April 29, 2022

Update from the President

Dear Wheeling University Community,

The entire Wheeling Family was saddened by Thursday’s announcement from the Most Rev. Thomas O’Keefe, S.J., Provincial of the USA East Province, to reassign Fr. Hadi Sasmita, S.J., Fr. Richard McCouch, S.J., and Fr. James Conroy, S.J. to other apostolic work this Summer. These three men have been a blessing to our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, serving this community tirelessly since they arrived. Unfortunately, the Society of Jesus, like so many Dioceses across the country, is experiencing a declining number of priests in its Order. Bishop Mark Brennan and I are working work with Fr. O’Keefe on a plan to have a rotation of Jesuit priests teaching at the University. Having spoken with Fr. O’Keefe directly, I can share this was clearly not an easy decision for him to make. He is an extraordinarily kind man and shared that he, along with his Consultors, invested a significant amount of time in discernment in order to make this very difficult decision. Bishop Brennan and the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese remain steadfast in their commitment to Wheeling University. Wheeling continues to be a Catholic institution due to the faithful sponsorship of the diocese.

Our students and faculty are in the home stretch of the academic year. Finals are underway, and in some cases, grading has begun. The rest of the campus is busy preparing for a busy week of activities to recognize our graduates and their families. Monday night, the campus will host its Late Night Breakfast, where staff, coaches, and faculty serve up a hearty breakfast for our students in the Benedum Room. Any employee interested in helping can contact Andrew Lewis. Also on the schedule next week is an honors convocation, nursing pinning, the Alumni Council Champagne Brunch, Baccalaureate, a reception, and finally, Commencement. The entire schedule of events for next week can be found on the website.

We are honoring our graduates again this year with posts on our social media platforms. Senior Spotlights are a way for the University to highlight the achievements of this year’s graduates and allow the students to announce their plans for the future. Any graduate who has not submitted a photo and information yet, please email kklubert@wheeling.edu. We look forward to spotlighting each member of the Class of 2022 and encourage you to view our seniors on the Wheeling University Facebook page at @wheelinguniversity or our Twitter page at @WheelingU54.

Tomorrow looks like it will be a beautiful day for our Athletic Department’s inaugural golf scramble at Oglebay’s Crispin course to raise funds to resurface the outdoor track at the stadium. Anyone still interested in participating in the scramble can contact Zac Schnegg at zschnegg@wheeeling.edu. I would like to thank all the sponsors in advance for their support of Wheeling University Track and Cross Country by sponsoring this golf scramble. Additionally, thank you to the golfing teams – your participation gets us closer to our goal.

Congratulations to alumnus Gavin Hartle, the Marshall County (WV) 2022 Teacher of the Year. Gavin is a graduate of our Master of Educational Leadership program and teaches Algebra II at John Marshall High School. This is a tremendous recognition for Gavin for his dedication to serving the students at John Marshall.

Our Cardinals continue to earn recognition for their performances on the field and track. The Women’s Golf team qualified for the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships in Kansas City, Missouri. Also, sophomore Yadhu Urs qualified for the NCAA Atlantic Regional Golf Tournament Regional – the first men’s golfer since 2016 to compete in the event. Best of luck to our golfers at regionals! Wheeling University swept the Mountain East Conference (MEC ) track honors this week. Jenay Soumahro was the MEC Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week, and Jabez Reeves was the conference Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week. Jabez broke the university record in the 100-meter sprint while competing at the Jesse Owens Classic and Jenay took gold at the Otterbein Twilight in the 400-meter hurdles. Jenay and Jabez are such talented athletes who are also student workers in the Office of the President and Advancement. I am amazed at their work ethic and commitment to excellence.

I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend!

With gratitude,

Ginny R. Favede, President
Wheeling University