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In fall 2021, a newly funded project kicked off to promote wellness within the West Virginia University community through adapted sport. Mountaineers on the Move will incorporate wheelchairs into physical activity courses, allowing the WVU community to learn and participate in an inclusive environment.  

Andrea Taliaferro, associate professor, said the two-year project, funded through the WVU Office of Health and Promotion and Wellness, is focused on preparing current and future physical activity professionals regarding inclusive beliefs.

Mike Fox is one of seven Mountaineer student-athletes who was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame last fall. Fox earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences in 1990.

The Akron, Ohio, native came to Morgantown skinny and unsure of himself. Five years later, he left as one of the most coveted interior defensive linemen in the country. He built himself into the player he became the old-fashioned way – by working hard and eating a lot.

Floyd Jones retired from the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences on May 13, 2021, following 32 years of service to West Virginia University. Jones served as a sport management associate professor and taught both undergraduate and graduate students.

“I would like to thank Dr. Floyd Jones for his many years of service to the College. As a native West Virginian, he was always committed to the land-grant mission of the University. Throughout his time in CPASS, Dr. Jones has had a strong impact upon the College, our Sport Management Program and the many thousands of students with whom he has worked over the years. We will miss seeing Dr. Jones and hearing his passionate words and laughter echoing around the building. We wish him all the best in his retirement,” Jack Watson, dean, said.

Four sport and exercise psychology alumni continue to make a significant impact within the American Psychological Association Division 47, Society for Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology. Megan Byrd, Brandonn Harris, Jamie Shapiro and Amanda J. Visek are adding their vision to the national organization through research, teaching and service. 

In their new leadership roles, they hope to increase student involvement, expand diversity, equity and inclusion, collaboration efforts, focus on ethical practices and enhance mentoring opportunities. Below they reflect on their experiences as graduate students in the College and offer their support and guidance for current SEP majors.

The WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences honored four graduates and named its Outstanding Alumnus and Distinguished Service award recipients during its 2020 Hall of Fame Ceremony, October 16 via a virtual ceremony on Zoom. The 2020 Hall of Fame inductees are Christopher D. Lantz, Gary J. Quinn, James L. Taylor and Keli M. Zinn. The College honored P. Kevin Elko with the Outstanding Alumnus and Dallas D. Branch, Jr. with the Distinguished Service Awards. Visit the CPASS Hall of Fame website to view full bios for this 32nd class of CPASS Hall of Fame inductees.  

Notable past CPASS inductees include Linda Carson, Judith Hayes, Chuck Howley, Rodney C. “Hot Rod” Hundley, Rodney K. Thorn, Alfred F. Ware, Robert L. DeProspero, Fred Schaus, George J. Esper, General Earl E. Anderson, Jerry West and Robert Sam Huff, all members of the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni. 

West Virginia University continues to recognize employees who embrace our values and purpose while underlining our land-grant mission. The WVU Values Coin program kicked off in 2017 in celebration of WVU’s 150th birthday. The number of WVU Values Coin awards continues to grow through the ‘pay it forward’ program, which allows prior coin recipients to recognize coworkers for their exceptional efforts. 

The College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences welcomes Kimberly Straight as the new accounting and operations coordinator for FiT Publishing.

Straight, who started on Nov. 15, has long been a member of Mountaineer family, most recently having worked with Shared Services, and previously Extension Services and the John Chambers College of Business and Economics. In her new role at FiT, she will coordinate accounts payable and procurement, business operations and communications, customer service, and will oversee student workers.

On a gray, cold and damp fall afternoon, students from the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences sport management program and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences World Languages, Literature and Linguistics department met to play in the Friendship Cup, two friendly soccer matches in a one-day event.

Eberly College professor Lisa Di Bartolomeo, Russian, Slavic and East European Studies coordinator with the WLLL department, contacted Gonzalo Bravo, CPASS associate professor, sport management, to suggest that the programs host an event for the students. “It’s been almost 20 months since the COVID 19 pandemic erupted. Many of the extracurricular activities students have been involved in the past had been temporarily suspended or significantly changed,” Di Bartolomeo said.