Letter from the President

DEPARTMENTS

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear West Chester University Community,

This has been an especially busy fall semester full of interesting and dynamic classes, labs, career opportunities, performing arts activities, athletic contests, alumni celebrations, and everything in between. For our students, the world continues to be wide open with lots of opportunities and possibilities. Sometimes, however, college life and all the unexpected things that come with it, can be just a little overwhelming to navigate. This is particularly true for many who are the first in their families to go off to college. I know. I am proud to have been one of these students.

My personal philosophy of life and learning emerged from experiences like those of numerous WCU students. As a first-generation college student raised in a rural and working-class community, my opportunity to attend college was anything but certain. I was fortunate to have teachers who encouraged me to think beyond staying in my hometown and even more fortunate to have college professors who encouraged me to consider graduate school; this was something that I certainly never imagined when I was growing up. Thanks to the generosity of donors who provided scholarship funds for schools that I could not otherwise have afforded to attend, I am the product of private education, but have dedicated my professional career to public higher education because I strongly believe that a quality higher education should not be limited to just those with financial means.

Public universities serve as engines of social mobility to ensure that all students — regardless of background — are successful and where the same outcomes result. I want every student to have the life-changing experiences and close connections to faculty that I had while I was studying at university. At WCU, we are passionate about ensuring that opportunities and access intersect as they fuel students’ experiences, as well as their dreams, from the time they pass through Philips’ arches until the time they cross the stage to graduate. Leveraging the passion of our commitment to success for all students, this issue of WCU Magazine demonstrates how we are actively educating and engaging the whole student in a student-ready, student-first environment.

Yours,

R. Lorraine Bernotsky, DPhil
President
West Chester University

West Chester has been at the heart of my entire career, and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. I love our campus, I love our people, I love our University.
— R. Lorraine Bernotsky, president

Welcome Back Address

In her first welcome address to campus in September, WCU President Laurie Bernotsky spoke about “creating a shared vision together — a shared vision for our University that we can all embrace and all work to implement. … I am very much a believer in collaboration and shared governance because approaching things collaboratively means approaching things successfully.”

Her collaborative leadership is evident in her “mutual listening tour” where she meets with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners to hear ideas, successes, and concerns. Following are the student-centered values that drive her:

Enhancing the learning and living experiences of our students. “I want West Chester to be a place that students fall in love with.”
Ensuring affordability and accessibility to students. “I want West Chester to be an accessible opportunity that forever changes the lives of our students.”
Moving West Chester University to the next level. “I want West Chester to be thought of as an excellent school on a national level.”

“West Chester has been at the heart of my entire career, and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. I love our campus, I love our people, I love our University. There are so many places on our campus that have taken on special meaning to me over the years. One such place is the iconic arches of Philips Hall. I just love walking through those arches each morning when I come to work. As I walk through that striking stone passage, I like to look at the statue of Frederick Douglass as it towers over the DeBaptiste Plaza. I love that image because it constantly reminds me of why we do what we do [in higher ed]. … We do it to change our students’ lives in positive ways so they can change society in positive ways. That is the work we do. It’s incredibly important work, and I am so looking forward to doing that work with all of you as we move our University forward.”