What Matters

The Architecture of OWU's Ascent

Something historic is coming to Ohio Wesleyan this fall.

I want you to hear it from me first, because we need you to be ready.

Higher education faces real headwinds. The market is changing, and many institutions are retreating. But OWU is not managing decline. We are defining a new kind of ascent, one rooted in the needs of our world and the potential of our students.

For three years, our team has worked with focus and urgency to challenge the status quo. We asked ourselves: What is OWU uniquely built to do for students that no other institution can do as well? The answer we found is bold. It's honest. And it stems from the core values we've held since 1842.

This fall, we share it with the world.

I won't reveal the details here. That moment deserves its own stage. But what we unveil is more than a tagline. It is a complete reimagining of how OWU leads in American higher education, grounded in a strategic plan built to last.

Our efforts are yielding unmistakable momentum, and you are seeing the evidence. The largest first-year class in 17 years. Enrollment at a decade high. Resurgent retention and graduation rates. Record philanthropic investment. The Milligan Library. The Palmer Center. The Smith Center. The Conrades School of Engineering. A partnership to transform OWU into Ohio's top campus for solar energy production. The list goes on.

Our vision and these wins are breathing new life into our longunderappreciated motto: "In your light, we shall see the light." Too many colleges treat education as a transaction based on a 17-year-old's best guess about their interests. OWU believes college is a transition from curiosity into conviction and from possibility into purpose. We teach students how to continually discover their own light— their purpose—so they can shine for others. In other words, self-discovery is not a luxury; it is the essential first step to a life of consequence and the ultimate tool to serve humanity in an unpredictable world.

The alumni stories in this issue prove it. They majored in one thing and built careers in another. They didn't let a major define them; they defined themselves. Their OWU experience lit a fire that carried them forward in ways they never anticipated.

In your light, we shall see the light.

This fall, when we share our message with the world in characteristically bold fashion, I invite you to champion it. Share it with a prospective student. Tell a family navigating the college search. Post it. Talk about it.

As living proof of the light we promise, you are OWU's most credible voice. This uniquely pivotal moment in our university's history deserves everything we have.

This fall, let's shine together—for OWU, for each other, for the world.

Matt vandenBerg
President, Ohio Wesleyan University
Facebook: mattpvandenberg