Wilson College has received an additional $1.2 million gift for its Reimagining the John Stewart Memorial Library fundraising effort from Wilson alumna Sue Davison Cooley, a Portland, Oregon, area philanthropist who contributed $2.4 million to the project last year.
Cooley’s latest gift, which she made in honor of Wilson’s longest-serving dean, Margaret Criswell Disert, brings the total raised for the $12 million library project to more than $11.8 million in cash and pledges.
“Mrs. Cooley’s generosity to her alma mater has been extraordinary, especially when it comes to helping us provide our students with a comprehensive, state-of-the-art library,” said Wilson College President Barbara K. Mistick.
Cooley’s initial gift early last year assisted in completing a matching gift from another alumna, Marguerite Lenfest, and her most recent gift will allow the construction of a plaza off of the new learning commons and an academic green planned as part of the library project to move forward, according to Mistick.
“We are grateful to Mrs. Cooley for supporting Wilson College and contributing in such a significant way to our future,” she said.
The library project includes repairing and restoring the college’s 1924 collegiate gothic library building and replacing a 1961 addition with a contemporary learning commons equipped to meet the needs of today’s students. The learning commons will house academic support services, writing labs, two “smart” classrooms, a commuter lounge, bookstore and outdoor plaza, as well as the “Sue Davison Cooley Gallery,” named in honor of Cooley’s transformational gifts. The project is scheduled to be completed this fall.
Cooley, who attended Wilson from 1940 to 1942, said her experience at the college had a profound and lasting effect, and she is happy to give back to the institution that she holds dear to this day.
“I have so many fond memories of being at Wilson that it is very much a part of my life,” Cooley said. “Students are given very special gifts when they are at Wilson. They get an outstanding experience.”
Cooley, who recognizes how important a modern library is to the vitality of any college campus, said her gift is an expression of confidence in Wilson’s current leadership and the path the college is on today. “I am a very, very big fan of Wilson,” she said.
Cooley is a longtime supporter of the college. She donated $1 million in 2005 to establish a scholarship for participants in the Women with Children program in honor of old friends Sylvia Scalera Davison and Mary Meinecke Dee, both with the Wilson College Class of 1944. She has also been a faithful contributor to the college’s annual fund.
Wilson’s library building has been closed since fall 2011 due to a heating system failure. Its functions were relocated to the lower level of Lenfest Commons.
Wilson College is taking a number of innovative steps through its Wilson Today plan to transform itself into a thriving liberal arts institution, including adding programs in nursing and the health sciences and other areas, expanding coeducation across all programs, creating a value proposition to lower tuition and repay up to $10,000 in federal loans for qualified students, and improving infrastructure. An updated library configured to meet expanded enrollment is an important component of Wilson’s revitalization.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Five Wilson College seniors presented the results of their research and one was recognized for her oral presentation at the 91st Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, held April 10 to 12 at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa.
The following Wilson students presented research: Kotcha Mangkalaphiban of Thailand; Jessica Meck of Huntingdon, Pa.; Martina Mellott of Mercersburg, Pa.; Ashley Perkins of Singlehouse, Pa.; and Allison Shastay of Bedford, Pa.
Meck, who is majoring in biology, placed second in the oral presentation category for her research project, “The Effects of Temperature on the Competitive Interactions between Pseudogymnoascus destructans and Native Cave Fungi.” Last year's winner of Wilson’s John D. Rose Award in Environmental Studies, Meck is the recipient of an Outstanding Research Grant from the Pennsylvania Academy of Science in support of her undergraduate research.
Shastay and Mangkalaphiban also received PAS Outstanding Research Grants.
PAS judged oral presentations and posters, and provided monetary awards for the top three places in each category. Oral presentations were assessed in categories for scientific merit - ranging from experimental methodologies to analysis of results - and presentation qualities, including visual impact and fielding of questions. The overall score was reflective of all subcategories
This is the fourth year for the award competition and the fourth year that a Wilson student has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Academy of Science for excellence in the oral presentation category.
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.
