August 14, 2020

Update from the President

Campus Communications
August 14

Dear Wheeling University Community,

This week began the migration of student leaders back to campus – and what a welcomed sight this was!  They immediately began engaging in health and safety training in preparation for the opening of residence halls.  Next week we will begin welcoming student-athletes, followed by freshman, and then upperclassman.  After five long months, it is wonderful to see the campus come to life again.

My heart is heavy as I share with you Thursday’s announcement from the Mountain East Conference Board of Directors postponing Fall sports until the Spring semester. The Board approved a reduced schedule model for Fall sports that will shift to Spring 2021 (football, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s cross country) that includes a conference championship, without participants exhausting a year of eligibility utilizing the legislative relief provided to NCAA Division II institutions for the 2020-21 season. Additionally, the Board approved these recommendations:

• Suspend competition for winter sports until no earlier than November 1, 2020.
• Suspend all competition in all sports indefinitely, with MEC board review by no later than Oct. 15, 2020. 
• Suspend the indoor track and field championship for the 2020-21 season.
• All countable athletically-related activities (CARA), excluding the restrictions regarding outside competition, for all MEC sports are permissible (as allowed under NCAA rules and Board of Governors requirements) at the discretion of each MEC member institution. 

I have a great deal of empathy for the student-athletes and the impact this will have on them personally. Our student-athletes, coaches, and staff have worked tirelessly over the last five months to overcome the many challenges during these times. We certainly hope that our Fall teams will be able to return to competition in the New Year.

I am excited to extend an invitation, as a token of my appreciation to all employees for your immeasurable service and dedication to our campus and community, to an Employee Gratitude Picnic to be held on the Library Plaza at noon on Wednesday, August 19.  This will be a celebration of all the hard work done over the summer in addition to kicking-off the start of a new academic year.  We will also honor those employees who have reached a milestone in their employment.   

As an update, the New Student Convocation has been moved to Friday, August 21 at 6:00 p.m. on Bishop Schmitt Field.  This event serves as a formal welcome to the incoming class by the President, administration, and the campus community.  I welcome parents, family, faculty, and staff to attend.  For those who are unable to attend, a link to view the event will be posted on our website next week.

Thursday evening, with the assistance of some special helpers, photographs were taken of campus buildings for our website. I hope to have additional photos of our academic classrooms, residence hall rooms and student activities taken in the future– all of which will be incorporated into our website and marketing efforts.

Finally, today we received notification from Prestige Photography that 2020 Commencement photos will be available to view and order early next week. The Class of 2020 will receive an email from me with a link to the photos from your special day.  Additionally, details for ordering will be provided.  

In closing, I thank all members of the Wheeling University family for all that you do each and every day to serve each other and the students entrusted in our care.   We are all called to teach, to learn, and to serve.  Our priority is providing a quality education to our students and we can achieve this goal by working together as a community.

With appreciation,

Ginny R. Favede
President