From the President

FROM THE preSident’S deSk

NEW ENDEAVORS, PROGRAM MILESTONES REVEAL WISDOM

Fall 2011 has been an exciting semester, full of auspicious beginnings and significant celebrations. We are about to complete Phase I of the Pearce Science Center renovation. We established a new affiliation with the Heifetz International Music Institute, which will bring young musicians of the highest caliber to our campus each summer. We commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted and the 10th anniversary of our graduate programs in Shakespeare and Performance, giving us good reason to reflect on the signature programs that have propelled Mary Baldwin College forward through the years. And, in October, Trustees voted to pursue a new initiative that will usher in the next thriving chapter for our college.

True to our bold spirit, we are preparing to launch new graduate programs in the health sciences. We plan initially to offer three high-demand degrees: Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Physician Assistant Studies.

An alumna close to the heart of the Mary Baldwin family has committed $15 million — the largest single gift to the college — toward the development of our health sciences programs. The funding will support the programs as we build enrollment and establish a reputation in the field. In the long term, the programs will not only support themselves, but also return significant resources to the college for reinvestment. The donor holds great enthusiasm for the health sciences initiative and for the future of our college.

The Trustees’ decision to move forward was the culmination of many months of thorough and detailed research, careful analysis, and reasoned discussion. Our mission of nurturing confident, compassionate changemakers converged with trends in higher education and the job market to convince us that the promising areas for MBC’s graduate program expansion are education and the health sciences. Our first-rate Graduate Teacher Education program is already flourishing, and we will continue to develop its potential to serve students and societal needs.

Health sciences programs offer new opportunities that are central to our mission and responsive to the market. In addition, they build upon Mary Baldwin College’s long-standing commitment to the liberal arts and sciences and undergraduate research. The demand for qualified professionals is growing rapidly and there are more qualified applicants seeking such degrees than colleges and universities across the country can accommodate.

As the program matures, we will be equipped to prepare excellent health care providers for our area, strengthening our historic commitment to being a college within our community. Already this fall, our exciting announcements have created renewed momentum for MBC, Staunton, and Augusta County.

Of course, we expect MBC alumnae/i and friends to have questions, and we will share additional details as decisions are made. I can say with confidence that our new graduate programs will be positioned to be competitive in the market both regionally and nationally. We expect students to enroll in our physical therapy and occupational therapy programs in 2014 and for physician assistant in 2015. Our plan calls for total enrollment of about 300 students by program maturity in 2019.

The new graduate programs will require dedicated space and sophisticated equipment. We are not able to house the health sciences on our historic campus, so we are evaluating several nearby locations and hope to announce a decision in February 2012.

We remain committed to our undergraduate Residential College for Women and the exceptional educational opportunities it provides. Daily life for our women on campus is vibrant and focused on the liberal arts and sciences as an ideal foundation for composing lives of purpose.

New initiatives and milestones alike demonstrate the core strengths we have retained since our founding: academic excellence, entrepreneurial spirit, and the education of the whole person. For 170 years this institution has had the wisdom to stay true to our mission and the courage and will to change as the world changes around us.

Dr. Pamela Fox

PHOTO By SERA PETRAS

true tO Our BOld Spirit, WE ARE PREPARING TO LAuNCH NEW GRADuATE PROGRAMS IN THE HEALTH SCIENCES. WE PLAN TO INITIALLy OFFER THREE HIGH-DEMAND DEGREES: DOCTOR OF PHySICAL THERAPy, DOCTOR OF OCCuPATIONAL THERAPy, AND MASTER OF PHySICIAN ASSISTANT STuDIES.