Wilson Continues to Grow
Wilson College welcomed a record 2,089 students this fall, marking the highest point-in-time enrollment in the College’s history. The total, which includes students enrolled in traditional undergraduate, graduate, online, and professional programs, represents an 11% increase over Fall 2025. The College also surpassed its highest traditional, in-person enrollment since 1968 and recorded its largest residential student population since 1970.
“Wilson is reaching more students than ever before as we continue to invest in programs and services that help students access higher education and persist through graduation,” said President Wesley R. Fugate, Ph.D.
By expanding online and hybrid learning opportunities while preserving a vibrant
residential experience, Wilson has diversified its enrollment base and reduced reliance on any single student population. The College also added a dean of student success and established the RISE Center (Resources Inspiring Student Excellence), bringing together tutoring, accessibility services, success coaching, testing services, and personal librarians in a single location.
Several of Wilson’s signature academic programs continued to attract significant
student interest, including animal studies, veterinary nursing, health sciences, business, psychology, biology, art and design, computer science, and cybersecurity. Teacher preparation remains one of Wilson’s greatest strengths, with more than half of all students preparing for careers in education through the Teacher Certification Program and other undergraduate and graduate education programs.
A New Leader for Wilson Athletics
Wilson’s new Director of Athletics Andrea Hoover-Erbig brings more than 20 years of NCAA Division III athletics experience to the role. She succeeds Tina L. Hill, who retired in June.
Hoover-Erbig joins Wilson from Virginia Wesleyan University, where she served as executive director of intercollegiate athletics since 2021. Before assuming that position, she spent 15 years as the university’s head women’s volleyball coach and held administrative leadership roles, including senior woman administrator and academic integration coordinator.
At Virginia Wesleyan, Hoover-Erbig oversaw 25 varsity sports and more than 450 student-athletes. During her tenure, the department added men’s volleyball, cheer, and women’s flag football while achieving significant growth in fundraising and athletic facilities.
“As Wilson looks to the future of its athletics program, Andrea’s depth of experience and proven leadership made her the clear choice,” said Katherine Buck, vice president for student development. “We are confident she will lead Wilson Athletics with integrity, vision, and a strong commitment to student success.”
At Wilson, Hoover-Erbig provides leadership and strategic direction for the College’s 11 NCAA Division III sports and two Intercollegiate Horse Show Association teams while overseeing athletics operations and strategic growth initiatives.
M.F.A. Residency Explores What Moves Us
The Wilson College Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) program’s annual four-week summer residency culminated July 18 with “Life, Death, and Objects That Move Us,” a public showcase in the Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio Dance Studio and Bogigian Gallery. Featuring visual art, interactive installations, comics, and dance performances, the event highlighted the creative work of first- and second-year M.F.A. students developed during the residency.
Heather MacBeath
Dance performances in the Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio complemented the visual exhibition, offering audiences another perspective on the event’s theme. The performances highlighted movement as a form of artistic expression and reflected the interdisciplinary approach that is central to Wilson’s M.F.A. program.
Heather Wallace-Campbell
Featured visual artists included Heather Wallace-Campbell, whose oil paintings on reconstructed canvases explored hidden meaning and perception; Jacob Hilliard, who exhibited artwork from his fantasy comic series “Bartender’s Company;” and Portia Anthony, whose work translated the energy and movement of Washington, D.C.’s Beat Ya Feet dance style into visual art. Other works invited audience interaction and reflected themes of environmental awareness, storytelling, and artistic experimentation.
Jacob Hilliard
The showcase also included the student-curated exhibition “Life, Death, and Objects That Move Us: Three-Dimensional Art,” which remained on display in the Sue Davison Cooley Gallery of the John Stewart Memorial Library through Sept 5. Co-curated with M.F.A. faculty member, Joshua Legg, in his course Curation and Dramaturgy, the exhibition examined connections among material, memory, transformation, and human experience, and featured works by five women artists: Wilson M.F.A. alumnae Jeannine Dabb ’25, Sally Frehn ’19, and Lisa Harman ’18; Wilson adjunct instructor Denise Joyal; and Margaret Yaukey, visual arts coordinator at Hagerstown Community College.
Portia Anthony
Together, the showcase and exhibition highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of Wilson’s M.F.A. program while providing students with opportunities to create, curate, perform, and engage the public through contemporary artistic practice.
