Wyoming Seminary - in The Present

In The Present

Wyoming Seminary's president, the 11th of the school, is Dr. Kip P. Nygren, a retired West Point professor and multi-decade military leader who was elected Sem President in November 2006 and assumed his duties on July 1, 2007. Nygren's formal installation as president in September 2008 was attended by then-Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell who delivered an address at the ceremony. The current Chair of the Board of Trustees is attorney Richard M. Goldberg, appointed to the position in June 2012. The Dean of the Upper School is 1980 Sem graduate and faculty veteran Jay Harvey, who assumed his duties as interim dean on June 7, 2010 and was installed as Dean on December 13, 2010.

80% of Upper School graduates are accepted to colleges in the "competitive" to "most competitive" range. 98% of those who graduate from Sem successfully graduate college. 51% of students' families earn financial aid. 44% of teachers at the Lower School hold master's degrees compared to 51% at the Upper School. 13% of Upper School teachers hold doctorates while two percent of Lower School teachers also hold doctorates.

The average size for an Upper School course is 14 students. At WSUS, there are 39 classes offered in math and science and 76 classes offered in the humanities. The Upper School offers, in total, over 160 courses, including 25 Advanced Placement classes, more than most public or private schools in the United States. WSUS hosts more than 80 international students every year from over 20 countries and students from 15 different states.

Nearly 300 students at the Upper School become involved in the performing arts at Sem and 86% of students participate in at least one sport. 700 WSUS football players have played college football over the last 30 years. The Upper School field hockey team has seen 17 undefeated seasons and has won five PIAA state championship titles, including as recently as 2011 when they won the state title for the second consecutive year, the first back-to-back state championships in Sem field hockey history. The WSUS boys' basketball team won their division title four consecutive times, including as recently as 2010. The Upper School wrestling team has won the Pennsylvania Prep State Tournament five years in a row.

The Upper School's Mock Trial Team's teacher coach is history teacher Adam Carlisle. Attys. Neil and Cathy O'Donnell, Atty. Frank Brier, and Atty. Dick Goldberg are attorney coaches. Latin teacher Justin Naylor is an assistant teacher coach. In 2010 and 2011, the team received numerous distinctions, including, in 2011, winning the state championship and placing sixth in the national championship.

Since 1979, the Upper School's 19th century buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 2006, portions of the Upper School campus have undergone a large-scale renovation, with the housing facilities of Swetland, Darte, and Fleck Halls renovated on the otuside, the Kirby Library (on the second floor of the Stettler Center) renovated, a brand new third floor introduced in Sprague Hall, the construction of Klassner Field for field hockey and lacrosse games, the construction of the O. Charles Lull Tennis Center, and a brand new first floor of the Lower School.