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Courtney Thompson

Dr. Courtney L. Thompson, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Africana Studies, joined The College of Wooster in Fall 2022. She completed her PhD in American Studies at Purdue University and her BA in English at Hampton University. Before joining the College of Wooster, she was an Associate Professor of American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at The University of the South, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Hamilton College and Dickinson College, and a Visiting Scholar and Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of Houston. Her interdisciplinary training and research draw together the fields of Black (Women’s) Studies, American Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Literary Studies. Her writing has been published in Palimpsest: A Journal on Women, Gender, and the Black International; Women, Gender, and Families of Color; Africology: The Journal of Pan African Studies, Feminist Media Studies; and the International Journal of Africana Studies. She is a proud UNCF/Mellon (Mays Undergraduate) Fellow and alum of the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers.

Peter deSouza

Peter deSouza is the former director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla, India. He is currently a senior research associate at the African Centre for Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (ACEPS) at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. His research interests include exploring conundrums of democracy in India and South Asia, as well as the ‘colonization of the mind’ by the knowledge and governmental practices of the West, both in its colonial history and its after life. He also has a continued interest in the developments of science and technology, especially those that raise ethical questions and have significant societal impacts. Prior to his time at the ACEPS, de Souza served as the D.D. Kosambi Visiting Professor at Goa University from 2020 to 2022, where he had previously served as a professor and head of the Department of Political Science. He also served as co-director and senior fellow of the Lokniti Programme of Comparative Democracy at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Delhi followed by two terms as director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. Here, he developed the Tagore Centre and the International Centre forHuman Development. de Souza has continuously been engaged in issues of the freedom of expression, focusing on the case of the artist M.F. Husain, as well as the affirmative action policies of India and the U.S. and on the place of the university in the global South. de Souza has also served as a consultant to a variety of notable organizations, including UNESCO, International IDEA, the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank, among others. He has published several journal articles and book chapters, including essays in the Economic and Political Weekly and The Indian Forum, and writes opinion pieces for publications such as The Indian Express, The Hindu, Scroll, and Goa Herald.

Deborah McGrady

Deborah McGrady, director of medieval studies and professor of French at the University of Virginia College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, is a specialist of late-medieval French literature and culture. Her work has dealt with key period writers, such as Guillaume de Machaut, the subject of her first monograph, Controlling Readers: Guillaume de Machaut and His Late Medieval Audience (Toronto University Press, 2006, rpt. 2012) and Christine de Pizan, the subject of her first edited collection, Christine de Pizan: A Casebook, co-edited with Barbara Altmann, Routledge Press (2003, rpt. 2016). Interested in the culture of material artifacts, she has explored in her research reader reception, the materiality of texts (from the codex to the digitized text), and the dynamics of literary economies. Her recent book on The Writer’s Gift or the Patron’s Pleasure? The Literary Economy in Late Medieval France (Toronto University Press, 2018) complicates current assumptions about the history of literary patronage through a study of author’s tempered reactions to the royal literary commission at the courts of Charles V and Charles VI of France. She is currently engaged in two book projects that explore new arenas: a monograph on the uses and abuses of Joan of Arc from medieval to modern times and a monograph on the “Poetics of Trauma during the Hundred Years War.” A strong promoter of new scholarship, she also serves as executive editor of Digital Philology: A Journal of Medieval Cultures (Johns Hopkins UP).

Yalman Onaran ’91

Yalman Onaran ’91 is a research content manager at Barclays Investment Bank in New York and serves on the Wooster Alumni Board. Before joining the bank, he was a journalist covering banks worldwide at Bloomberg News. He was covering Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns for Bloomberg when they became the first to fall in the 2008 financial crisis. His first book, Zombie Banks, about the unresolved troubles of the banks in Europe and the U.S., was published in 2012. In his 23 years at Bloomberg, he also opened the financial news organization’s Istanbul and Ankara offices and wrote for its monthly magazine. Before joining Bloomberg, he worked as a correspondent for the Associated Press in the Middle East, covering wars as well as politics and economy in the region. In the early 1990s, his travels in Central Asia culminated in articles chronicling the challenges of the newly independent former Soviet satellite states for the Christian Science Monitor. He majored in economics and sociology at the College of Wooster before getting master’s degrees in journalism and international affairs from Columbia University. A native of Turkey, Onaran became a U.S. citizen in 2009 and lives with his husband and son in suburban New Jersey.

