WVUToday on the Radio 2021

April: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. The Mountaineers will be traveling to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. They're going to be welcomed to Phoenix, Arizona, with a lot of fan activities. Kevin Berry from the WVU Alumni Association is here to talk a little bit more about all of those opportunities. Hi, Kevin.

Kevin Berry: Hi, April. We are real excited for what we have planned in Arizona later this month. We're working closely with the Mountaineer Athletic Club and WVU Foundation to put on two fan events. The first is going to be a meet-and-greet and MSN radio show, which is going to take place the evening before the game, broadcast live back to West Virginia at Half Moon Windy City Sports Grill near the Scottsdale part of Arizona.

The day of the game, we are planning a pre-game party, which is going to be in Copper Blues. It's in the Cityscape Shopping and Dining Complex. We're going to have the Mountaineer marching band, cheerleaders, as well as the mascot there. We encourage fans at both events to stop by and join in the Mountaineer spirit and camaraderie.

Fans that are looking for hotels in the area, we encourage them to visit wvusportstravel.com

April: Kickoff for the Mountaineers and Golden Gophers from Chase Field is happening in Phoenix, 8:15 Mountain Standard Time. That's 10:15 PM Eastern Standard Time. Let's go, Mountaineers.

Kevin Berry: Let's go, Mountaineers.

April: So, let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University mountaineers go first.

West Virginia University will hold its commencement ceremonies. Saturday, September 18th. I'm here with Lisa Martin from University Events.

It must be exciting for the first time in two years, those ceremonies will be held back inside the Coliseum.

Lisa Martin: It really is exciting for all of us preparing for our graduates and their guests. We have just under 2,700 August and December graduates that are eligible to participate in December graduation.

April Kaull: You'll have a lot of families there in person with the graduates. For people who maybe aren't able to come in person, the ceremonies are also going to be streamed online, correct?

Lisa Martin: We have two ceremonies at 10 o'clock and two o'clock, and both of those will be live streamed for those that are unable to attend in person.

April Kaull: You'll find that at the commencement website, as well as webcast.wvu.edu.

We are still in a pandemic. What kinds of protocols or additional considerations should people be thinking about if they're planning to attend in person?

Lisa Martin: Aside from our normal clear bag policy, we are recommending face masks be worn at all times, but they're not required unless you're an unvaccinated individual. In that case, we do require that you wear those all the time. Hard to believe it's been two years though.

April Kaull: I know. Any surprises?

Lisa Martin: Well, we might have a surprise or two. Just have to wait and see.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first.

I'm joined today by the Dean of the Davis College, Darrell Donahue. Thanks so much for being with us. What made you want to be the Dean at the Davis College here at WVU?

Darrell Donahue: Gordon Gee and [Mary Enre 00:00:17]. Not only the Davis College, but be more importantly WVU is a big family. That starts at the top. When I came for the interview, those two people made a difference.

April Kaull: What have you learned that you didn't know before?

Darrell Donahue: I was very unsure about what was going to happen with the pandemic, but as deans, we met twice a week and made me feel a lot better about what was going on. And it really is kind of a family feel.

April Kaull: Agriculture. That's the word that comes to mind when you think about the Davis College, and the farms have been, and will continue to be an essential part of the mission of the Davis College, but it's a lot more than that: food safety, fashion design. What do you want people to know about the Davis College and the broad scope of all that it covers?

Darrell Donahue: We Kind of envision a world that is sustainably fed, clothed, and sheltered. So it goes all the way, as you mentioned, it goes all the way from the agriculture pieces, the natural resource pieces, to design and community development, the working that we do in communities and also fashion merchandising. That keyword there, is sustainability. We are really focused on that.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University mountaineers go first. We're rounding out our series this semester meeting some of the new faces on campus. And we have the newest new Dean Josh Hall from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics. Josh, you're not new to WVU.

Speaker 2: I actually, am alumnus of WVU, I earned my PhD here in 2007. I've [inaudible] to come back as a faculty member in 2013.

April Kaull: And what do you like about being Dean?

Speaker 2: My job is to move the college forward and that's very easy. We're fortunate to have a great alumni and people are passionate about the school.

