Carl Smith is a man who believes in starting what he finishes. He never finished college. It’s the one project he never completed. And it didn’t sit well with the now-83-year-old. After 65 years, all that will change as he earns his degree and attends the 2026 Commencement ceremony at West Virginia University Potomac State College.
West Virginia University senior Grace Terlion is pairing her supply chain management studies with applied artificial intelligence and data analytics training to prepare for a career at the forefront of modern business. Through hands-on coursework, machine learning projects and faculty mentorship in the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics, Terlion is building the technical skills she said she believes will be essential in the AI-driven future.
West Virginia University is part of a global effort to spark curiosity and inspire creativity among young learners and their families during the Remake Learning Days festival May 4-16.
New research from West Virginia University shows that as generative artificial intelligence begins to show up in courtrooms across the country, judges aren’t rushing to hand over the gavel. A white paper co-authored by Amy Cyphert, associate professor in the WVU College of Law, offers a closer look at how judges are beginning to use generative AI in their day-to-day work.
The latest generation of Payne family lawyers — Beckley native Chris Payne — will walk across the West Virginia University College of Law Commencement stage at 9 a.m. May 15. Also the president of the WVU Law Class of 2026, Payne may be among the first, fourth-generation Black lawyers in the country.
A West Virginia University student with aspirations for a career in foreign service is a recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship, providing an opportunity to study a foreign language abroad this summer. Benjamin “Ben” Caltrider is a native of Charles Town who is double majoring in international studies and history.
For Reilly Rollman, a senior civil engineering major with a minor in applied mathematics at West Virginia University, an early exposure to construction helped shape a long-term academic and professional path in engineering.
Inspired by his own family tragedy, West Virginia University School of Medicine graduating senior Jonathan “Tucker” Bennett is on a mission to save others through emergency medicine.
Twenty incoming West Virginia University students from across the Mountain State who are driven by shared passions for innovation and service have been named the 2026-27 cohort of Bucklew Scholars. From this distinguished group, five have been selected as Foundation Scholars, the highest academic scholarship the University awards.
In recognition of their dedicated service in the health, retail and legal fields, West Virginia University will award honorary degrees to Arthur Gabriel, co-founder of Gabriel Brothers, Tom Jones, former WVU Health System president and CEO, and former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Beth Walker during May Commencement.