ANNUAL REPORT
A Message from President Greg R. Weisenstein I want to express my appreciation to all of you—alumni, friends and partners, students and their families, faculty, and staff—whose gifts are helping to support West Chester University’s national reputation for excellence, value, and student success. We have just completed an exceptional year at WCU, and we are positioned for an even more impressive year ahead. The University is one of just three Pennsylvania schools—and the only one in the State System—ranked in the top 100 Kiplinger “best buys” among 500 public four-year colleges and universities around the country. In their recently released 2013 rankings, U.S. News and World Report names WCU among the best regional universities in the north, moving us up 14 places this year. Our reputation translates into high interest among potential students. We received more than 14,350 applications for the fall 2012 first-year class of just over 2,300. Also for this fall, we received three times as many transfer applications as we could accept. WCU attracts strong students and provides the educational experiences they need to succeed. As one result, our retention and graduation rates are the highest in the State System. WCU student excellence extends throughout our classrooms and well beyond. Two of our athletic teams—baseball and women’s field hockey—won national championships this past year, and our women’s lacrosse team came within a goal of joining them. WCU is the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference university to win two NCAA championships in the same academic year. Much as WCU alumni become leaders in their careers and communities, our students make significant contributions as undergraduates. During the 2011-2012 academic year, WCU students contributed close to 350,000 hours of volunteer community service. Our students, faculty, and staff also continue to make the University a cultural leader for the region. WCU University Theatre is presenting its 50th-anniversary season this year, and last year, more than 79,000 people attended campus cultural events. International programs, including collaboration and exchanges with institutions around the world, are among our exciting and vital areas of growth. At the end of May 2012, WCU hosted the Knowledge Crossing Borders international conference on higher education, which attracted participants from 20 different countries. The members of the concurrent Global Presidential Conclave on the Future of Higher Education are preparing to publish and disseminate the Conclave’s recommendations, which call universities around the world to action in addressing the most critical issues of our time. West Chester University is vigorously preparing for an outstanding future. The University’s new strategic plan, titled Building on Excellence, is now in the final stages of development and will guide the University over the next decade. The strategic-planning process has included extensive academic planning as well as development of a facilities master plan. The emphasis in all cases is on student success. The work of a great university such as ours demands excellent facilities for its students and programs. Particularly newsworthy this year is the opening of our magnificent Student Recreation Center, which provides vastly increased opportunities for WCU students to participate in recreation and socialize right on campus. The Rec Center is a student-initiated and student-supported project, leaving funds available to advance other critical capital improvement projects, such as added classroom and office space and progress toward implementing geothermal heating and cooling in all of our campus buildings. Along with our quality, planning, and innovation, the dedicated support of donors such as you is critical to the University’s continued excellence. We appreciate that our campus-wide growth in reputation has led to enthusiastic pride in WCU and a desire to invest in a winner with a very bright future. I greatly value your generosity and high regard for West Chester University. In closing, I again want to express my sincere gratitude for all that you do to ensure access to WCU for qualified students and to enhance the strength of our programs. You are contributing to the University’s ongoing success—expanding the quality of life for our students and alumni and serving communities throughout the region and beyond. I look forward to seeing you on campus throughout the year!
A n n ual R e por t , FFall all 22011 012 | | 77