@gmail.com. Two- and three-dimensional works of art will be considered for the show. All entries must be exhibit-ready.
For more information, contact Lindsey at philip.lindsey@wilson.edu or 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305.
MEDIA CONTACT: Philip Lindsey, Professor of Fine Arts Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305 Email: philip.lindsey@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Sept. 17, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College has experienced its second year of enrollment growth under the college’s comprehensive Wilson Today plan. A total of 923 students are enrolled for the fall semester, an increase of more than 21 percent over fall 2014.
The traditional undergraduate college has added 166 new students – first-year and transfer students – a 15 percent increase from last fall, making this the largest incoming class since 1969. This class represents 16 states, 12 countries and six continents.
“It is wonderful to see the continuing growth in enrollment at Wilson. This result is a product of the entire campus community working together to make the initiatives of the Wilson Today plan a reality,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “Now, with two large classes on campus, you can feel a new energy on campus. And the diversity in our student body truly enhances the Wilson experience for everyone.”
College officials credit the initiatives of the Wilson Today plan for the increase in enrollment. Approved in January 2013, the plan includes a tuition reduction and student debt buyback program, new career-oriented academic programs, campus improvements, coeducation in all programs and improved marketing and retention efforts. As part of these efforts, the college placed an emphasis on creating a transfer-friendly environment that has more than doubled the number of transfer students enrolling since 2013.
The largest increase at the college is seen in graduate study, with 234 students enrolled across six degree programs – a 54 percent increase over fall 2014. Wilson’s graduate degree programs include accounting, education, humanities and, new this past year, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. The Adult Degree Program – for those who’ve been out of high school for at least four years –increased by 19 students this fall for a total of 292 students enrolled.
“People most often think of traditional-age students when they think of Wilson, but we really serve a much wider community,” said Mistick. “And they all play an important role in the financial stability of Wilson, as well as impacting the local economy.”
Wilson College has its largest enrollment in the traditional undergraduate program – primarily residential students – since 1973. This year, 397 are enrolled in the traditional undergraduate college, a 15 percent increase of students from a year ago. Men now represent 15 percent of this population and 17 percent of the total enrollment.
“The changes at Wilson, from coeducation to new career-oriented programs like special education certification, health and physical education and nursing, have led more students to look at Wilson. And Wilson’s recent reduction in tuition has been attractive to parents as well,” said Wilson Vice President for Enrollment Mary Ann Naso. “The hard work and dedication of our program directors, recruitment staff, coaches, faculty, staff and students has made our continued growth possible.”
Wilson’s continued enrollment increase stands in contrast to national enrollment trends. Based on the most recent data available, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported a decline of 1.3 percent in higher education enrollment nationally for 2014, while showing a modest 1.6 percent increase at four-year, private colleges. Since 2013, Wilson has seen a 28.8 percent increase in traditional undergraduate enrollment, with a 39.4 percent increase overall.
Wilson students come from as far away as California, Alaska and Florida. They represent 22 states (including Pennsylvania) and the District of Columbia, as well as 16 foreign countries.
CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Mold was first noticed in one of the Mac/Dav rooms during routine housekeeping. Although the mold was cleaned, the incident triggered a precautionary procedure to determine if the problem was contained to a single room or was more widespread. Wilson called in the Baxter Group—a company specializing in remediation of indoor environmental issues—to test rooms in the building and, when tests came back positive, began cleaning to address the mold.
The timing of the mold issue couldn’t have been worse: new students were scheduled to move in on Aug. 19. This meant that closing Mac/Dav—which had been renovated during the 2013-14 academic year—prior to move-in was a real possibility. But after all residence rooms had been cleaned, follow-up testing by Baxter came back negative and the decision was made to move forward with the move into Mac/Dav as planned.
About two weeks into the term, mold again appeared in Mac/Dav. The Baxter Group returned and tested on a large scale, covering 30 rooms throughout the residence hall, and included a look at the humidity levels in the building. The second half of the summer in Chambersburg had been particularly humid, and as the school year began, those conditions continued.
With the focus now on the HVAC system as the potential cause of the problem, the administration moved swiftly to bring in a number of the outside contractors associated with the residence hall’s renovation—including R.S. Mowery and Sons, the contractor for the renovation; Barton Associates, the engineering firm that designed the HVAC system; Noelker and Hull, the architect that hired Barton; Musser Mechanical, the company that installed the system; and Automated Logic Corp., which provided the HVAC monitoring system. Hagerstown Heating and Cooling was also brought in to provide an independent assessment. The group first met on Sept. 8 to begin developing a plan to fix the problem.