April Kaull: And you have some really exciting things that are on the horizon for the college. We've been watching the new Reynolds Hall along Beach Hurst Avenue. If you can give us a sneak peek, some inside information on how that project's going?

Speaker 2: We're on time, we expect to be moving in sometime in early May of next year and classes next fall.

April Kaull: What will this new facility enable faculty, staff and others to do in maybe different or better ways than what they're able to do now?

Speaker 2: We were 800 students in this building, we are 3000 undergrads, now. This building's designed with experiential education in mind, hands on industry, client driven projects that get students the experience they need while they're here so just the sheer space to be able to do what we're doing is needed.

April Kaull: So let's go follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. I'm here with Dr. Stephen Pachuta, the Dean of the School of Dentistry here at West Virginia University. Thanks for taking time to talk with us. You're a relatively new face on our campus. So I have to ask, what brought you to Morgantown? What made you want to come to WVU?

Stephen Pachuta: I'm from West Virginia. I was born in Beckley, West Virginia. I grew up in Beckley. I came to WVU and went to undergraduate here and then dental school. I graduated in 1985 and joined the Navy. This is an opportunity for me to come back home and give back to the state of West Virginia, the people of West Virginia and the School of Dentistry.

April Kaull: What do you love about it?

Stephen Pachuta: Right up front. It's the students, their energy and their energy is contagious. We have an incredible faculty and incredible staff.

April Kaull: How do you see that balance between the land grant mission and that community outreach and patient care component when you also combine that with the academic arm of the school?

Stephen Pachuta: I look at all challenges as opportunities. 83% of the dentists in West Virginia are graduates of this dental school. When you put the two professions together, education and the profession of dentistry, we're in a digital dentistry revolution right now, I feel very good about what we do here with training our dentists, our dental hygienists, and returning our profession to the people of West Virginia. I think there's an incredibly bright future for modernizing this school and renovating the school and setting it up for 2050 and beyond.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia university, Mountaineers go first.

April Kaull: I'm here with Dean Pedro Mago of the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University. What made you want to come here to the Statler college and to Morgantown, West Virginia?

Pedro Mago: The outstanding faculty, staff, students we have in the college, as well as the excellent leadership we have at the university. I felt a connection. Everybody was so welcoming. All I saw was opportunities everywhere. Great people, great hospitality, my fellow Deans, inside of the college and outside. So, at that moment I knew that this is a place that I wanted to be.

April Kaull: As Dean, what do you like most about your job?

Pedro Mago: It's having the opportunity to work with people from different departments in my college. And as Dean, we can make a huge difference in the life of so many people and impact faculty, staff, students, and work with them to move the college to the next level. I also like working with our alumni, and I can see the passion they have to support our college and the university.

April Kaull: What is your goal for the college?

Pedro Mago: I want to have a college where we continue to provide high quality education, and provide a lot of opportunities for our students in terms of research, internships, co-ops. A college where we serve the state.

April Kaull: If I said, "Oh, this is going to surprise you about Dean Mago." What would it be?

Pedro Mago: I played baseball my whole life, since I was seven years old until college. So I love sport and a big football fan.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers Go First. I'm with Kristie Stewart-Gale from WVU Arts and Entertainment and we are talking about Mountaineer Week. How excited are you that it is back November 1st through the 7th?

Kristie Stewart: We are thrilled to be back on campus, April. The energy of our students on campus is no greater thing to experience.

April Kaull: This year, there are a lot of other events and activities that take place during this week that people might not be quite as familiar with. It seems like this is a great opportunity to talk a little bit about some of those things.

Kristie Stewart: We have a number of competitions that are just for our students on campus. We did a beard shaving a couple weeks ago. We have a speak right writing Appalachia contest, our photo contest. We also have our mountaineers of Distinction.

April Kaull: The quilt show, for example, is it just about quilts? You have a whole storytelling component to that event.

