NEWS

The year 2023 has been extraordinary for the people and campus of Newberry College, with milestones on all fronts. Let's take a look at just some of Wolf Nation's biggest stories from the past year.

A Growing Campus

In August, Newberry surpassed its own enrollment records for the fifth time in the last nine years with an incoming class of 582 students and total enrollment of 1,521. The figure was a 15% increase over fall 2022. One-in-four new students are the first in their families to go to college, and over 40% come from underserved populations. Plus, the graduating class of fall 2023 was the largest in school history, with 91 graduates — 82 bachelor’s- and nine master’s-level. The College has maintained its personal attention and close-knit community, simultaneously pairing its largest-ever enrollment with a student-to-faculty ratio of 13-to-1.

In addition to growing by population, campus itself has seen exponential growth and improvement this year. This fall, the College officially opened the Darby Nursing & Health Science Center (left), along with its adjoining health clinic, the Newberry Medical Center of Newberry College, operated by Newberry County Memorial Hospital and led by nurse practitioner Casey Purcell '14.

In September, the College cut the ribbon on Founders Federal Credit Union Field House, with locker rooms for football, lacrosse and field hockey, coaches’ offices, field-view classrooms and reception areas, along with new east-side stadium seating, revolutionizing the Wolves gameday experience. Also as part of the College's partnership with Founders, the credit union opened its first Newberry branch on campus in Kaufmann Hall.

The College also partnered with Metz Culinary Management transforming campus dining services and bringing two new national brands, Starbucks and Freshens, to Steele Student Center. In another move toward a more student-centered environment, the campus game room was reimagined and reopened in the basement of Wessels Library. The College has also undertaken renovations of historic MacLean Gymnasium, which celebrated its centennial in 2023.

Looking ahead, work has begun on the College's ninth residence hall, Midlands Hall, at the corner of Luther Street and Wolves Way. The 104-bed hall is expected to be ready for occupancy in fall 2024.

Academic Advancements

Two thousand twenty-three has also been a landmark year for academics at Newberry College. Three new undergraduate majors were launched — an online bachelor's in business administration, nutrition, and multi-categorical special education. The College also christened its second and third master's degree programs — an M.S. in sport management & leadership and, just this month, an M.A. in criminal justice. Newberry also launched its prestigious Speech & Debate Team in spring 2023. Shortly thereafter, several members (right) brought home high placements from the South Carolina Speech & Theatre Association’s annual State College Festival Competition (which Newberry College will host in spring 2024).

The College also welcomed three of its five division deans in 2023 — Dr. Jerry Alewine, of Nursing & Health Sciences; Dr. Steven R. McClung, of Business, Communications & Sport; and Dr. Wiebke Strehl, of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. The remaining two — Dr. Bret Clark, of Sciences & Mathematics, and Dr. Susan Fernandez, of Education, were appointed in 2022.

A Newberry College education is designed to help students succeed boldly beyond their college careers, thanks in large part to the high caliber of faculty leading its courses and programs. Numerous members of the faculty have made strides in their respective fields this year, including, but not limited to:

• Dr. Jodie Peeler, professor of communications, who published the first-ever biography of Dave Garroway, original host of NBC's “Today” from 1952-61

• Dr. Len Lawson, assistant professor of English, who published a new book of poetry and was honored by his undergraduate alma mater with its Alumni Professional Achievement Award

• Dr. Philip Jacobs, adjunct instructor of art history, who published a book revisiting the significance of Joseph of Nazareth

• Dr. Sarah Masterson, associate professor of piano and music theory, who won Third Prize in the 2023 Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music. In January, she is set to record more solo piano music for a second album

• Dr. Jonathan Hall, assistant professor of music education, who was recognized by the South Carolina Choral Directors Association with the 2023 Leadership and Service to the Profession Award

Excellence in Athletics

This year has been huge for Newberry athletics. For starters, the Wolves baseball team (left) took the South Atlantic Conference's regular season and tournament championships, won its first-ever NCAA tournament game, and set a new program record for most wins in a season with 42.

Field hockey also enjoyed its best season ever this year. The team racked up a program-high 14 wins before entering the South Atlantic Conference tournament with the No. 2 seed, a bye, and a regular season of 11-3. The historic season came to a close in the semifinals with a 1-0 loss to Limestone.

The Wolves' men's lacrosse team was crowned NCAA Statistical Champion for the spring 2023 season, with a .520 percentage when up a man on the offensive end with 39 extra man goals on 75 attempts. The Wolves also finished the season third in the nation with a .370 shot percentage. The Wolves' season ended with an 11-5 record and a SAC semifinal appearance. This was the first statistical championship in program history.

In November, Newberry's women's triathlon team finished eighth in the NCAA National Championship in Tempe, Arizona, marking the first time in program history in which the Wolves competed at nationals as a complete team.

The College has also launched two new sports — women's acrobatics & tumbling and women’s wrestling — which are both set to begin competition in the 2024-25 seasons.

Affordability & Diversity

In 2023, the Newberry Board of Trustees renewed the College's Tuition Promise, which freezes tuition rates for incoming students at the time of enrollment. In addition to traditional undergraduates, the measure has been extended to students in the College's growing online and graduate programs. The Tuition Promise is one reason why Newberry was once again named No. 1 in South Carolina for least student loan debt per borrower, according to LendEDU.

This year, the College opened the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, and welcomed its inaugural vice president, Dr. Altheia Richardson (right). The College's Board of Trustees also elected its first woman chair, Dr. Lenna Corley Young '77.

Rising as a Regional Leader

In addition to the No. 1 ranking by LendEDU, Newberry has risen in every category in which it is ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Newberry rose to No. 10 among the South's Best Regional Colleges, an all-time high, and rose to No. 3 for Best Value, No. 4 for Social Mobility, and No. 2 among Best Colleges for Veterans.