Wilson College students will present the results of their undergraduate research at Wilson’s 6th annual Student Research Day on Friday, May 1. The public is invited to join Wilson students, faculty, staff and administrators at all events.
Seniors will present their work, which was produced in conjunction with faculty advisers, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Brooks Science Complex auditorium. Other students will share their work graphically in a poster session, to be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., also in Brooks. Presentations will showcase undergraduate research projects in such disciplines as biology, chemistry, English, environmental science, fine arts and psychology.
“Student Research Day quickly has become a strong academic tradition on our campus,” said Elissa Heil, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. “It’s a full day that we set aside to showcase the remarkable achievements of our students. It also celebrates our strong student and faculty collaboration.”
Student Research Day is again being sponsored this year by the NOVA Corp., a minority-owned information technology service company headquartered in Chambersburg.
Presentations will focus on the humanities, sciences and social sciences, including the prestigious Disert Scholar 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 Kotchaphorn Mangkalaphiban, who will present the results of her research on the effects of natural anti-inflammatories – ginger and turmeric – in mice. The study’s findings may ultimately be helpful in improving anti-inflammatory drugs.
Other presentations will include examinations of: the influence of America writer David Foster Wallace and how his work may help readers “make sense of the forces that threaten our ability to feel human today and (enable) us to imagine paths of resistance to these forces;” the efficacy of three Chinese herbal medicines on the symptoms of asthma; and how a commonly used Wall Street investment behavior metric can be improved.
Also on May 1, three Wilson seniors, Jessika Dockery, Leah Edwards and Stephanie Laurent – all majoring in fine arts – will host a capstone exhibition of their artwork from 4 to 8 p.m. at Nathan Miller Chocolate, 140 N. 3rd Street, Chambersburg, and in Wilson’s Bogigian Gallery from May 4 to 17.
Wilson’s Student Research Day will conclude with the annual Academic Awards presentation at 6 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations
Phone: 717-262-2604
Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Five Wilson College athletes have been named to North Eastern Athletic Conference South Division All-Conference teams in their respective sports for 2014-15. All-Conference teams are made up of the top players as selected by NEAC coaches. In addition, Wilson softball coach Brett Cline was named NEAC South Division Coach of the Year.
Cline guided the Phoenix to a 15-5 conference record and a share of the NEAC South championship. Under his direction, the softball team improved its conference ranking from third place in 2014 to a first-place (tie) with 10 freshmen and no seniors on the squad. The team also won an Eastern College Athletic Conference bid as a result of its strong season and got to play in the opening round of the ECAC championship tournament.
Four of Cline’s players earned all-conference honors:
Pitcher/outfielder Taylor Crouse, a junior, was chosen for the All-Conference First team for her outstanding performance on the softball field. She finished the season with a .348 overall batting average and as a pitcher, averaged five strikeouts per game. First baseman Kayla Sullenberger, a sophomore, was also selected to the All-Conference First Team. She led the Phoenix with four homeruns and 31 runs batted in, and had a .379 overall batting average, as well as five pitching wins.
Freshman centerfielder Jennifer Hornberger and freshman utility player Raechelle Hilbish were named to the South Division’s All-Conference Second Team. Hornberger was first in the conference in stolen bases, with 21, and had a .286 batting average, as well as being a defensive standout with an .895 fielding percentage of 49 putouts. Hilbish placed third on the Wilson team in batting, with a .360 overall batting average. Defensively, she recorded a .984 fielding percentage and committed just two errors.
In men’s sports, a member of Wilson’s inaugural golf team, freshman Demitri Keopradit, was selected for the 2014-15 NEAC All-Conference Second Team, becoming the college’s first male athlete to receive NEAC All-Conference honors. In order to receive all-conference team honors, an individual performer must finish in the top 15 in the two-day NEAC championship golf tournament. Keopradit finished the championship tournament in a tie for 8th place and completed it with scores of 85 and 79 in each round for a total score of 164.
Three Wilson College seniors, Jessika Dockery and Leah Edwards, both of Chambersburg, and Stephanie Laurent of Carlisle, will host a capstone exhibition of their artwork from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 1, at Nathan Miller Chocolate, 140 N. 3rd Street, Chambersburg.
In addition to the exhibition at Nathan Miller Chocolate, selections from the students’ bodies of work will be shown in Wilson’s Bogigian Gallery from May 4 to 17. A reception for the artists will be held in the gallery from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on May 4.
