If one only reads the newspaper or social media headlines, it would be easy to think that all of higher education is collapsing. Day after day, there is a drumbeat of difficult news: colleges and universities are closing, merging, or making expansive cuts to programs, faculty, and staff.
And yet Wilson has a much different story to tell. We are a forward-thinking institution that looks at the changes necessary to sustain ourselves in the future, not just in the short term. That has required making strategic, and sometimes difficult, decisions. But we are seeing the fruits of our labor.
This fall will be the highest starting enrollment in the history of the College with 1,705 students. Our undergraduate program offered on our Chambersburg campus remains stable, and our adult programs are seeing significant growth. This growth seemed impossible just three years ago, as we felt the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are finding our footing after those tumultuous years.
On top of that, Wilson alumnae, alumni, and friends have been remarkably generous over the last several years. For five years in a row, the Wilson Fund has topped $1 million, a record for the College. The last two years have been the third highest and fourth highest philanthropic years in the history of the College. And the We Rise campaign soared past its initial $16 million goal in less than two years and currently sits at $18.7 million towards a newly revised goal of $20 million. We are working to soar past that goal by June 30 of 2025.
Strong enrollment and good philanthropy have led to a balanced budget each year since I have been at the helm of the College. Additionally, this past year, we lowered our endowment spend rate to 4.25%, a feat unheard of for Wilson. This has allowed our endowment, funds held in trust, and other investments to grow to $77.1 million, the highest in the history of the College.
And we are not done yet. Our faculty continue to revise our curriculum, recently adding undergraduate majors in computer science and cybersecurity, as well as a new graduate degree in educational leadership. Additionally, we look forward to the additions of doctoral programs in occupational therapy and physical therapy, as well as a masters of speech language pathology. These three programs will be delivered in a hybrid, accelerated manner, with new students enrolling beginning in January of 2026, August of 2027, and August of 2028, respectively. We are optimistic that these new programs will add hundreds of new students in the coming years.
But we must not rest on our laurels. We face a demographic cliff of graduating high school students over the next several years. Deferred maintenance must be addressed. We aim to graduate more students in four years or less. We must consistently have a low endowment spend rate and address the College’s long-term debt. How do we do that? Innovation is a requirement to ensure Wilson’s ability to transform the lives of students well into the future. Thus, starting this fall, we will begin work as a community to develop a new strategic plan to take us through 2028.
It is an exciting time to be at Wilson. These numbers tell so much of our success story, but in the pages of this issue of Wilson magazine, you will see those numbers come to life. As you read the profiles of our students, the work of our faculty, and the success of our graduates, you will beam with pride as I do about Wilson’s work to create leaders who make an impact on society. That has been Wilson’s story for 155 years, and with your help, it will be our story for many, many more.
Wesley R. Fugate, Ph.D.
President