Kristie Stewart: This year, we're elevating that event. We are bringing in an award-winning West Virginia storyteller and also a host on the History Channel. We have a rich culture here in Appalachia and in West Virginia. A lot of the traditions that we take for granted are rooted in those traditions, and so anytime we're planning an event, we have our student committee who's looking at how do we celebrate how we got here? Our Mountaineer values come from our Appalachian roots.

April Kaull: Let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. President Gordon Gee delivered his annual state of the university address Monday, October 18th. The main focus: purpose.

Gordon Gee:West Virginia University must become a purpose-driven leader in higher education. At a time when resources are so limited, needs are so great, expectations are so high, and threats are so significant, universities cannot afford complacency.

April Kaull: Gee announced a partnership with Spence Group, creating a Purpose Institute exemplifying the university's commitment to proving the value of higher education and allowing students a way to make their mark on the world.

Gordon Gee:On our campus, we plan to have a physical center focused on purpose. This center will help prospective students and employees as well as current students, faculty, staff, and alumni discover or rediscover their purpose and place in the world and then help them chart that path forward. This initiative will bring together many facets of the university to elevate education, wellness, and service to our campus and our community, all with the sense of positive intent.

April Kaull: Gee also addressed other areas of transformation happening on campus, from academic transformation to changes in student life, including a revamped Project 168.

Gordon Gee:For those who complete this full curriculum, they will be invited to join a new honors organization, the 168 Society.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first.

April Kaull: I'm joined by Vice President, Meshea L. Poore, from the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here at West Virginia University. We're getting ready to launch another Diversity Week and I'm sure it's a really exciting time for you. One of the marque events is your state of diversity address. What do you want to share with people this year?

Meshea L. Poore: We have endured a lot in the last year and a half. We need to see where we've been, where we're at and where we're going, that common unity or what I like to call community. That's what the state of diversity is to be and engage in the discussion.

April Kaull: There are a lot of events happening virtually, a lot happening in per person. Where can people get information if they want to learn more about what's happening during diversity week?

Meshea L. Poore: diversity.wvu.edu or they can follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

April Kaull: We hear a lot, especially these days, diversity, equity and inclusion. I'm curious from your perspective, what does that mean? And what do you hope it means to other people, especially as we go into this week?

Meshea L. Poore: It is very hard to sum up in a quick moment. Think of it this way. We're all mountaineers. What we would hope that a mountaineer would do is accept everyone for who they are, how they show up. We have been raised by different families and different communities. Help us work together on being the best of ourselves, learning from each other, respecting people's experiences and perspective and understanding that all of us have to move collectively together.

April Kaull: So let's go, follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first.

April Kaull: I'm with Kevin Berry from the West Virginia University Alumni Association. Kevin, thanks for joining us. This is truly a homecoming in more ways than one, this year.

Kevin Berry: After a year of not having homecoming because of the pandemic, we're excited to get people back on campus again. Excited to engage with them. This is truly one of the very best weekends of the year. And what we're looking forward to most is allowing them the opportunity to reunite with friends, classmates. Participate in those traditions that they enjoy most as Mountaineers. The homecoming parade. The football game. Reunite with their Mountaineer community.

April Kaull: How can people get involved with the Alumni Association? And what does it mean to be a member?

Kevin Berry: You're part of a larger community of Mountaineers. You also support this institution, volunteer for the institution, participate in our chapter events, wear a flying WV. If West Virginia University is in your heart, we would love to have you as a member of the WVU Alumni Association. Obviously, the majority of people that are members graduated from WVU. But that shouldn't stop anyone who has an interest in being a part of a larger WVU community to join the WVU Alumni Association.

April Kaull: What's the best way to get in touch with the WVU Alumni Association? A chapter they want to get involved with. How do you find that chapter in your hometown? The association as a whole that you want to reach out to.

Kevin Berry: Alumni.WVU.edu. Something else say may want to take a look at is our WVU Connect, mentoring and networking platform. Connect with fellow Mountaineers as well as learn about events and programs that are occurring all around the country.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on WVU today.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers Go First. I'm here with the new Dean for WVU Extension Service, Jorge Atiles. Thanks so much for taking time to talk with us today. You come to us with a really large background in extension at Oklahoma State, as well as some other places. What made you want to come to West Virginia University?

