Westminster dean looks to future on Lawrenceville campus

By Jay Roberson

Despite hardships in the past, Jason Vodicka, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, claimed WCC is beginning to see improvement on Lawrenceville campus despite a legal battle between Rider and the Princeton Theological Seminary lingering in the background. 

Vodicka said, “I’m focused on the here and now, and I’m focused on what we could do to make Westminster strong here.”

Princeton moves on WCC land

Princeton Township’s Municipal Council introduced two ordinances pertaining to the unused WCC campus, the first effectively closing off the land and allowing the town to declare eminent domain, and the second appropriating $50 million in order to purchase the 30-acre area.

 Since 2019, the Princeton WCC campus in the heart of Princeton, has remained unutilized, as the theological seminary, WCC and Rider dispute over usage of the land.

The seminary claimed Rider violated the terms of the land agreement, as the court had ruled WCC’s Princeton campus must be held as a religious charity advancing Christian music education.

In an interview with The Rider News on Sept. 16, Rider President Gregory Dell’Omo said, “We think if [the land goes to Princeton], that would be a great outcome for the township and the community to have that property to go to public usage.”

On Sept. 23, a public hearing on the land acquisition will be held. 

Lawrenceville campus improvements

Vodicka was not originally in favor of the college’s transition to Lawrenceville, as stated in a 2022 Rider News article: “I think it’s really important that all of us faculty, administration, alumni, put our efforts into getting students back to Westminster and to experience some of these opportunities that we are able to provide for them.”

In the midst of the legal battles that have continued years later, Vodicka remains hopeful that WCC is moving in the right direction regardless of where their campus is located. 

“From my perspective, the facilities’ needs have been met and can continue to be met. It’s not like we can necessarily take care of everything at once. There’s definitely a list of priorities that the dean’s office continues to tick down and address issues as they come up,” said Vodicka. 

Improvements in the WCC program are prevalent through higher numbers of enrollment, as in the fall, WCC enrolled 30 first-year undergraduates, more than double the number last year according to Vodicka.

“We’ve been over here for four years, and we’ve shown that we’re able to still deliver quality instruction here in Lawrenceville, so the word’s just getting around. Our current students are happy here, and they’re sharing that with their networks,” Vodicka said. 

Visions of the future

WCC remains a specialized music school, but Vodicka hopes to see the rest of the Rider community take advantage of the different programs WCC has to offer. 

“My vision is that our enrollments will continue to grow here…we’re already seeing this a little bit, but I would hope that we would start to see even more students that are not in a Westminster major participating in our major choral ensembles,” Vodicka said. 

Anyone in the Rider community can get involved with WCC’s Rider University Chorale, where faculty, staff and students are invited to audition. Vodicka hopes that WCC can remain accessible to everyone on campus. 

“If that means coming to a performance, joining the Rider Chorale on Tuesday nights or singing in one of the Westminster acapella groups, that’s kind of my vision, that we’re strong, but again, just a little more permeable,” said Vodicka.