By Jazmine Ramirez
William W. Latimer is the seventh President of Chestnut Hill College. His inauguration took place in late September. There was a week’s worth of events to celebrate the new college president. I sat down with Latimer and spoke to him about the new school year. He said he is happy with the direction the school is going, and he had a lot to say regarding his thoughts on this academic year and his future vision for the college.
One of the biggest changes coming to CHC is the addition of a nursing program starting Fall 2024. There has been a shortage of nurses since the worldwide pandemic.
“This program will be tied in with the Sisters of St. Joseph, and Dr. Susan Apold will run this,” Latimer said. “This is something we are extremely thrilled to have come in the next year. Dr. Apold has much experience and we are happy she is joining the Chestnut Hill Community. She has thought this out in a way where she had to figure out ways to coordinate a professional program.”
Latimer said that ensuring the college’s financial stability is a priority, and increasing enrollment is a key part of that.
“This has already improved from last year,” he said. “The freshman class number from this year has an excessive percentage jump from last year’s class. That number is 21. This means that there was a 21 percent jump in applications this year from last year’s class.”
CHC’s recruitment strategy for increasing enrollment includes targeting student-athletes from Puerto Rico and New York.
Latimer also indicated that increasing enrollment and making the college more financial stable would not involve turning it into Chestnut Hill University.
Patrick McCauley, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies who has been at CHC since 2009, said he loved the idea of increasing the number of student-athletes from Puerto Rico and New York.
“It’s a strange situation where Puerto Rico is not technically a state,” McCauley said. “They don’t get treated correctly as they are technically not a part of the United States. I treat Puerto Ricans like Americans.”
He said CHC’s previous president sought to bring more athletes to campus and wanted to balance the male and female teams for equality.
McCauley said another possibility for student recruitment is France.
“There are so many students from all over the world, which is what Chestnut Hill is,” McCauley said. “This school is great; we do many things other schools don’t. We have the ability to offer students something that no other place can.
“This is an entirely new culture to many people. Coming from a different place brings a different culture to another different culture. You get to understand the differences in the way many people grow up. Someone whose first language is Spanish differs from someone whose first language is English. We are trying something that has already worked, which, when worlds collide, can be a wonderful thing.”
Latimer said CHC is headed in a good direction. While there has been significant turnover in staff and faculty, he said one thing that has not changed is students getting the help they need within classes.
“Here at Chestnut Hill College,” Latimer said, “we celebrate and support the liberal arts college, which is highlighted in the inauguration speech, and I have no desire to change that.”
