“Try to for­get your­self in the ser­vice of oth­ers. For when we think too much of our­selves and our own inter­ests, we eas­ily become despon­dent. But when we work for oth­ers, our efforts return to bless us.” –Sid­ney Powell

DEAR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS,

An oppor­tu­nity arose recently in which I was asked to speak to a group of pro­fes­sion­als about higher edu­ca­tion and the spe­cial nature of a Wes­ley Col­lege edu­ca­tion. It was easy to artic­u­late the per­sonal expe­ri­ence that is pro­vided at Wes­ley in which our stu­dents gain a rich under­stand­ing of the lib­eral arts and develop their unique tal­ents. Through inten­tional involve­ment and nur­tur­ing from fac­ulty and staff, the level of engage­ment among our stu­dents con­tin­ues to grow at Wesley.

Front row, from left: Ervin John­son (stu­dent), Rev. Char­lotte Nichols ’73 (Dis­trict Super­in­ten­dent of the Sal­is­bury Dis­trict), John Gula (Direc­tor of Food Ser­vices, Ara­mark), Bishop Peggy John­son, Ash­leigh Maser (stu­dent), Amber­lyn Old­ham ’10. Back row, from left: Dr. William N. John­ston, Rev. Dr. San­dra Steiner Ball, (Direc­tor of Con­nec­tional Min­istries– Peninsula-Delaware Annual Con­fer­ence), Dr. Mark Pruett-Barnett, Rev. Boyd Etter (Dis­trict Super­in­ten­dent of the Dover Dis­trict), Rev. Bill Ster­ling (Dis­trict Super­in­ten­dent of the Eas­ton Dis­trict), Rev. Dr. Bill Fitzhugh (Dis­trict Super­in­ten­dent of the Wilm­ing­ton Dis­trict), Rev. Der­rick Porter (Dis­trict Super­in­ten­dent Des­ig­nate of the Wilm­ing­ton District).

Stu­dents are engaged in under­grad­u­ate research, cam­pus activ­i­ties, the­atre pre­sen­ta­tions, con­certs and ath­let­ics. They also are invest­ing their time and energy in assist­ing with the needs of both the local com­mu­nity and the world. This type of engage­ment cen­ters on ser­vice to oth­ers — car­ing enough to inter­vene and tak­ing action. It not only allows stu­dents to tran­scend to a new level of aca­d­e­mic and social achieve­ment and respon­si­bil­ity, but also helps them form a reli­gious, moral and philo­soph­i­cal foun­da­tion that pro­vides a com­pass for living.

Many expe­ri­ences this spring pro­vide per­fect exam­ples of how our stu­dents are engaged and learn­ing to make a dif­fer­ence in the world around them. These include a ser­vice trip to rebuild homes in Biloxi, Mis­sis­sippi; student-led efforts that pro­vided over $1,900 for the United Methodist Com­mit­tee on Relief to assist in Haiti; and a food drive that secured 2,994 pounds of donated food for the Food Bank of Delaware.

I encour­age you to increase your engage­ment in the life of Wes­ley. Visit cam­pus, attend ath­letic and cul­tural events, vol­un­teer, or pro­vide finan­cial sup­port for a pro­gram, major or for stu­dent schol­ar­ships. I look for­ward to speak­ing directly with you about Wes­ley and how your par­tic­i­pa­tion can make a tremen­dous impact in the edu­ca­tional expe­ri­ence we offer our wor­thy students.

Very best wishes,

Dr. William N. John­ston
President