The Bachelor has served Wabash as the student voice of the College since 1908. Throughout the storied history, multiple Wabash men have stepped up to lead the award-winning newspaper. As the year comes to a close, James Wallace ’26 has been selected as editor-in-chief for the 2025-26 school year.
Wallace has been a member of The Bachelor since his freshman year on campus — initially working as a staff writer. Following a strong freshman campaign, Wallace was selected to be opinion editor. Most recently, Wallace spent his junior year as the news editor — reporting on stories concerning Student Senate, campus construction and major events on campus.
“I’m really excited for this next step in my journey with The Bachelor,” said Wallace. “For almost three years, it’s been a great group of guys that I’ve enjoyed working hand-in-hand with to create something special — it’s truly a feat what we do, especially without any formal journalism program at Wabash.”
Outside of The Bachelor, Wallace has been a key member of the Rugby program — currently serving as the President and Captain of the Rugby Club. Wallace’s goals have focused on creating a strong organizational structure to ensure future success, growth through targeted recruitment and qualifying for the national tournament. His efforts are even more impressive when considering that rugby is not a varsity sport, meaning they do not have the administrative support and that a varsity program would have.
“Jimbo [James] has been an incredible part of our rugby program, stepping up as President of the club and making a massive impact on the team,” said Rugby Vice President and Assistant Coach Tanner Quackenbush ’26. “His ability to keep things organized — whether it’s scheduling practices or handling logistics — keeps everything running smoothly. He’s put in countless hours, always putting the team first. Above all, James is the definition of a team player. He leads by example and pushes all of us to work together toward our goals. His leadership has taken the rugby program to the next level and left a lasting impact on everyone who’s had the chance to play alongside him.”
An Economics major and Spanish and Computer Science double minor, Wallace plans to pursue a career in sales or finance. This summer, he will be working at Eli Lilly and Company as a Marketing Intern — a prestigious program that gives students the opportunity to work on projects throughout the summer, with an emphasis on mentorship and development.
“James is one of the most impressive and busiest students I have had at Wabash,” said Professor of Psychology Robert Horton — who also serves as Wallace’s academic advisor. “He is deeply committed to exploring all that Wabash has to offer, in his course selections, fraternity life, rugby experience and Bachelor work. I don’t think I have ever had a student who embraced the Wabash experience with more vigor and who was equally committed to giving as much of himself as he can to his College.”
In recent history, The Bachelor has experienced success both within the Wabash community and beyond. For the past two years, The Bachelor has won the Indiana Collegiate Press Association award for Top Newspaper in Division III — beating multiple colleges with deep-rooted journalism programs. Within the Wabash community, viewership is at an all-time high with an established, growing social media presence and high-quality reporting. This success has raised the bar for Wallace as he works to elevate the newspaper in the next year.
“Being a part of back-to-back ICPA victories has been incredible,” said Wallace. “I’m sad to see a lot of the people who I worked with during those victories graduate, but I’m confident in the next wave of Wabash men who will fill their shoes.”
As Wallace prepares to take The Bachelor into its next chapter, he arrives at a moment where the College is preparing to transition into its next chapter. With the Sparks Center coming down and the bicentennial approaching, The Bachelor will be full of important news for the Wabash community. As a steward of The Bachelor, Wallace is responsible for honoring and upholding the 116-year tradition of excellence that has been crafted.