Dr. Scott E. Feller will be inaugurated as the 17th President of Wabash College in an on-campus ceremony Friday.
The College’s Board of Trustees elected Feller in May 2020, but COVID-19 forced the postponement of his formal inauguration.
“We are genuinely excited to officially welcome Scott Feller to the presidency of our College,” said Jay Allen ’79, Chair of the Wabash Board of Trustees. “Scott has served Wabash in virtually every capacity since he and Wendy arrived on campus in 1998, and we are proud of his leadership as our 17th president — particularly in such difficult times.”
Feller will be inaugurated in Little Giant Stadium Friday at a ceremony that will be attended by students, faculty, staff, alumni, Trustees, delegates from over a dozen institutions and members of the President’s family.
“Wabash has been my home for over 20 years and few college presidents have the benefit of such a long association with the institution they lead,” Feller said. “I come to my office every day thankful for the relationships I have developed here and an appreciation for what Wabash means to its students and alumni.”
Feller becomes the first person to rise directly from the faculty to the presidency since Byron K. Trippet was elected president in 1956. Feller has served Wabash as the Lloyd B. Howell Professor of Chemistry, Chemistry Department Chair, Chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Dean of the College.
“Scott’s roll-up-his-sleeves approach to tackling challenges and his deep analytical skills, together with his ability to establish trust-based and respectful relationships with his colleagues, faculty, students, alumni, parents, foundations and other supporters of Wabash, uniquely qualify him to be an outstanding president of our College,” Allen said.
In his first 15 months in office, Feller guided Wabash through a full year of residential education during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and initiated a careful plan to ensure the health and safety of the College. He secured a $4.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for a broad range of student success and inclusivity programs entitled “Restoring Hope, Restoring Trust,” and the College set all-time records for its Day of Giving and Annual Fund during President Feller’s first year.
Inauguration weekend festivities include the fall meeting of the Wabash Board of Trustees, the formal inauguration ceremony, an inaugural gala and a tailgate party prior to the Wabash football team’s game against Oberlin College.
