April 22, 2022

Update from the President

Dear Wheeling University Community, 

Friday was a fantastic day on the campus. Bishop Mark E. Brennan picked a perfect day to visit us. The Bishop got the chance to witness our students, faculty, coaches, and employees bring our mission to life during our annual Campus Beautification Day –  a celebration of  – Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home. Pope Francis, in his encyclical, calls on all of us to care for our environment. This Cardinal family, again this year, brought to life Pope Francis’ appeal to care for the environment. While much work was done to spruce up after a long, hard winter, Bishop Brennan saw more than work being done – he saw COMMUNITY. I often share how our students and employees care for one another and the university with the Bishop; today, he saw it first-hand. I am always amazed at how this family gives of its time and talent to make our university a great place to live, learn, work, and grow. The words thank you do not begin to describe my gratitude for everyone who took part in this beautiful day. Each of you shows, through your actions, what it means to be men and women in service to others. In addition to visiting with the students, Fr. McCouch was kind enough to tour the Campus Community Garden with Bishop Brennan. Today was a very special day for Fr. McCouch; those of us who know him well know how passionate he is about our environment and our responsibility to take care of it. He opened our day of service with a beautiful prayer that our entire group recited together. Additionally, he hosted a group of McQuaid Jesuit High School (Rochester, NY) students who joined us on campus today to plant our garden. I’ve watched Fr. McCouch over the years cultivate and grow our community garden, manage our campus recycling program in addition to being the Director of the Appalachian Institute and celebrating mass both here at the Chapel of Mary and Joseph, at St. Michaels and with the Sister’s of St. Joseph with love and endless devotion.  

The campus looks absolutely amazing. I am so proud of our campus community for all of the work accomplished today. I love the pride you put into your campus home. We’ll be uploading today’s photos to the university’s Facebook page later this weekend.  

While the campus was buzzing with students and employees working hard to prepare for our spring events, the Challenger Center was also alive with activity. There were dozens of little people dressed in matching red Bellaire Elementary School t-shirts! The joy of an elementary school field trip on a child’s face is priceless. I love how this campus offers so much to so many and so many opportunities to our Wheeling community.  

This week, Andrew Lewis, Vice President for Student Services, myself, and three of our students attended the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce’s Lunch with Leaders program. Batson Sheets, Kimbria Lance, and Preston Kulpa had an opportunity to join more than 400 community members who gathered, networked, and listened to the keynote speaker, former U.S. Secretary of State, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo. In addition, our students had an opportunity to hear from Congressman David McKinley and had the chance to meet members of the Wheeling business community. I am grateful our University can provide our students with this wonderful educational opportunity to attend such events and learn to navigate the business world.  

Commencement is just two weeks away. The Commencement site, which has a list of all the events for that week, can be found on the University’s website and provides graduates and parents with everything they will need to prepare for this special occasion. If you have not already done so, students, please make sure you complete your graduation application and register to participate in Commencement and Baccalaureate Mass.  

April showers have caused a lot of disruption for our athletic teams, but the rain has not kept our Cardinals from shining in competition. Lacrosse team member Matt Anderson was named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Defensive Player of the Week after he shut down Davis and Elkins top scorer last week, helping the team beat the Senators 16-6. Women’s Golfer Emily Holzopfel’s win at the Gannon Spring Invitational and strong performance at back-to-back tournaments has earned her the Mountain East Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week honor. Our men’s track squad is ranked sixth in this week’s United States Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional rankings, thanks to solid efforts and strong performances by sprinters and field athletes. And our women’s softball team was able to play on Wednesday and captured its first win in five years over West Liberty. Congratulations to all, and I wish our athletes continued success this spring. 

The weekend is upon us! I hope you have a restful and wonderful weekend! 

With gratitude and appreciation,

Ginny R. Favede, President
Wheeling University