Category: News

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., June 15, 2022 — West Liberty University recently was gifted with a $25,000 donation that will result in a newly funded nursing scholarship to provide students interested in nursing careers with financial assistance in earning their degree.

“I am so grateful to the Ohio Valley General Hospital (OVGH) School of Nursing alumni association for endowing this new and much needed scholarship. Nurses are needed now more than ever,” said Angela Zambito Hill, president of the WLU Foundation.

Retired nurse April Edwards of Shadyside, Ohio was the initial contact from the OVGH Alumni Association who worked with the WLU Foundation for several years to set the scholarship up and provide the initial endowment check. COVID-19 held it up last summer but it is now a reality.

“We’re proud to provide the scholarship money for students who need financial assistance and proud to be associated with WLU,” said Ruth Murphy of Barnesville, Ohio, who serves as president of the OVGH alumni association.

The intention is to help nontraditional nursing students earn their degree, noted Murphy.

“We are particularly pleased to accept this scholarship based on the historic relationship between WLU’s nursing program, and the OVGH School of Nursing which was very helpful when we began our program,” said Dr. Rose Kutlenios, who is chair of the Department of Nursing.

The OVGH alumni was founded in the 1980s and remains active, even though the Ohio Valley General Hospital School of Nursing was closed in 1988, according to records kept by the Ohio County Public Library archives.

When the School of Nursing closed, the student nurses transferred to West Liberty to complete their degrees, according to Murphy.

Initially known as the City Hospital Training School for Nurses, it opened in conjunction with Wheeling’s City Hospital in 1892 and was the first nursing school in West Virginia. Even now, the alumni association meets five times a year and sends out newsletters to about 500 members.

WLU’s Nursing Program consistently ranks as one of the best in the region and was recently awarded the maximum length of accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Students can choose from both the traditional nursing baccalaureate program and the BA-BS to BSN or second-degree program. 

For more information on WLU’s Nursing Program, please visit the website: westliberty.edu/nursing or call 304.336.8108.

The WLU Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization established in 1964. Its mission is to support, strengthen and sustain WLU through raising, investment and stewardship of private funds. For more information, please call 304-336-5635 or visit wlufoundation.org.

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. Sept. 2, 2021 — A new music scholarship is making one West Liberty University student sing for joy.

Josephine “Josie” Jarrett of Benwood, W.Va. is the first recipient of the Judith Bartell Paesani Vocal Music Scholarship.

A music education major, Jarrett is the daughter of Melinda Gilmore of Benwood and Phillip Jarrett of Moundsville. A graduate of John Marshall High School, she plans to teach music and theater in the future.

“It is an honor to receive this scholarship and I’m very thankful to be the first. I will make sure it is justified,” said Jarrett, who is a member of the West Liberty University Singers. Jarrett also is an alumna of WLU, having earned a degree in theater in 2020.

According to WLU Foundation Executive Director Angie Zambito-Hill, “Judy and Andy Paesani established this endowed scholarship fund in December of 2019 with a gift of $75,000 and we are pleased to make the first disbursement during the 2021- 2022 academic year. Judy and Andy are loyal supporters of West Liberty University who know the value of assisting our students. We are truly grateful.”

“The endowed scholarship fund produced a $1,000 scholarship this academic year but it will grow to support even more music students in the future,” she added.

Judith Bartell Paesani recalls that she was heavily influenced by her mother’s love of music and singing and this scholarship seemed the perfect way to honor her mother, Aldene Miller Bartell, the wife of one of West Liberty’s iconic leaders.

“I recall singing and enjoying music with my mother at home when I was young. It was always a fun way to pass an evening, especially while my father was away,” recalls Judy. Her father was WLU’s legendary football coach Joseph Bartell and he took the car to away games since at that time, there was no school transportation provided to athletes and coaches.

Judy and Andy are both WLU alumni and are pleased to see the scholarship help music students at the university they love, while at the same time honoring her mother.

Her mother, Aldene Miller Bartell, studied piano as a youngster and loved to sing. While a teenager she even played the piano for silent movies. Judy recalls that her mother formed a vocal trio when she first arrived on campus from Fairview, W.Va., her hometown.

Dr. Joseph A. Bartell served at West Liberty in many capacities from 1933 to 1971, including football coach, athletic director, dean of men and dean of students. He was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1981. 