Beatrice Adams

An assistant professor of history at The College of Wooster, Beatrice Adams received her Ph.D. in African American and African Diaspora History from Rutgers-New Brunswick in the spring of 2021. While at Rutgers, she served as a researcher for the Scarlet and Black Project and contributed to three volumes of the project’s award-winning book series. She also served as a researcher for the Rise Up Newark Digital History Project—a public history project that explores the dynamics of the Modern Black Freedom Movement in the urban North. Her book in-progress, “We Might as Well Fight at Home: African Americans Claiming the American South,” examines the experiences of African Americans who remained in and returned to the American South during the Great Migration and the emergence of the New Great Migration. Her research has been supported by the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis, the John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, and the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History and Religion & Philosophical Studies from Fisk University in 2012 and her Master of Arts in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago in 2013.

Elizabeth Castro

Hometown Wooster, OH About Elizabeth Castro recently joined the staff at The College of Wooster in October of 2023 as a bilingual Spanish/English Case […]

Margo ’26

https://youtu.be/frHxEECf_uM

Margo ’26 is a philosophy and classical studies double major and education minor at Wooster. In her free time, she enjoys performing at Covers, hosted by the Goliard and Woo91, as well as Cowbelles, an all soprano and alto acapella group on campus. She also likes to DJ at the studio for Woo91, the colleg- run radio-station sponsored by iHeartRadio. 

Karina ’27

https://youtu.be/GdNY9uMX48c
Karina ’27 is a data science major with a minor in Russian at Wooster and part of the accessibility committee in Scot council. She loves spending time at Common Grounds, which sells amazing drinks such as Italian soda, root beer floats, or any kind of floats you could imagine. Her favorite part of Wooster is the size, which allows her to recognize familiar faces and get to know people more.  

Tioluwanimi ’26

https://youtube.com/shorts/Yn0K4yJyjjo

Tioluwanimi ’26 is an international student from Nigeria who is a biochemistry and molecular biology major and a French and Francophone studies minor. She loves attending student organization meetings, especially the African Student Union and the Wooster Christian Fellowship meetings. She enjoys taking photos around campus and loves reading African literature novels. Her favorite part about Wooster is the sense of community and accessibility of professors.

Ethan ’26

https://youtu.be/Qqfhdjn6uQI

Ethan ’26 is an international student from Belize and an economics major at Wooster. He is a trustee of the Jenny Investment Club and a member of the WOODS club. Ethan spends most of his time doing schoolwork while drinking a smoothie at Knowlton Cafe, and his favorite parts of Wooster are the small class sizes and accessibility of professors. 

Wayne P. Webster, Ed.D (2022-2023)

Wayne Webster served for five years as The College of Wooster’s vice president for advancement beforeassuming the role of interim president in July of 2022. As vice president for advancement, he led the public phase of the record-holding $190 million Wooster’s Promise campaign, which resulted in a state-of-the-art life sciences building and significant endowment growth to help support strategic initiatives. Wooster’s endowment grew by more than $140 million under his leadership. During his interim term, Webster led the successful completion of the $40 million Lowry Center expansion and renovation and worked with donors to establish the first director of campus sustainability. Webster oversaw the restructuring of the Office of Human Resources, instituted new and revised handbooks and employmentpolicies, and mobilized support for a new campus Enterprise Resource Planning system. He was also instrumental in working with students and alumni to create, sustain, and administer the Black Student Equity Fund at Wooster.

Sarah R. Bolton, Ph.D. (2016-2022)

Sarah R. Bolton joined The College of Wooster in 2016 as its 12th president. During her tenure, she invested in every area of the College and built strategic connections across disciplines, teams, cultures, and differences to support the thriving of every student. The “Connect, Create, Discover” strategic plan guided much of the transformation accomplished in her years as president. Sustained strong enrollments and fundraising fueled this work amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bolton’s work built on a history of academic excellence introducing five new interdisciplinary majors in environmental geoscience, environmental studies, education, global media and digital studies, and statistical and data sciences; expanding experiential learning opportunities; supporting strategic new academic pathways and connections; and cultivating a more global and anti-racist community and curriculum.