Jorge Atiles:You have amazing leadership, president Gee, Provost Reed. I felt immediately very well supported.

April Kaull: Now that you've had a chance to talk with some people and you've learned a few things yourself as you come into Morgantown, what are your goals for West Virginia university's Extension Service?

Jorge Atiles:There is a great opportunity here because extension is a unit in itself, and so we are more free to partner with everybody throughout entire university and beyond. They put a lot of faith in what we can do together to really improve the outcomes for the state and actually be a destination state, which is part of what we're trying to do also with remote work and many other initiatives. I want to diversify what we do in partnership with many other academic units and administrative units on campus, strengthening our partnership, work and align our priorities with those of the state to be able to, together, find solutions to very critical problems.

April Kaull: People feel very strongly about extension in West Virginia.

Jorge Atiles:I remember going to McDowell County and seeing the kind of reception we got. I can always tell that WVU is well respected and liked throughout the state.

April Kaull: Let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.EDU.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University Mountaineers go first.

I'm here with the student government association president and vice president, Amaya Jernigan and Hunter Moore and we're here to talk about getting involved with student government, getting involved on campus. Amaya, what does the student government association do?

Amaya Jernigen:We basically are a advocacy group. Our main goals on campus is to basically advocate for the students. The students needs or their wants on campus, community engagement, mental health resources or student experience throughout COVID, getting involved and how to get involved with an SGA and what SGA can do for other organizations.

April Kaull: So Hunter, that leads me to a question for you. How does someone get involved if they're a student or maybe if we have a parent, a faculty member or an alum listening in, how do they encourage a student to get involved?

Hunter Moore:It all starts with our weekly meeting. Those are open to anyone in the WVU community, whether that's a student, faculty staff, community member, like you said, a parent. Meeting 07:30 every week in Vandalia Lounge or Mountlair.

April Kaull: Those meetings are offered virtually and in person and you also have a website, right?

Amaya Jernigen:We are very active on our Instagram page and we are very active on our Twitter but we also have these opportunities for you to come virtually or you can come in-person. So we want to continue that effort. If COVID has taught us anything it's taught us to be accessible for everyone.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University mountaineers go first.

April Kaull: I'm here with the new Dean of the West Virginia University College of Law, Amelia Rinehart. Thank you for joining us today. You came to Morgantown just before this semester got started. So you're a new face on campus. What's it been like getting settled in?

Amelia Rinehart: It's been really great so far. The College of Law has been very welcoming, as has the rest of campus, but everybody's really excited to be back here in person. It's been a really, really busy but fun couple of months.

April Kaull: What are your goals for the College this semester, as you get settled in, and as you meet faculty and talk with students?

Amelia Rinehart: Some of my goals this particular semester, a broader profile for us across the State, everyone understanding what our goals are, professional education of really excellent attorneys and legal professionals, and really develop our programs and [inaudible]. We just ranked as a really great public service program. We're really proud of that. We're going to push some of our clinics forward and think about the service that we're doing alongside the pedagogy that we're working there.

April Kaull: Talk a little bit about what the College of Law means to the local community.

Amelia Rinehart: The land grant mission is built into this University's fabric. We have nine clinics that do work across the State. We have some sort of statewide initiatives in some of those clinics. They do really important work in the community while we're teaching students at the same time. Our values are really to excel, lead and serve, and those are things that we really care about here at the College of Law. It's part of our mission.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on WVUtoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. I'm here with the West Virginia University Mountaineer Colson Glover. Congratulations on a second year as the Mountaineer. What does it mean for you to have this opportunity?

Colson Glover: I love the State of West Virginia. I love West Virginia University and it means the absolute world to me that I get to spend this next year representing Mountaineer Nation to the fullest.

April Kaull: You're not new to campus and you're not new to being the Mountaineer, but you probably are new to some folks. So tell us a little bit about yourself, your name's Colson. And I know there's some history there.

Colson Glover: I am a third generation attendee at West Virginia University. I do research at the hospital. I'm involved academically in various clubs and organizations. And hopefully will be attending medical school next year will be working on my next dream of becoming a physician and helping out sick West Virginians.

