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Senior business management major Anthony Braxton is known for going first. Last year, he even stated he wants to be the first Mountaineer to end neighborhood violence and crime.

And the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics student continues with high aspirations. Most recently, he competed as one of 12 finalists in the national“Real” Elevator Pitch Competition in St. Louis, Missouri, where he proposed an urban farm that will benefit economically disadvantaged neighborhoods to provide communities both healthy food and hope for the future.

September 13 may have seemed just like a typical Tuesday in the nation’s capital. But for West Virginia University alumna and Pittsburgh area resident Julie Cerrone, it was anything but typical.

A national study by West Virginia University and other researchers concludes that consumers are less likely to buy from a business which does not serve certain persons because of the business owner’s religious beliefs. The study began in August 2015 following the reaction of for-profit businesses to the passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana.

The research was conducted by Paula Fitzgerald at WVU’s College of Business and Economics, Karen Russo Donovan, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and Alison Mora, the Eugene P. Beard Research Fellow at Duquesne University. In late February, Fitzgerald presented findings of the research at the Winter Educators Meeting of the American Marketing Association, as well as to Morgantown City Council.

Despite rapidly growing competition and more demanding ranking criteria, West Virginia University's Online Hybrid MBA has been ranked in the top 40 programs in the nation for the fourth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report.

It’s no secret that the College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University has made a concerted effort over the last decade to better involve its students, faculty and programs in the global marketplace through education, research, study abroad and student exchange opportunities.