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As the Mountaineer community eagerly prepares to recognize the achievements of West Virginia University December and August 2021 graduates, the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences will honor the first cohort of Health and Well-being students to earn their degrees. 

“Working with Health and Well-being students is such a great experience. The students have a wide range of career interests within Health and Well-being professions. We have had the privilege to work with each student to help them reach their individual goals,” Colton Metzger, student success coordinator, said.

CPASS Physical Education and Kinesiology Assistant Professor Samantha Ross is one of seven WVU faculty selected to receive Universal Design of Learning grant. The grants, provided by WVU Teaching and Learning Commons, include a stipend of $3,500 to support design or redesign of courses to meet the principles of UDL.

As a teacher-researcher, Ross says that she is motivated to implement and evaluate evidence-based practices to her classrooms and the preparation of future physical activity professionals. “Applying Universal design for learning principles to the classroom strengthens my direct support of student learning and provides student’s personalized pathways to success. As a third-year faculty, I am still developing as a teacher,” she said.

A virtual, collaborative learning experience for College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences students with students from Halmstad University in Halmstad, Sweden, has thrived during the pandemic.

In fall 2020, WVU sport and exercise psychology students worked with their peers at Halmstad University as part of the SEP 272 course, Psychological Aspects of Sport. Students collaborated on cross-cultural aspects of a sport psychology discussion that promoted deeper cultural understanding.

Eight sport management students and three faculty members attended the Pittsburgh Pirates Third annual Curt Roberts Step Up to the Plate recruitment event at PNC Park on Oct. 13.

Students Madison Reeser, Ariana Burke, Joseph Yanchak, Morgan Montgomery, Arielle Friedman, Zorin Istvan, Jalen Thornton and Hanna Rosenberger attended the event with Patrick Hairston, Justin Wartella, and Gary Lhotsky, all teaching associate professors.

As we move through the fall 2021 semester, our Office of Student Success continues to work diligently to create a transformational advising system that shepherds students in their educational journey and empowers them to learn, grow and develop as individuals and future professionals. Our team frequently connects with students to help them engage with the support systems that are designed to maximize the student experience. The team also partners with instructors to encourage reporting student challenges, prompting effective outcomes and enhancing academic success rates.

Our newest major, health and well-being, admitted its second class of students in August. It has been more popular than anticipated and enrolled more than 340 students in just two years. Students who desire to enter professional programs in healthcare, such as nursing, physical therapy, athletic training, occupational therapy and chiropractic, enter the Bachelor of Science track and take additional math and science courses. Students who wish to work in non-school based health-related organizations, such as hospitals and community centers, enter the Bachelor of Arts track.

A vision of boundless opportunities within the sports industry has inspired a sport management master’s program student at the College to create an organization to support student networking and career objectives.

Lauren Burchfield, a sport management master’s program major with emphasis in comprehensive sport industry management, says she formed the Sports Leadership and Development Association for graduate students and other individuals with a keen interest in establishing a solid career pathway.

The College welcomed May, August and December 2020 graduates to participate with May 2021 graduates after more than a year of pandemic restrictions. CPASS celebrated this milestone and the return to the in-person commencement tradition. The ceremonies took place Saturday morning on May 15 and included Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and Reed College of Media students.

“As you turn your focus to the future, I want you to know that few of us achieve meaningful successes without effort, hard work, a growth mindset, and yes, even failures. If we approach life with the right mindset, these challenges can be some of our most important learning and growth experiences,” Jack Watson, CPASS dean said.

An online master’s student is building her business knowledge through networking and faculty expertise, all while developing her career as an assistant women’s soccer coach.

Sarah Ghaffoor states that the Sport Management Online Master’s Program supports her career pathway by connecting coursework to functional situations. “CPASS has helped me develop in my current position while looking to my future goals,” said Ghaffoor, who has combined an emphasis on comprehensive sports industry management with her major (she’s projected to graduate December 2021).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many faculty members of the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences were asked to teach more often and in different ways. Despite these increased obligations to our students, faculty maintained a high level of productivity in research.

This report describes research productivity in 2020-21 and major initiatives from the last year in research and grant-writing.

The College welcomed three new faculty members to campus this fall: Patrick Hairston, sport management teaching assistant professor; Peter McGahey, coaching and performance science teaching assistant professor; and Brent Oja, sport management assistant professor. They will provide a clear vision, specialized expertise and strong industry connections.

These new faculty will focus on challenging students to enhance their critical thinking skills, develop best practices, engage in research and discover their passion as they prepare for successful careers.

The WVU Alumni Association hosted a webinar entitled WVU Check-In on April 21, featuring an insightful conversation with Ware Distinguished Professor Eloise Elliott and Dr. Pat Fehl Endowed Professor Sam Zizzi. Meridith Balas, director of engagement, WVU Alumni Association, hosted the event.

Elliott and Zizzi updated viewers about their important work with the Center for ActiveWV. They discussed their ongoing efforts to successfully impact the physical activity levels of adults and children through collaboration, research, policy and practice.

Hello CPASS Alumni,

I hope that you all are doing well and enjoying the fall season. I have met some of you, but for those who do not know me, my name is Will Bradley and I am the CPASS director of development. I am here to provide you up-to-date information from the development side of our college.

The 2021 WVU Day of Giving was an important effort for CPASS, raising $40,288 for the College, while West Virginia University generated more than $11.9 million — a new Day of Giving Record. The fourth annual event, held March 3, encouraged students, faculty, staff and friends of WVU to provide critical funding to ensure the continuation of numerous opportunities for growth.

Excitement grew with every minute, tracking the donations as they rolled in, knowing that contributions support student success initiatives such as the development of the CPASS Student Services Center that provides tutoring, career services and mentoring.

Despite barriers and delays caused by COVID-19, partners around the state have found imaginative solutions to empower communities striving to overcome West Virginia’s health-related challenges.

A year ago, the College’s Center for ActiveWV set out to empower communities through a statewide initiative to create opportunities for physical activity. Access to outdoor recreation is a valuable tool to boost immune systems and manage stress.

Dana Voelker, CPASS associate professor and director of undergraduate online education, received the 2020 Diane Gill Paper of the Year Award from the Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, recognizing her research on body image and weight and appearance pressures in competitive sport.

Voelker was honored for her publication, “It’s Just a Lot Different Being Male Than Female in the Sport: An Exploration of the Gendered Culture Around Body Pressures in Competitive Figure Skating,” with Dr. Justine Reel at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.