Summer 2025 / Departments

Faculty Promotions
Congratulations to the following faculty members on their recent promotions:

Matthew McBride, Ph.D. promoted to Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Practice with tenure.

Bonnie Rock-McCutcheon, Ph.D. promoted to Associate Professor of History with tenure.

Wendell Smith, Ph.D. promoted to Professor of Spanish. (Read about Smith’s recent mission trip to Guatemala)

A Full Circle Moment in History
Things came full circle for Max Wagenhoffer, Ph.D., director of the Hankey Center for the History of Women’s Education and assistant professor of history, when her senior thesis advisor from Rutgers University visited Wilson in March. Rachel Devlin, Ph.D., professor of history at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, was on campus to discuss her research with the College community and Wagenhoffer’s students.

Devlin played a critical role in Wagenhoffer’s career as a women’s historian, providing an example of historically driven research and accessible writing. Devlin received her Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College and her doctorate in history from Yale University. She specializes in modern U.S. history and women’s and gender history, and has taught at Rutgers University-New Brunswick since 2011. She is the author of “Relative Intimacy: Fathers, Adolescent Daughters, and Postwar American Culture” and “A Girl Stands at the Door: The Generation of Young Women Who Desegregated America’s Schools.” The latter received several book awards, including the
Southern Regional Council Lillian Smith Book Award and an honorable mention for the Darlene Clark Hine Award from the Organization of American Historians, both in 2019.

Professor Emerita
Lisa Woolley, Ph.D., professor of English, received the honor of Professor Emerita at this year’s Commencement Exercises on May 4.

Woolley arrived at Wilson in 1993, hired to teach American literature. Enjoying specializations in both the Chicago Renaissance as well as environmental literature, she has taught courses in American literature, women’s literature, composition, and Environmental Studies. She always ensured that she brought every voice from the vast history of American literary culture into her classroom.

Woolley, who received her B.A. from Augustana College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, will retire at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.

A Cultural Exchange from Patagonia to Pennsylvania
From southern Argentina to the small town of Chambersburg, Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Melina Bromsoe bridged two cultures when Wilson became her home during the 2024-2025 academic year. Arriving in the fall, she eagerly immersed herself in the Wilson community and promoted her Spanish heritage and language.

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program’s FLTA initiative offers teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) the opportunity to refine their skills and deepen their understanding of American culture while strengthening foreign language instruction at U.S. colleges and universities. The selection process is competitive, especially in Argentina where candidates must already have a bachelor’s degree and experience teaching English. Out of 60 applicants interviewed by U.S. and Argentine government and Fulbright representatives, only 15 are chosen. These candidates must then pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam before being placed by an FLTA supervisor. Bromsoe’s journey to acceptance took over a year. Wilson’s FLTA supervisor Wendell Smith, professor of Spanish, told Bromsoe he selected her partly because of her small-town background. “He wanted someone who could adapt and feel comfortable here,” she explained.

Her hometown of Caleta Olivia is located on the Atlantic Ocean in the Patagonia region of Argentina. Living so close to the South Pole, she said she often saw penguins, sea lions, and whales while engaging in seaside activities. news briefs Although Chambersburg is far from the sea, she loved the College’s size and location. She actively volunteered whenever possible and said her aim was to be part of the community despite her short time here. As an officer in the Muhibbah club, she handled marketing and helped organize events, including a quiz game and the club’s annual dinner. She also co-founded the Alliance of Latin American Students aimed at fostering connections among Latin American students and those interested in their culture.

Bromsoe taught a Spanish composition class, assisted with others, and held office hours to support students. She challenged herself by taking her own classes for credit rather than auditing, pushing herself to succeed while using the credits for graduate school applications.

Prior to her Fulbright scholarship, Bromsoe earned a bachelor’s degree in teaching English as a Second Language from the Instituto Provincial de Educación Superior Caleta Olivia and a licenciatura in English and Applied Linguistics from the Universidad del Aconcagua.

ART IS … SHARED STORIES
The third annual ArtsFest transformed the campus into an artistic space during the week of April 7. Celebrating the theme “Art is…Shared Stories,” this event showcased the talents and experiences of Wilson College community members, who shared their expertise and creativity in the visual arts, dance, song, and writing. The festival was elevated by visiting artists, including Grammy-nominated singer Melanie DeMore, who captivated audiences with her insightful discussion on sound and led the community in a powerful sing-along.

Why hello there! I do hope all is well with you and yours.

