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At this moment, Wagner College occupies a unique place in its history. It is nationally celebrated for its undergraduate program, the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts, and for the purposeful integration of theory, professional preparation, and civic engagement.  Fiscally, Wagner College is secured with a respectable endowment, a vibrant national admissions and enrollment profile, and a highly selective acceptance rate. Wagner benefits from an energized alumni base, talented and dedicated faculty and staff, and high-achieving students, all of whom view their college and community with great respect and affection.

Educationally innovative, financially stable, and attracting excellent students from throughout the nation, Wagner College does very well what few others do: It links what students learn and how they learn to where they learn. This achievement comes through the wisdom of its location on Staten Island in New York City and the intentionality of its curriculum. Every year, Wagner students apply what they learn in their classrooms to real-world situations in New York. One of the world’s leading financial and cultural capitals, the city’s rich tapestry is a learning laboratory for Wagner students. And when they graduate, they are well prepared to successfully engage and influence the world around them.

That which Wagner has achieved has attracted national respect.  From the prestigious TIAA-CREF 2005 Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for the most outstanding first-year program in the country and frequent inclusion in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges, to popular citations in the Princeton Reviewfor Most Beautiful College Campus and Best College Theatre, Wagner’s ascent to a position of leadership and innovation is increasingly recognized. The American Council on Education, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Associated New American Colleges, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and the former American Association for Higher Education have all noted Wagner’s emerging excellence.

The future of this gem of a college is in our hands. We can take comfort in our achievements and rest on our laurels – a sure path to mediocrity. Or we can find the resources to leverage these accomplishments, endow them, and further shape this very special college to better serve the students who choose to study here, the faculty who come here to teach, and our alumni who are living what they have learned here in their personal and professional lives. “Putting Wagner First” means deepening teaching and learning, internationalizing our curriculum, and providing the technology and facilities to enhance the excellence and achievement of our graduates.

Blessed with a highly substantive and useful education and dedicated to making a positive difference at work and in their communities, Wagner students are bound for leadership in their careers and in their communities. This is our mission and, today, we all have the opportunity and responsibility to ensure our “Legacy of Excellence and Future of Distinction.”

Richard Guarasci
President