Wesleyan Featured in College Guides

Wesleyan is again one of the best colleges and universities in the Southeast according to The Princeton Review. The New York City-based education services company selected Wesleyan as one of 139 institutions it recommends in its “Best in the Southeast” section on its website feature “2009 Best Colleges: Region by Region.” This is the sixth consecutive year Wesleyan has been selected for inclusion in the regional guide.

The 139 colleges The Princeton Review chose for its “Best in the Southeast” designations are located in twelve states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Princeton Review also designated 212 colleges in the Northeast, 120 in the West, and 159 in the Midwest as best in their locales. The 630 colleges named “regional best (s) represent only about 25% of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges.

The Princeton Review’s recognition of Wesleyan is the second for the college in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Wesleyan was among four state colleges and universities included in the 2008-2009 edition of “Colleges of Distinction.” The publication is produced by Student Horizons, Inc., a digital services company devoted to higher education. Founded by concerned parents and admission professionals, Student Horizons, Inc.’s mission is to enable students to find colleges and universities that appeal to and complement their unique personalities and aspirations

“Colleges of Distinction” is a college guide with a unique approach. Instead of looking for the richest or most famous schools, selected schools exhibit the four distinctions that make a college truly great: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities, and successful outcomes. The authors’ goal is to provide students, counselors, and parents with information about schools that excel in these key areas. Featured schools take a holistic approach to admissions, consistently excel in providing undergraduate education, and have a truly national reputation.

Wesleyan Welcomes New Staff

West Virginia Wesleyan students will see several new faces when they return to the campus in August.  The College has recently named a new Director of Administrative Services, Director of Admission, Director of Athletics, Dean of Community Engagement, and Director of Financial Aid.  Wesleyan’s new administrative staff includes:

Keith Nichols is the new director of administrative services and will be responsible for supervising accounts receivable including student accounts, postal services, and the College’s copy center.  He earned his bachelor of administration from Fairmont State University and a bachelor of education from Fairmont State College.  He comes to Wesleyan after serving as the manager for the Center for Workforce Education at Pierpont Community and Technical College.

John Waltz returns to Wesleyan as director of admission after serving as the director of admission of the Community College of Allegheny County’s South Campus.  Waltz, a 2001 graduate of Wesleyan, earned his master’s degree in corporate and organizational communication from West Virginia University.  He previously served as an associate director, assistant director, and admission counselor at the College from 2001-2007.

Wesleyan’s new director of athletics is Ken Tyler.  He arrives at Wesleyan after a seven year stay at Shepherd University, where he served as head men’s basketball coach and assistant director of athletics.  Prior to his tenure at Shepherd, Tyler spent six years at Albright (PA) College, serving as head men’s basketball coach and assistant director of athletics.  He also had one year stints as assistant men’s basketball coach at James Madison University, Roanoke (VA) College, and East Stroudsburg (PA) University.

Kim Yousey  is the College’s dean of community engagement.   Yousey holds a doctor of philosophy in higher education administration from New York University.  She earned a master of education in college student personnel at Kent State University and a bachelor of music education at Baldwin-Wallace (OH) College.  Prior to joining Wesleyan, she was the director of research and assessment at New York University.

A long-time financial-aid administrator has been named as the College’s new director of financial aid.  Susan George comes to Wesleyan after serving as a consultant for the Evans Consulting Group and the director of financial planning at Davis and Elkins College.  She has been a member of the financial aid staff at D & E since 1993. George earned a bachelor of science from Davis and Elkins and served as the assistant director of financial aid at D & E from 1993 to 2001.

Lively Named Director of Campus Life

Alisa Lively will lead a reorganization of the residence life and campus activities in her new position as director of campus life.  Lively, who has served Wesleyan for more than 20 years, will supervise campus activities, summer conferences, and scheduling/maintaining the master calendar as well as residence life, housing, judicial affairs, and commuter student advising.

Her new staff includes Kristin House, coordinator of campus activities, Becky Kjaerbye, residence life coordinator, and Cyrus Smith, residence life coordinator.  House holds a master’s in higher education administration from West Virginia University and a bachelor of arts in political science from Fairmont State University.  Kjaerbye earned her master’s degree from Salisbury University and a bachelor of arts from Franklin Pierce University.  Smith holds a master’s degree from Arkansas Tech University and a bachelor of arts from the University of the Ozarks.  Other members of the Campus Life Staff include Phil Shipley, residence life coordinator and Pam Gillespie, administrative assistant.

In addition to Lively’s new position, Lisa Phillips and Duane Carpenter assumed new roles at the College. Phillips was named assistant controller in the Accounting Department. Phillips, who has been employed at the College since 1992, previously served as the associate director for payroll since May 2007. Carpenter will serve at the Sports Information Director. He served as the associate director of College Communication since 2003.

Pictured in the campus life:
Kristen House, Cyrus Smith, Alisa Lively, Becky Kjaerbye, Phil Shipley and Pam Gillspie