washington and lee university johnson scholarship program 2014 annual report
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Washington and Lee University Johnson Scholarship Program 2014 Annual ReportTRANSCRIPT
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The Johnson Scholarship Program
2014 ANNUAL REPORTIntroducing the Class of 2018
WASHINGTON AND LEEU N I V E R S I T Y
Lexington, Virginia 24450-2116
The Johnson scholarship program has drawn widespread attention to Washington and Lee
from the world’s top student leaders. The 5,801 students who applied for admission represent-
ed 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and
98 countries. In its academic record, citizenship and leadership experience, the 472-member
Class of 2018 is among W&L’s most accomplished—thus far.
The following pages introduce the newest Johnson Scholars, whose personal stories, accom-
plishments and aspirations set them apart as leaders within W&L’s distinguished first-year
class. Other updates in this year’s Annual Report include exciting plans for the physical spaces
of W&L’s campus, as well as news about the two Johnson professorship holders, the Johnson
Lecture Series and last summer’s Johnson Opportunity Grant recipients, whose summer expe-
riences were as remarkable as they were varied.
— the 2014 johnson scholarship program —
A STATUE OF A TOGA-CLAD GEORGE WASHINGTON (known
affectionately as “Old George”) was carved by
Lexington craftsman Matthew Kahle in 1844
from a log found floating in the nearby Maury
River. It stood atop Washington Hall until
1990, when it was replaced with a replica for
preservation purposes. Visitors can view the
original in W&L’s Leyburn Library.
4
WASHINGTON AND LEE IS MAKING BIG PLANS to improve housing
choices for upper-class students and to ensure that all first-
year students, sophomores and juniors will live on-campus in
University housing.
The new residence halls will be located in a new campus
neighborhood with apartment-style housing designed specifi-
cally for upper-class students. They will emphasize indepen-
dent living, but will preserve and enhance the close-knit,
residential character of W&L.
Only a short walk from the central campus, the new neighbor-
hood will include common green spaces, dining options and
gathering spaces indoors and out, as well as areas for outdoor
activities and recreation. Individual units will probably include
four to six single bedrooms with full kitchens.
The University will also build a new, state of the art natatorium
as part of the new housing neighborhood. With a 25-meter
stretch pool plus diving well, this part of the project is an initial
step toward the planned total renovation of W&L’s indoor
athletic and recreation facilities. Collectively these projects
represent the University’s ongoing commitment to ensuring its
students enjoy the highest quality residential experience.
Brett BeckerCamp Hill, Pa.Trinity High School
Benek BolohanRaleigh, N.C.Millbrook High School
Frances AbbottHalifax, Va.Chatham Hall
Steven AllenKings Mountain, N.C.Gaston Day School
William ArchieKinston, N.C.Arendell Parrott Academy
Michael BarryNorthport, N.Y.Northport High School
ARTIST’S RENDERING of the new apartment neigh-
borhood for upper-class students, planned for
construction soon
THE NEW UPPER-CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD on campus will include spaces
for dining and gathering, plus a state-of-the-art natatorium.
5
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OVERALL, THE CLASS OF 2018 includes 157 presidents of major
student organizations, 65 class or student body presidents
or vice presidents, 64 publication editors, 241 varsity team
captains, and 31 who are the first in their families to attend
college. These traditional accolades only hint at the qualities
of curiosity and diligence evident in this class made up of
independent thinkers and conscientious citizens.
Alice Elisabeth BradfordBirmingham, Ala.Altamont School
Matthew BrysonTucson, Ariz.University High School
David CarsonRoanoke, Va.Patrick Henry High School
Stephanie ChungGoodyear, Ariz.Millennium High School
Kendyll CoxenRedington Shores, Fla.Seminole Senior High School
Andrew CuthbertPetersburg, Va.Collegiate School
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Rachel GallagherGrand Junction, Colo.Grand Junction High School
Justin GilletteNaperville, Ill.Naperville Central High School
Thomas GristLexington, Va.Rockbridge County High School
Courtney HauckBeaverton, Ore.International School of Beaverton
Claire HoffertTwo Harbors, Minn.Two Harbors High School
Shlomo HonigWest Bloomfield, Mich.Walled Lake Northern High School
Ralston HartnessChattanooga, Tenn.McCallie School
Kiera JudgeLandenberg, Pa.Kennett High School
CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW CENTER
FOR GLOBAL LEARNING at Wash-
ington and Lee University is
underway and on schedule for
completion prior to the 2016
academic year.
