Two things can be true at the same time: higher education is facing one of the most challenging periods in its history, and Wilson College is experiencing extraordinary momentum.
Across the country, colleges and universities are confronting demographic shifts, rising costs, changing student expectations, and growing questions about the value of a college degree. Wilson is not immune from these realities.
But Wilson has never survived by standing still. Since our founding, Wilson has evolved to meet the needs of new generations while holding fast to something essential: our belief in the transformative power of education rooted in the liberal arts and sciences and an engaged, student-centered learning environment.
Today, we are evolving again, and the results give us much to celebrate.
This fall, 2,089 students chose Wilson, the largest point-in-time enrollment in our history and an 11% increase over last fall. We reached the highest traditional undergraduate enrollment on our Chambersburg campus since 1968 and welcomed our largest residential student population since 1970.
But growth is about more than enrolling students. It is about helping them succeed.
This year, the percentage of second-year students returning for their third year increased by eight percentage points, while the percentage of third-year students returning for their fourth year increased by six percentage points. We are investing in that success through enhanced advising and coaching, a new Dean of Student Success, and our RISE Center, which brings academic and student support resources together in one location.
We are evolving academically, too. Our first Doctor of Occupational Therapy students are studying at our King of Prussia location, with Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology programs to follow in 2027.
That evolution is visible across our physical campus as well. A new artificial
turf field is enhancing the experience of our soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey
student-athletes. Phoenix Forward, our new apartment-style leadership
living-learning community, offers a new model for residential life. New Student
Development offices, a Student Center refreshed through the generosity of
WCGA, and an updated esports arena are creating spaces designed for how today’s
students live, learn, compete, connect, and lead.
Others are demonstrating their confidence in Wilson’s future. During the last fiscal year, our alumnae, alumni, and friends contributed nearly $7 million, including $2 million through the Wilson Fund—the largest annual total in its history. Even more exciting, 747 people made their first-ever gift to Wilson.
Our financial foundation has strengthened as well. Our endowment has grown to $76.4 million, and when combined with funds held in trust and other investments, Wilson now has $98.2 million in invested assets.
Evolving for the future does not mean abandoning our past. It means building upon it. Throughout our history, Wilson has welcomed new students, embraced new ways of teaching and learning, developed new programs, and found new ways to fulfill our mission.
Through all that evolution, our purpose has endured: opening doors, creating opportunity, and transforming lives through education.
That is what gives me confidence in this moment. We are not simply reacting to the changes confronting higher education. We are building a Wilson prepared to meet them.
The future will ask new things of Wilson, just as it has for more than 150 years. We will answer as we always have: by evolving, by rising to the moment, and by ensuring that generations yet to come have the opportunity to discover what generations before them found here.
Wilson’s future is ours to shape—and I am grateful to have you alongside us as we
write her next chapter.
Wesley R. Fugate, Ph.D.
President, Wilson College