In addition to continuing to build the internationality and diversity of the student body, staff, and faculty, Bolton collaborated with the community to create Wooster’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategic plan. Under her leadership, Wooster’s endowment performance soared from $263 million to more than $431 million. Bolton stewarded the completion of the record-setting $190-million-dollar “Wooster’s Promise” campaign and led the $40 million renovation of Lowry Center, transforming it into a space that supports community building, leadership development, and Wooster’s commitment to a thriving, diverse community.

Georgia Nugent, Ph.D., L.H.D. 2015-2016 (Interim)

Georgia Nugent, longtime champion of the liberal arts and former president of Kenyon College, was appointed to a one-year position as interim president in 2015, while The College of Wooster conducted a search to replace President Cornwell who accepted a position as president of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. During her term, Nugent led the search for a new vice president of student affairs, rallied support for the “Wooster’s Promise” fundraising campaign, oversaw the replacement of Holden Annex with a beautiful new Brush Hall, launched the “One Wooster” campus community building initiative, and served as the Class of ’16 commencement speaker. In her address, Nugent said, “The concern among Wooster students for social justice and their commitment to the community are the graduate qualities we value most.” Following her remarks, Nugent was presented with an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, for her service to the liberal arts and the College.

Grant Cornwell Jr., Ph.D. (2007-2015)

Grant Cornwell, a professor and chair of philosophy and vice president and dean of academic affairs at St. Lawrence University, became The College of Wooster’s 11th president in 2007. The Senior Research Symposium was created the following year to allow seniors to present their I.S. research through campus-wide presentations, poster sessions, and performances. During Cornwell’s tenure the College renewed its commitments to diversity, sustainability, and vocation. Instrumental in the College’s goal of increased diversity was the Center for Diversity and Global Engagement, which was established in 2009, and the College’s membership in the POSSE foundation. Cornwell held a strong conviction that Wooster needed to be a global college and led a dramatic growth in the numbers of international students and faculty. Cornwell reinforced sustainability commitments when the Scot Center was built in 2012 with solar panels, making it the College’s first LEED-certified building, and a year later the coal burning power plant was replaced with a natural gas boiler. Vocation expanded with the creation of the Center for Advising, Planning, and Experiential Learning (APEX) for academic and career support. He led the campaign for the Ruth Williams Hall of Life Science, which was completed in 2018.

Raleigh Stanton Hales Jr., Ph.D. (1995-2007)

A mathematician by trade, Stan Hales became The College of Wooster’s 10th president after previously serving as the vice president for academic affairs for five years. He first stepped in as interim president on August 1, 1995, and became president for the 1996-97 academic year. Hales’ presidency was a remarkably fruitful time for Wooster. His tenure was marked by substantial financial and physical growth, as the campus transformed with the addition of five new buildings—Longbrake Student Wellness Center, Gault Admissions Center, Burton D. Morgan Hall, Bornhuetter Hall, Gault Manor—and four major renovations, including Kauke Hall, the largest capital project in the school’s history at the time. Known for boundless enthusiasm as well as an unmatched ability to remember people’s names, Hales balanced his administrative responsibilities by embracing the total Wooster experience. He could regularly be found supporting students
in the classroom, on the stage, at the concert hall, and on the playing field. He also found time for his other passion—badminton—as the two-time U.S. men’s singles champion, he served as one of three deputy referees for the badminton competition at the 1996 Olympic Games.

