May 7, 2021
Update from the President
May 7, 2021
Dear Wheeling University Family,
“The world is too quiet without you nearby,” said American novelist Daniel Handler. That is very much the case, as this week the campus is much quieter without the sounds of our students. While there are some student-athletes who remain, the normal sounds that our students bring to our community throughout the academic year have left for the summer and we miss them already!
The first of our three new student orientations is Saturday. We look forward to welcoming 28 new Cardinals and their families to campus to prepare them for the beginning of their academic careers at Wheeling University in August. We have a full slate of activities planned!
I am excited to share some great news about Wheeling University’s students and programs. In April, three of our student-athletes were recognized by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Joshua Zimmerman was the recipient of the Aquinas Medal, which is given to students who best embody the qualities of Catholic school education: excellence in learning, faithful discipleship, leadership, and service to school, parish, and community. Two seniors, Brian Gannon and Abigail Witucky were given the St. Sebastian Award, which recognizes two high-achieving student-athletes who exhibit sportsmanship, teamwork, academics, and a high degree of respect for school, classmates, teammates, opponents, parish, and the community. Additionally, our Education Department received a state grant to enhance math education in the Marshall County School District. This grant enriches our partnership with Marshall County and will benefit our education majors, as well as the students in the middle and high school. Finally, our Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner track, was chosen as the eighth-best program in the country by Intelligent.com.
Though the academic year is over, our athletic teams continue to excel in competition. Earlier this week, the women’s track and field team captured its third straight Mountain East Conference title. The Cardinals had a great showing during the first day of competition and went on to claim six individual titles on the final day of the meet. In addition to the team and individual titles, senior Liz Fleming was named the Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and Head Coach Patrick Stanton was named the Women’s Co-Coach of the Year. He shared the honor with Alan Crease of West Virginia Wesleyan. The men’s track and field team finished as the runner-up for the MEC title. The Cards entered the final day in fifth place before rallying on Tuesday to jump into second place. The Cardinal 4×100 team won the event and produced a new meet record with a time of 41.44 seconds. Congratulations to both teams and Coach Stanton on this impressive showing at the conference meet!
The Cardinal Baseball team finishes up its regular season play on Saturday against the Hilltoppers – weather permitting! The first game of the doubleheader at the I-470 Complex begins at 7 p.m. The Cards clinched the MEC North Division on May 2 and secured a spot in the upcoming conference tournament. Best of luck to the team this weekend and at the MEC tournament!
Finally, the Rugby team is getting ready to compete in the College Rugby Championship (CRC), which will be held Memorial Day weekend in New Orleans. The team was one of 32 squads chosen to play in this prestigious tournament and this marks the team’s first-ever invitation to the tournament. The players are on campus practicing and I know Coach Mike Geibel will have the team well prepared for the championship.
Wheeling alumnus John Beilein ’75 will be the guest speaker at Jesuit Friends and Alumni Network of Detroit Spring luncheon Tuesday, May 11. Coach Beilein will share “The Impact My Jesuit Education Has Had on My Life as a Leader and Coach.” For more details on how Wheeling alumni can register to view the live-stream of Coach Beilein’s talk go to https://jfanusa.org/cities/detroit/.
Yes, the students may be gone, but much work takes place during the summer! We continue to recruit students, prepare the residence halls and make upgrades and repairs across campus. While we do not hear and see the students around campus, there is plenty of work to be done to prepare for their return in August and we have already begun!
With prayers and gratitude,
Ginny R. Favede, President
Wheeling University