The $13.5 million facility, con-
necting 8,600 renovated square
feet of existing duPont Hall with
17,700 square feet in a new
building, will house classrooms,
seminar rooms and instructional
labs. It will feature an atrium,
garden, courtyard and interna-
tional tea shop to encourage
student and faculty interaction
and provide a venue for special
events and exhibits.
In addition to spaces for learn-
ing and gathering, the center
will contain W&L’s foreign lan-
guage departments, offices for
visiting international scholars
and the Office of International
Audrey DanglerEasley, S.C.Easley High School
Dana DrozLancaster, Pa.Veritas Academy
Nicole EldredAnchorage, AlaskaSouth Anchorage High School
Rowan FarrellBerea, Ky.The Culver Academies
ARTIST’S RENDERING of the new Center for Global Learning, slated
for completion in 2016
THE GIFT THAT ESTABLISHED THE JOHNSON
PROGRAM FOR LEADERSHIP AND INTEGRITY also
established two endowed professorships
at Washington and Lee.
Professor Jeffrey Shay is Johnson Professor
of Entrepreneurship and Leadership in the
Williams School of Commerce, Economics,
and Politics. As director of the J. Lawrence
Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship, Shay has built several signature
programs for the center that capitalize on W&L’s successful integration
of business education with traditional liberal arts disciplines.
7
Kiera JudgeLandenberg, Pa.Kennett High School
Juliana KeelingGlen Allen, Va.Mills E. Godwin High School
Julie MaloneTwin Falls, IdahoTwin Falls High School
Tara LougheryRoanoke, Va.Hidden Valley High School
Maren LundgrenBillings, Mont.Skyview High School
William McMurtryFt. Wright, Ky.Covington Catholic High School
Alexandra MeilechPhoenix, Ariz.Sunnyslope High School
Professor Nicolaas Rupke is Johnson
Professor of Leadership and the His-
tory of Ideas in the College. A native of
Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Rupke was
trained in earth sciences at Groningen and
in marine geology at Princeton University.
An expert on the history of science, Rupke
recently organized an international sym-
posium that took place on the Washington
and Lee campus entitled Historical Myths About Science. The papers
presented at the gathering will compose a book tentatively titled
“Newton’s Apple and Other Historical Myths about Science.”
Education. Groundbreaking
technologies planned for the
center will connect Washington
and Lee with other students and
faculty around the world and at
its university partners abroad.
The center will be the physical
manifestation of the university’s
strategic plan for international
education. It will reach beyond
the traditional study-abroad,
internship and faculty research
opportunities that already ex-
ist at W&L to integrate global
learning more fully into the edu-
cation of all students. Currently,
about half of the student body
studies abroad or performs
an international internship.
Research takes professors and
students overseas, and stu-
dents representing citizenships
in 58 countries attend W&L.
Rebecca MorrisNashville, Tenn.Harpeth Hall School
Rebecca OrsakBellaire, TexasBellaire High School
ARTIST’S RENDERING of the public courtyard of the new Center for Global
Learning, slated for completion in 2016
8
OF THE 2,954 APPLICANTS FOR THE JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP, 177
were selected as finalists on the basis of their potential to
contribute to the intellectual and civic life of the Washington
and Lee community and to the world at large. Factors
weighed included the academic record, writing samples,
teacher references, and records of leadership, citizenship
and involvement in non-academic activities. The finalists
were invited to campus for interviews with faculty, student
leaders and administrators; their selection was truly a group
effort. Our entire community welcomes them to W&L.