Dockery’s work explores identity through personal history and environment. She carefully considers her past, as well as her surroundings, as the primary sources for her work. “Our histories and environments are a large portion of what creates who we are …,” Dockery said. “My paintings mirror these little puzzle pieces. They are visual representations of my identity, metaphors, memories, people who have influenced me, and symbolic depictions of events I have experienced.”
Edwards is a graphic designer, and is interested in the fields of logo and brand design. “I use grids and geometric shapes to establish order and arrange the elements in different layers to create complexity,” she said. “The primary purpose behind this balance is to allow for as many meanings and interpretations as possible that all, in some way, relate to the main subject.”
Laurent is interested in the simple beauty and temporal essence of flowers. “For centuries, flowers have taken on symbolic meaning,” said Laurent. “Their beauty is short-lived and often taken for granted. For me, flowers are this and more, and have given voice for me through acknowledgment, honor and respect for those who have passed or are ill.”
All three students will present their scholarship in brief talks during Wilson’s annual Student Research Day on Friday, May 1.
The Bogigian Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. For additional information or an appointment, 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
Wilson College has named internationally renowned choreographer RoseAnne Spradlin as director of a new, low-residency Master of Fine Arts program that begins this summer, offering concentrations in visual arts and choreography.
Spradlin, who has worked in New York City since 1982, has been called one of the most influential experimental choreographers in New York. She has received numerous awards for her work, most recently winning the 2014 United States Artists Ford Fellowship in Dance. She has also held fellowships in choreography from the Guggenheim and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her work has been shown around the world, from San Francisco to London and Vienna.
Spradlin, who has a background in both visual arts and dance choreography, is excited to be the first director of Wilson’s new M.F.A. program, in which she will also teach. “I am eager to share my knowledge of the body and my creative artistic tools with the next generation of artists, whoever they may be — young people just out of college, working artists hungry for pure creative time and peer feedback, and teachers or other working professionals seeking the professional upgrade of an advanced degree,” Spradlin said.
Wilson’s Master of Fine Arts program is only the fifth low-residency M.F.A. program in the country with a concentration in choreography. Designed for experienced artists and working professionals with busy lives, the program offers a mentoring component to the curriculum that differentiates it from other low-residency M.F.A. programs. Wilson’s program is unique in providing a Wilson-approved faculty mentor near the student’s home, giving each student one-on-one personal contact with a professional who can offer ongoing advice and motivation.
“It’s a way to give students something special in their home setting,” said Wilson Department of Fine Arts Chair Robert Dickson. “It helps bring them into the greater community of artists.”
Wilson’s M.F.A. program is designed to be completed in two years with 20 courses, including two required, four-week summer residency periods when students live, study and work on the Wilson campus. Visiting faculty will teach the summer residencies — “people from major cities, people with national reputations, the best people we can provide to work with our students,” said Dickson.
During the non-residence periods, students will have regular contact with Wilson program faculty members and with their mentors. Each semester at home will include an online seminar with other members of the M.F.A. program learning community.
Tuition for the M.F.A. program is $470 a semester hour, which works out to $28,200 in tuition for a terminal degree in fine arts, according to Dickson. “It’s one of the most affordable programs in the country,” he said.
The M.F.A. program is supported in part through an endowment from Wilson College alumna Francis Farmer of the Class of 1950. Applications for summer 2015 are now being accepted. For more information, contact Spradlin at roseanne.spradlin@wilson.edu.
Spradlin was a partner in two different dance spaces in Lower Manhattan for more than 20 years: SQUID Performance Space (1995-2005) and Studio 65 (1990-2011). An expert teacher in improvisation and choreography, as well as body consciousness and somatics for dance, she has premiered work over the past 10 years at the Kitchen, the Chocolate Factory, the Dance Theater Workshop and New York Live Arts – all in New York City. Spradlin has an M.F.A. in visual arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance, both from Ohio University.
MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Dickson, Department of Fine Arts Chair Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3400 Email: robert.dickson@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Feb. 25, 2015
Wilson College has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund to pay for an energy-saving LED lighting system in the college’s renovated John Stewart Memorial Library and new learning commons.
