Dear West Chester University Students:I want to share some exciting plans to transform our West Chester University campus. Over the next few years, we will invest well over $100 million in facilities improvements: for modern classrooms, labs, and offices; and a geothermal heating and cooling system that will provide sustainable and environmentally friendly energy for generations to come. By investing in your future and the future of the students who will come after you, we will transform WCU from a very good institution to one that is truly exceptional. In the process, both your learning experience and the value of your WCU degree will be enhanced.
You may wonder how West Chester University will pay for these major improvements. The answer is that funding will come from a variety of sources: the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, private donors, and funds set aside for such initiatives. As a student, you will also have a role. This fall, the University will implement a new fee of $150 per semester for all full-time students (prorated for part-time students) to help fund WCU’s vital facilities projects.
The University did not propose this fee lightly or without considering the financial impact on our students and their families. And while we wrestled with these concerns, we ultimately concluded that without the fee, our ability to serve you-our students-would be significantly diminished. I believe that the Student Government Association and other student leaders shared these sentiments when they recently overwhelmingly endorsed the new fee.
WCU already provides exceptional value for the dollar, as evidenced by its ranking in Kiplinger Magazine’s 100 Best Buys in Public Colleges. By the way, the University is the only university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to have garnered this honor. Comparing the University to a flower, one student observed, WCU “just needs a little water to really blossom.” Our improvements in campus facilities and our investment in sustainable energy will ensure that our University reaches its outstanding full potential.
In my first few weeks as WCU president, I have been impressed by the University and its leadership throughout the State System and even the nation. I look forward to continuing that leadership tradition and helping to make your educational experience at West Chester University one of the very best anywhere.
Sincerely,
Greg R. Weisenstein