Jerry SchexnayderMyrtle Beach, S.C.Myrtle Beach High School
Jared ShelyLexington, Ky.Henry Clay High School
Bowen SpottswoodPoint Clear, Ala.Bayside Academy
Michael SullivanLaurel, Md.Reservoir High School
Karishma PatelHighlands Ranch, Colo.Mountain Vista High School
Kristen PhlegarMount Pleasant, S.C.Academic Magnet High School
Ram RavalVirginia Beach, Va.Princess Anne High School
William RixeyMorehead City, N.C.West Carteret High School
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Sierra TammNaples, Fla.Palmetto Ridge High School
Amanda WahlersPhoenix, Ariz.Cortez High School
Linden WalusGlen Allen, Va.John Randolph Tucker High School
Mary WelchCharlotte, N.C.Charlotte Latin School
Jonathan WilliamsCincinnati, OhioElder High School
Chase WonderlicLibertyville, Ill.Libertyville High School
JOHNSON LECTURE SERIES
EVERY YEAR, THE JOHNSON ENDOWMENT brings to W&L national
and international leaders in business, politics, science, art
and the humanities to discuss issues of importance. Through
the Johnson program, W&L has hosted prize-winning
writers, experts on the economy, prominent public servants,
successful entrepreneurs, actors and luminaries from other
fields, including:
Jane Goodall (pictured above), United Nations Mes-
senger of Peace and global leader in chimpanzee
research and conservation efforts
James Moore, internationally noted expert on Charles
Darwin and professor of the history of science at the
Open University in England
Alan Guelzo, renowned scholar of Abraham Lincoln
and professor of Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg
College
In addition, the Johnson endowment supports several
other events and symposia at W&L:
The international Myths in Science symposium, hosted
by W&L in 2014
A symposium hosted by W&L’s School of Law explor-
ing the Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme
Court
The annual W&L Entrepreneurship Summit
The biennial W&L Science, Society and the Arts
research conference
Kristen PhlegarMount Pleasant, S.C.Academic Magnet High School
William RixeyMorehead City, N.C.West Carteret High School
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Victoria Andrews ’15Atlanta, Ga.Majors: art history, biochemistry Victoria accompanied Melissa
Kerin, assistant professor of art
history at W&L, to Tibet as a re-
search assistant documenting the
use of Tibetan Buddhist shrines.
She documented activities at
the shrines through observation,
photography and interviews, and
she observed striking differences
between life for people inside and
ouside the Tibetan Autonomous
Region.
— johnson opportunity grants—
In 2014, 27 rising juniors and seniors received Johnson Opportunity Grants to support internships
and independent research projects across the country and around the world. Their interests ranged
as widely as their destinations.
Thomas Bednar ’15Chapmansboro, Tenn.Majors: economics, politics
Thomas interned at the Bureau of
European and Asian Affairs in the
Office of Political and Regional
Affairs in Washington, D.C. He got
firsthand experience with the press-
ing matters that the United States
faces in international affairs, and he
learned about the workings of the
State Department, where he intends
to pursue a career in international
affairs as a Foreign Service officer.
Michael Bronstein ’15Canton, Mass.Major: psychology
Michael spent
the summer as a
research assistant
helping to design
and implement
original research in
the Department of
Psychology at the
University of Michigan. He assisted
Dr. Bill Gehring, who is a leader in
the field of clinically relevant electro-
physiology research and is Michael’s
first choice as a graduate school
mentor.
Betsy Cribb ’15Charleston, S. C.Majors: art history, journalism Betsy accompanied Melissa Kerin,
assistant professor of art history
at W&L, to Tibet as a research
assistant on the materiality of
Tibetan Buddhist shrines. Cribb
collected information about
devotees’ engagement with the
shrines through observations
and interviews, analyzed the
materials used on the shrines,
and documented activities at the
shrines.
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Caroline Crichlow-Ball ’15Austin, TexasMajors: psychology, sociology
Caroline interned with Dr. Philip
Pate, a forensic psychologist in
Winchester, Va., who evaluates sex
offenders for trial and conducts
capacity interviews of parents whose
children have been removed by so-
cial services. As a forensic assistant,
she conducted background research,
reviewed intake forms, observed
client interviews, administered and
scored psychological tests, reviewed
evaluations, wrote reports and com-
municated with attorneys and social
services.