April Kaull: You do a lot as the Mountaineer. Talk a little bit about some of the things that you have the opportunity to do and the people you get a chance to meet.

Colson Glover: Our busiest time is actually the summer. Over the summer, I've had an event every single day and most days with multiple events. So I was very fortunate to travel across the State and go to various fairs and festivals. I was able to go to some school visits, which is so great because I can interact with Mountaineer fans who might not be able to make it to Morgantown.

April Kaull: All right. So I'm going to ask for a little bit of inside information. What is something that most people wouldn't know is a challenge for you being a Mountaineer?

Colson Glover: From women's soccer to football to basketball to extracurricular events. We're at everything. Let's go Mountaineers.

April Kaull: So, let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia university, mountaineers go first.

April Kaull: I'm so excited to be with the new associate director of bands at West Virginia university, Sheldon Williams. You officially took over as the 13th director of the pride of West Virginia Mountaineer marching band. August 1st, talk a little bit about what things have been like.

Sheldon William...:Learning a whole new way of teaching, while learning an entirely new system, and meeting entirely new faces. This year feels like we're having our first real year. We took for granted before the pandemic. Our jobs, being able to interact with people and being face to face. Pandemic, of course, forced us to be a little bit more virtual in how we interact with people. Being back in person is really fantastic. And it makes me excited about what we can build. Looking at this a little bit more with some fresh eyes.

April Kaull: This is a really unique time, not only for the band, but for the entire university. There's a lot going on. What are your goals for the program?

Sheldon William...:Protect what it is that the program has already been doing. If it ain't broke, you don't need to worry about fixing it. I'm really excited about just putting my stamp on things.

April Kaull: What should people know about you that maybe they wouldn't know?

Sheldon William...:The most important thing for me is the people building the relationships, building the bond, and then the music is a result of that.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on WVUtoday.WVU.EDU.

April Kaull: At West Virginia university, Mountaineers Go First. West Virginia University's fourth day of giving included more than 5,000 gifts, totaling 11.9 million, setting a new record. BJ Davisson from the WVU Foundation is with me. That is a huge success thanks to the support of a lot of people, right?

BJ Davisson: We had 38 participating units and 26 challenges totaling $657,000. Our campus colleagues really embraced the day too. It was a huge success.

April Kaull: This really does speak to growing momentum. How do these gifts help the university?

BJ Davisson: We think about everything that we do at a comprehensive land grant. Virtually every part of the institution was touched and benefited in some way, but a big piece focused on student scholarship and also a particular focus on helping those students from underrepresented populations.

April Kaull: Is that really where you see the greatest need?

BJ Davisson: Student scholarship was and it will always be a priority for the institution.

April Kaull: We know that the need never stops. How and where can people go to help if they'd like to make a gift or a donation?

BJ Davisson: give.wvu.edu to make an online gift and certainly if folks want to talk to an individual development officer, they can call the foundation at 304-284-4000. We really appreciate those inquiries and those additional contributions.

April Kaull: So let's go. Follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia university, mountaineers go first.

April Kaull: Interim University Police Chief, Phil Scott's here with us, to talk about how we inform our campus community about emergencies and incidents that happen on or near our campus. The WVU alert system is broken into three different tiers. Talk a little bit about what those are.

Phil Scott: Well, the first tier is the emergency alert, which we use for notifying our campus community of urgent messages, whether that be an active shooter, a fire, or weather related emergencies and cancellations and delays.

April Kaull: What's the second tier?

Phil Scott: The campus warning that notifies folks of incidents that may not be occurring but still have a threat to our community.

April Kaull: These are all informed by the Clery Act. Explain how that guides, what you do.

Phil Scott: The Clery Act is a law that aims to provide transparency and reporting of crimes and statistics on our college campuses.

April Kaull: The third tier, a community notice, it's not required by the Clery Act, so why have it?

Phil Scott: It's a good way for us to get information, our resources that are available to our campus community, safety notices.

April Kaull: And how are people going to be getting information?

Phil Scott: The alert system, social media, email, faculty, staff or any employee needs to go sign up and our regional campuses, Potomac and Tech have their own systems and folks can sign up for those as well.