Wilson sought funding for the LED (light-emitting diode) lighting because of its advantages over incandescent lighting, which include: lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, smaller size and faster switching. In addition, Wilson – whose mission includes environmental sustainability – will model best practices in sustainability by using LED lighting, according to college officials.
LED lights will comprise approximately 42 percent of the library’s $85,000 lighting system, while fluorescent lights make up the rest. Projections show that the combined lighting system will use 37 to 40 percent less electrical power than the previous lighting scheme.
“Wilson is grateful to the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund for providing support for energy-efficient lighting in the library,” said Wilson Vice President for Institutional Advancement Camilla Rawleigh. “Partnerships often succeed in accomplishing what one organization alone cannot. We want to express our thanks to the fund for recognizing the importance of this project.”
The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that invests in the deployment of sustainable energy technologies that benefit West Penn Power ratepayers in Pennsylvania. WPPSEF investments are focused in three broad categories:
Visit http://www.wppsef.org for further information.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Margaret Light, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3179 Email: margaret.light@wilson.edu OR Barbara Robuck West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund 814-865-7380 wppsef@ems.psu.edu
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has approved changes to the charter of Wilson College. The charter, submitted to the department in May 2013, contained updated language to clearly reflect the college’s shift to coeducation in the undergraduate residential program, along with additional administrative updates.
The Jan. 6 PDE decision from Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq comes following a June 2014 informational hearing that was automatically triggered by protests made after the charter text was published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
In its report approving the charter revision, PDE states, “Wilson’s decision to allow the admission of male residential students is a decision within the purview of its Board of Trustees.” The report also notes that “other proposed amendments also are not in violation of relevant law, regulations, standards or qualifications.”
Four Wilson alumnae served as limited participants in the informational hearing, offering testimony in opposition to the charter changes. They argued that the college acted improperly by moving forward with coeducation prior to PDE approval.
The PDE report acknowledges that Wilson filed its application well in advance of admitting male students, but states that the college should have received approval before moving forward with coeducation. However, the department does not believe this to be a reason to deny the charter application or impose other restrictions according to the report.
“We are happy to have the department’s affirming decision and to continue the successful work of the Wilson Today Plan,” said Barbara Tenney, board chair.
In January 2013, the Wilson College Board of Trustees approved the five-point Wilson Today plan aimed at ensuring a sustainable financial future for the private college. In addition to extending coeducation to the residential undergraduate program, the plan also included value and affordability initiatives, new academic programs, infrastructure improvements and increased marketing efforts.
The plan, which was in place during the 2013-14 recruitment year, has already begun to show progress. In August, Wilson welcomed its largest class of new students in more than 40 years and saw applications more than double over the previous year. In addition to the 24 percent of applications that came from male students, the college had a 43 percent increase in female applicants, increasing the reach of the former women’s college.
“Growth in our enrollment creates a more vibrant academic and campus life experience and provides a financially sustainable future for the college,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick.
The increase in applications and student enrollment also represents a positive response to the college’s $5,000 tuition rollback and a first-of-its-kind student debt buyback program. This past year also brought the reopening of the renovated McElwain and Davison residence halls, the opening of a new student center on the campus, and a groundbreaking for the renovation of the John Stewart Memorial Library project.
“The whole campus is energized that the Wilson Today plan is beginning to bear fruit,” Mistick said recently. “The progress is the result of the entire Wilson community coming together to make the plan successful. And with our continued commitment, we expect to see an even greater effect on overall enrollment moving forward.”
Since the Wilson Today plan’s approval, new undergraduate programs in animal studies, graphic design, global studies, health and physical education, health science and nursing have been approved by trustees along with graduate programs in accountancy, fine arts, nursing and healthcare management for sustainability. In addition, the college has implemented increased marketing efforts, which have substantially improved Wilson’s visibility.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Phone: 717-262-2604 (office) 717-372-3772 (cell) Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Wilson College has received a major gift that will be used to establish an innovative program that will train students to provide home health care for horses. The new “equi-assist” program will be a concentration within Wilson’s veterinary medical technology (VMT) major beginning next fall.
The program is being developed in conjunction with philanthropist and lifelong horsewoman Margaret Hamilton Duprey, who recently pledged $500,000 over three years to build Wilson’s equi-assist program. Duprey and her husband, Bob, own and operate Cherry Knoll Farm, which is the home of dressage, open jumpers, steeplechase and hunter competition horses, as well as prize-winning Black Angus cattle. The farm has locations in Pennsylvania and Florida.
