New President Seeks to Make Wabash College a National Model

The 17th president of Wabash College officially begins his tenure today. Scott Feller, who joined the liberal arts college in 1998 as a chemistry professor and later became dean, was named to the position in May and says he wants to shine a spotlight on the Crawfordsville campus. “Certainly we want to be a model for a financially-sustainable liberal arts college that provides an elite education that remains accessible to a wide range of students.”

In an interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Feller talked about the challenges in higher education.

“I think cost is one of them. We like to focus here on value; we want to make sure that students receive the value for what they invest in their education,” said Feller. “We’ve got to keep costs down, but we also have to remind people it’s a tremendous investment, one that pays off really well for young men who come to Wabash College.”

Feller says the college has seen a 100% placement rate for students within six months of graduation, a trend that looks to continue in the current COVID environment.

Feller says the COVID-19 pandemic has been a “punch in the gut” for the campus, but they are adapting to bring students back in the fall.

“We’re adapting our procedures and processes at this college literally from A to Z to reflect the best expertise that we have from public health officials. Our classrooms will be…students will be spread out farther, lots of changes in the dining facilities. All the residence hall bedrooms have been torn apart and reconfigured in new formats that are safe for students.”

The college is in the midst of building its new Little Giant Stadium on the Crawfordsville campus. Feller says work on the football stadium has not been impeded by the pandemic.

“Were still on track to open that football stadium in early September and while there’s a lot of uncertainty around college athletics right now, it’s certainly our hope that we’ll be able to host visitors in the new stadium yet this fall.”