April Kaull: So let's go, follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. Dr. Clay Marsh, Rob Alsop, as COVID-19 vaccination opportunities expand, a lot of people have a lot of questions who's being prioritized, and why?

Dr. Clay Marsh: The governor has given us very explicit instructions of our priorities that is to save lives, improve wellbeing, maintain the capacity of our vital assets and healthcare, and our community functions. We, as the centers for disease control recommended have prioritized in our first group, healthcare workers, residents of long term care facilities. And we've also started to focus on people who are over 65. This is another CDC recommendation. So by really targeting these populations, we are going to save lives. We're going to reduce the strain on hospitals, and it will allow us to continue to move forward and vaccinate the rest of West Virginia in a prior ties away, but also do it so that we are protecting the health of the people of our state.

April Kaull: Rob, I'm curious. WVU started a vaccination program in conjunction with the higher education policy commission in the state. Explain how that fits into this process at this point and what that's going to look like moving forward.

Rob Alsop: The governor and the joint inter-agency task force decided that as part of the initial rollout of vaccination, that education would be a focal point. And so as part of phase one D the higher education policy commission has received a thousand doses of vaccine a week for higher education employees. Moving forward, what we think will happen is as these community sites get more and more vaccines over time, those shots will become available there as opposed to the university, continuing to get the continued allotment going forward. If you filled out the survey, we're working to get those doses. If you have the ability to register with the state or the local health department or WVU medicine, that's a good idea to do, and then we'll sort it out on the back end from a WVU perspective.

April Kaull: So let's go follow our story on WVU today. Dot wvu.edu.

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers Go First.

April Kaull: The spring 2021 semester is underway at West Virginia University. I'm here with the Dean of students, Corey Farris, to talk a little bit about what it's like to have at least some students and faculty and staff back on campus.

Corey Farris:So many of us miss our students and we're excited to welcome them back. We still want our students to come back safely and have a great experience. And that's part of why we're doing testing that we're doing, it's why we're still requiring masks and physical distancing and with the spread of the virus around the state and around the nation and around even Morgantown, we know that we've got to take a little bit extra precaution on some of the programming that we're doing. And so we're going to be offering programs a little bit differently as we start the semester and help them engage because we wanted them to stay connected, not only with the university, but also connect with each other.

April Kaull: What sort of support is available for students who might need to talk to somebody or need some extra support?

Corey Farris:Our career center for counseling is still available to our student 24/7, 365. We've got a crisis text line being on and certainly don't want to leave out our residence hall staff and our RAs. Maybe it's just an academic support or tutoring that they might need.

April Kaull: Corey, thank you very much. Whether it's academic support services or information, they can find a lot of resources at the return to campus website at West Virginia University.

April Kaull: So let's go, follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu

April Kaull: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. A lot of families may be tightening their belts, especially during this pandemic. But when it comes to college, many may not be aware of the assistance that's available. George Yanchak, is the director of the Mountaineer Hub. George, what are some of the ways that you and your team can help make coming to WVU more affordable for students?

George Yanchak: Work with students and parents to discuss all of the options that are out there, including all financial aid, grant, scholarships, loans. We also try to assist the students and parents fill out the form, if they're having any questions.

April Kaull: What should people be thinking about, over the next two months or so?

George Yanchak: At WVU, we have a priority filing date of March 1st, that doesn't mean the [inaudible] has to be in, but to maximize the amount of financial aid that you can get from WVU through grants and work study, you want to have that in by March 1st. The state of West Virginia also has a promised scholarship program, as well as the West Virginia Higher Education Grant for in-state students. We also direct students to the departmental sites, in case the department has some scholarship. We also have some free searches, for outside scholarships.

April Kaull: How can students make sure that they don't miss out on opportunities, and get more information about scholarships the university offers?

George Yanchak: scholarships.wvu.edu.

April Kaull: What's the best way for someone to reach out if they have questions, concerns?

George Yanchak: 304-293-1988.

April Kaull: So let's go, follow our story on wvutoday.wvu.edu.