Similar to people, horses with health issues can respond more positively to treatment in their home setting than in a veterinary hospital, according to Duprey, who said she has seen examples many times with her own horses. The equi-assist program will give Wilson VMT graduates the training and ability to work independently, under the direction of the attending veterinarian, to provide equine nursing veterinary care in a horse’s home environment.
“I think it will be something that will be very well-received in all aspects of the equine industry,” said Duprey, who noted that in addition to quicker recovery times for horses, the equine home health care veterinary nurse concept “cuts down on the cost of a horse staying in a hospital.”
The equi-assist concentration will complement existing VMT concentrations in biology and business and entrepreneurship. Students enrolled in the equi-assist program “will be trained to coordinate communication and care between all stakeholders – owner, trainer, veterinarian and managers,” according to Wilson’s proposal for the program. “This specialized training … would increase the veterinary technologist’s ability to be a valuable resource in the veterinary medical team, allowing better utilization of veterinary technologists in the workforce and a strategic advantage for the equine veterinarian. This unprecedented level of training will distinguish Wilson graduates and the program.”
Wilson VMT Program Director Freya Burnett is developing the curriculum for the equi-assist concentration.
Wilson’s VMT program is one of only 22 in the nation that provides a four-year degree in veterinary medical technology and is the only one of its kind in Pennsylvania, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment of veterinary technologists and technicians is projected to grow 30 percent from 2012 to 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. “Because veterinarians perform specialized tasks, clinics and animal hospitals are increasingly using veterinary technologists and technicians to provide more general care and perform more laboratory work. Furthermore, veterinarians will continue to prefer higher skilled veterinary technologists and technicians over veterinary assistants for more complex work,” a 2014 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says.
Wilson officials are excited about the specialized training the equi-assist program will give students, according to Vice President for Institutional Advancement Camilla Rawleigh. “We’re extraordinarily grateful to Mrs. Duprey for her generous gift and her faith and confidence in Wilson College,” Rawleigh said. “Her gift will make a real difference by providing new opportunities for our VMT students.
Duprey, who visited the Wilson campus last summer and was impressed with its VMT and equestrian facilities, said her hope is for Wilson vet techs “to become the best in the world.”
“Wilson College is on the map for its vet tech program but this would make it world-renowned,” said Duprey, who has been an active member of the equine community her entire life. She is a graduate of Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa., which she served as a trustee for a number of years. She is a member of a variety of boards and serves as a trustee for the United States Equestrian Team Foundation and the Hamilton Family Foundation, a private charitable foundation based in Wayne, Pa.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 has reaffirmed her support of the College’s Wilson Today plan with the Lenfest Wilson Today Challenge, which matches contributions to the Wilson Fund – dollar for dollar – up to $300,000 for all gifts made by June 30, 2015.
The challenge encourages others to support the Wilson Fund by giving them the added incentive of their gifts having twice the impact. For those who have already contributed to the Wilson Fund, the Lenfest Wilson Today Challenge is an opportunity for them to make another gift, knowing that the impact of the new donation will be doubled.
The fiscal 2015 Wilson Fund goal is $1 million. To date, $449,909 has been raised, according to the Office of Institutional Advancement. Thanks to the Lenfest challenge, 49 donors have contributed nearly $29,530 in the first two weeks of the challenge – resulting in nearly $60,000 for the Wilson Fund.
Gifts to the Wilson Fund are unrestricted and go directly to the current operating budget to defray costs where the need is greatest. The fund is used in a variety of ways, including upgrading and equipping classrooms and laboratories; bringing scholars, poets and musicians to campus to enhance student cultural experiences; compensating faculty; and maintaining Wilson’s beautiful, historic campus. In addition, the Wilson Fund helps deserving students stay in school or reduce their debt by providing scholarships.
Marguerite Lenfest and her husband, Gerry, are longtime supporters of Wilson College. During Wilson’s “Leading with Confidence” capital campaign, they pledged a total of $20 million toward the College’s endowment. Over the years, the Lenfests have supported Wilson’s annual fund and generously contributed to the unrestricted endowment, student scholarships, faculty development, the Women with Children program and facilities renovations. Through their generosity, Lenfest Commons was created as a student gathering and study space at the center of campus.
