Warren Wilson College

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE'S DISTINCTIVE APPROACH TO EDUCATION (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) INTENTIONALLY INTEGRATES ACADEMICS, WORK, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO CULTIVATE CURIOSITY, EMPATHY, AND INTEGRITY. WE EMPOWER GRADUATES TO PURSUE MEANINGFUL CAREERS AND LEAD PURPOSEFUL LIVES DEDICATED TO A JUST, EQUITABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM: MOST PROGRAMS RENDERED ARE RELATED TO PROVIDING STUDENTS FOUR-YEAR LIBERAL ARTS DEGREES COMBINING ACADEMIC STUDY, USEFUL AND PRODUCTIVE WORK, AND SERVICE TO OTHERS BEYOND THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY. THE FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT ENROLLEMNT AT THE COLLEGE DURING THE 2020-2021 ACADEMIC YEAR WAS APPROXIMATELY 648 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. A TOTAL OF 138 STUDENTS (BOTH GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE) GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE DURING THE YEAR. A LOW-RESIDENCY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN CREATIVE WRITING LEADING TO A MASTER OF FINE ARTS DEGREE IS ALSO OFFERED, AND AVERAGES AROUND 75 ENROLLEES. WE ALSO OFFERED ANOTHER LOW RESIDENCY GRADUATE PROGRAM CONCLUDING WITH A MASTER OF ARTS IN CRITICAL CRAFT STUDIES AND AVERAGES AROUND 16 ENROLLEES. THE COLLEGE PREPARED STUDENTS REPRESENTING A BROADLY DIVERSE WORLD FOR SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, AND MEANINGFUL LIFELONG WORK AND STUDY BY OFFERING AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM THAT ENABLES STUDENTS TO THINK CRITICALLY, OBTAIN AND EVALUATE INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY, AND COMMUNICATE CLEARLY, INTRODUCING THEM TO A VARIETY OF WAYS BY WHICH HUMANS ACQUIRE AND USE KNOWLEDGE, AND THAT PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP A BREADTH OF UNDERSTANDING AND TO MAKE CONNECTIONS AMONG AREAS CONSIDERED CRITICAL TO A LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULUM, REQUIRING THAT THEY DEMONSTRATE A DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING THROUGH COMPETENCE IN ONE OR MORE ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES IS THE MAJOR WITH THE LARGEST NUMBER OF STUDENTS, IN KEEPING WITH ANOTHER INSTITUTIONAL OBJECTIVE, THAT OF PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH EDUCATION, CAMPUS OPERATIONS POLICY, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH. THE COLLEGE ALSO FURNISHES STUDENTS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE A VARIETY OF CULTURES, ASSSISTING THEM IN DEVELOPING AWARENESS OF THE COMMONALITY OF HUMAN PROBLEMS AND THE DIVERSITY OF THE WORLD. THE COLLEGE NORMALLY SPONSORS A NUMBER OF STUDY AWAY DESTINATIONS LED BY THE COLLEGE'S FACULTY AND STAFF. THE COLLEGE WAS NOT ABLE TO SPONSOR STUDY AWAY DESTINATIONS LED BY THE COLLEGE'S FACULTY AND STAFF IN 2020-2021 BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. IN ADDITION, WHILE WE NORMALLY SEND APPROXIMATELY 20 STUDENTS ON INDEPENDENT STUDY ABROAD WITH PARTNER INSTITUTIONS OR OTHER U.S. ACCREDITED PROGRAMS WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO SEND 1 STUDENT TO RWANDA DUE TO THE PANDEMIC SITUATION. WARREN WILSON COLLEGE'S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING MODEL LEADS STUDENTS INTO CONSIDERED REFLECTION ON THE MEANING AND VALUE OF WORK AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, GUIDING STUDENTS IN EXAMINING THEIR LIVES AND ARTICULATING THEIR BELIEFS AND VALUES, AND PROVIDES THEM WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONAL, PHYSICAL, MORAL, AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. TOWARDS THESE ENDS, THE COLLEGE ORGANIZED DIVERSE WORK CREWS IN THE COLLEGE WORK PROGRAM DURING THE YEAR, WITH APPROXIMATELY 630 STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE FALL OF 2020 AND 570 STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE SPRING OF 2021--ESTIMATES PROVIDED AS THE PANDEMIC DID HAVE SOME INFLUENCE OVER OUR ABILITY TO FULLY RUN THE PROGRAM UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ANNUAL COLLEGE-WIDE WORK DAY SCHEDULED IN APRIL OF 2021 WAS ALSO INFLUENCED BY THE PANDEMIC. WORK DAY NORMALLY YIELDS PARTICIPATION FROM OVER 250 STUDENTS AND OVER 50 FACULTY/STAFF. THE COLLEGE ALSO PRIORITIZES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS PART OF ITS MISSION. THE STATISTICS FROM THE MOST RECENT YEAR THAT WAS PRE-PANDEMIC (2019) INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INCREDIBLE STATISTICS: 492 STUDENTS COMPLETED 24,297 VOLUNTEER HOURS AT OVER 100 LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES DURING THE YEAR. FOR THE COLLEGE'S ANNUAL SERVICE DAY IN AUGUST 2019, OVER 400 STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF PARTICIPATED AT 23 SITES CONTRIBUTING 2,220 HOURS OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.

PUBLIC SERVICES PROGRAM: THE SWANNANOA GATHERING IS A SERIES OF WEEKLY SUMMER MUSIC WORKSHOPS HELD ON THE WARREN WILSON COLLEGE CAMPUS EACH JULY AND AUGUST. THE ENROLLMENT IS LIMITED, WITH AN OPEN FORMAT, WHICH ALLOWS EACH STUDENT TO SELECT THEIR OWN CURRICULUM FROM A VARIETY OF COURSES WITH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE LEVELS AND ABILITIES. HOUSING AND MEALS FOR PARTICIPANTS IS AN OPTION. THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION HAS ALLOWED 3 HOURS OF TEACHING CERTIFICATE RENEWAL CREDITS, WITH PRIOR APPROVAL, FOR EACH WEEK OF THE SERIES. DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE SERIES WAS NOT ABLE TO BE HELD DURING THE SUMMER OF 2021. TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE SUMMER OF 2020 WERE 1,493, RANGING BETWEEN 134 AND 384 PARTICIPANTS FOR EACH OF THE FIVE WEEKS.