A new college president and renovated residence halls will welcome over 365 new students to the West Virginia Wesleyan College campus this weekend for Orientation.  President Pamela Balch, a 1971 graduate of the College and her husband, Patrick, will welcome the students and their parents to their home on Saturday for a picnic lunch.  The College’s eighteenth and first-ever woman president will also address the new students Saturday evening in the annual opening convocation.

The new students will also be greeted with newly-renovated residence halls.  The College invested over $1 million in the first phase of the project this summer in Doney, Fleming, and McCuskey Halls.   All of the windows in the three buildings were replaced, and new carpeting, floor tile, and furniture were added to Doney and Fleming.  Phase two of the project will begin next summer and will include the renovation of all bathrooms.

Wesleyan is expected to have a 40% increase in the number of transfer students.  First-year students will arrive in Buckhannon from 28 different states and seven international countries.  The high school grade point average of the entering class is 3.34, the fourth time in the past five years the average has been above 3.3.

President Balch is excited about her opportunity to welcome Wesleyan’s newest group of students and to begin her tenure as president of her alma mater.  “When I learned of my selection as Wesleyan’s next president, my first words were “I am coming home!” says President Balch.  She is eager to nurture Wesleyan’s leadership role, focus the College’s visibility in proactive ways, search out new connections, and renew old connections.  “Campus harmony and a supportive environment are top priorities for me,” says the new president.  “It is important to keep people engaged, informed, and part of the decision-making process whenever possible.  Two-way communication is essential and we will need everyone’s input to have a dynamic and vibrant campus.”

In addition to the convocation and picnic lunch, Wesleyan’s new students will be greeted by a Bobcat Street Fair in the Rockefeller Physical Education Center at Orientation check-in.  Nearly forty area businesses will showcase their goods and services offering discounts and food to Buckhannon’s newest residents.  “The street fair is a wonderful way to introduce our college partners to our new students,” says Alice Leigh, registrar and director of academic advising and the coordinator of orientation for the College.

Other weekend activities will include informational sessions for students and parents, an intra-squad football scrimmage, an ice cream social, and an array of recreational activities.  Wesleyan’s returning students will arrive on campus Sunday and classes at the 116-year old institution will begin Tuesday.