The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University will salute its outstanding students during the Certificate of Achievement Ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 2) in the Mountainlair ballrooms.

The featured speaker is author and activist Asra Nomani, who is also being honored with the colleges Alumni Recognition Award for her work as a journalist and advocate of womens issues and religious understanding and tolerance.

This years ceremony honors 862 undergraduates who have completed 45 or more credit hours and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5.

Honorees are eligible to apply for a $1,000 Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Scholarship for the 2008-09 academic year. Up to 25 merit-based undergraduate scholarships have been awarded annually since 1988, and recipients receive personalized cast-bronze medallions, become known as Eberly Scholars and get their names displayed on a plaque in Woodburn Hall.

Nomani graduated in 1986 as an interdisciplinary major of the Eberly College and has been a successful journalist since her days at WVU . Born in India and raised in West Virginia, she spent 15 years as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Her writing has also appeared in TIME magazine, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

In 2003, she publishedTantrika: Traveling the Road of Divine Love,which tells the story of a woman whose world travels and spiritual journey bring her face to face with the most fundamental dichotomy of her identity.

InStanding Alone in Mecca: An American Womans Struggle for the Soul of Islam(2005), she returned to her Muslim heritage with a call for change and understanding.

The Alumni Recognition Award acknowledges living college alumni, regardless of major or degree level, who are making important contributions to their community or field. Its recipients demonstrate the value of lifelong learning and reflect the values of a liberal arts and sciences education.

Faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to nominate individuals from any department or program in the Eberly College. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean at 304-293-4611.