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BREAKING INTO SUMMER

Thank You for All That You Do!

Take a break to connect with the campus community and celebrate our accomplishments as we kick off the summer! This year’s events will have you thinking of fun and sun, iconic beaches, golf courses, summer grilling and fresh produce from farmers' markets, and those hot dog days of summer.

RSVP for Employee Appreciation 2025

A Message from the President

A university is not its buildings, or its rankings, or its traditions. A university is its people. We have always been made up of people who refused to accept the world as it is, people who believed in something greater, people with the courage to dream, to act, to lead. We continue to be those people.

To the faculty — you are the heart of this institution. You do not simply transfer knowledge. You awaken curiosity. You ignite imagination. You cultivate leaders. A university is only as strong as its teachers. And West Chester University is strong because of you.

To the staff — you are the backbone of this University. You keep it running. You keep it thriving. You turn vision into action, plans into reality, ideas into impact. No great university can function without those who work to make it all possible. From student services to campus facilities, from administration to technology — you do not just support this institution. You sustain it.

Thank you all for everything you do for our WCU community. We appreciate you!

- Dr. Laurie Bernotsky
President, West Chester University

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Watch the "Breaking Into Summer" Promotional Video

Breaking into SummerEvents

RSVP deadline - May 7th

RSVP for Events

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May 12th
Celebrating Employment Milestones

Kick off the week and congratulate staff who have reached employment milestones and retirement in 2024. Check back to see who’s listed, and show them gratitude when you see them on Wednesday at our big event!

Campus Bookstore Discount Begins!
Stock up on WCU swag and enjoy 30% off all week long at the bookstore. WCU ID required at checkout.

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May 13th
WCU Farmer's Market

Time: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Location: Sykes Student Union Patio

Check out WCU's very own curated Farmer's Market. At this Employee-only event, take a break to make your own fresh flower bouquet, sample local foods and produce, meet a beekeeper to learn about Chester County's largest apiary, participate in a guided honey tasting, and pick up a 2025 collectable art poster. Our Open-Air Market is a sweet way to bee involved in the summer fun without spending any green. It's all free!

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May 14th
A Day at the Beach

Time: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Science & Engineering Center and The Commons (SECC)

Wave goodbye to your office and build your own relaxing day of beach-themed fun. Explore summer foods from iconic beaches, get on the green and take a swing with our golf simulator, stop by the boardwalk photobooth, and join faculty and students in immersive learning activities about weather, water, and wildlife. Be on the lookout for other fun surprises and don’t forget to pick up your gift of the day. Hope to sea you there.

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May 15th
Dog Days of Summer

Time: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Location: Residential Quad

Hot diggity! Dog diggity! Did you know that the “Dog Days of Summer” are named for Sirius, the dog star, who is part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. Sirius appears in the sky near the end of July, marking the beginning of the hottest days of the year. We will break into summer with our own “stars” including therapy dogs, a local dog shelter, a hot dog cart, the Pertucci’s ice cream and water ice truck, and Chris Lebresco playing live music. Kick up your dogs, chill out and celebrate summer at WCU.

Break into the Dog Days of Summer by appreciating WCU pups:

Did you know that looking at dog pictures can help boost your focus and productivity? Take a break and check out WCU's furry friends.

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Barley

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Bessie

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Cookie Hopkins

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Cookie

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Harlow

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Kona

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Moe

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Nymeria

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Paisley

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Raisin

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Vicki

  • WCU Employee's Dog - Winston

If you would like your pup to be featured here, send a picture and a fun fact about them to HRS@wcupa.edu with the subject DOG DAYS. We will try to post all submissions so check back here.

More Reasons to Smile

Sharing life with a furry friend can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, boost heart health, increase physical activity, and ease loneliness, anxiety and depression. If you don’t have a pet that’s okay! You can offer to pet sit, visit friend and their pet, or volunteer at a local shelter to get all of these benefits and more.

more information about pets and your health

 

Tim Ferris Spotlight

BeekeeperEXTRACT AND BOX

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TIM FERRIS - Meet Head Beekeeper
May 13th at the WCU Farmers’ Market

Extract and Box harvests and supplies bee by-products and provides apiary management services throughout Chester County and the surrounding area. While managing over 250 active hives within a 2-hour radius of Chester Springs, head beekeeper Tim Ferris promotes healthy open pollination, sustainable management practices, and environmental stewardship. Meet Tim at the WCU Farmers’ Market! Sample local honey, view a closed hive, and learn about apiculture.

West Chester University entered into a Pollination Agreement with Extract and Box in 2025 and will introduce three beehives at the Glen Echo Carriage House on South Campus in April. Stay tuned to hear the buzz about our growing partnership, sustainability research opportunities, honey production, and more!

About Us / Our Honey

 

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