Autumn musings on a Summer day
A walk across our campus in early August is a literal definition of the calm before the storm.
Now, we have bright sunshine, warm and humid air, and the stillness of a campus that awaits the return of all of its students. In seemingly no time, we will have bustling activity, Autumn breezes and the excitement that a new Fall semester on a university campus brings.
This Summer prelude has me dwelling on the wonderful ‘storms’ of Autumn to come here at The Woods – our incoming class of new students, the first-ever season of Owls football, new classes, opportunities and excitement – and I couldn’t help but focus on how fortunate we are here at WWU. Certainly when it comes to the national higher education landscape, where private colleges and universities are struggling to maintain or grow enrollment.
Here at The Woods, we will always be innovating and offering programs and opportunities that are truly distinctive. Whether it’s our niche academic programs like Equestrian, ASL or Cybersecurity. Or our long-established but yet growing strength in online education. Or our propensity to add new opportunities, such as our recent, first-ever Ph.D. degree program. Not to mention our explosion in new athletic offerings, highlighted now by football but also including flag football, lacrosse, and wrestling. Plus the high character of our students, and intimate learning environment where the professors know their students personally, and genuinely care about their wellbeing. The list goes on.
This why William Woods is prepared to welcome, for the second straight year, its largest incoming class of new students in school history. It’s why we continue to buck the troubling enrollment trends in national higher education, especially amongst smaller institutions like ours.
In fact, according to a recent report from the Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education, only two of the 25 independent four-year colleges in the state had larger enrollment growth than us in the past two years. William Woods University is the fastest growing four-year institution in Missouri outside of a major metro area. So, when we say The Woods is the “Missouri’s fastest growing small-town university,” we aren’t just making up catchy phrases for a carefree August day.
At William Woods, we hope you share our optimism about the future. In a few short days, our Summer hiatus will end and another auspicious Autumn at The Woods will be upon us!
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Looking back, looking ahead during another April at The Woods
If you remember the mid-1980’s, you might recall the movie “Back To The Future.” It is a delightful film about a teenager named Marty McFly who goes back in time 30 years with the aid of a time machine. While spending some time in the 1950’s, he finds himself struggling to ensure that his own […]
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You’re only as old as you feel
William Woods is marking its 154th year of existence in 2024, which is by all accounts a very big number. But even after a century and a half of operation, there is one thing that will never get ‘old’ here at The Woods: our relentless commitment to student success, both when you are attending WWU […]
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On Giving Thanks
A campus splashed in the spectacular hues of late autumn, accompanied by those breathtaking Midwestern sunsets that fill our skies at an earlier time each afternoon, tells us that mid November has arrived here at The Woods. Which means we have pretty much arrived at the season of giving thanks. If ever there was a […]
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Onward and upward – to new heights!
A few years ago, higher education pundits who spend their time pontificating about trends in the industry were concerned about an oncoming crisis. Based on demographic data, overall enrollment in higher education was headed for a sharp drop, they declared, something that became known as the approaching higher ed enrollment “cliff.” Pretty sobering stuff for […]
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Monumental May
The month of May on our beautiful campus has always been a time of quiet reflection on the academic year just completed, a slower-paced time of serenity after the frenzy of April at The Woods. But let it be forever remembered that here at William Woods in this May of 2023, we chose movement over […]
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The Storm before the Calm
The academic year moves in cycles that may seem as predictable as time itself. Move-In Day, welcoming new and returning students, and the start of fall semester in August. Final exams and the campus going quiet in the dead of winter in December. Spring Break and the first hints of spring in March. Followed by […]
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The Best Teacher
It is hard to believe we are already into our second month of the 2023 Spring semester, but with all the activity of University life – the classes, studying, social interaction, campus events – it is no wonder that many consider the college years to be the fastest of one’s life. Maybe because the total […]
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Now and forever, the most important investment
The start of a fresh new year and the beginning of the William Woods Spring 2023 semester have excitement and optimism written all over them. Of course, our mission of preparing young people for their future careers within the vitality of a college campus lend themselves to such sentiments. Such an environment is what prompted […]
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Clearly, a timely project
With final exams past and the campus slipping into the quiet calm of winter break, I have found myself reflecting on our just-completed Fall semester. A momentous semester, highlighted by a big increase in new student enrollment, exciting expansions of our online programs and academic degree offerings, a new initiative in character and leadership, and […]
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