The beginning of a new academic year means renewing commitments to the liberal arts, to the college’s mission and core values, to access and to student success. It’s also the ideal time to focus on the future, and the president’s annual pre-session state of the college address does just that. The full presentation was delivered by President Nayef Samhat to faculty and staff as returning students were moving onto campus on Aug. 30, 2022. These highlights show that students, faculty and staff are learning, living and working in a place committed to excellence and improvement.
FIVE-YEAR PLAN UPDATE
The Five-Year Plan has been completed a year ahead of schedule.
Goal 1:
Growing the student body to 1,800, which was accomplished this year, was a strategic decision based on the campus footprint, facilities and faculty and staff resources. Our student-to-faculty ratio remains 11:1, and the average class size is 15.
Goal 2:
Adding a new residence hall was the linchpin for all the other goals in the Five-Year Plan. Jerome Johnson Richardson Hall, which opened in August 2020, houses first-year students with athletics facilities for baseball, golf and softball on the bottom floor.
Goal 3:
The first class of Terrier softball players enrolled this fall. The field is complete, and the college has hired Chelsea Butler as the head coach. Competition for the Wofford softball team begins during the 2023-24 academic year.
Goal 4:
AVI Foodsystems Inc. funded a $12 million complete renovation of the Burwell Building. The fully renovated dining hall opened in January 2022. Wofford has six dining locations: three serve full meals, two serve coffee and graband- go options and the final location is a small market near the senior village apartments.
Goal 5:
Maria and Steven Mungo ’81 gave the lead gift toward the renovation of the Campus Life Building, now the Mungo Student Center. Work was completed over the summers of 2020 and 2021. The game room, fitness center and repurposed Tony White Theater are all popular with students. The building also houses the post office, offices for Campus Life and Student Development, spaces for student organizations and Zach’s food court.
Goal 6:
The Sandor Teszler Library and Marsh Hall have been renovated. The Chandler Center for Environmental Studies is an award-winning, sustainable new classroom and lab building thanks to a lead gift from Delores and Harold Chandler ’71. In addition, the college has entered into a long-term lease with Spartanburg School District 7 for use of a competition- quality track and field facility, and the college completed a new advanced chemistry research lab that was dedicated last spring and named for Dr. Charlie Bass. There also has been an emphasis on establishing scholarships and funding for experiential learning.
ENROLLMENT AND FINANCIAL STRENGTH
The college exceeded budgeted enrollment numbers, welcoming 508 students into our community as members of the Class of 2026 and enrolling 31 transfers as well. Because Wofford remains tuition-driven and because the college does not plan to increase enrollment beyond the 1,800 outlined in the growth plan, meeting enrollment targets means the college has the human and physical resources needed to provide the highest level of support, programs and services to students.
Enrollment success, solid financial management and record giving mean that the college is financially strong even with rising operational costs.
Read more about enrollment and the Class of 2026 on pages 8-15.
OPPORTUNITIES
The $150 million gift to the endowment from Jerry Richardson ’59 continues to roll into the college’s operating budget. The gift is restricted, with the bulk of the interest supporting scholarships for students with financial need. Other funds are allocated for building renovation and restoration and to increase minimum compensation for full-time employees. For the past year, the college has studied and discussed ways to use the final restricted dollars — earmarked for experiential learning — in distinctive ways that will help students discover their academic passions, explore the needs of the world and find purpose in their education. These conversations have implications for discussions regarding senior culminating experiences and Interim.
Wofford continues to develop partnerships with our neighbors on the Northside. A new Wofford College Bookstore in The Hub will be complete by the end of the year. In addition to a much larger facility, the bookstore will be adjacent to several restaurants and businesses that will serve as a new gateway to Spartanburg’s downtown. The bookstore joins Milliken House, a sustainability living and learning community in the Northside Station; the College Street House, home of marketing and communications as well as academic offices; the Goodall Environmental Studies Center and house in the Glendale community and the leased track and field near McCracken Middle School in the college’s growing presence in the greater Spartanburg community.
Dr. Dwain Pruitt ’95, chief equity officer, continues to work with colleagues to consider the recommendations of the JEDI taskforce. He is focusing his attention on 10 recommendations, including researching and writing a more accurate history for the website and improving processes for reporting discrimination and harassment. The naming policy was adopted by the board in May.
Kevin Lennon, vice president for the NCAA, attended the retreat of the Wofford College Board of Trustees in August to discuss the changing landscape in NCAA Division I athletics. He discussed implications of national discussions regarding name, image and likeness; the transfer portal; revenue distribution; student-athlete support models and more. While waiting on national decisions, Wofford College and the Southern Conference will discuss how potential changes will align with our mission and core values.
With fewer students on campus, the college always spends the summer months focusing on renovation and renewal projects. This was an incredibly busy summer.
- Renovations were completed on Marsh Hall, with the addition of gathering spaces created by the renovation of bathrooms. The college’s housing is a point of pride and a great recruiting tool.
- The Wellness Center in the Hugh R. Black House is in the middle of a complete renovation made possible by the Andy Quattlebaum and Blackwell Family Foundation, with much of the demolition and foundational work completed over the summer. The Wellness Center, which has been temporarily located in the Kilgo- Clinkscales House, will reoccupy its renovated facility under a new name in December. An announcement will be coming soon regarding the family that has funded the renovation. The dedication for the new Wellness Center will be during the February board of trustees meeting.
- A major repaving of Evins Street and a portion of Cummings Street with crosswalk work near the Admission Building was successful.
- The softball stadium and field were finished over the summer in time for the college’s first Terrier softball recruits to join our community this fall. The softball stadium is now part of a larger athletics complex, which includes Snyder Field surrounded by a new track made possible by lead gifts from the Asherman (Ellen, Philip and Turner ’23) and Young (Cooper, Davis ’25, Margaret ’92 and Mike) families and with support from the Parents Leadership Council and other alumni and friends. The track was named for and dedicated in memory of Jeremiah Tate ’17 during Family Weekend.