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Matthew Campbell, associate professor of mathematics education in the College of Applied Human Sciences School of Education, has been named the 2023 College/University Mathematics Teacher of the Year by the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Campbell was recognized at a ceremony on March 17 as part of the WVCTM annual conference at the Stonewall Resort. Since 1982, awards are given annually to educators at the elementary, middle school, high school, and college levels in recognition of exemplary and impactful mathematics teaching and service in the field of mathematics education.

Ashley Martucci, associate service professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences, School of Education, is one of five faculty members be named as a recipients of the University’s 2023-24 Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program.

The Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program at WVU is designed to stimulate scholarly initiatives through the creation of an academic community within the institutions in the Big 12 Athletic Conference. The Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program offers WVU faculty members the opportunity to travel to member institutions to exchange ideas and research. Faculty may work on collaborative research, consult with faculty and students, offer a series of lectures or symposia, acquire new skills, or take advantage of a unique archive or laboratory facility.

Emily Murphy, associate professor of health and well-being in the College of Applied Human Sciences, is one of four West Virginia University faculty members to be recognized for their exceptional teaching and service to the University, students and community.

Murphy was one of two recipients of the Ethel and Gerry Heebink Awards for Distinguished State Service, which recognize faculty or staff members who have provided distinguished service to West Virginia over a period of time. These awards were established by David Heebink in 1982 in memory of his parents, Ethel and Gerry Heebink, two former University employees. She is the recipient of the 2023 Heebink Award for extended (i.e., at least eight years) distinguished service to West Virginia.

As WVU continues to grow as a national leader in the collegiate esports scene, Chris Scroggins is taking on the role of director of the esports academic program while also serving as a service assistant professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences.

“One of the most exciting things about it is that WVU is one of the first major R1 institutions to go all in on esports,” Scroggins said. “It’s exciting that we’re offering esports at an institution of this caliber. This is the flagship school of this state, and it’s spectacular that we’re willing to invest in it and really be a trailblazer at this level.

West Virginia University Ware Distinguished Professor Eloise Elliott is the newest member of the Cooper Institute FitnessGram Advisory Board, designed to promote life-long fitness and wellness through research and education.

The Cooper Institute works to provide research and programs that focus on the importance of physical activity across all stages of life. FitnessGram is one of the institute’s youth initiatives that strives to educate children and adolescents about the benefits of physical activity now and later in life.

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.

With a new school year underway, three West Virginia University education experts discuss the ongoing challenges of staffing schools, which the president of the National Education Association labeled a “five-alarm crisis.”

Donna Peduto, executive director of West Virginia Public Education Collaborative , has held positions with the West Virginia Board of Education and the state Department of Education, and was the state coordinator for West Virginia's first Innovation Zones Initiative.

A West Virginia University instructional design expert is looking to break the code of the traditional elementary school classroom.

Here is what Ugur Kale envisions: In an upper-elementary classroom in West Virginia, kids are learning about food access. It’s an issue that affects many of their families, who might purchase groceries with WIC or live nowhere near a supermarket.

The West Virginia University School of Education and Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers project have selected 12 middle and high school math teachers from across West Virginia to serve as the third cohort of M3T fellows. The group will join the project’s statewide mathematics teacher leadership program for the next five years.

Moving into its third year, the M3T project works to support and retain skilled and experienced secondary math teachers by empowering these teachers as leaders in their school districts and across the state. The program also aims to create a model of networked and teacher-led improvement and teacher leadership development statewide and share that emerging strategy across the country.

Christine Schimmel, associate professor of counseling, has been appointed as the new WVU faculty ombudsperson for the 2022-23 academic year.

Selected through an internal, University-wide search process by a committee with representatives from the WVU Faculty Senate and the Provost’s Office, Schimmel will provide confidential and informal assistance to all faculty members across the University community.

Two new faculty members will join the College of Applied Human Sciences for fall 2022. Joni Williamson, sport management teaching assistant professor, and Rachel Wattick, health and well-being teaching assistant professor, bring experience in athletics administration and food science, respectively.

Williamson comes to WVU after spending the last four years as the director of athletics and adventure sports at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C. She has held additional roles at the NCAA in academic and membership affairs, Wittenberg University as associate director of athletics, Wright State as director of athletics promotions and Washington State as facilities operations assistant.

Contributing to more than 480,000 deaths annually in the United States, smoking remains a problem nationwide, especially in the state of West Virginia. A West Virginia University professor is part of a team that is leading an effort to help adults quit smoking.

Peter Giacobbi, professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences and a member of the School of Public Health, is collaborating with research colleagues from the University of Arizona, the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y. and WV First Choice Services to launch the Be Smoke Free project.

Every child is unique in their abilities, strengths and interests. With multiple options for online learning and academic programs available for purchase, it can be overwhelming to decide how to best support your children and their continued learning in the summer months.

Stephanie Lorenze and Ashley Martucci, service associate professors in the College of Applied Human Sciences, School of Education, have offered a guide for summer enrichment options.

In West Virginia, inequities in youth access to mental health services have been magnified by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and a statewide school counselor shortage. Research demonstrates that classroom teachers want to assist students who are experiencing mental health issues, but they do not always have the knowledge or resources to intervene.

To better equip West Virginia teachers and other school personnel to identify the signs and symptoms of mental health crises among students, Rawn Boulden, assistant professor, and Christine Schimmel, associate professor, of the School Counseling and Well-Being at West Virginia University, have received a five-year, $500,000 grant to provide Youth Mental Health First Aid Training in West Virginia schools.

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.”