Why hello there!

I do hope all is well with you and yours.

Summer has settled herself over Wilson’s campus like stretched gracefully across the cool floors of Sharpe House, supervising the comings and goings of my dad, President Wes. Agatha the groundhog has been pawsitively beside herself with excitement over all the new students preparing to arrive this fall, though I did remind her that unlike groundhogs, college students should not spend half the year hibernating.

I, myself, have been carefully conserving my energy in the shade, maintaining my figure, and ensuring that the birds outside my window remain fully aware that I am still Wilson’s reigning feline authority. With a brand-new class of students preparing to begin their Wilson journey, I thought I might offer a few bits of advice from someone who has spent many years carefully observing campus life from its very finest sunny spots.

Now, my first piece of advice to our incoming students is this: do not be afraid to ask for help. One thing I have learned while observing classes of Wilson students is that the most successful among them are not necessarily the ones who already know everything. Heavens no. No, the truly wise students are the ones who raise a paw when they need guidance. Your professors, advisors, coaches, and classmates all want you to succeed. Of course, there’s the new R.I.S.E. Center, where you can find both academic and personal support. Wilson is not the sort of place where one gets lost in the crowd like a lonely alley cat in the rain. Folks here notice when you are thriving, and they notice when you are struggling. So do speak up, introduce yourself properly, and let people help you grow into the splendid creature you are meant to become.

My second piece of wisdom is to get involved on campus early. Attend the events. Cheer at the games. Try something unexpected. You could consider joining a club such as WCGA, CAB, or my personal favorite, the Cat Club. College passes faster than a startled cat fleeing a vacuum cleaner, and the students who enjoy Wilson the most are the ones who throw themselves whiskers-first into the life of the College. I have seen shy first-year students blossom into confident leaders simply because they took a chance on a new experience. Besides, campus life is much more entertaining when one has plenty of people available to admire them. I ought to know.

Finally, dear students, remember to give yourself grace. Adjusting to college life takes time. Even I was not born with purrfectly refined manners, though I did come remarkably close. There may be days when classes feel difficult, friendships feel complicated, or you simply miss home. Be patient with yourself. Rest when needed. Work hard. Keep going. Success at Wilson is not about purrfection; it is about purrsistence, kindness, and discovering who you are becoming. Also, never underestimate the healing power of a good cat nap. That advice has served me extraordinarily well over the years.

And to my dear alumnae, alumni, and friends, perhaps you can share: what advice would you give to our incoming family of Wilson students?

As summer continues and campus prepares to welcome another class, I do hope many of you will stop by to visit me when you are in Chambersburg. I always enjoy reconnecting with alums, students, and friends of the College, provided you arrive prepared to offer proper compliments and perhaps a gentle chin scratch or two. Until then, stay cool, stay curious, and remember that Wilson is ready to welcome you home with open arms, and in my case, elegantly crossed paws.

With warmest regards and a dignified swish of the tail,

By Tina Hill, Retired Director of Athletics

A veteran leader who joined Wilson in 2020, Tina Hill closes out a remarkable career defined by championships, community-building, and a deep commitment to student-athlete success. In this farewell, she offers a personal letter to the athletics she loves.

Dear College Athletics,

You became possible because of one word—“activity”—found in the 1972 Title IX Education Amendment. That single word has opened doors for generations of girls and women to play, coach, and lead, especially in the wonderful world of sport and college athletics. Because of you, I was given the opportunity to travel the country, work with extraordinary people (and horses!), and experience athletes and coaches, sometimes at their worst—but far more often at their very best.

You have provided an activity rich with meaning, purpose, and drive. Through you, we learned to manage time, set goals, collaborate, follow rules, strategize, fall down, get back up, and grow. College athletics taught us how to pursue our passion, develop our talents, and dedicate ourselves to something larger than ourselves.

As my final season of leadership comes to a close, Wilson College Athletics has demonstrated what pure grit and determination can achieve. Together, we earned wins, personal bests, team records, conference championships, President’s Cups, and even a National Champion! More importantly, we learned that lasting success is never achieved alone.

As the Phoenix rises and takes flight—our timeless emblem of transformation—so too rise our lessons learned, our shared successes, and the better people we have become along the way.

Thank you, College Athletics, for being the activity that taught us to love deeply, learn boldly, and prosper together.

Let’s Go Phoenix!

Faculty Promotions

Congratulations to the following faculty members on their recent promotions:

Joshua Legg, M.F.A., promoted to Professor of Interdisciplinary Practice.

Ela Rossmiller, Ph.D., promoted to Associate Professor of Political Science and Global Studies with tenure.

Mindy Guinard, Ed.D., promoted to Associate Professor of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Student Research Day

The 17th annual Barsy-Colgan Student Research Day was held April 23–24, 2026, highlighting undergraduate scholarship. The event featured 88 student research projects across multiple disciplines and was open to the public.

A poster session on April 23 showcased 69 projects, with students discussing their work directly with attendees. On April 24, 19 students delivered oral presentations, highlighting in-depth research conducted with faculty mentorship. The Disert Scholar Presentation was made by Rosa M. Portilla ’26 (above), who presented “The Effect of ApoE3 Glycosylation Levels on its Binding Affinity for the CLEAR DNA Motif,” a study related to Alzheimer’s disease.