Judy earned her bachelor’s degree from WLU’s College of Education and went on to earn a master’s from the University of Connecticut. Andy earned his bachelor’s degree, also from the College of Education, and went on to earn both a master’s and doctoral degree from the University of Iowa.

Judy’s mom was an elementary school teacher and eventually went back to college to finish her degree at WLU, graduating in 1956, in part at Judy’s urging.

“I’m sure that she would be very happy to know that this scholarship is being used to support a future music teacher,” said Zambito-Hill.

The WLU Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization established in 1964. Its mission is to support, strengthen and sustain WLU through raising, investment and stewardship of private funds. For more information on establishing endowments or making donations, please call 304.336.5635.

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Aug. 4, 2021 — After a year of pandemic restrictions, West Liberty University athletic fans will find a revitalized Hilltopper Athletic Club (HAC) something to cheer about.

“We are pleased to be back in action this fall with new and improved benefits for our fans, including corporate sponsorships. We have VIP club memberships available at all levels, beginning with a Young Alumni rate and going all the way up to the Championship Sponsorship, so please call me today,” said Alexis Montes, assistant director of Alumni Giving.

“Hilltopper Athletic Club members are the backbone of support for our athletic programs and we are so grateful to our loyal fans that join and provide the university with needed dollars for athletic improvements.”

Some of the improvements that the HAC paid for recently include:

• Eye-catching wall art for the basketball lobby in the Academic, Sports, and Recreation Complex (ASRC),
• LED lighting for locker room entry ways,
• State of the art cameras for practices and mandated conference film exchange,
• New laundry equipment for women’s soccer,
• Upgrades to Blatnik Hall to support wrestling, acrobatics and tumbling and cross country and track student-athletes.

“It’s easy to see that by joining the Jack Adams Hilltopper Athletic Club, alumni and friends support the winning tradition of Hilltopper Athletics and boost WLU student-athletes! But just as important, the club offers VIP seating in the comfortable hospitality box and a great chance to mix and mingle with alumni and friends. Delicious game-day food, beverages, big screen TVs and more are all part of the advantage of being a member of the club,” Montes said.

Members receive admission to the Charlie Annett Hospitality Box during all home football games at the West Family Stadium and admission to the Basketball Track VIP area. WLU’s football team kicks off a full 11-game schedule at home at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 2 when Coach Roger Waialae’s Hilltoppers host Walsh (Ohio) in a non-conference game under the lights at West Family Stadium.

Managed by the WLU Foundation, HAC members are valued and rewarded with a variety of VIP fan advantages.

Levels of giving and HAC perks start with a Championship Package at the $2,500 level, offering VIP Access for two for all home football and basketball games, parking pass, promotional deals, a VIP company party, plus many other advantages.

“There are so many different levels of giving to choose from and each has perks designed to offer mutually beneficial benefits. We have a level for every fan or sponsor,” Montes said.

To find out more, or to become a part of Hilltopper Athletic Club’s winning tradition, please contact Montes, herself a former Hilltopper track and field star at 304.336.8401 or visit wlufoundation.org/hac.

HAC members enjoy cheering for the Hilltoppers as they support scholarships, assist with athletic team needs, and fund capital improvement. All dollars raised are deposited into the WLU Foundation to support student-athletes.

The Hilltoppers are charter members of the NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference with nearly 500 student-athletes participating in 18 intercollegiate sports. Its nationally-ranked men’s basketball team has won more games and scored more points than any other NCAA DII program over the past decade.

To find out more about WLU athletics, please visit hilltoppersports.com. To contact Montes by phone, please dial 304.336.8401 or 304.336.5635.

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Aug. 3, 2021 — The West Liberty University (WLU) Foundation Board of Directors recently elected a new slate of officers and welcomed two new members.

Officers elected at the regularly scheduled July meeting include:

• Chairman John Dolan of Indiana, Pa.,
• Vice Chairman Dr. Daniel Joseph of Wheeling,
• Treasurer Russell Dunkin of Wheeling,
• Secretary Dr. Anissa Anderson of New Martinsville, W.Va.

Officers serve a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms. 

Dolan is founder of Dolan Financial Solutions, a consulting firm offering financing options to execute strategic and growth plans. Reflecting his passion for public service and building strong communities, Dolan is active in economic development and assisting early-stage companies.

An experienced angel investor, he is a member of the board of directors of Pratter, Inc. an early-stage company that provides transparency to reduce healthcare costs.