Henry Jefferson Copeland Jr., Ph.D. (1977-1995)

Henry Copeland joined The College of Wooster as an assistant professor of history in 1966, and then a rapid ascent saw him advance to associate professor to associate dean to dean of the faculty to being inaugurated as the ninth president of Wooster October 7, 1977, at the age of 41. A Southern gentleman with an understated style, Copeland guided Wooster during one of its most successful eras, yet he consistently gave credit to others. His 18 years as president saw the adoption of a new academic calendar (semesters, instead of quarters), the introduction of six new majors, which increased commitments in the natural sciences and fine arts, and the first major investment in computing facilities and equipment. The College also flourished financially. The endowment tripled during Copeland’s tenure, and the highly successful “Campaign for Wooster” led to the addition of Scheide Music Center, major renovations of Scovel Hall and Taylor Hall, and a number of other capital projects. He also oversaw the founding of the Ohio Light Opera in 1979 and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) charter in 1984. NCAC was founded on the principles of excellence in academics and athletics and of equity for men’s and women’s sports.

J. Garber Drushal, Ph.D., LL.D., L.H.D. (1967-1977)

J. Garber Drushal, vice president for academic affairs and chair of academic committees, was appointed acting president in 1967, following the death of Howard Lowry, and in April of 1968, was named The College of Wooster’s seventh president. Drushal was successful in handling campus unrest arising from protests against the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. He led the College’s efforts to have a more diverse faculty and student body. In 1969, the Ohio Synod voted to end its formal relationship with Wooster resulting in seniors no longer being required to attend chapel, and a year later, the exemption was expanded to include the entire student population. Campus council also began in 1969, combining the voices of students, faculty, and staff to make recommendations to the administration. Memorial Chapel was replaced with McGaw Chapel in 1971. Also during Drushal’s term, Armington Physical Education Center was completed in 1968, Timken Gymnasium in 1973, and Freedlander Theatre in 1975.

Howard Foster Lowry, Ph.D., Litt. D., LL.D., D.C.L., L.H.D. (1944-1967)

Howard Lowry, a 1923 alumnus, professor of English literature at Princeton
and former head of the English department at The College of Wooster, became the College’s sixth president in 1944, and the first who was not an ordained Presbyterian minister. Lowry’s 23 years of leadership resulted in the construction of 15 new buildings, including Andrews Library which opened in 1962 and the renovation of five more. Independent Study (I.S.) was launched in 1945, and in 1949, became mandatory for all members of the graduating class, according to Lowry, “because every member of the student body is included in the best academic invitation the College has to give.” During Lowry’s tenure, diversity was at the forefront with the hiring of the first African American faculty member and a female medical director. In addition, seven years before Title IX mandated women’s inclusion in athletics, Wooster launched its varsity women’s basketball and field hockey teams in 1965 and the formation of an NAACP campus chapter was created in 1963.

Charles Frederick Wishart, D.D., LL.D., Litt.D., L.H.D. (1919-1944)

Rev. Charles “Prexy” Wishart was inaugurated December 9, 1919, the start of what would become the longest tenure in The College of Wooster’s presidential history. Early in his presidency, he was elected moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA, beating out well-known politician William Jennings Bryan in a bitter election over whether affiliated schools should teach the theory of evolution. During his 25 years at the College, Wishart’s “luminous spirit” helped guide the way through troubling times of the Great Depression and into World War II, and his accomplishments were impressive and wide-ranging. A number of student residences were constructed, including Babcock Hall and Douglass Hall, as were Galpin Hall and Hygeia Hall, and faculty increased by one-third to meet the demands of a growing student population. New degrees in music were conferred, academic programs expanded greatly, the Phi Beta Kappa chapter was formalized, a 24/7 student health service was instituted, the marching band wore kilts for the first time, and an alumni secretary and a news bureau also were established.

John Campbell White, LL.D. (1915-1919)

Rev. John Campbell White, an 1890 alumnus, took over as president of The College of Wooster in 1915, succeeding President Holden who served in the role for 16 years. Like his predecessors, White was an ordained minister, but unlike them, he came with no academic experience, but with a missionary zeal for making a difference in the larger world. He was a College trustee and a member of the search committee for the position the filled. White introduced the Wooster Symphony Orchestra in 1916, which is today one of the oldest town and gown orchestras in the country. As the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, military training for men was substituted for required physical education classes. Fall admissions fell by 28 percent. Coal shortages resulted in an extended Christmas vacation. In 1919, White resigned for an administrative position with the Interchurch World Movement of North America.