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As CPASS prepares to honor student milestones at the May 2022 commencement ceremony, students reflect on the success and challenges that they experienced coming out of the pandemic and returning to campus life. Join us as we celebrate the big day, Friday, May 13 at the Coliseum.

Health and Well-being graduate Dalton Perdue says he chose WVU because he believed he would excel in the HWB program. He feels that the relationships he has developed with fellow classmates and professors will help him prepare for future endeavors. Perdue is using his degree to springboard his education into health sciences and continue by attending medical school.

An internationally known expert in educational leadership and interdisciplinary transformations will join West Virginia University to lead the institution’s newest academic unit.

Autumn Tooms Cyprès, currently the associate provost for lifelong learning at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been named founding dean of the new College of Applied Human Sciences, the Office of the Provost announced Thursday, May 5. Her appointment will be effective June 30, 2022. Cyprès will also hold a faculty position in the College’s School of Education.

The Association for Applied Sport Psychology has recognized CPASS SEP faculty member Johannes Raabe for his efforts in the field of sport psychology. Raabe, assistant professor of sport and exercise psychology, received the Dorothy V. Harris Memorial Award in honor of his contributions to AASP as well as the academic discipline in general.

Jack Watson, dean and professor, says that the college is proud of Raabe and his accomplishments. “His work exemplifies the strenuous requirements for this prestigious award. He more than meets the expectations that were established by Dr. Harris,” Watson said. “Johannes has made a significant contribution to the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. He has developed a convincing record of scholarship and practice that helps to progress the profession and, in doing so, is establishing a strong international reputation. Johannes has set the stage for a long and productive career.”

College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences students, faculty and staff were recognized for their achievements for the 2021-2022 academic year at the college’s annual awards ceremony, April 22.

View complete photo gallery from the event

Two WVU faculty members have been named as recipients of the University’s 2022-2023 Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program:

Kristen Dieffenbach, associate professor in the College of Physical Activities and Sport Sciences’ Department of Coaching and Teaching Studies.

Students, fans and faculty gathered for the Second Annual Friendship Cup, April 22 at the WVU Student Recreation Fields, to cheer on the eight teams in the single elimination competition. Matches took place in overlapping times while WVU Men’s and Women’s Soccer student-athletes served as referees. Winning team members from the lowest seed of the tournament, Elite FC, received gift cards and championship hats, along with bragging rights until next year’s event.

The friendly competition promotes team spirit and brings students and faculty from across campus together to celebrate the alliance of the international sport. The spring event acts as a prelude to the popular Diversity Cup that will take place in October 2022.

WVU sport management students attended a professional development gathering, April 19, hosted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The students heard from Travis Williams, Pirates president, Ben Cherington, Pirates general manager and other Pirates staff members. Following the open panel discussion, students enjoyed a behind-the-scenes view of PNC Park.

In addition to the facility tour, students participated in a round table social mixer where they met additional Pirates staff members who highlighted their career journey and sport management opportunities within the organization. CPASS Dean Jack Watson and sport management faculty members Patrick Hairston, Gary Lhotsky and Justin Wartella accompanied the students on the field trip.

West Virginia University students took a clean sweep of every competition at the 2022 West Virginia Athletic Training Association Conference, held this spring on the WVU campus.

Athletic Training major Carter Kenton says that the event was a “great way” to end his senior year. “The WVATA conference was an enormous success for WVU, from hosting the conference on campus to filling the podium in all the competitions,” Kenton said. “The poster presentation was a culmination of everything I have learned and applied the past four years at WVU. Overall, the conference allowed everyone to meet and collaborate with current and future athletic trainers across the state.”

The West Virginia University Athletics Performance Center recently served as the site for the National Strength and Conditioning Association West Virginia State Clinic on March 25-26. The new facility acts as the home for strength and conditioning, training, rehabilitation and nutrition for all WVU Olympic sport programs.

A sold-out audience of 75 participants, including students, coaches and educators, learned from national leaders in the strength and conditioning and sport sciences field. Presentation topics included strength power development, periodization, the high-performance model and strength and conditioning profession. The clinic featured hands-on sessions with a focus on coaching, sport science and technology.

Zach Kirschner says he chose the College’s sport management degree path because it stood out from the rest of the programs he considered. “I was looking for a school that had the certain major as well as a sports team I could be a part of, which WVU had,” he said. 

Betsy Robbins, CPASS Office of Student Success, has supported Kirschner’s progress through helping him develop marketable skills and connections. “I love meeting with students like Zach who are passionate about the field of sport management and are proactively seeking real-world experiences that will help them reach their professional goals,” Robbins said. “It is exciting to see my students find these unique opportunities that perfectly align with their interests. Zach told me he played in the tournament he will now be overseeing. Go get ‘em, Zach!”