FALL 2018
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
M
any of us shared the same thought during Homecoming: There is absolutely no place like WCU…. While many institutions across the nation are experiencing challenges, our University home continues to thrive. With a 38.7 percent increase in WCU’s graduate enrollment over the past five years, the University has recently established the Graduate School as a much-needed one-stop shop designed to provide a wide range of services for a growing population. Our increasing undergraduate enrollment continues to be equally impressive, and we are especially thrilled that the divisions of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs have launched an innovative pilot program to support a large number of first-generation college students. From the minute students land on campus, they feel wanted, welcomed, and supported. Much of this is thanks to so many of you. Dr. James R. Wells ’54 and Mr. Richard G. Wells ’58, together with their wives Joanne M. (Noble) Wells ’55 and Elizabeth J. (Noble) Wells ’60, M’66, are perfect examples. Thanks to the Wells’ historic gift, the Wells School of Music will provide the additional resources needed to strengthen its offerings to numerous talented musicians. In addition, as a result of the generosity of the Honorable Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste, students now have access to an impressive and enriching multicultural lecture series. This fall issue of the WCU Magazine is then dedicated to all of you — our unwavering alumni, faculty, and friends — who are working to bolster this one-ofa-kind home of ours by setting a precedent of action, cultivating student success, and inspiring a multitude of “firsts.” You make WCU’s house a welcoming home for all and we thank you. Sincerely,
Christopher M. Fiorentino President
Editor & Executive Director of Communications Nancy Santos Gainer Associate Editors Matt Born Loretta MacAlpine Design JoAnne Mottola Photography Erica Thompson ’10 Contributors Bruce Beans Maurisa Warren President Christopher M. Fiorentino Vice President for University Affairs John Villella ’76, M’82 Interim Director of Alumni Relations Jenna (Cardaciotto) Birch ’06
The West Chester University Magazine is published three times a year for the alumni, families, students, and friends of West Chester University. We welcome letters concerning magazine content or issues pertaining to the University. Letters must be signed and kept to one typed page. Please include address and daytime phone number. Send correspondence to: Editor, The WCU Magazine, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383 West Chester University Magazine is published by the West Chester University Office of Communications
www.wcupa.edu WCU is an AA/EEO institution
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