Diversity

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.

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.

A new chapter will begin for West Virginia University’s Center for Black Culture and Research as longtime director Marjorie Fuller prepares to retire. Retirement is also ahead within the Division of Student Life for Kim Mosby, senior associate dean, who has worked for the University for more than 40 years.

These eight student have distinguished themselves not only by their outstanding academic performance, but also their steadfast dedication to research, efforts to narrow the achievement gap for underrepresented students in their home state and to advance social justice in their communities and beyond.

Four West Virginia University students who recognize that extracurricular activities are critical to their success are among the first cohort of the 168 Society, after completing Project 168, the University’s innovative program that adds purpose and value to students’ outside-the-classroom experiences and brings the University’s core values to life.

Focused on discovery and finding creative solutions to the issues that have commanded the attention of their generation, five rising freshmen have been named to the 2022-23 cohort of West Virginia University Foundation Scholars, the highest academic scholarship the University awards.

A distinguished international voice who uses her talents for the purpose of inspiring justice, truth and compassion will visit West Virginia University this week. Joy Harjo, the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate and the first Native American to hold the position, will visit Morgantown’s campus to give a public poetry reading on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms and virtually via Zoom.

West Virginia leads the nation in overdose deaths, but distinguishing intentional overdoses from accidental ones is far from straightforward.

 A deeply personal, moving, humorous novel about race, stereotypes and, ultimately, the limitations of the American Dream, will engross West Virginia University students, faculty and staff as this year’s WVU Campus Read. 

A laudable spirit of perseverance that has sustained Mountaineers for generations was underscored in West Virginia University President Gordon Gee’s address to the August and December 2021 graduates during two commencement ceremonies today (Dec. 18) at the WVU Coliseum.