By Coleen Dee Berry
All they had to do was step out onto the court to make history. On Nov. 15, 2014, the Wilson College men’s basketball team competed in a tournament hosted by Penn State Mont Alto for its historic first game wearing Wilson blue.
Other firsts followed: the team chalked up its first win against Christendom College and its first North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) win against Bryn Athyn College. It was coach Miles Smith’s first season as a head basketball coach and the first year coaching for assistant Ben Schlotter. “We all went through this first time thing together. It was a learning experience for everyone,” Smith said of the coaching staff and the team.
The season flashed by with thrilling finishes and heartbreaking losses, ending with a 3-19 record. But the win-loss record didn’t seem to matter that much to the fans. The Wilson community wholeheartedly embraced its new team.
“Everyone would stand up (at home games) and applaud even though we lost,” Schlotter said. “That threw me at first—they were clapping after a loss. To me, that meant that the players must be doing well off the court to get that type of a reaction.”
Wilson women have been playing NCAA basketball since the College joined the NCAA Division III in 1995.The women’s team advanced to the Atlantic Women’s Colleges Conference playoffs four times before Wilson athletics joined the NEAC in 2007.
The addition of men’s athletics teams came as part of the Wilson Today plan, approved by the Board of Trustees in early 2013, which extended coeducation to the residential undergraduate program. To be in compliance with Title IX and NCAA Division III, Wilson must field five men’s teams by 2016. In addition to basketball, golf, soccer, cross country and volleyball round out the new men’s sports offerings.
The men’s basketball team’s journey actually began more than 18 months prior to that first game in Mont Alto. The key to building the team was the hiring of Smith in February 2013. His dual mission: to recruit and build Wilson’s first men’s team while he did his other, full-time job as an admissions counselor.
“From day one, Wilson was looking for someone who could be the basketball coach, recruit and handle admissions for traditional students,” said Patty Beidel, director of admissions. ”We knew it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but fortunately for us, Miles had those skill sets, that combination.”
College administrators wanted to give Smith plenty of time to form the new team. “We hired Coach Smith a year and a half before the first season so that he could get to know the community and learn about Wilson,” said Lori Frey, director of athletics. “From a coaching point of view, it must have killed him to wait that long, but I think it’s paid off in the way he has built a team of student-athletes.”
Smith, who had been first assistant coach at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), came to Wilson with a concrete plan. He wanted to run the Princeton offense—an offense that relies on an unselfish team effort, not one or two stars. Players must have a good understanding of the game and know how to read the defense.
But more than that, Smith wanted to build a team based on his own deep beliefs in the importance of a college education and in the value of community service. “My goal is not just to win basketball games. My goal is to mold young men into successful role models,” Smith said. “I want them to graduate and go off and do amazing things in their careers. It’s more than just the basketball.”
For Wilson, it was definitely the right mindset. “We’re a Division III school. We’re not talking about a ‘win at all cost’ type of environment. Academics come first,” Beidel said. “Miles gets it. He’s good at passing that along to his players.”
For those first 18 months, Smith would juggle his traditional undergraduate student admissions work with the task of building a basketball team from scratch. His recruitment efforts took the form of hundreds of emails, countless phone calls, scores of visits to high school gyms from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and Florida—and “many, many cups of coffee,” he recalled.
Smith used the contacts that he made as first assistant coach at TCNJ and as assistant coach at Mercer County Community College in New Jersey. He scoured YouTube videos of teams and targeted players that he liked. He attended AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) games and checked out the action at the area high school summer leagues.
Smith was upfront with recruits that committing to Wilson meant venturing into uncharted territory. “I tell my guys right away, any candidate that’s come up on a visit—if you’re looking for a program that has a rich tradition and history in men’s athletics, then look elsewhere,” Smith said. “But if you want to be history and tradition, then this is the place for you.”
Selling Wilson on the road was easy, according to Smith. The small class sizes and the College’s academic reputation were big pluses. Many of the players he spoke to were intrigued by the 3+1 programs, particularly in accounting.
“Parents know I’m not there just as a basketball coach and a recruiter, but that my goal is to have their son graduate and be successful in whatever career he chooses,” Smith said of his visits with potential players. “The lure of Wilson is not the basketball program—it’s the Master of Accountancy, the English program. It’s the sciences and the business department, not the basketball program. And that’s my goal for all my players. The academics are my main concern.”
