Sam Zizzi, the Dr. Pat Fehl Endowed Professor in the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, was one of five finalists for the 2025 West Virginia Professor of the Year award, presented by the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia.
The award was presented on April 9 at a banquet in the Great Hall of the West Virginia State Capitol Culture Center in Charleston. Peggy Fink, Associate Professor of Nursing at WVU Tech, was named the 2025 Professor of the Year. The other finalists recognized at the banquet were Rico Gazal, Glenville State University; Rebecca Giorcelli, Fairmont State University; and Barbara Ladner, West Virginia State University.
Finalists were selected from statewide nominations and participated in interviews with the Foundation board in February.
Zizzi joined WVU's faculty in 2000 and was named the Dr. Pat Fehl Endowed Professor in 2016. He has chaired or co-chaired 37 completed graduate student research projects and secured more than $3.4 million in external grant funding as principal investigator, much of it directed toward physical activity promotion and public health initiatives across West Virginia. His research spans applied sport and exercise psychology, mindfulness, and community health. He has received WVU's Outstanding Teaching Award three times (2002, 2019, and 2024), and was recognized in 2024 by the WVU Office of the Provost with the Distinction in Graduate Mentoring honor. He is a Fellow and Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
The Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia was established in 1984 to recognize innovation and creativity among faculty at the state's public and private colleges and universities. The award is sponsored by individual donors along with United Bank; Bowles Rice LLP; Greene, Ketchum, Bailey & Tweel LLP; Maier Foundation; and The Daywood Foundation, Inc.