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The Center for Active WV began with a handful of CPASS faculty who felt called to respond to several growing health crises in West Virginia — crises that involve increasing rates of adult and childhood obesity and all of the accompanying health issues, from diabetes to heart disease.

Eloise Elliott, Ware Distinguished Professor of physical education teacher education, says they saw many other centers around the University having a real impact on communities in the state and beyond and knew this might be one way to move the needle. Lacking the initial funds to create a University center, the faculty launched the College-based version in the hopes of gaining enough financial traction down the road to move into full University center status in the future. Their hope in a nutshell? “To encourage people across the University as well as decision-makers across the state to focus on physical activity,” Elliott says. “It emerged out of a passion for getting more people to become active and improve their lives.”

Although many West Virginia University students are in a virtual learning environment this semester, CPASS Sport Management Club members continue to participate in especially engaging virtual sessions with industry professionals to develop connections in the field they love.

“My goal is to help students learn from industry professionals and to guide them in understanding that everyone’s path is different. Everyone has diverse experiences. We want to take advantage of the opportunity offered through the SM Club to speak with these individuals,” Natalie Gerber, SM Club president, explained.

A CPASS faculty member is evaluating ongoing efforts of a mini-grant program that funds projects across the state with an emphasis on obesity and chronic disease prevention and management.

Peter Giacobbi, associate professor, CPASS sport and exercise psychology, is a co-investigator on two West Virginia Prevention Research Center (WVPRC) contracts. Giacobbi is Affiliated Faculty with the WVPRC and is a contributor on the two evaluation contracts with the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (WVBPH). In addition, Neel Rao, CPASS alumnus, was hired as program assistant on the two recent contracts. The purpose of the first contract is to evaluate mini-grants supported through the WVBPH’s Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease (HPCD).

Thanks to an innovative partnership with the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and collaborations with WVU Athletics, CPASS students are getting hands on experience.

The new CPASS program in coaching and performance science sprang from the cutting edge of both high-performance athletics and recreational sport. One of the only undergraduate programs of its kind in the country, coaching and performance science offers students three areas of emphasis: coaching and leadership, strength and conditioning and applied sport science. “That is incredibly unique,” says Guy Hornsby, assistant professor of athletic coaching education. “I am not aware of such a push to do this at the undergrad level anywhere else.”

The Steelcase Active Learning Center at WVU, created thanks to a $67,000 grant initiative offered by Steelcase Education, was intended to support educators and students by creating an environment that fosters connection, creation and engagement. One year after its launch, the Center is well on its way to fulfilling those goals, says Sean Bulger, associate dean for graduate and online education at CPASS.

“Across the initial year of the Steelcase Active Learning Center, we evaluated student and faculty use of the facility and observed a range of favorable outcomes,” he says. “Students reported positively on movement and communication indicators, including re-arranging furniture into new layouts, moving to work with others more often, using classroom tools to communicate and presenting ideas to their peers. Students also described that the new environment enabled them to be more engaged in their learning and group activities.”

CPASS graduating students celebrated 2020 Mountaineer Graduation Day on May 16, 2020, with all the same excitement and future expectations of previous graduates, with one notable difference. Their experience was entirely virtual. Everyone was invited — graduates, families, current and future students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the University. And all came to honor our outstanding seniors.

Upon reflecting on their experiences at WVU, four CPASS students — Garrett Lord, Alisha Barnes, Lucas Facemire and John Foster — shared their achievements.

The 2019 WVU Day of Giving was an important effort for CPASS, raising nearly $25,000 for the College, while West Virginia University generated more than $11.3 million. The third annual event, held November 13, 2019, encouraged students, faculty, staff and friends of WVU to provide critical funding to ensure the continuation of numerous opportunities for growth within the WVU community.

During the 24-hour online timeframe, CPASS received 100 donations. Interestingly, CPASS received 100 donations last year as well. In comparison to academic colleges, CPASS finished in 9th place, ahead of units such as nursing, education, pharmacy and dentistry. Read the full story here. 

Three well-established and highly respected professionals within the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences have retired from their respective positions this past spring semester. Carol Straight, Theresa Scafella and Robin McKinney share the common threads of loyalty, reliability and commitment, as noted by their colleagues. Between them, they represent decades of service at CPASS.

“With the retirements of Robin McKinney, Theresa Scafella and Carol Straight, CPASS is losing three long-term employees who have served the college extremely well for more than 75 years total. Their positive influence and efforts have certainly helped CPASS continually evolve into a better college over the years. We wish them happiness in the next phases of their lives,” said Jack Watson, dean and professor, CPASS.

The WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences honored four graduates and named its Outstanding Alumnus and Distinguished Service award recipients during its 2019 Hall of Fame Ceremony, last November. The 2019 Hall of Fame inductees are Linda K. Burdette-Good, Jerry A. Koloskie, Jack J. Marucci and Barbara J. Zimmer. The College recognized Paul D. Grace with the Outstanding Alumnus and Sharon M. Sisler with the Distinguished Service awards.

In today’s job market, an internship is a foot in the door. But how do students find these opportunities during a global pandemic? Campus internships are just one way students are building the connections and experiences they need to be successful outside the classroom. From working with Big 12 teams to learning the ropes alongside facilities pros, our students will be well prepared for their next big step — lifelong careers.