From College of Wooster to Walla Walla: President Bolton shares memories, looks forward

WOOSTER – Joining at the start of the 2016-'17 school year, Sarah Bolton has been the president of the College of Wooster for the past six years.

In January, she announced plans to leave Wooster at the end of July for a job in Walla Walla, Washington as the president of Whitman College.

As her term comes to an end, Bolton reflects on her time in Wooster and the lessons she has learned. She shares how she saw the college change during her years there and what she hopes to bring with her to Washington.

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Changes to campus buildings, growing diversity at College of Wooster

With students coming to Wooster from roughly 70 different countries, Bolton said, the student population has grown and changed as each student brings their own outlook and the college and community gains as diversity strengthens.

“We've got students from big cities and small towns across the United States, but then also from all around the world,” Bolton said. "So whatever those students are learning … they're thinking together with people whose experiences before college are really, really different.”

As with the people, the campus itself has changed since Bolton's arrival. The Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Science opened in the fall of 2018, bringing growth to the newly added environmental studies major.

The renovations to Lowry Hall, which are set to be completed in August, will bring together “a lot of the services that support students,” Bolton said.

Challenges faced and fought along the way

Her time at Wooster has not been without challenges, Bolton said. Front and center is leading the college through the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw cases rise on campus as recently as the first week of May.

While some students have needed help covering international travel expenses to get home, others looked to the college for help finding a place to stay when they couldn’t get home.

Bolton said the faculty, student body and the IT department worked together to ensure every student, even if in a different time zone or country, could stay connected.

Another challenge that came out of the pandemic was staffing and supply chain issues, which led to several changes within the food services at the college, including bringing in local food providers.

While the decision to turn to an outside vendor was not easy, Bolton is hopeful the new contract with Creative Dining Services, which starts July 1, will benefit the students and staff.

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Looking to her future in Washington

Through all of the challenges, Bolton said, she has enjoyed her time in Wooster and will cherish the memories.

She has loved attending events like the Scott Spirit Days, where clubs and groups meet new students, and the senior capstone projects that usually get presented each spring.

Getting to see the 2020 graduates this spring was a highlight because she and other staff could reconnect and see how they were doing after being in the adult world for two years.

As she begins her cross-country trip to Washington, Bolton said, she plans to keep Wooster in her thoughts and hopes to "Woosterize the west.”

Reach Rachel Karas at rkaras@gannett.com   

On Twitter: @RachelKaras3 

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: College of Wooster President shares memories of time in Wooster