WWC President to Return to Teaching
After seven years of service, Walla Walla College President W.G. Nelson has announced he will step down from his position on June 30, 2001.
Nelson plans to return to classroom teaching after a year on sabbatical leave. “I have an increasing conviction that the time is right for me to make this change,” Nelson says.
Nelson, known on campus as “W.G.,” is well-regarded by faculty, staff, and students for his friendliness, integrity, and concern for people.
“W.G. really cares about student needs and is always willing to see things from a student’s point of view. He is very supportive,” says Peter Smith, president of the Associated Students of Walla Walla College.
During his tenure Nelson worked with the college’s Board of Trustees to clarify and strengthen the college’s mission and goals. Initiated through a study conducted by a board-appointed commission, college faculty and staff implemented new programs to address concerns about the religion curriculum, spiritual life programs, and other campus programs. Nelson appointed the college’s first vice president for spiritual life and mission and developed a new spiritual life center.
Nelson has also overseen a physical plant study that is providing the groundwork for an extensive campus renewal project, including a $2 million building project at the WWC Marine Station. The station’s new dining hall, cabins, and other improvements will be completed in May.
Nelson joined WWC in 1994. He was formerly academic vice president and dean of students at Southwestern Adventist College (now Southwestern Adventist University) in Texas.
