Wilson Alumna Contributes Lead Gift for New Veterinary Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  |  Aug. 9, 2016

Chambersburg, Pa. — A gift from Wilson College graduate, businesswoman and philanthropist Susan Breakefield Fulton will pave the way for a new campus veterinary medical center planned for completion in 2019.

Fulton, one of Wilson’s generous, longtime supporters, recently pledged a lead gift of $500,000 for a new veterinary building to replace the Helen M. Beach ’24 Veterinary Medical Center. The facility houses surgery suites, skill labs, dog kennels, a cat room, offices and other spaces, and is a hub for students in Wilson’s four-year veterinary medical technology (VMT) program—one of the college’s most popular majors.

College officials saw a need to upgrade the 18-year-old, 5,400-square-foot Beach veterinary medical center after the most recent American Veterinary Medical Association’s reaccreditation process identified the need for improvements to the modular facility—including the replacement of the (HVAC) system, Vice President for Finance and Administration Brian Ecker said.

“We knew before the next reaccreditation (in 2020) that either the existing structure was going to need significant upgrades or we would need a new building,” said Ecker.

Fulton, a 1961 Wilson graduate whose interests include environmental sustainability and the welfare of animals, heard of the need and stepped forward. “I’m always looking for ways I can enhance the strength of the college,” said Fulton, a Washington, D.C., resident who is president of the SEC-registered investment company, FBB Capital Partners.

Fulton has made several large gifts to her alma mater, including a $1 million endowment in 1999 to create Wilson’s Richard Alsina Fulton Center for Sustainable Living, named for her late husband. A former college trustee and regular contributor to the college’s annual fund, Fulton last year made a gift to the John Stewart Memorial Library project to name the outdoor plaza in honor of some of the professors who positively impacted her while she studied for a bachelor’s degree in religion. She has also provided funding for sustainability conferences, as well as contributing funds to renovate the college farm’s farmhouse and barn.

“The entire Wilson College community is grateful for Susan’s steadfast support over the years, and we thank her for this latest gift,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “It will have a great impact because it affects students in our most popular major and ensures that the college’s VMT facilities remain state of the art.”

The new veterinary center has tentatively been dubbed the Breakefield Veterinary Medical Center, in recognition of Fulton and her two sisters—Xandra Breakefield and Beverly Breakefield—who also graduated from Wilson.

Details about the new veterinary center, including its size, are still being considered, but preliminary cost estimates are more than $1 million, according to Ecker. Officials said the colleges plan to fund the remaining cost from its capital budget.

The site of the new VMC would most likely be near the tennis courts on the north side of the Brooks Science Center, Ecker said.

“We’re planning to study the programming needs through this academic year, and whatever we do would happen in following year, with the goal to complete in 2019,” he said.

MEDIA CONTACT:       
Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations
Phone: 717-262-2604
Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu

__________________________________

Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 31 majors and master’s degrees in 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 had a fall 2015 enrollment of 923, which included students from 23 states and 14 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.