Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

The West Virginia University Foundation will honor donors on Tuesday, April 10, whose planned gifts over the past year will provide for the future of the University.

Garrett Burgess, a senior Honors student majoring in political science and world languages, literatures and linguistics with a concentration in Russian studies, and Morgan King, a senior Honors student majoring in civil and environmental engineering with a minor in international and comparative politics, placed first among ten teams competing from institutions including the American University, Johns Hopkins University and the US Naval Academy.

Pride in his Appalachian roots led West Virginia University junior Joshua Stuart to reclaim what it means to be Appalachian. Stuart, an interdisciplinary studies major in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences from Philippi, West Virginia will present research at the Appalachian Studies Association conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 5-8. His presentation focuses on queer culture in Appalachia, where he pulls perspectives from his background in creative writing, sociology and LGBTQ+ studies.

Erin Cassese, an associate professor of political science at West Virginia University, has been named the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences’ first Harriet E. Lyon Professor in Women’s and Gender Studies. The first-of-its-kind professorship recognizes the interdisciplinary role of women’s and gender studies on the WVU campus. It is designed to support the dissemination of knowledge sensitive to gender and places women's concerns, ideas, perspectives and interests at the center of the scholarly and teaching enterprise.

Glen Jackson, a professor of forensic and investigative science at West Virginia University, has been promoted to the rank of Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. The rank is one of the highest recognitions for researchers in the forensic science discipline. It was announced at the 2018 AAFS Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle.

To meet the changing needs of professionals working with evolving policy and regulatory issues in the justice system, homeland security and healthcare, the West Virginia University Department of Public Administration has launched a new 30 credit hour Master of Legal Studies (MLS) curriculum for fall 2018.

Recent social movements, such as the women's march and #MeToo, have brought gender to the forefront of public discussion. Erin Cassese, an associate professor of political science at West Virginia University, has been selected to contribute her expertise on gender in American politics to Gender Watch 2018, a non-partisan project dedicated to tracking, analyzing and illuminating gender dynamics in the 2018 election.

Kenneth Means, professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University, has been named the recipient of the 2018 Heebink Award for Distinguished Service to West Virginia.

Lisa Di Bartolomeo, a professor in the department of World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics and senior advisor in the Office of Global Affairs, has been named a Fellow for the 2018-2019 academic year by the American Council on Education.

What can comedy tell us about who we are and how we think? How can popular science fiction stories teach us about our anxieties around technology? What does the Federal Reserve actually do? What does it mean to be a caring person? These are just a few of the questions that honors students will investigate in new, innovative courses designed by the next cohort of Honors Faculty Fellows at West Virginia University.