The Committee on the College at Wise met Friday at the Board of Visitors meeting to discuss updates to student housing, enrollment and retention rates and academic and student life.
The Board also welcomed two student visitors from the College at Wise, including third-year Wise students William Rudeseal, who currently serves as the Student Government Association President at the College at Wise, and Layne Bush, who serves as the student representative on the College at Wise’s Board.
College at Wise Chancellor Donna Henry discussed the College’s admission statistics for this year. 4,400 total applications were received by the College at Wise during this admissions cycle, a decrease from last year’s 5,475. As of March 7, the College at Wise has confirmed the attendance of 290 new students for this fall, with hopes of eventually accommodating over 500 new students as the admissions process continues.
“We are looking forward to bringing in another robust class of students in the fall,” Henry said.
Gary Johnson, College at Wise Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, presented on the College at Wise’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which will aim to enhance students’ transition to college and their overall first-year experience.
“We are an institution that is intent on giving students an opportunity for success,” Johnson said. “One of the things we want to focus on is the persistence of our students, making sure they stay with us from year one to year two, and ultimately through to graduation.”
Henry stated that this focus on a good first-year experience at the College at Wise is to give students “a leg up” so that they can be successful. She noted an increase in retention rates as a motivation for this focus, saying that the College at Wise’s goal is to increase first to second year retention rates from around 74 percent to 80 percent.
Johnson said that the QEP intends to accomplish this goal with various different objectives, including by easing students’ academic transition, and facilitating community engagement and cohort cohesion. To do this, the QEP will expand Wise’s first-year seminar program from one credit to three credits, to provide students more time to connect in the classroom. The College at Wise will also require all students to complete an experiential learning component before graduation, which could include a variety of topics such as undergraduate research, volunteer work or study abroad.
“We are looking to facilitate their success in the classroom, their personal growth, their persistence in graduation and also their personal wellness,” Johnson said.
Henry also discussed the additional housing needs of the Wise campus. Currently, the Wise campus officially holds 601 beds to provide students the opportunity to live in on-campus housing. Last fall, however, the Wise campus accommodated 640 students in on-campus housing by converting some spaces and buildings, such as student lounges and the former director’s house, into temporary student living.
The College at Wise currently enrolls nearly two thousand students. First-year and first-year transfer students are required to live in on-campus housing. If students wish to live on campus after their first year, they may apply for on-campus housing which will be allocated via a lottery system.
Henry said that the College at Wise is currently working with a private firm to temporarily house students in new off-campus housing developments which will provide 32 additional beds while the College looks at plans to design new on-campus student housing. In light of increased first-year enrollment, this new on-campus housing aims to meet growing housing needs.
“We’re looking at how we will accommodate students this coming fall,” Henry said. “It is an exciting time as we accomplish these things at the college.”
During his presentation, Rudeseal spoke about some successes of the Student Government Association, which include advocating for funding for students to go on research trips and experiential learning opportunities, as well as sponsoring various traditional and new events on campus aimed to connect students with their communities.
Rudeseal also spoke on the current housing situation at the Wise campus, saying that U.Va. Wise leadership has been actively searching for answers to the demand concerning on-campus housing.
“The ability to provide students with a great residential experience relies on the ability to house all students comfortably,” Rudeseal said. “U.Va. Wise senior leadership, the Office of Residence Life and the Student Government Association have remained committed to making sure that our residential students receive the best possible experience that our college can offer them.”
Henry also spoke about updates on intended renovations and additions to the Wise campus. Among these include renovations to Darden Hall in order to accommodate additional programs that the college has added, such as a new data analytics program. Henry said that due to gradual enrollment growth at Wise campus, she sees the need for a new academic building within the next five years, plans for which will be managed over the next year.
As the second Wise student to present to the Committee, Bush gave a presentation on the current state of student and academic affairs at the campus and spoke extensively on numerous examples of student engagement at the College at Wise. She listed events such as costume contests, a Halloween haunted house and the annual lighting of Crockett Hall as evidence of increased participation among the Wise student body.
“There’s something truly special about Wise,” Bush said. “The way students come together as a family, supporting one another through every challenge and success, the sense of camaraderie on our campus is undeniable.”
Rudeseal also spoke on the effects of Hurricane Helene — a hurricane in September 2024 which impacted much of southern Virginia — in his presentation, highlighting instances of the College at Wise’s community coming together to support one another during that time. He said that student groups such as Student Government Association sponsored free dinners for students and professors accommodated student needs during the crisis. Rudeseal also thanked the Charlottesville community and the U.Va. Student Council for passing a resolution which created avenues to donate to regions impacted by the disaster.
“The ability for our two institutions to come together highlights the vision Mr. Jefferson had for higher education — that it should be accessible for all students, no matter the situation,” Rudeseal said.
The next convening of the Board of Visitors will take place June 5-6.
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