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John Gay, EdD, loved students with drive. He could recognize those who had potential and ambition, and then poured encouragement into them to help them believe that they could achieve and do more. He was the kind of professor, dean, scholar and man whom a student would stop in an airport years later to thank him for the nudge he gave them to be better.

He would have loved Chloe Simpson.

The West Virginia University commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 17 marks the first time degrees will be conferred from the College of Applied Human Sciences. While the name is new, the rich experiences and thorough education is the same as it ever has been.

This group of graduates dealt with the challenges of COVID during their collegiate careers along with the challenge of resuming learning in a new way. Several students cited a personal connection between their professors that helped them to succeed during that time.

Cassie Smith, a West Virginia University physical education graduate (1993), is passionate about getting people outdoors to become more active. As director of the West Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League, Smith counts on dedicated coaches and other volunteers as the key to the success of the WV National Interscholastic Cycling Association.

Celebrating five years in the Mountain State, Smith says establishing WV NICA is a huge accomplishment. “Not only are we seeing more kids on bikes, but we are recruiting parents as coaches. In five years, we grew from 130 athletes and 50 coaches to 405 athletes and more than 200 coaches,” Smith said.

The American Council on Rural Special Education has established a new award in honor of Kim Floyd, associate professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences School of Counseling and Well-being, and her son, Kasey.

The ACRES board created the Kim and Kasey Floyd Rural Social Justice Award to recognize individuals or organizations who have worked to personally address inequities in educational opportunities or access due to systemic social injustice for persons with disabilities who live in rural areas and are further disenfranchised or disempowered.

J. William (Bill) Douglas, an alumnus of West Virginia University and former dean for the WVU School of Physical Education, died on Monday, Oct. 31.

A native of Morgantown, W.Va., Douglas earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WVU and was a member of the Mountaineer baseball team. He earned his doctorate degree from Ohio State University in 1969.

Maria Vito, physical education and kinesiology major, chose the West Virginia University PEK program because it combined two of her passions: working with children and seeing them succeed and promoting a physically active lifestyle.

As a PEK student, Vito says that the professors in the department and college have provided “massive” amounts of support. “They are always there to make sure that everything is going well, whether it be with my academics or mental health,” said Vito, from Bentleyville, Pa.

Numerous School of Sport Sciences faculty and students were honored at the Society of Health and Physical Educators conference, held in-person this past October in Charleston, W.Va. The 2022 SHAPEWV award recipients are highlighted below:

Physical Education and Kinesiology major, junior, Bentleyville, Pa.

Matthew Kasopsky, counseling and clinical mental health track first-year graduate student, says that there is much to appreciate about the field of counseling. “One thing I really love about the program is that while we are all passionate about counseling, we have different interests, which lead to some great conversations,” he said. “Even though we have broad areas of interest, faculty members foster a positive environment and support us in our different clinical and research interests.”

Kasopsky, from Norristown, Pa., explains that as students, they started practicing counseling on the first day of classes. “There is something to be said about counseling being both an art and a science. You can learn the science part, but you must practice the art side of it to get good,” he added.

A unique student-driven project recognizes the power of literature to transform individuals and societies while supporting the freedom to read and write. The West Virginia University Higher Education Student Association’s mission underscores educational, vocational and personal development for people who are imprisoned.

WVU HESA recently collaborated with the Appalachian Prison Book Project as part of their engagement in the 2022 WVU Week of Purpose. APBP focuses on challenging mass incarceration through books, education and community engagement.

In recognition of what it means to be a Mountaineer, the West Virginia University Alumni Association will celebrate recipients of the 2022 Homecoming and Alumni Service Awards during Homecoming Week, Oct. 24-30.

Jihad Dixon (’17, ’19) will receive the John F. Nicholas Jr. Award during the Homecoming festivities. Dixon, higher education program graduate, was highly involved in many aspect of campus life. He was the president of the WVU NAACP and the Higher Education Student Association, a resident assistant at Dadisman/Stalnaker Halls, a diversity ambassador within the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion , a member of Mountain Honorary, a student representative of the WVU Student Conduct Board and WVU Residency Committee, and a student senator and executive leader in the Student Government Association.