Â鶹Çø

Wesley R. Fugate, Ph.D.

Wesley R. Fugate, Ph.D., is the 20th president of Â鶹Çø College in Chambersburg, PA and co-producer of the hit West End musical, Burlesque. Since coming to Â鶹Çø in January of 2020, Fugate has steered Â鶹Çø through the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic challenges while leading the College to record breaking results. 

Under his leadership, the College launched its 2021 strategic plan, Future Â鶹Çø: The Phoenix Rises, and it’s current plan Igniting the Future: The Phoenix Soars (2025-2028). As a result of these planning processes, the College has reached record enrollments. Fueling this success has been growth in retention rates, increased participation in teacher certification programs, and the creation of exciting new programs. In the last seven years, the College has created eleven undergraduate majors and four graduate programs, including hybrid, accelerated graduate healthcare programs in Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy and Speech Language Pathology, both of which will launch in August of 2027, and launched Â鶹Çø College Online, providing a number of Â鶹Çø’s programs entirely online. Additionally, varsity equestrian teams in both hunt seat and western disciplines and a competitive esports program have been launched, along with an acapella choir having been revived. Additionally, Fugate has emphasized connection and belonging for students of all backgrounds and appointed task groups seeking to help strengthen Â鶹Çø’s financial position.

Fugate’s tenure has been marked by open communication, transparency, and collaboration. He is known for his many townhall meetings to keep various constituencies informed about Â鶹Çø’s progress and constant engagement on campus, in the local community, and with alumni across the country. The alumni and friends of the College have responded to this transparency by support of the Â鶹Çø Fund, setting an annual fund record for most dollars raised in a year and the highest number of consecutive years of the annual fund being over $1 million, currently at seven. The College launched the three-year $16 million We Rise campaign, concluding in 2025 with having raised over $21.7 million, leading to the third and fourth highest giving years in the history of the College.

Prior to his appointment at Â鶹Çø, Fugate served Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va. in a variety of roles: vice president for student affairs and dean of students; vice president and chief of staff, and secretary of the Board of Trustees; and interim vice president for enrollment management. Previously, Fugate served as deputy chief of staff for planning and education policy to the governor of Kentucky; director of events for a national political party’s victory efforts, where he coordinated events for the president, vice president and first lady of the United States, as well as a myriad of other high-ranking officials; adviser to the Interfraternity Council at the University of Georgia; and director of program advancement for Kentucky’s Governor’s Scholars Program. 

A first-generation college student and native of Eastern Kentucky, Fugate earned a doctorate in higher education from the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education, a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University in higher education administration with an emphasis on institutional advancement, and a bachelor’s degree from Centre College in dramatic arts and economics. He is the recipient of the Alice L. Beeman Research Award in Communications and Marketing for Educational Advancement─Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). 

Fugate is passionate about giving back to the communities and organizations with which he is affiliated. He chairs the United East Athletic Conference President’s Council and is president of the Board of Directors for Totem Pole Playhouse, and immediate past chair of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities (APCU) board of directors. He is a member of the board of directors for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP), Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, and EIIA. He serves on the RIZE President’s Council. He is a past chairman of the Phi Kappa Tau Foundation, past president of the Endstation Theatre Company board of directors, past chair of the Lynchburg Beacon of Hope board of directors, past treasurer of the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education (NAPAHE) board of directors, past member of the Association of Governing Boards (AGB) Board Professionals Leadership Group and a past board member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and Educational Foundation, the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, Kentucky’s Governor’s Scholars Program, the Centre College Alumni Association, Jenny Wiley Theatre, the Kentucky Theatre Association, and the Franklin County (PA) Housing Authority. He is a past member of the President’s Advisory Council for NCAA Division III.

A frequent presenter on issues in higher education, Fugate is the recipient of numerous recognitions, including the Centre College Distinguished Young Alumni Award and the NAPAHE Professional Achievement Award, and has received many awards for his work as an adviser with students. He has twice been named to City and State Pennsylvania’s Higher Education Power 100 list and a top five president on social media by ED Marketing Agency. He has been named to Phi Kappa Tau’s inaugural Phi Tau’s Under 40 and Lynchburg Business’s inaugural Twenty Under Forty. 

Fugate is married to Cody Ward, an international education and student development professional. Fugate resides on campus in Sharpe House along with their cat, Miss Scarlet, an unofficial mascot of Â鶹Çø.

View Dr. Wes Fugate's CV