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West Virginia University students Tea Santilli and Emily Burgess have taken their passion for education and dance to Stepping Stones, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities reach their full potential through recreation and personal development programs. 

The "Celebrating Writing in West Virginia" mini-conference will be held on Saturday, May 20, at Colson Hall on the campus of West Virginia University from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

This day-long session is focused on local and place-based writing and teaching and will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn from celebrated West Virginia writers, such as Ann Pancake, Marc Harshman, and Torli Bush, who will be sharing their writing processes and discussing West Virginia authors and stories they love.

Last fall, over 50 WVU elementary education students in the WVU School of Education visited Crellin Elementary School to learn about the school's innovative place-based education practices as part of their coursework. On Friday, March 31, the students from Crellin made a return visit to WVU to learn about college and about being a college student.

Crellin Elementary School is a rural Appalachian school in Maryland that is nationally renowned for its emphasis on community engagement, relationships, sustainability, project learning, strong academic achievement, and local/global connections.

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.

A unique student-driven project recognizes the power of literature to transform individuals and societies while supporting the freedom to read and write. The West Virginia University Higher Education Student Association’s mission underscores educational, vocational and personal development for people who are imprisoned.

WVU HESA recently collaborated with the Appalachian Prison Book Project as part of their engagement in the 2022 WVU Week of Purpose. APBP focuses on challenging mass incarceration through books, education and community engagement.

In recognition of what it means to be a Mountaineer, the West Virginia University Alumni Association will celebrate recipients of the 2022 Homecoming and Alumni Service Awards during Homecoming Week, Oct. 24-30.

Jihad Dixon (’17, ’19) will receive the John F. Nicholas Jr. Award during the Homecoming festivities. Dixon, higher education program graduate, was highly involved in many aspect of campus life. He was the president of the WVU NAACP and the Higher Education Student Association, a resident assistant at Dadisman/Stalnaker Halls, a diversity ambassador within the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion , a member of Mountain Honorary, a student representative of the WVU Student Conduct Board and WVU Residency Committee, and a student senator and executive leader in the Student Government Association.

The National Rural Education Association recently announced its five-year research agenda, and West Virginia University’s Erin McHenry Sorber is at the center of the team that helped develop the major priorities and for current and future rural education research.

McHenry-Sorber is one of six members of the NREA’s subcommittee that designed a research agenda to help plot a path for rural education with the goal of shedding light on innovative rural practices, addressing unique rural challenges and continuing to build on the strengths of rural people and places.

A passion for influencing children to thrive prompted Amber Nichols to shift gears in her career to become an educator.

Nichols chose the WVU Master of Arts in Teaching program because it supported her goal of becoming a teacher. She says she always knew that she wanted to motivate children. “I thought that was going to be a career in children's broadcasting. However, being a teacher and working with children in my classroom generates a deeper, more meaningful effect on their lives,” she said.

Braelyn Young, senior in the elementary education program, is serving as a 4th grade student teacher at Big Elm Elementary School in Harrison County, W.Va. for the 2022-2023 school year.

During senior year, student teachers are placed with a mentor teacher and class. This arrangement allows student teachers to move from theory to practice. They experience having their own classroom with guidance from their mentor.

Elementary education graduate Josephine Valentine is one of five West Virginia University alumni selected for a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to teach English or conduct research abroad over the next year while building cross-cultural relationships.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to build community abroad while continuing my work in education,” Valentine, of Shepherdstown, W.Va., said. “Creating a safe space for students to learn is so important to me. I am excited to connect with my students in Spain and their cultures while providing authentic opportunities for them to practice English.”