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Lily Campbell, Emma Cremann and Jada Sanders were recently selected to join the fifth cohort of Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars and will begin their studies this fall on the Morgantown Campus.

Officials from Kanawha County Schools and West Virginia University, including WVU President Dr. Gordon Gee, today recognized 50 Kanawha County Schools teachers who applied and were selected to receive a master’s degree in Literacy Education with a Reading Specialist certification. This online degree, including books, will be paid for by Kanawha County Schools. This is part of Kanawha County Schools’ dedication to furthering literacy education and addressing student learning loss post-COVID. The cohort of 50 Kanawha County teachers will begin their degrees in August, with an anticipated program completion in May 2026.

“I am pleased to celebrate the first cohort of the Literacy Education Fellows,” West Virginia University President Gordon Gee said. “This program is a wonderful reminder that we, not just in Kanawha County but across West Virginia, have a high level of interest from teachers who want to be here and want to serve. As the state’s flagship, land-grant University, we will continue to nurture, support and provide more opportunities for teachers.”

The development of a video collection of literacy leaders across West Virginia is one of three West Virginia University programs that is being supported by funding from Women of WVU, the WVU Foundation announced.

For the upcoming grant cycle, Women of WVU awarded $32,500 to new projects and programs, and an additional $25,000 to four programs on a multi-year funding cycle.

The Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers (M3T) is featured in the Summer 2024 edition of the WVU Magazine. M3T is led by Matthew Campbell, associate professor of mathematics education and associate director of teacher education at the School of Education within the College of Applied Human Sciences, and Joanna Burt-Kinderman, a WVU alum and an instructional coach for the Pocahontas County school district.

Carla Brigandi, associate professor in the School of Education in the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences, has co-authored the 2023 Paper of the Year as selected by the editors of the Journal for the Education of the Gifted. This prestigious recognition highlights significant contributions to the field of gifted education.

The award-winning paper, titled "Who Gets Identified? The Consequences of Variability in Teacher Ratings and Combination Rules for Determining Eligibility for Gifted Services for Young Children," makes an important contribution to the field of gifted education as it looks at the effectiveness of using teacher rating scales to identify students for gifted services. The results highlight the importance of finding alternate ways to identify students with academic talent, which is particularly important for students living in rural and low socioeconomic communities, who are often overlooked and underserved in gifted education programs compared to their higher-income counterparts.

The West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences recognized four for their outstanding contributions to the college during the 2023-24 academic year. Sean Bulger, Dana Musick, Emi Tsuda and Sam Zizzi were recognized among their peers at its annual all-college assembly on May 8.

Sean Bulger was the recipient of the Laddie R. Bell Distinguished Service Award for his demonstrated authentic, servant, and visionary leadership. As Associate Dean for Online Education and Technology, he reimagined master’s programs, developed new online graduate certificates, and strategized a transition plan for the university’s new learning management system. Bulger also led the development of the YOU at WVU app, the CAHS Digital Learning Hub, and the college’s online portfolio. Additionally, he stepped in to serve as the Interim Director for the School of Counseling and Well-Being in January to lead that unit through the conclusion of the academic term. Beyond his administrative roles, he coordinated the master's in physical education online program, served on multiple college and university committees, and mentored key leaders within the School of Sport Sciences. His forward-thinking impact is evident in his efforts to foster excellence, innovation, and continuous development within the academic community.

In an opinion piece with The (Charleston) Gazette-Mail, Autumn Cypres says WVU is continuing its land grant mission in West Virginia to help Kanawha County teachers with a new partnership.

The West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences is partnering with the Kanawha County Schools to address the critical need for literacy education in West Virginia.

The partnership establishes a reduced per-credit tuition rate for a select cohort of up to 25 education professionals from Kanawha County to pursue a master’s degree in literacy education.

The College of Applied Human Sciences will celebrate Commencement on Sunday, May 12, at 9 a.m. at the WVU Coliseum. Here is a look at several graduates from the College who will be earning their degree this weekend.

Adrianna Wood, with her major in sport and exercise psychology, found a supportive community and practical experiences that fueled her passion for human resources. Heather Bond, a graduate from the health and well-being program, combined her educational passion with her passion for aviation. Rachael Ratliff's path in elementary education was influenced by family and shaped by her practicum experience, while Kylie Coon is one of the first early childhood special education graduates and determined to make an impact. Cody Fisher's switch to physical education and kinesiology led him to find his place in teaching, embracing the opportunities that have prepared him for a fulfilling career.

When Paige Zalman went to sleep on the night of Tuesday, April 2, she was still a PhD candidate. By the time she went to sleep on Wednesday, April 3, not only was she now Dr. Paige Zalman after successfully defending her thesis, but she was also the winner of WVU’s 3-Minute Thesis competition, capping a day she likely won’t forget anytime soon.

It’s not an ideal circumstance to undergo the stress of a dissertation defense and an intense competition like 3MT within hours of each other. Zalman certainly didn’t draw it up that way.

The textbook, “ Group Counseling: Strategies and Skills,” written by West Virginia University faculty members Ed Jacobs and Christine Schimmel, along with Bob Masson and Riley Harvill, has been recognized by the Textbook and Academic Authors Association with the McGuffey Longevity Award.

Jacobs and Schimmel are both faculty members in the School of Counseling and Well-Being in the College of Applied Human Sciences.

Jake Follmer, assistant professor in the School of Education, is one of four faculty members at West Virginia University to be recognized for exceptional and innovative teaching with the 2024 WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching. 

Zabrya Robson, a behavior health counselor at Community Care of West Virginia, came to West Virginia University knowing she wanted to help others. She earned her undergraduate degree at WVU, and then when looking for a master’s program to pursue counseling, she once again chose WVU largely because of the flexibility of the clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling program.

In 2019, even before the pandemic and many lives and professions turned into hybrid worlds, Margaret Glenn and her colleagues were investigating the use of novel technologies in simulation education. Glenn readily admits she was not familiar with much of the technology that existed then but saw a presentation about how immersive videos could help people expand their experience of different subject matter via a virtual reality headset. Five years later, WVU is leading the way in the field of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling with its innovative use of virtual reality technology.

Glenn, a professor in the School of Counseling and Well-Being, serves as the principal investigator in the development of the Accessible, Innovative, & Relevant Training for Vocational Rehabilitation (AIR4VR) project. It is funded by the US Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration’s Innovative Training Program. Glenn’s team also includes David Smith from the Reed College of Media who serves as a co-principal investigator. The project is in its fifth and final year and recently received funding for an additional year.

Nothing was ever going to come easy for Gage Smith.

The factors working against him based simply on life’s circumstances made the chances of him even getting to West Virginia University as a student equal parts remarkable and improbable.