Summer has arrived at our lovely campus, and with it come longer days filled with supervising the comings and goings of Sharpe House, sharing afternoon tea with my dear friend Agatha the groundhog, and, of course, indulging in the occasional catnap (or three). I do adore these warm months, but when I paws and reflect on life here at Wilson, I must admit—this season is always a little bittersweet.

You see, another graduating class of my dear Wilson friends has bounded off like curious kittens, eager to explore what lies beyond our cozy corner. Though they remain forever part of the Wilson family, I will miss their cheerful greetings and familiar footsteps as I make my daily rounds. Still, when I think of the good they will do in the world, my heart simply swells with pride—like a contented cat watching the world from her favorite perch.

Take, for instance, Miss Erin Roszkowiak. As a standout on the women’s soccer team and the senior class president, she left her pawprints all over this campus. And now? She is off to the University of Pennsylvania for veterinary school! As a proud feline, it warms my heart (and fluffs my tail) to know she will be caring for creatures like me. Cheers to you, Miss Erin! While I will miss cheering you on at the soccer field, know that I will continue to cheer for you from afar.

I also bid a fond farewell to Mr. Tristan Worlock. As a “get out the vote” intern, he spent much of his time discussing parties of donkeys and elephants. Now, why no one focuses on the party of the cat is beyond me—clearly that is the wisest choice. Mr. Tristan is heading off to graduate school in South Carolina, a charming southern state not unlike my native Georgia. I can already picture him on a porch, basking in the sunshine, perhaps with a cat curled at his feet (one can hope).

And surely you have heard about Miss Hailey Steele, recipient of the prestigious Disert Scholarship. She explored the connection between red dye 40 and cancer—a topic that caught my eye, given the hue of my luxurious fur. But fear not! My red is entirely natural, no additives needed. Miss Hailey’s research is vital, and I am ever so pleased that she will remain right here at Wilson next year, helping shape the next generation of scientists. I simply could not bear to see her go just yet.

To the rest of the Class of 2025: you each hold a special place in my heart. I know you will work tirelessly to make the world brighter, kinder, and more just–a world of which even this most discerning feline would approve. And should your travels bring you back to Chambersburg, do stop by. Sharpe House—and I—will be waiting to welcome you home. As I like to say to all members of the Wilson family: the porch is open, the cushions are fluffed, and there is always a sunbeam ready for an old friend.

With affection and a gentle purr,

“Undecided” or Decidedly Explorative?
The Power of Being an “Undecided” Student

By Amanda McMenamin, Associate Professor of Spanish, Co-director of Undergraduate Academic Advising

What does it mean to be an “undecided” student at Wilson College? How is being “undecided” powerful? Shouldn’t students head off to college with a program and profession in their sights?

In fact, at Wilson, all students enter as “undecided,” even when arriving to campus with a major in mind. As they discuss with their first-year advisers, this is an intentional gesture encouraging exploration of the curriculum so that their declaration of major results from informed decision-making. Thus, every spring first-year students may affirm their major for the first time at the Declaration of Major event, where they meet with faculty and upper-level students in the discipline and celebrate their newly minted commitment to their major and minor programs of study.

But what if a student isn’t ready to declare a major in their second semester of college? Indeed, there are students who need more time to cement their professional goals and, therefore, their major. Despite external—and frequently internalized—pressures to declare a major as soon as possible, these students defy the grain. Rather than a source of weakness, it is their superpower!

To graduate from Wilson, in addition to completing a major program, all students must successfully fulfill the foundations and liberal studies curriculum, as well as 120 total semester hours. How “undecided students tackle these requirements is unique, providing discrete advantages for career discernment that foster holistic success in the workplace post-graduation. While many students dive headfirst into a major and supplement this primary discipline with liberal studies requirements initially and elective courses later on, students who remain “undecided” longer utilize the liberal studies curriculum for targeted exploration.

By the time they are ready to declare their major—often as a rising junior—“undecided” students have not only identified their core strengths, but progress is well underway in a major, plus a minor or two. Each course that they have taken carries a distinct weight and significance in the honing of their career. Their coursework weaves together the fabric of their future with the threads of interdisciplinarity and professional dexterity that are foundational to the liberal arts, which inherently grounds the Wilson College degree. This equally means that, along the way, “undecided” students have carefully refined the power skills highly sought by corporations and organizations alike—adaptability, resilience, problem-solving, and effective communication, just to cite
a few.

While the moniker “undecided” isn’t going anywhere—it is the traditional coding used to denominate the student without a major—we can more accurately understand the “undecided” student as the decidedly explorative pioneer. Wielding the power of the liberal arts tradition that Wilson purposely disseminates across the curriculum, they are impeccably poised for success in the ever-evolving milieu of twenty-first-century life and work.