July 29, 2022

Update from the President

Dear Wheeling Family,

This week we held our final New Student Orientation for our incoming class of Cardinals. It was an exciting day as we welcomed these students into our family. It was wonderful to meet the students and their family members and talk to them about starting this next chapter of their life. I am grateful to all of the staff and faculty who were on hand to help and answer questions. I am so very pleased to see so many local students continuing their education at Wheeling. Over the last few months and the many New Student Orientations, I’ve seen students and their families from Shadyside, Martins Ferry, Linsly, Cameron, Wheeling Central, St.Clairsville, and others. We are all looking forward to this new class arriving, some of whom will move in next week. August is almost upon us, and we could not be more excited to see the school year start! Of course, we always miss our students when they’re away for the summer, but the past few weeks, our campus has been buzzing with activity with the OVAC All-Star Camp, iBelieve, and Harvest Prep students.

In preparation for students’ arrival, we are finishing up some projects around campus. Our maintenance and housekeeping teams are doing some final repairs and cleaning ahead of our students who will be arriving in the coming weeks. Wheeling’s friend Charlie Savage of Savage Construction began the last phase of work outside the main entrance to Swint Hall late this week. The work involved the removal of damaged concrete, which will be replaced. Swint looks beautiful with the new brick planters and the brick façade maintenance. Until this work is complete, there is limited access to the front entrance of the building.

Two Wheeling alumni were in the news recently for how they have impacted the lives of others. Alumnus Nate Ogonek, DPT, a graduate of the Athletic Training and DPT programs, is an example of how our graduates go into the world and make a difference. Dr. Ogonek’s “Chance to Tryke” program at The Cleveland Clinic provides adaptive tricycles to special needs patients for use at home to build endurance and strength. Each tricycle is personalized to accommodate each child’s specific needs. In addition, this amazing program developed by Dr. Ogonek encourages home exercise, which is critical for each child’s treatment. Serving the needs of others and finding innovative ways to solve problems – that’s what we try to instill in all our students. Keep up the great work, Dr. Ogonek!

Another Wheeling alumnus was acknowledged by the City of Wheeling this week. During his state of the city address, Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott recognized Bill Cornforth ’72 for his leadership at Wheeling Park High School. Mr. Cornforth, a longtime teacher, theater program director, and speech team coach, was honored for leading Wheeling Park High School’s speech team to 42 consecutive state championships and for earning an honorable mention among theater educators across the nation this past year after former students submitted his name for consideration for a Tony Award. Congratulations to Mr. Cornforth on this well-deserved honor and for impacting the lives of countless students.

We welcomed our final summer camp this week – the Harvest Preparatory School football team. The team arrived late Wednesday evening, checked into their rooms, and headed to Bishop Schmitt Field, where they practiced until the early hours of Thursday morning. The 43 players and nine coaches from the high school in Canal Winchester, Ohio, will spend two and a half days doing drills and conditioning as they prepare for their upcoming season. We are delighted to host this group and hope they enjoy their time at Wheeling University. Hats off to Coach Bruney for lending a helping hand to Harvest Prep when they found themselves unexpectantly without a location for the annual camp. This is one of the many countless ways Wheeling’s caring community of students, alumni, faculty, and staff live its mission.

Yesterday marked one month until the start of classes. With final preparations underway for the start of the academic year, please keep our students in your prayers – pray that they have a successful year in the classroom.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ginny R. Favede

President, Wheeling University