Smith also knew that to be competitive, he could not field an entire team of first-year students. He needed a few transfer students to lend on-court experience.
One of the students he reached out to was Rahim Bunch, a junior guard from Rutgers-Newark. Bunch had been recruited by Smith (unsuccessfully) when Smith was at TCNJ and Bunch was playing for Egg Harbor Township High School in New Jersey. “I wasn’t happy at Rutgers and so I decided I wanted to play for Coach Smith at Wilson,” Bunch said. “I like his coaching style. He lets you play through your mistakes and helps you learn from them. He doesn’t really yell, he talks to you, he teaches you, he’s always mentoring you.”
Bunch, who went on to become one of the team’s top scorers despite being injured for several games, has found that Wilson’s size suits him. “At Rutgers, we had like 100 or more kids in class and it kind of encouraged you to sit in the back row with your friends and just go through the motions,” Bunch said. “Here, I get personal attention from the professors and I’m really learning.”
When the 2014-15 school year began, Smith had 11 players—three transfers and the rest first-years. (NCAA rules allow for a maximum of 15 players.)
Even before the season started, Smith put into practice his community service requirements, which all Wilson student-athletes—male and female—must meet (see related story on page 38). Men’s basketball players participated at the Read Out Loud program in the Chambersburg elementary schools, and also helped with a project at NETwork Ministries in Chambersburg.
Several of the players spent a day interacting with middle school students and helping to clear out a building on Hollywell Avenue that NETwork plans to use as an arts and teen center. NETwork Executive Director Benjamin Raber stressed that it is important for college students to give back to the community. “Meeting the players also has a positive impact on the middle school kids, who see these college kids and it starts them thinking about furthering their education—that they can also go to college when they graduate high school,” Raber said.
At the Read Out Loud program, guard Rasul Jackson ’18 found his calling. “I did two readings and by the end of the second program, it just showed me how much I liked working with kids,” he said. “I had never really considered making it a career until that moment.” He has since switched his major from business to early childhood education.
As basketball practices began, players discovered their coach was not one to direct from the sidelines. Smith, who played basketball in high school and at Johnson State College in Vermont, was out on the court during practice, demonstrating drills and giving players hands-on advice.
And at the end of each session, he gave his players the same message: Study hard, focus on your schoolwork and keep your grades up so you can play.
“He’s trying to prepare us for more than just basketball. He has our future in mind,” Bunch said. “He reminds us that basketball isn’t always going to be there for us and that we have to prepare for real life. He has our best interests at heart.”
Once games began, players and spectators alike discovered another side to Smith. Associate Professor of Fine Arts Robert Dickson put it this way: “We would watch Miles’ evil twin come out during the games.” Smith is fiery, passionate and loud, exhorting his players, pacing the sidelines, waving his arms. “Miles is usually so calm and collected in his admissions role. He’s really intense on the sidelines,” said Lorie Helman, student development office manager.
“His passion really comes through at the games. He inspires the team to play better,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “They were very competitive and I’m darn proud of them.”
That’s the one word everyone uses to describe Wilson’s first season of men’s basketball: competitive.
“They are fast, they are good and they bring a new level of enthusiasm to each game,” said Frey. “They are competitive and fun to watch.”
“The kids were generally hustling, working hard, and you have a coach who is obviously working as hard as he can to instill his philosophy in his athletes,” said Gary Martin, a color commentator on ESPN Radio 1380 and basketball coach at Greencastle-Antrim Senior High School. “The team was a pretty cohesive unit and in a lot of games to the end, very competitive.”
But competitive was not the word the Wilson coaches really wanted to hear. “It’s nice everyone says you were really competitive, but we wanted to do so much more. It was a disappointing season,” said Schlotter. Both Smith and Schlotter thought the team had the potential to make the NEAC playoffs.
While watching Wilson’s fast-break offense may have been exciting from a fan’s standpoint, both coaches agree it wasn’t the deliberate pace of the Princeton offense they had planned. And for a team that at times only had eight players suiting up for a game (due to injuries), the fast pace and shallow bench meant the players often wore themselves out in games that were within their reach.
Six of the team’s losses were by a margin of seven points or less. Smith shoulders the blame for the losses. “I have to work harder at coaching. This year was ‘teach, teach, teach.’ Next season it will be ‘intensity, intensity, intensity,’ ” Smith said. “We have to get better at defense. We have to be better at free throws. We have to become more disciplined.”
