Latest News

Improving the healthy lifestyle landscape in some West Virginia areas might sound like a tough task, but a group of passionate West Virginia University faculty and staff believe the secret lies in empowering communities and providing the support they need to take control of their own health.

Last fall, faculty from WVU Extension Service, WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences , and WVU School of Public Health and West Virginia Prevention Research Center entered into a five-year contractual partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and launched the Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy project.

New administrative roles at West Virginia University College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences will support critical transitions within the organizational structure and prepare the college for new leadership. 

The WVU Office of the Provost announced in April that Jack Watson, professor and interim associate dean, will serve as interim dean. Watson steps into the role following the announcement of the retirement of Dana Brooks, professor and dean of the college, who served in that role for 26 years, with a total of 41 years at the college. 

WVU women’s soccer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown has created a soccer dynasty in Morgantown. However, it is not the winning records nor the titles that have defined her tenure at WVU, but rather the players she has inspired along the way. CPASS graduate student, Bryana McCarthy, is one of those players.

McCarthy, hailing from Ajax, Ontario, Canada, played with the team 10 years ago while earning her undergraduate degree in athletic coaching education.

The CPASS Visiting Committee has established the Dana Brooks CPASS Scholarship in honor of Dean Dana Brooks’ upcoming retirement on June 30, 2019. This new award will benefit future students in the college and maintain the Dean’s honor in the future.

The endowment will provide scholarships for undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at WVU in the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. A student who is a recipient one year is eligible for consideration in any other year, provided they continue to meet the selection criteria.

Body image among young adult female athletes has become a hot topic within the sports exercise psychology industry. Kate Fairhurst, a CPASS Ph.D. candidate, recently received the 2019 Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Research Grant to continue her research on the topic.

This grant, which is awarded to students and professionals, will support the completion of her doctoral dissertation, which involves the application of PhotoVoice approaches to explore young adult female exercisers' experiences of their body and body image while exercising in a fitness center environment.