News

Messages of hope and thunderous applause resounded throughout the West Virginia University Coliseum and Canady Creative Arts Center as nearly 4,500 May 2022 graduates received their diplomas during 16 in-person commencement ceremonies filled with traditional pomp and circumstance May 13-15. 

“College is never easy, but over the past two years, students everywhere have endured a unique journey unrelated to the usual hurdles of algebra equations and nerve-wracking exams,” WVU President Gordon Gee said. “Your resilience is awe-inspiring.”

After navigating an unsteady world of events, as many as 4,500 new graduates will walk the stage at West Virginia University’s 2022 Commencement, which returns to the WVU Coliseum and Canady Creative Arts Center following two years of pandemic-restructured ceremonies.

In the latest edition of Gee Mail, President Gordon Gee acknowledges the dedication and resilience of the Class of 2022 as graduates prepare for their next journeys.

On Saturday, May 14, more than 600 business students will once again link arms and sing Country Roads in the West Virginia University Coliseum, as they turn their tassels and become part of our alumni family.

Our Chambers College 2022 graduating class – composed of 498 undergraduate and 134 graduate students – has turned challenges into chances.

A $1.8 million gift to West Virginia University from Mountain State natives Kimberly and Rusty Hutson, Jr., will bolster education, health care and outreach efforts to aid residents across the state.

The Hutsons’ contribution provides $1 million to support namesake fellowships in experiential learning and applied service at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, $400,000 to aid the West Virginia Faith Community Nursing Initiative at the School of Nursing, and $400,000 to expand personalized care for neuroscience patients and their families at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.

Armed with keyboards, ones and zeros, a squad of West Virginia University students were among the 2,000 participants who competed in Operation Locked Shields, an international cyber defense exercise run by NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia. The teams, which included members of the West Virginia and North Carolina National Guard, took orders from the Department of Defense and the Defense Information Systems Agency during the April 19-21 exercises.

As part of the U.S. Blue Team, students from engineering, cybersecurity, media and law enhanced their skills in defending national IT systems and critical infrastructure that were under 7,000 real-time attacks.

The 2022 class of the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame recognizes four visionary leaders who have transformed the business landscape of the Mountain State through their illustrious and groundbreaking careers in manufacturing, engineering, pharmaceuticals and an iconic West Virginia business.

Announcing the newest inductees:

A Black Appalachian first-generation college student graduating with a cumulative 4.0 grade-point average, a two-term Mountaineer Mascot passionate about finding novel therapies for mental health disorders and a young entrepreneur who has worked to empower small farmers in West Virginia are among the accomplished student leaders who have been honored with West Virginia University’s most prestigious student award, the Order of Augusta.

These eight students have distinguished themselves not only by their outstanding academic performance, but also their steadfast dedication to research, efforts to narrow the achievement gap for underrepresented students in their home state and to advance social justice in their communities and beyond.

Originally from Kanawha County, West Virginia, Crystal Good took many twists and turns in life.

As a young girl, Good found a love for writing during her first poem about how we will all shed a colorless tear.

As the spring semester concludes, our students may be considering an online graduate program to coincide with a full-time job or attending a face-to-face program to develop new skills. No matter where they are on their academic journey, the graduate program staff is available to assist them in finding the perfect graduate program. It is a rewarding experience to learn about our students’ goals and desires for their future careers and how we can contribute to their professional success.

As we emerge from a global pandemic, the graduate programs staff has seen a thriving community of education-seekers who add to their educational portfolio with an advanced degree or return to expand upon their existing skillset. The Graduate Programs Office (GPO) had a record number of enrolled graduate students during the academic year 2021-2022, resulting from our faculty and staff’s contribution to encouraging graduate education and welcoming our staff into your classrooms. Our staff supports our students through information sessions, classroom presentations, and individualized student meetings.