Six members of the West Virginia University Class of 2026 and two December 2025 graduates have earned the Order of Augusta, the University’s most prestigious honor for academic excellence, leadership and service. The eight inductees were selected from the 52 WVU Foundation Outstanding Seniors.
Syd Peng, a retired faculty leader at the West Virginia University Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, is honoring his family’s academic legacy with a pledged $3 million in his will to establish endowed chair and professor positions at the WVU Statler College.
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.
A senior executive who has spent the past 14 years in progressive roles at the West Virginia University Foundation has been named the organization’s new vice president and chief financial officer/treasurer. Melissa L. Simpson will begin her new position July 1.
PE Limited, also known as Petex, is extending its partnership with West Virginia University to ensure students and faculty in the University’s geology and engineering programs have access to the company’s advanced energy production modeling tools with an in-kind software gift valued at more than $6.5 million.
Eight West Virginia University graduate students are pursuing research and discovery to solve real-world challenges with support from WVU Foundation scholarships. The merit-based scholarship awards help students defray education and research costs as they complete their theses and dissertations.
Supporters of West Virginia University made a record number of gifts and contributed more than $22 million during the University’s ninth Day of Giving Wednesday (March 25). Every state was represented on the donor map.
Alumni and friends will have the opportunity to amplify the impact of their gifts Wednesday (March 25) during Day of Giving at West Virginia University. Participants can unlock additional dollars for the areas of WVU that matter most to them by taking part in day-long and hourly challenges.
West Virginia University will use additional state funding included in the Fiscal Year 2027 state budget by Gov. Patrick Morrisey and members of the Legislature to invest in its people and programs.
After nearly 13 years of visionary leadership, Cynthia “Cindi” L. Roth has announced plans to retire as president and chief executive officer of the West Virginia University Foundation later this year.