President Vivia Fowler sits in her office.

 

Wesleyan Circle logo with a W and the date of 1836.

Wesleyan's 25th President,

Dr. Vivia L. Fowler

Served as Wesleyan President (2017-2022)

Dr. Vivia Lawton Fowler began her tenure as Wesleyan’s 25th president on July 1, 2017, after serving the College for ten years, first as academic dean and then as provost. Fowler brings to the position more than thirty years of experience in higher education, specifically at women’s colleges. Fowler is Wesleyan’s third female president and the first female ordained United Methodist minister to hold the office.

Following her graduation from Columbia College in South Carolina, a United Methodist-affiliated college (a women’s college until very recently), Fowler earned her master of arts in religion at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and worked as a minister in two UM churches in Columbia and Orangeburg. She returned to her alma mater as a teacher and there discovered her call to the ministry of education. “My great joy as a higher education administrator is seeing the transformation that our students so often experience as a result of being in the unique environment provided by a small liberal arts college.” She earned her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of South Carolina. 

Fowler said, “The women’s college experience is truly transformational for many students. They graduate with confidence and with a level of interpersonal and academic maturity that makes them stand out in their graduate programs and careers. And our alumnae are doing remarkable things in their communities and professions, so I am gratified to see the outcomes of our work manifested for decades after the students graduate.”

As provost, Fowler was instrumental in initiating Wesleyan’s bachelor of science in nursing program, minors in equine-assisted therapy, sport management, forensic science, organizational behavior, and a bachelor of fine arts in art. Fowler also had a key role in institutionalizing Wesleyan’s commitment to bringing together students’ liberal arts studies with preparation for life after Wesleyan. The resulting “From Here to Career” initiative means “our students will stand head and shoulders above their competitors when they apply for graduate school and employment.”

“The wonderful part about women’s higher education is that we believe women can be successful in any field with proper academic and professional preparation, hard work, and perseverance. Women are finally finding a seat at the table, and we need more women on community boards and agencies, both volunteer and elected,” she said. 

Being president of one of fewer than 35 remaining women’s colleges in the United States presents challenges, but Dr. Fowler sees a unique opportunity to distinguish our institution as a beacon for women’s leadership and education. “When I talk with prospective students, I urge them to do themselves a favor for four years – to study at a place where we believe in them, where women are the student, athletic, and academic leaders, where they can learn from and work alongside women leaders, where their mentors will be women, where their confidence can grow.”  

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