This annual event is supported by alumna Louise Barsy Colgan ’80 and her husband, Sean, whose annual gift also funds student research grants.

Bottom Shelf Review

The latest issue of The Bottom Shelf Review, the College’s student literary magazine, is now available. Founded in 1979, the publication showcases outstanding creative work from the Wilson community, including poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art by students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Edited and produced by students, the Bottom Shelf Review highlights a diverse range of voices and artistic expressions. It is published annually in the spring semester.

The newest issue is online at thebottomshelfreview.org. Readers can also find a poem by Armani Jones ’26 featured in this issue of Wilson Magazine.

Rolling Out a New Look for the Equestrian Teams

The Wilson College horse trailer received a makeover just in time to take students and horses to IHSA Nationals in North Carolina and horses to YEDA Nationals at the VA Horse Center. The trailer was recently branded with the Wilson College Equestrian and Phoenix logos. The project was made possible through generous philanthropy.

Drone Show Earns Event of the Year Honors

Wilson College was honored to receive the 2025 Event of the Year award at the Cumberland Valley Business Alliance Awards Breakfast in March. The award recognized the College’s “We Rise: Honoring History. Inspiring Tomorrow” drone show, which brought together history, innovation, and community spirit. We were proud to share this unforgettable experience with our community.

The award-winning event was made possible through generous support from Wilson College, the Gilmore-Hoerner Endowment, Cherry Knoll Farm, Explore Franklin County PA, and F&M Trust.

To view the drone show visit https://youtu.be/wTaJeggZFF0.

I often turn to the theatre to help make sense of the world around us. This year, I found myself returning again and again to Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. At first glance, the musical appears to be a collection of familiar fairy tales—stories about wishes fulfilled and happy endings earned. But anyone who truly knows Into the Woods understands that while Act I ends triumphantly, Act II reminds us that life is far more complicated than happily ever after.

And in many ways, that feels remarkably similar to this moment in higher education. Over the past several years, Wilson College has experienced extraordinary momentum. Together, we have celebrated record enrollment, expanded academic offerings, launched innovative online and graduate programs, strengthened the student experience, and completed one of the most successful fundraising campaigns in the College’s history.

By every outward measure, Wilson is rising. And yet, we would be doing ourselves a disservice if we ignored the realities facing institutions like ours. The demographic cliff is no longer theoretical. Public confidence in higher education is shifting. Government regulation continues to intensify. Costs rise faster than traditional revenue streams can sustain. Across the country, colleges are closing, merging, or fundamentally restructuring.

This is the forest higher education now walks through. But one of the lessons of Into the Woods is that the existence of uncertainty does not determine the outcome of the story. What matters is how the characters choose to respond.

At Wilson, we are choosing to respond with clarity, courage, and purpose. We are not retreating from our mission. We are leaning more deeply into it. That means continuing to create access for students who may not otherwise believe college is possible for them. It means investing in programs aligned with workforce needs while remaining firmly rooted in the liberal arts and sciences. It means reimagining what a Wilson education can look like for traditional students and adult learners alike.

Most importantly, it means keeping student success at the center of every decision we make. Our responsibility is not simply to bring students to Wilson, but to help them flourish once they arrive. And I am proud of the work our faculty and staff are doing every day to ensure that happens.

I also remain deeply optimistic about Wilson’s future because of something that cannot be captured in spreadsheets or enrollment reports: the extraordinary people who make this institution what it is.

I see it in our faculty who continue to mentor, encourage, and challenge students with compassion and rigor. I see it in our staff who work tirelessly to support the College and one another. I see it in our students, whose resilience, creativity, and ambition inspire me every day.

And I see it in you—our alumnae, alumni, donors, and friends—whose belief in Wilson continues to sustain this institution through moments both triumphant and difficult.

Wilson has never been a place defined by ease. For 157 years, this institution has adapted, evolved, and persevered through wars, economic crises, enrollment challenges, pandemics, and enormous social change. Again and again generations of Wilson women and men chose not merely to preserve this College, but to strengthen it for those who would come next.

Now it is our turn.

The years ahead will require thoughtful decisions, strategic investments, and continued sacrifice. We must grow new revenue streams, strengthen our financial position, support our employees more effectively, and continue telling Wilson’s story with boldness and clarity. Wilson’s future will not be determined solely by the challenges before us. It will be determined by the courage with which we meet them.

Near the end of Into the Woods, after loss and uncertainty have reshaped the characters’ understanding of the world, they arrive at a simple but profound truth: “No one is alone.” That lyric has stayed with me in recent months. Because one of Wilson’s greatest strengths has always been the power of community.

We are not walking into this next chapter alone. We walk forward together bound by a shared belief in the transformative power of this institution and the lives it changes every single day. And that is why, despite the challenges facing higher education, I remain hopeful. Not blindly hopeful. Not naïvely optimistic. But genuinely hopeful because I have seen what this community can accomplish when we unite around a common purpose.

Wilson is stronger today than she was just a few years ago. And while important work still lies ahead, I believe the next chapter of this College’s story can be among the most transformative in her history.

Into the woods we go. Together.

Wesley R. Fugate, Ph.D.
President, Wilson College