On Friday, Sept. 11, test results indicated conditions above acceptable levels in three rooms, with 60 percent of the rooms testing positive for lower levels of mold and humidity in the 70 percent range. Appropriate humidity levels should be around 50 percent. This result confirmed that the recently installed HVAC system was not properly controlling indoor conditions.
After consulting with the Baxter Group, Vice President for Student Development Mary Beth Williams made the call to shut down McElwain and Davison halls and relocate students to Rosenkrans, which had been taken offline pending renovations scheduled for spring and summer 2016. This represented a huge logistical undertaking, but to Williams the choice was clear. “Our students’ well-being is always our first concern, so moving our students before conditions could worsen was important. It was also obvious that work would need to be done to fix the cause of the mold and then properly remediate the area. So, clearing the space is the most efficient way to do that,” said Williams.
The Office of Student Development sent out an email to all Mac/Dav students by mid-morning to attend a meeting at 4 p.m. to discuss details of the move. Over the next six hours, the staff put those details into place in creating a plan to move 92 students. The plan included providing each student with cleaning materials and instructions to ensure that mold was not transported to Rosenkrans, clean storage bags to pack items and transportation for moving. The bulk of the planning was in reassigning students to rooms in a way that kept roommates and learning communities together as much as possible and setting up a system to check students into their new rooms.
“I can’t tell you how impressive it is that the student development staff was able to pull together the plan for relocating nearly a third of our residential students in less than a day,” said President Barbara K. Mistick. “We’ve been hearing good things from the students and look forward to having everyone settled into their new rooms.”
The administration is currently working with Baxter and the Mac/Dav renovation contractors to develop a plan to repair the HVAC system so that it properly controls humidity levels and to provide proper cleaning and remediation of the space to allow students to reoccupy the space at an appropriate time. “We expect the work to take the bulk of the semester in order to assure that we have absolutely cleared up the problem,” said Williams. “At that point we’ll look for an opportunity that allows us to move students back with the least amount of disruption.”
The current issues are not expected to impact the renovations set to take place in Rosenkrans.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Sept. 22, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — The Wilson College 2015-16 World Travel Dinner and Film Series kicks off Tuesday, Oct. 6, with a “trip” to Bhutan, featuring dinner at 6 p.m. in Laird Hall, followed by the film, “Bhutan: The Cloud Kingdom,” at 7 p.m. in Thomson Hall's Alumnae Chapel.
Dinner, prepared by of SAGE Dining Services, will include: pork fing, tshoem, ema datshi, hapai hantue, cucumbers with onions and cheese red rice, long grain sticky rice, watermelon and mango salad, and daisee.
Following dinner, armchair travelers will watch the film, which is narrated by Tom Sterling.
Dinner tickets are $20 per person and film tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for children ages 10 to 18. To reserve tickets, call 717-262-2003.
MEDIA CONTACT: Joel Pagliaro, Director of Conferences and Special Events, Sage Dining Services Phone: 717-262-2003 Email: conferences@wilson.edu __________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Sept. 11, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — A dinner to celebrate Wilson’s College’s Fulton Farm, as well as to raise money for the farm and its programs, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 in the farm’s Owens Barn. Tickets for the family-style dinner, “People, Place, Plates: Growing for the Future,” are $30 per person or $50 per couple.
The dinner, which is limited to those age 21 and older, will feature organically grown food from the farm and other local partners, plus music and conversation. Those attending will meet and learn about present and past Fulton Farm crew members, as well as other sustainable food businesses and their contributions to the community, according to Chris Mayer, director of Wilson’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Living.
Proceeds from the event will support “ongoing development and education of our future farmers, stewards and leaders at the Fulton Farm,” Mayer said.
Tickets for the fundraiser must be purchased by Sept. 20 and can be purchased online at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/people-place-plates-growing-for-the-future-tickets-18100631476
For more information, contact Chris Mayer at 717-264-4141, Ext. 3247, or christine.mayer@wilson.edu
MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Mayer, Fulton Center for Sustainable Living Director Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3247 Email: christine.mayer@wilson.edu
Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 29 majors and master’s degrees in education, the humanities, accountancy and nursing. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college had a spring 2015 enrollment of 805, which included students from 17 states and 14 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