Stephanie Do ’15Hanoi, VietnamMajors: accounting and business administration, East Asian language and literature
Stephanie interned at one of the
world’s largest accounting firms,
in Ho Chi Minh City in southern
Vietnam. In addition to gaining
auditing skills, Do and her fellow
interns attended a pitch competition
to propose an original business idea
useful to the Vietnamese people in
their daily lives. Stephanie and other
interns also participated in local
community service projects.
Bailey Ewing ’15Dallas, TexasMajor: accounting and business administration
Bailey spent the summer in Denmark
working for Deloitte’s Denmark
Corporate Social Responsibility
team. She researched how not-for-
profit organizations that receive time
and products from corporations can
translate those donations into accu-
rate market values on their financial
statements. This will enable them
to gain larger sums of state sup-
port, which is allocated to non-profit
organizations that can demonstrate
public support.
Shelby Flores ’15Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.Majors: economics, Spanish Minor: Latin American and Caribbean studies
Shelby had a 10-week summer
internship at the U.S. Embassy in
Mexico City, Mexico, through the
U.S. Department of State Student
Internship Program. Her duties were
primarily research-based, including
reviewing and analyzing the effect
of Mexican tourism on the United
States, compiling data on E-visas and
mapping the interagency coordina-
tion procedures in Mexico City to
create a summary of best practices.
Liam Gaziano ’16Dedham, Mass.Major: biochemistry
Liam was a visiting student at the
Stroke Prevention Research Unit,
Nuffield Department of Clinical
Neurosciences at the University of
Oxford, England. The unit is regarded
as one of the most productive stroke
Christina Cheadle ’16 Escondido, Calif.Majors: anthropology, art history
Christina was selected through a
competitive process to be a U.S.
delegate to the 66th Japanese-
American Student Conference.
She joined 72 other students—36
Americans and 36 Japanese—at
the month-long, student-led pro-
gram focusing on Japanese-Amer-
ican relations. The conference
alternates each year between
Japanese and U.S. cities. This
year it was held in Des Moines,
Iowa; San Francisco, Calif.; New
York, N.Y., and Washington, D.C.
research groups in the world. Liam worked
on a number of research projects, including
a large-scale study of the feasibility, safety
and effectiveness of Bluetooth home tele-
metric blood pressure monitoring in stroke
victims.
Lindsay George ’16York, Pa.Majors: English, art history Minor: Latin American and Caribbean studies
Lindsay spent the summer in Costa Rica at
the Academia de Español in Nicoya, a Span-
ish-language immersion school. Nicoya is
a small village near the Guatemalan border
and offers minimal interaction with tourists.
She took intensive language instruction in
the mornings and in the afternoons interned
at different businesses. She also worked as
a teacher’s assistant in a local elementary
school.
Ellen Gleason ’15Santa Barbara, Calif.Majors: politics, economics
Ellen interned in the finance department of
the Democratic National Committee. Day-to-
day work included organizing and planning
large-scale fundraising events, maintaining
the DNC’s database of donors, and promot-
ing and staffing events. She also attended
weekly brown bag events with senior staff
members to learn about various positions
available in politics.
Phil Kong ’15Downey, California (and a native of South Korea)Majors: geology, biochemistry
Phil explored the geochemistry of volcanic
samples from the Cascade Mountain Range
on the west coast of the United States. He
then sent the samples to Washington State
University’s geo-analytical laboratory for
X-ray fluorescence analysis to provide ac-
curate data to characterize the lavas in the
volcanoes.
Kiril Krendov ’16Sofia, BulgariaMajors in business administration, East Asian languages (Chinese concentration)
Kiril interned at Pearl Consulting in Zhuhai,
China, through the program InternChina.
During his three-month stay, he learned
about different aspects of finance. Subject
matter included mergers and acquisitions,
initial public offerings, share listings of
Chinese companies in the United States,
foreign currency exchange rates, financial
forecasting and financial modeling.
In addition to taking one-on-one Chinese
language classes, Kiril stayed with a local
family and immersed himself in Chinese
culture.
