November 4, 2022
Update from the President
Dear Wheeling Community,
Our mission – life, leadership, and service – remains at the heart of a Wheeling University educational experience. Students, faculty, and staff at the University embody this mission in the classroom, through projects in the community, and in service to our students. Some recent and upcoming programs are proof of how this campus lives its mission.
Dr. Joseph Slick’s creative writing students – 15 in all – presented their original work on Tuesday night. During the presentations in the Mount de Chantal Recital Hall, students either read a short story or performed a one-act play they penned. The English Department believes that having the students not only write such works but present them publicly is important to the student’s professional development. Oral presentations allow students to learn skills that reinforce the University’s mission to educate well-rounded students.
Next week, students in our First Year Experience (FYE) will partner with Catholic Charities West Virginia once again to assemble 400 hundred ‘snow meals’ that the agency will distribute to the residents they serve in this area. The Northern Region of Catholic Charities delivers meals to about 200 people six days a week. When inclement weather happens, the agency cannot make daily meal deliveries. To be sure those residents have something to eat, Catholic Charities gives each individual, in advance, several snow meals. These packets, which include non-perishable food items, bridge the gap until deliveries resume. Assisting Catholic Charities with its home meal program shows our students how their work impacts the lives of so many people in our community. Service is incorporated into Wheeling’s curriculum so programs such as this are expected from our students and reinforces in them our commitment to service with and for others. I am grateful to the FYE students and mentors for undertaking this very worthwhile service project.
The University makes sure to offer programs that serve the student’s needs as well. Each week, Tina Tordella, Director of the Counseling Center, and peer volunteers from the Psychology Club offer Wellness Wednesdays – programs to help students cope with college life and offer timely resources in a variety of areas. This week, Mrs. Tordella and NAMI of Greater Wheeling marked Stress Awareness Day. They set up an information table outside the Benedum Room and offered students resources on how to reduce stress. They passed out stress balls and stress management tips as reminders on how stress can impact a person mentally and physically. The Counseling Center has three more Wellness Wednesday programs this month. I encourage our students/employees to stop by and take advantage of these activities which can make an impact in their lives.
Our fundraising efforts ramped up in October with the launch of our phonathon. Later this month, the University’s Second Annual Day of Giving will be held Tuesday, November 29. Your support of the University –by making a donation over the phone, online, or during the Day of Giving – will allow us to continue making progress to transform the future of Wheeling University. Thanks to the generosity of donors, we have $50,000 in matching funds for our Day of Giving – meaning all gifts made that day will be matched up to that amount. Your gifts, no matter the amount, will provide the additional resources to educate today’s students in our mission. Thank you for supporting OUR university.
Alumni and parents are some of our best recruiters, so make sure to encourage potential future Cardinals to fill out an application. This is another great way to support Wheeling University! We will host a Fall Open House, Friday, December 2nd, and welcome students who are interested in our University to attend. This open house will provide an inside look at all Wheeling has to offer.
Living a life grounded in the mission is what each of us at the University strives for each and every day. When we live out this mission, we make a difference in the lives of our students, alumni, and the community.
Luceat Lux Vestra,
Ginny R. Favede, President
Wheeling University