June 17, 2022
Update from the President
Dear Cardinal Family,
Bad storms that blew through Wheeling early Tuesday morning wreaked havoc throughout the city and surrounding area. High winds toppled trees, which caused unbelievable damage to homes and businesses around Wheeling. The University had no damage to its buildings; however, several large trees were uprooted or split by the winds. Tuesday, power across campus was out, and many of our employees worked from home until electric service was restored to most of our buildings late Tuesday afternoon. Three buildings – the CET, the Chapel of Mary and Joseph, and Kirby/Sara Tracy – were still without power throughout today. While a generator provided electricity to the CET throughout the outage, the building did not have air conditioning. The temperature inside the building made for unbearable conditions, so employees were sent home to work remotely. Operations across campus are nearly back to normal. However, many families and businesses around Wheeling still are suffering from the damage the storm caused. Please keep the residents of the Friendly City in your prayers.
I am delighted to announce that Dr. Dianna Vargo has been promoted to Director of the Education Program. In this new role, she will be responsible for the Teacher Preparation program, the Accelerated Certification for Teaching program, and the Master of Arts in Education: Education Leadership (MEL) program. I am thrilled that Dr. Vargo has accepted the new role. She has done an exceptional job since joining Wheeling, and I am confident that her passion for education will help elevate our Education Program to new heights. I’m also pleased to share that Dr. Jackie McGlade, who returned to Wheeling in January to assist with our HLC reaccreditation, will move into the Vice President of Academic Affairs position once again while continuing with HLC preparations.
If you had told me in early 2020 that when the COVID pandemic was over, the University’s most pressing issue would be hiring, I would never have believed it. Like every employer across the nation, Wheeling has struggled to fill many positions. Fortunately, we were blessed to hire Barbara Davis, a brilliant, highly seasoned Human Resources Senior Generalist, in late April. I am ecstatic to share she has worked wonders for us! Since late April, we have filled nine staff positions. Joining the Cardinal family are the following people: Nick Kjaerholt, M. Ed. – Student Success Center Coordinator, TeAnn King, M.A.C – Career Services Coordinator, Anna Kowalska, M.S.A. – Women’s Basketball Coach, Dylan Nowakowski, M.B.A. – Financial Aid Counselor, James Wallace – Public Safety Officer and Brandon Regan –Men’s Soccer Coach. He takes over the program his father, Jim, coached for the past 39 years. Judi Hendrickson – Administrative Assistant for Nursing and Education programs, Khali Carpenter, J.D.– Disability Services, a shared position with Bethany College. We also had the additional good fortune of having Lori Kestner, a former employee in HR return to us. As Lori shared, she “came back home” to Wheeling. I love seeing our Cardinal Family grow with such wonderful and talented people.
Wheeling University’s employees throughout the two years of COVID and to date have ceased to amaze me. Their willingness to go the extra mile, pick up additional work, help one another, do more, and work harder and longer to keep the university operating is remarkable. They, like all our students and alumni, love this place. To say I am grateful to them would be an understatement. Your continued perseverance and dedication to continue the work at hand is recognized and appreciated. Your can-do attitude during these unique times has been nothing short of inspiring. I am humbled to work alongside such a dedicated crew and appreciate your continued commitment to this university.
We are currently hiring Graduate Assistants and have positions open in Business & Finance, Financial Aid, Academic Affairs /Student Success, Athletics, Advancement, Education, and Alumni & Family Engagement departments. Graduate Assistantships provide an excellent learning environment, exposing students to what it is like to be in the workforce (and will also help you in financing graduate school!). In addition, housing, stipend, and FULL tuition remission for our graduate programs are provided. Click here to apply: https://wheeling.edu/about/employment/.
Once again, our students’ hard work in the classroom has been recognized. This week, we announced the Spring 2022 Dean’s List, and I am thrilled to announce that 184 full-time undergraduate students earned a 3.5-grade point average or higher during the semester.
Please remember that the University will honor our three Jesuits on Sunday, June 26th. Please attend our last Mass (10 am) with them and join us in the Benedum Room for a reception in their honor immediately following to thank Fr. Conroy, Fr. McCouch, and Fr. Hadi for their service to our campus and the greater Wheeling community.
As a friendly reminder, COVID is still around, and we must remain diligent. If you are experiencing any related symptoms, please get tested and quarantine if needed. If you should need a test, vaccine/booster information, or have any COVID-related questions, please reach out to Andrew Lewis in Student Services.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Yours truly,
Ginny R. Favede, President
Wheeling University