Grace Lee ’15Boca Raton, Fla.Major: biochemistry Minor: poverty and human capability studies
Grace served as a volunteer in Cameroon in
three different medical placements arranged
by the nonprofit organization Love Volun-
Adele Irwin ’15Essex Fells, N. J.Major: biology Minor: creative writing
Adele joined Lisa Greer, associate pro-
fessor of geology at W&L, on a trip to
Belize to collect live samples of endan-
gered corals for analysis and carbon
dating. Their aim is to determine why
endangered corals are thriving at the
research site while they are declining at
most other reefs in the Caribbean.
12
Alejandro Paniagua ’16San José, Costa RicaMajors: business administration, environmental studies
Through the School for Field Studies, Ale-
jandro lived for a month in the rainforest
of northeastern Queensland, Australia,
conducting research on a form of biologi-
cal pest control targeting the cane toad
population on sugar cane plantations. He
explored whether the amount of rainfall
affects the efficacy of using parasitic
lungworms as a means of controlling the
population of this invasive toad.
teers. She gained experience in a variety of
hospital activities and accompanied medi-
cal personnel into rural communities for
outreach programs to educate local people
about sanitation, hygiene and nutrition and
to provide first aid for small injuries.
Brittany Lloyd ’15Abington, Pa.Majors: English, sociology/anthropology
Brittany did an internship with the Native
American Land Conservancy in Southern
California, which aims to protect endan-
gered Native American sites. She also
participated in original research on different
linguistic aspects of local Native American
sacred sites and worked with the Learn-
ing and Healing Landscapes program to
promote understanding about sacred Native
American sites.
13
Daphine Mugayo ’15Kampala, UgandaMajors: biochemistry, economics Minor: poverty and human capability studies
Daphine participated in two different intern-
ships, both focused on the field of public
health. Through W&L’s Washington Term
Program, Daphine worked for Senator Tom
Harkin of Iowa, chair of the Senate Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions. Later she worked in the Baylor
College of Medicine’s Summer Medical and
Research Training program doing oncology
research. Together, the experiences allowed
Daphine to explore her own aspirations for
a career in medicine while learning about
public policy in the field of public health.
Austin Pierce ’15Yorktown, Va.Majors: economics, philosophy, East Asian languages and literature
Austin attended the prestigious summer
linguistics program at Leiden University, The
Netherlands, and studied Old English, the
Caucasian language Avar and two Indo-
Iranian languages—Ossetic and Old Persian.
He intends to pursue a degree in law and
global affairs.
Eric Schwen ’15Cottage Grove, Minn.Major: physics
Eric attended two international physics confer-
ences. The Condensed Matter Conference in
Paris, jointly organized by the French Physical
Society and the European Physical Society,
covered a wide range of topics in condensed
matter physics. The International Conference
on Mathematical Modeling in Physical Sciences
in Madrid focused on scientific applications of
mathematical modeling. Each conference had
a wide selection of invited speakers, includ-
ing some of the most respected researchers in
condensed matter and statistical physics.
Scott Sugden ’15Circle Pines, Minn.Majors: English, biology
Scott conducted independent primary research
of William Wordsworth’s papers held by The
Wordsworth Trust in England’s Lake District.
The trust is an independent charity that houses
Wordsworth’s manuscripts donated to the trust
by his descendants in 1935. They include the
published and unpublished versions of Word-
sworth’s poetry with revisions in his own hand,
which allowed Scott to examine revisions that
Wordsworth made to some of his works and to
analyze how he revised them.
14 15
Anh Ta ’16Hanoi, Vietnam Majors: accounting, economics
Anh spent two months in Shanghai, China,
as an intern with FTI Consulting, a global
business consultancy firm, through the
Shanghai Summer Internship program of
CIEE, a non-profit organization. Participants
were required to speak Chinese as much as
possible.
Katherine Uhlir ’16Boulder, Colo.Major: English
Katherine extended her Spring Term course,
Shakespeare in Performance, serving as re-
search assistant to Holly Pickett, associate
professor of English at W&L. She assisted
with research into sensual perception of
idolatry in early modern English drama, fo-
cusing on archival research and the study of
relics in the context of early modern drama.
