PhD, 2012 Dr. Wes Fugate has served as president of Wilson College since January 2020. Fugate has been serving as the vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA. In this role, he oversees multicultural student services, international student services, spiritual life, orientation, commuter student services, leadership, community service, student activities and traditions, residence life, student conduct, heath services, counseling services, safety and security, and athletics. Wes has also served Randolph College as vice president and chief of staff, secretary of the Board of Trustees, serving as strategic advisor to the president while coordinating the work of the cabinet, managing the operations of the Office of the President and Board of Trustees, and leading the communication, marketing, events, community relations, and government relations functions of the College, as well as interim vice president for enrollment management, where he oversaw the admission and financial aid efforts of the College. Fugate earned a Ph.D. 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 in institutional advancement, and a bachelor’s degree from Centre College in dramatic arts and economics. Fugate 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). 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; advisor to the Interfraternity Council at the University of Georgia; and director of program advancement for Kentucky’s Governor’s Scholars Program, where he successfully solicited the lead gifts for the program’s inaugural endowment campaign. Fugate serves as chairman of the board of trustees for the Phi Kappa Tau Foundation, member of the board of directors for the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, immediate past president of the board of directors for Endstation Theatre Company, and immediate past chair of the board of directors for Lynchburg Beacon of Hope. He is a past treasurer of the board of directors for the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education (NAPAHE), past member of the Association of Governing Boards (AGB) Board Professionals Leadership Group, and a past board member of Kentucky’s Governor’s Scholars Program, the Centre College Alumni Association, Jenny Wiley Theatre and the Kentucky Theatre Association. A frequent presenter on issues in higher education, Fugate is the recipient of numerous recognitions, most recently the Centre College Distinguished Young Alumni Award, and has received many awards for his work as an advisor with students. He has been named to Phi Kappa Tau’s inaugural Phi Tau’s Under 40 and Lynchburg Business’s inaugural Twenty Under Forty. Fugate also was a participant in the Executive Leadership Academy sponsored by the Council for Independent Colleges and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and Advancing to the Presidency by the American Council on Education.
