Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

West Virginia University President Gordon Gee delivered his annual State of the University Address to students, faculty and staff gathered virtually and in person at the College of Law Monday (Oct. 3).

West Virginia University's partnership with the prison book program is one of four exemplary projects being recognized this year as part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Awards. Through the years, the project has created opportunities for people in prison to learn and has sent more than 50,000 free books to people in Appalachian prisons in six states.

Five West Virginia University alumni are recipients of prestigious Fulbright Scholarships to teach English or conduct research abroad over the next year while building cross-cultural relationships.

A joint project between West Virginia University’s Office of Global Affairs and Eberly College of Arts and Sciences aims to increase the number of WVU students from diverse and underserved backgrounds studying abroad. A poll found these students are particularly interested in study abroad opportunities, but concerns about cost, language barriers and course schedules keep many from participating.

Maintaining a sharp focus on the unique needs of rural, underrepresented West Virginia University students, the Office of Student Success welcomes its first cohort of Mountain Scholars this fall. The Mountain Scholars Program is designed to create a culture of support for incoming first-year students from rural areas of West Virginia as they work toward academic success while also preparing them for jobs in the Mountain State.

West Virginia University students from underrepresented groups are gaining valuable experience in social justice work thanks to generous alumni support. Ellen Archibald, of Minneapolis, formerly an attorney in Charleston, graduated from the WVU College of Law in 1989 and has given over $200,000 to establish two social justice awards at WVU – one for students at the College of Law and one for students enrolled in School of Social Work programs at the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

Dedication to bettering the Mountain State earned six West Virginia residents the Hazel Ruby McQuain Graduate Scholarship helping them to continue graduate study in their chosen fields. The scholarship program, administered by the West Virginia University Office of Graduate Education and Life, honors the legacy of its late namesake — Hazel Ruby McQuain.

The National Science Foundation is awarding a $1.6 million grant to Kevin Daly and collaborator Andrew Dacks, both biology professors in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, to study how the brain coordinates movement and sensory function in animals. Its practical applications could shed light on human disease and human performance.

For the fiscal year from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, WVU Foundation data shows 20,206 donors – including 9,360 alumni – made 39,347 gifts totaling $213.8 million. This total is second only to $270.1 million donated in fiscal year 2021. The gifts will benefit education, health care and prosperity to make a positive impact across the Mountain State and beyond for years to come.

The prevalence of gender diversity is largely unknown, especially in rural areas. To fill that knowledge gap, researchers at WVU with colleagues at other institutions surveyed junior high and high school students in rural Appalachia about their gender identity. More than 7% of young people surveyed shared a gender identity that did not fully align with the sex they were assigned at birth, findings that appear in JAMA Pediatrics.