The faculty and the academic program are at the heart of Wofford College. Faculty teach, mentor, advise, support student growth and development, and embrace their disciplines with an excitement and energy that’s contagious and inspiring. They travel with students, learn alongside them through research and community-based learning and define the curriculum. They set examples of what it means to be lifelong learners. They encourage students to ask questions and seek a deeper understanding of themselves and the world. I bet everyone reading this letter has stories of faculty impact.
This issue of Wofford Today explores this impact, starting with an essay written by Dr. Tim Schmitz, provost, about what it means to be a residential liberal arts college in 2024. The fall Wofford Today also includes stories on the five faculty who retired at the end of the spring semester and the impact they made on the college during their 147 years of combined service. An article on the Hon. Mark Hayes ’80 mentions how faculty fostered a sense of civic engagement leading to his pursuit of a career in the law, and several of the Trending Up features about young alumni credit faculty.
This edition introduces the Class of 2028, who started their first classes and had their first advising session with Wofford’s faculty in late August. It also includes stories of alumni who are paying their appreciation of Wofford’s academic experience forward by providing internship opportunities for current students.
I encourage you to lend your support as well. It benefits students and faculty and affirms your commitment to the centrality of the academic mentoring relationships that are the essence of the Wofford experience.
Nayef H. Samhat
11TH PRESIDENT OF WOFFORD COLLEGE