But another description of the team works to its benefit: good chemistry. “We all stuck together even though we lost a lot of games,” said forward Ben Holl ’18. “There wasn’t a lot of negativity. That’s really rare for a lot of college teams. We’re a tightknit group.” He also credits Smith. “The coach helped keep us together.”
Smith, Schlotter and team members are grateful for the support of the Wilson faculty and staff, as well as from their women basketball counterparts. Smith and Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jared Trulear developed a mutual support system. “We would bounce basketball ideas off each other on the bus to away games,” Trulear said.
Now recruitment starts again for the next basketball season—the phone calls, the high school visits, the cups of coffee. Smith said he hopes that all his current players return in the fall, and his goal is to add more players so that the team can benefit from a full bench.
The Wilson community expresses confidence in Smith. “He is the best role model ever that we could have hired for the students and for his team,” Beidel said.
Mistick praised Smith’s dedication to Wilson and its philosophy. ”When you’re committed to a place, you have an understanding of where that place is going, where the quest is. People who understand a quest seek out challenge and constantly find ways to perform successfully,” she said. “Miles understands our quest to be a thriving institution and he understands he can play a big role in helping us thrive, not just as an admissions counselor, but also as a coach.”
For Smith—who was recognized in 2014 with the James McKeever Promising Professional Award at the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling Conference—there is no doubt in his mind that he has found a home at Wilson.
“Players have asked me if I will be here for all four of their years. I tell them it’s not like I’m going to be gone in two to three years. I have a chance to stay and build something here,” Smith said. “Maybe I could end up with my name on a field house here. I believe Wilson has the potential for great things and I want to help make those things happen.”
Wilson College President Barbara K. Mistick recently traveled to China with a delegation from FriendlyPA, an economic development initiative aimed at building partnerships and promoting exchange activities between Pennsylvania and Chinese educational institutions.
During the two-week trip, which included visits to the cities of Chengdu and Beijing, a FriendlyPA team representing 18 private and public Pennsylvania colleges and five high schools attended college fairs and met with Chinese universities. Wilson was one of four institutions whose representatives made the trip to China in late October with the FriendlyPA team. The others were Robert Morris University, West Chester University and Lycoming College.
“The FriendlyPA initiative aims to help brand Pennsylvania as a destination for quality education in the U.S.,” Mistick said. “The trip was a great success, from my perspective, and it was wonderful to be able to represent Wilson and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – and all of the educational resources Pennsylvania has to offer the people of China.”
A program of Pittsburgh-based, nonprofit economic development organization called the Idea Foundry, FriendlyPA has a number of economic development partners, including the Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and VisitPittsburgh. “Our mission is to connect families and students with the educational opportunities that best match their needs, personalities, and educational and career goals,” according to the FriendlyPA website. “FriendlyPA also strives to build partnerships between Chinese and Pennsylvania schools to facilitate bilateral education exchange activities.”
The FriendlyPA delegation was well-received at events such as the China Education Expo—China’s largest annual educational event—where the group manned an information booth and spoke to students interested in coming to the U.S. and their parents.
“Because of our consortium approach, Chinese students and parents could speak with representatives from a variety of institutions,” said Mistick. “That seemed to make our booth more appealing than the booths for single institutions.” In addition, FriendlyPA’s Chinese-speaking representatives helped smooth communication with parents and students, which had a significant impact, according to Mistick.
In Beijing, the FriendlyPA team talked with more than 300 parents and students over two days, while in Chengdu, more than 80 students and parents visited with the FriendlyPA delegation, according to FriendlyPA Manager of Greater China Initiatives Lingling Zhu.
While in China, Mistick and other FriendlyPA team members visited the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu to discuss possible exchange programs with schools in Pennsylvania.
In the next few months, the FriendlyPA China team will continue conversations with Chinese students and parents, including helping them apply to member schools like Wilson. The group, which plans to establish a permanent office in Beijing, will also continue discussions with Chinese universities about forming partnerships with member institutions.
According to a recent report from the Institute of International Education, Pennsylvania ranks sixth in the United States for the number of international students hosted by colleges and universities. A total of 41,446 international students studied in Pennsylvania in 2013-14, an 11.2 percent increase from the previous year, the report states.
More information about FriendlyPA can be found at its website, www.friendlypa.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Posted : November 20, 2014
