Letter From the President
Greetings and best wishes from Williamson ,
The 2023-2024 school year proved to be another memorable one , filled with important accomplishments .
We are pleased to report that after nearly ten years of hard work by administrators , faculty , staff , and trustees , Williamson became accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education this summer . Our status is retroactive to the date we became a candidate in June of 2021 . This is a momentous event in Williamson ’ s history . Middle States accreditation provides recognition and validation that our educational programs and practices meet the standards of the accrediting body and are on par with other colleges and universities in the United States . This accreditation greatly benefits our recent graduates , as well as our current and future students . It increases the likelihood that Williamson credits will be accepted at many colleges and universities across the country should our graduates decide to pursue a bachelor ’ s or graduate degree . Special recognition goes to Dr . Todd Zachary , Dr . Susan Waller , Dr . Michelle Williams , Dr . Samuel Wrightson , and Thomas Wisneski for leading this effort , which began with the decision to change our name to Williamson College of the Trades .
For the second year in a row , Williamson enrolled a freshman class of 124 young men – a 22 % increase over its previous freshman class of 101 students . A major step in accomplishing our goal of offering this Williamson opportunity to a larger number of young men was the recent completion of the three-floor , 72-bed , Howley Dormitory . It is named in honor of The Howley Foundation . Founded by Nick and Lorie Howley , the Foundation was the major funder of the construction project . We are so grateful to Nick and Lorie for their dedication to Williamson .
More and more people in the local area and across the country are learning about Williamson and what we are accomplishing here . Helping us spread the word is Kevin O ’ Connor , the host of the popular PBS show “ This Old House .” After a tour of our campus in 2021 , Kevin was so impressed that he saw to it that Williamson was featured on his show in March 2022 . We invited him back to be the keynote speaker at our 131st Commencement this May . His address was truly inspiring to our students . He appreciates Williamson so much that he arrived on campus a day early to get footage for a second five-minute piece which will air in the near future . He also brought us more national attention when he was interviewed by Mike Rowe , TV Host of “ Dirty Jobs ” on his podcast , " The Way I Heard it With Mike Rowe ." Kevin spent several minutes sharing the Williamson story with Mike and his audience . We have a true friend in Kevin , and we are grateful for his advocacy .
For many years , we have believed that Williamson is the best trade school in the country , but it is nice to see others agreeing with us . This spring , the " Philadelphia Inquirer " sponsored a Philly Favorites Contest which named Williamson the best trade / technical school in the Philadelphia region ! Nearly 600,000 votes were cast by people wanting their favorites in the area to be recognized in a variety of categories . We thank everyone who voted for Williamson as the number one trade / technical school .
We are looking forward to this spring when the Construction Technology-Electrical Program will graduate its first class . The freshmen who opened the program in 2022-2023 are ready to begin their senior year . The electrical program has proven to be very popular and we are glad that we were able to add it to our curriculum two years ago .
The Class of 2W4 graduated on May 23 and are now out in the world as Williamson Men , making us proud . Two things stand out about this class — 84 graduated out of the 101 who started , making them the largest graduating class in the 136-year history of Williamson . They are also the class with the highest-ever graduation rate , at just over 83 %. Congratulations and best wishes to these graduates !
Our career fairs continue to be a major part of our success and they attract far more companies than there are seniors looking for employment . At the two on-campus career fairs in 2023- 2024 , 234 companies representing 19 states and the District of Columbia competed to hire Williamson ’ s 84 graduating seniors . With so many employers eager to hire the Class of 2024 , the college remains firmly on track to continue its five-year average employment rate of 98 %. I don ’ t think there is another college in the country that could boast the same results .
At two trade skills showcases this year , our students shined . In the SkillsUSA state competition in Hershey , Williamson
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