News

Dear Class of 2020:

It’s hard to say goodbye, graduates.

This week kicked off the first full week of finals...in Star Wars style, of course!

Not only is the force with you, but your Chambers College family is also behind you every step of the way. 

As a West Virginia University Mountaineer, there are several big “first” moments as an undergrad: the PRT ride, a football game as a Mountaineer Maniac, a selfie with President E. Gordon Gee, and singing Country Roads together in the Coliseum at graduation. 

However, due to COVID-19, this year’s graduation looks a little different for our seniors.

In a hopeful, cautious step forward, West Virginia is starting the process of reopening its doors for business this week after stay-at-home orders were issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic nearly two months ago.

While this semester was not how you imagined it to be, you changed your daily routine and found a new way to continue your education...from home. 

Not only did your environment change, but you also left your friends and began learning online. You traded lecture halls for Zoom meetings, your business attire into pajama pants (we all did), and lunch in the Mountainlair to a quick walk to your kitchen. 

Earlier this semester, West Virginia University canceled 14 study abroad programs to ensure the safety of students, and faculty and staff, during the spread of the coronavirus and closed campus shortly after. 

Ever wonder why we still have to charge our phones and computers? One minute your phone reads 100 percent and before you know it, it’s down to 20 percent. On top of that, you’ve lost your charger. 

When COVID-19 started depleting stockpiles of medical gear in hotspots like New York and New Jersey, the West Virginia National Guard took notice – and reached out to experts at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University to help prevent that from happening in the Mountain State. 

Margaret Bock, a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics, has been selected as the winner of the 20th Annual Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science. The fellowship will provide a 2020-2021 academic year stipend of $30,000 to support Bock’s dissertation research entitled, “The Road Less Traveled: Economic Analysis of Roads and Highways.”

A native of Hedgesville, Bock came to WVU for graduate studies in 2016 and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Economics with a focus in public economics and urban/regional economics.

Noah Trudeau, a third-year Economics Ph.D. student in West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics, is finding new and innovative ways to reach his students through virtual learning. 

In addition to his regular office hours, Trudeau is offering his time via Twitch, a live-streaming platform for video gamers. The site allows users to watch others play games and also chat with other gamers around the world.