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The West Virginia Reading Association honored one faculty member and two alumni of West Virginia University’s Literacy Education program at its most recent annual conference.

Aimee Morewood, professor and program coordinator of literacy education in the WVU School of Education and Counseling, received the Madge McDaniel Award, which recognizes educators who have made an outstanding contribution to helping students become proficient, lifelong readers.

The West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences has named three faculty members to endowed professorships in recognition of their outstanding contributions to teaching, research, and service.

Sean Bulger , a professor in the School of Sport Sciences, was recognized with the Chester E. and Helen B. Derrick CAHS Endowed Professorship. Allison Swan Dagen , a professor in the School of Education, was awarded the Chester E. and Helen B. Derrick Teacher Education Endowed Professorship. Erin McHenry-Sorber, a professor in the School of Education, has been appointed the Alice Trotter Muffly Endowed Professorship.

The College of Applied Human Sciences recognized five faculty and staff members for their outstanding contributions during the 2024-25 academic year at the college-wide assembly held on May 15.

Courtney Shimek received the CAHS Outstanding Researcher Award, which recognizes a faculty member whose research has significantly impacted their field in the past year. Shimek’s research focuses on early childhood literacy and teacher preparation. Since January 2024, she has published four peer-reviewed journal articles and two peer-reviewed book chapters, with topics spanning multimodal read-aloud strategies, the science of reading, and educator mentorship. Her research has appeared in high-impact academic journals such as The Reading Teacher as well as practitioner outlets like the West Virginia Reading Association Visual Journal, supporting classroom teachers across the state. She also contributed book chapters that explored innovations in post-pandemic education and strategies for mentoring novice teacher educators. In addition to her publishing activity, she also led or contributed to several grant initiatives, including a $120,000 project funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to support early literacy across West Virginia, and presented at national and state-level conferences.

West Virginia University baseball head coach Steve Sabins and Director of the School of Sports Sciences Dana Voelker have announced the addition of Courtney Semkewyc as a Biomechanist and Service Assistant Professor, a role that connects the School of Sport Sciences and the Baseball Biomechanics and Performance Center. Semkewyc will lead the center's daily operations while contributing to teaching, research, and outreach in sport biomechanics and related areas.

Kim Floyd, professor in the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, was recently honored as a co-author of the 2024 Article of the Year by Rural Special Education Quarterly. The paper, What Do Rural Special Education Teachers Say?: Examining the Reported Needs and Recommendations for Retention, was selected by the journal’s editorial team for its impact, citations, and readership.

Floyd and her co-authors received the award during the annual American Council on Rural Special Education (ACRES) conference, held April 4.

West Virginia University's literacy education master’s degree program has once again earned “National Recognition” status from the International Literacy Association. This achievement demonstrates the program’s alignment with ILA’s rigorous standards for preparing literacy professionals to excel as K-12 classrooms as reading specialists, literacy coaches, and classroom leaders.

This recognition is the first step in a two-phase process. WVU is now preparing to pursue “ILA National Recognition With Distinction,” the highest honor for literacy education programs. WVU earned this recognition in the inaugural year of the award in 2019 and maintained it through 2024.

The West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences made a significant impact at this year’s ShapeWV Conference held over the weekend at Canaan Valley Resort State Park. CAHS was well represented through a combination of presentations, exhibits, and awards recognizing the college’s faculty, students, and alumni.

The ShapeWV Conference provided a platform for CAHS to showcase its leadership in health and education, underscoring the college’s commitment to advancing these fields through research, service, and education. 

Following a wave of threats made at nearly 50 West Virginia school sites and many others in states including Pennsylvania and Kentucky, WVU Professor Jeff Daniels says every threat must be taken seriously and outlined a course of action for threat assessment teams to take.

Guy Hornsby, assistant professor for coaching and performance science in the College of Applied Human Sciences, has been named the Educator of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Hornsby was one of seven recipients of the organization's 2024 Peer Awards recognizing professionals for outstanding achievements in their field. Each individual was nominated by the NSCA community and will be recognized at the national conference in Baltimore in July. 

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.