The 2024-2025 Academic Year at WCU!
August 26 saw the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, as West Chester University
welcomed students, faculty, and staff.
Mark your calendars for WCU President R. Lorraine (Laurie) Bernotsky’s first welcome address to the campus community on Thursday, September 19, at 12:30 p.m. in Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall. The entire campus is invited to hear our 16th president and to the free reception on the Quad afterward.
Facilities Improvements
The WCU facilities team worked hard this summer to complete renovations and upgrades in University-owned residence halls and apartments. Killinger Hall and Schmidt Hall received new flooring in all hallways and lobbies, and both main student lounges received new flooring and furniture. New study and conference spaces and two new gender-inclusive bathrooms were created in Killinger Hall. In Tyson Hall, LED lighting was installed in all common areas. All elevator flooring and mini blinds were replaced throughout all the residence halls, and 30% of all student rooms were painted in all the halls and apartments.
Upgraded lighting was installed throughout Sykes Student Union including ballrooms, theater, commuter lounge, ground-floor lobby, and stairwells. Exterior furniture on the terrace and pergola at Sykes was also replaced.
The Custodial Operations team diligently worked all summer to prepare buildings for the return of our campus community, including refinishing nearly 55,000 square feet of hard surface floors (equivalent to a football field) and extracting 270,000 square feet of carpets in all areas including classrooms, lecture halls, hallways and common areas. The Custodial team has also added signage in buildings across campus that brings awareness and education to waste material that can be recycled.
The Grounds crew has also been hard at work maintaining the campus green spaces, from the academic and residential quad areas to the South Campus playing fields, and beautifying campus with plantings. The crew power washed Farrell Stadium’s concrete seating bowl and bleachers to enhance the look and feel of attending WCU Golden Rams athletic events. They also rehabilitated the rain garden behind L Lot.
Design and Construction completed an extensive list of projects this past year including repairs in Sykes parking lot, BPMC HVAC and electrical upgrades, roof and parking lot repairs at the Veterans Center, and HVAC building automation system replacement at the Science Center.
The Interiors team completed many office, classroom, and program renovations/upgrades.
New Locations
Facilities’ Interiors team also moved the Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) and the OEA Proctoring Center to the first floor of Wayne Hall, Suite 107 across from the elevators as you enter the building.
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is now located on the third floor of the Sciences and Engineering Center and The Commons (SECC) and is excited to introduce the new RAM Research Directory, a tool designed to connect researchers, help students find faculty mentors, and provide a listing for student research and creative activity opportunities (paid and unpaid) that are currently available.
Art on Main
Glance up at the side of Main Hall facing the Quad and admire new artwork exploring the theme “Human Creativity and the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Rising junior art + design student Eleana Rudderow created three banners based on a theme chosen by students in the College of Arts & Humanities’ 2023-2024 First Year Experience (FYE) program. The banners will remain on Main Hall for the entirety of the 2024-2025 academic year. Read more about Art on Main here.
Getting Around
Campus shuttle buses are free to WCU students, faculty, and staff and are a quick and easy way to travel around campus, West Chester Borough, or to the Exton Train Station. The popular Uptown Loop offers the WCU community a convenient way to visit the borough’s many restaurants and shops, attend events, or get to medical appointments both during the week and on weekends.
Check the schedules, routes, and adjustments for holidays at this link. Find out where a shuttle is with the live tracker here.
WCU’s Bicycle Lending Library offers members of the WCU community the opportunity to borrow a bike for a two-week period or for the entire semester.
Click here for more transportation information.
Visit this link for carpooling resources.
Philadelphia Site
WCU In Philadelphia offers undergraduate and graduate programs designed for adults at 701 Market Street in Philadelphia. Students have access to the same or similar resources and support as WCU main campus students. One example is the Philadelphia site’s resource pantry. Through partnerships launched this year with Philadelphia County nonprofits Philabundance and Sharing Excess, the site has been able to secure non-perishable and perishable items (respectively) that have substantially increased the pantry inventory. New fridge and freezer storage for that pantry is a result of securing PA Hunger Free Campus Grant funds through a collaboration with WCU’s Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact (CCESI). The Philadelphia pantry continues to work closely with CCESI to provide other resources to students such as SEPTA passes and parenting supplies.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, August 29: Opening reception for the Art Exhibit “Art of the Pop-Up”
Wednesday, September 4: Student Involvement Fair
Monday, September 9: Screening of the film Common Ground
Wednesday, September 18: Check Up From the Neck Up
Wednesday, September 18 to 23: First Fall Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar
Thursday, September 19: President Laurie Bernotsky’s Welcome Back
Friday, September 20: Park(ing) Day
Monday, September 23: Ryan Davis on Converting Lawns to Meadow Habitat
Wednesday, September 25: Fall 2024 Job & Internship Fair
Wednesday, September 25: Cottrell Center screening of Show Her the Money
Thursday, October 10: Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste Frederick Douglass Institute Lecture
Friday, October 18: Cottrell Center Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference
Friday, October 25 - 27: Homecoming and Family Weekend
Friday, November 8: National First-generation College Student Day
Monday, November 18 - 22: International Education Week (Global Engagement Office)
Click here for a list of free concerts on the Wells School of Music calendar.
Click here for information and tickets to performances by the Department of Theatre & Dance.