Joy Putney ’16Fairfax, Va.Majors: physics-engineering, biology
Joy conducted research at the Auckland Bio-
engineering Institute in New Zealand into
effective signal processing and modeling of
gastrointestinal (GI) electrical activity. Her
specific project involved understanding the
physiological basis behind the propagation
of spike waves—a type of GI activity that
occurs in the small intestine.
Tierney Wolgemuth ’16Lancaster, Pa.Major: biochemistry Minor: Latin American and Caribbean studies
Tierney volunteered at a health clinic in
Cordoba, Argentina, assisting doctors in
giving personal care and vaccines.
Andrew Watson ’15Great Falls, Va.Major: biology Minor: classics
Andrew undertook a 500-mile journey on
foot along the traditional pilgrimage route
Camino de Santiago, which winds through
France and northern Spain. It was first popu-
larized by medieval pilgrims traveling to visit
the tomb of St. James in Santiago. Hiking
approximately 25 to 30 kilometers a day and
staying in pilgrim hostels, Andrew wrote in
his journal to document the influence of cul-
tural and historic elements on the identity of
the route today.
14 15
HISTORY
The ninth-oldest college in the
country, Washington and Lee
University recognizes and
embodies the direct contributions
of two of the most influential
figures in American history.
George Washington’s 1796 gift of
James River Canal stock ensured
the fledgling school’s survival;
Robert E. Lee’s presidency,
1865–70, brought innovation and
national recognition to the school.
STUDENTS
Undergraduate—1,855 students
from 46 states, representing
citizenship in 58 countries (87
percent from outside Virginia).
Ratio of men to women is 50:50.
Ethnic minorities: 12 percent.
The School of Law—422 students.
FACULTY
Of the 190 undergraduate faculty
members, 98 percent hold
doctorates or terminal degrees.
The student-faculty ratio is 8:1.
The average class size is 15.
Twenty-nine percent of classes
have fewer than 10 students, 92
percent have fewer than 25
students, and 97 percent have
fewer than 30 students.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
Honor System—Entirely student-
run; based on the fundamental
principle that students attending
Washington and Lee will not lie,
cheat, steal or otherwise violate
community trust.
Curriculum—W&L is the only
leading liberal arts college to have
a nationally accredited journalism
program or a nationally accredited
business school, and it is one of
the few offering an engineering
program.
Speaking tradition—As a matter of
civility and mutual consideration,
members of the W&L community
say “hello” to one another—
whether passing on the historic
Colonnade on the way to class or
meeting in the dining hall of Elrod
Commons.
Academic calendar—12-12-4: two
12-week terms; one four-week
Spring Term to allow for focused
study, research, travel or
internships.
FINANCIAL AID, SCHOLARSHIPS
W&L will spend more than $38
million on aid in 2014-15; 47
percent of first-year students
receive grant assistance from W&L.
NEED-BASED AID
The W&L Promise ensures that
any admitted student from a
family with income below $75,000
and with assets typical of their
income will receive an aid award
of at least full tuition, without
loans. Admitted students from
other income brackets will have
their institutionally determined
financial need fully met with
grants and a work-study job,
without loans. Learn more at
go.wlu.edu/financialaid.
JOHNSON SCHOLARS
The prestigious Johnson Scholar-
ship Program provides awards of at
least tuition, room and board for
up to 44 students in each class on
the basis of academic achievement
and leadership potential. More
information about the Johnson
Scholarship Program and the other
components of the Johnson
Program in Leadership and
Integrity is available at go.wlu.edu/
johnson.
CONTACT US
Washington and Lee University
Office of Admissions
Lexington, VA 24450-2116
www.wlu.edu
(540) 458-8710 (540) 458-8062 fax
WASHINGTON AND LEEU N I V E R S I T Y
Lexington, Virginia
Follow us on
@wluadmissions /washingtonandlee
16 PB
WASHINGTON AND LEEU N I V E R S I T Y
Lexington, VirginiaOffice of Admissions Lexington, Virginia 24450-2116 [email protected] www.wlu.edu (540) 458-8710
Washington and Lee University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information in its educational programs and activities, admissions, and with regard to employment. See complete statement at go.wlu.edu/eeo