Dolan served as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and Audit Committee Chair of Atlantic Coast Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ACFC), beginning late 2013 until its successful turnaround and sale in 2018.

Dolan led First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE: FCF), an NYSE listed banking company as its CEO through transition during the Great Recession, maintaining a strong capital position without accepting government funds through the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) or CPP (Capital Purchase Program) programs. Prior to becoming CEO of First Commonwealth, he served as the company’s CFO for more than 20 years.

Dolan earned his bachelor’s in business administration in 1978 at West Liberty University.

Joseph is a Wheeling orthodontist who was born in Pittsburgh. He graduated from West Liberty in 1975, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree.

Following dental school, he completed his orthodontic residency at Washington University in St. Louis, earning a Master of Science in Orthodontics and earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery at West Virginia University in 1978, and his Master’s Degree in Orthodontics at Washington University in St. Louis in 1980.

He never forgot his time on the hilltop and gives back by serving on the WLU Foundation Board and being an active alumnus. He previously served on the WLU Board of Governors.

Dunkin is a native of Wheeling and a graduate of Capitol University, Columbus, Ohio, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree in 1998. He has been a certified financial planner since 2007.

After 16 years as an advisor, Dunkin took the plunge and opened his own firm in 2014. He and his business partner, Jeremy Lowe, operate Fort Henry Capital, located at 48-14^th Street, Wheeling.

Anderson is a 1993 graduate of West Liberty University’s Sarah Whitaker Glass School of Dental Hygiene. She went on to earn both a master’s in orthodontics and doctoral degree in dental surgery at West Virginia University and entered private practice as an orthodontist in 2001.

As an alumna and daughter of legendary WLU wrestling Coach Vince Monseau, she remains active and serves WLU in a variety of ways. Formerly a WVIAC scholar athlete, Anderson is an avid runner who sponsors athletic and community programs. She is a resident of New Martinsville, Ohio.

New members joining the board include Wheeling resident Chris Carder and Columbus, Ohio resident Clifton Spinner.

Carder formerly served on WLU’s Foundation Board and is pleased to be back on the board of her alma mater. She also formerly served as the part-time director of the Foundation.

Carder had a long career in education with Ohio County Schools, serving in a variety of roles over 38 years. During that time, she was a teacher, an assistant principal and a vocational director. She ended her teaching career as principal of Wheeling Park High School. Carder is in her third consecutive term as an elected member on the Ohio County Board of Education.

Carder earned an undergraduate degree in health and physical education at WLU in 1972 and went on to earn a master’s in communication and a second master’s in educational administration, both from West Virginia University.

Spinner is originally from Steubenville, Ohio and earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice in 1987 at West Liberty and a master’s in criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati.

After earning his undergraduate degree, he joined the Ohio State Highway Patrol and began a distinguished 28-year career in law enforcement. He currently serves as Franklin University’s executive director of Public Safety and Security Services.

He is a former commander from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and previously worked as an instructor at the Ohio State Patrol’s Training Academy. In 1996 he was promoted to the rank of sergeant, and given the task of facility administrator at the Ohio Statehouse, where he was responsible for the safety and security of the Ohio Statehouse, the State Legislature, the State Office Towers, the Supreme Court and the Governor’s Residence.

Spinner served as adjunct professor at Ohio University, teaching in the criminal justice/law enforcement program from 2002 to 2016.

The WLU Foundation is under the direction of Executive Director Angela Zambito Hill, CFRE and maintains offices both on the WLU campus and in downtown Wheeling, located at 1100 Main Street.

Other active members of the board include: Marc Abraham, Marty Adams, Charles Annett, Bruce Berlage, Donna Berlage, Jason Blair, John Bonassi, Clyde Campbell, David Coffaro, David Croft (outgoing chairman), Linda Edwards, James Frum, Diane Gongaware, President W. Franklin Evans (Ex Officio), John McCullough, Donald Nickerson, E. Alex Paris, Cindy Stickley, Samuel Stone, Beth Weaver and Jeremy West. 

Honorary members include R. Emmett Boyle, Ron Hobbs, Fred Horne, Dr. Robert Joseph, Bob Kota, R. Clark Morton, Andrew Pasden, Peter Sontag, Richard Stevenson, Gary E. West and G. Randolph Worls.

The WLU Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization established in 1964. Its mission is to support, strengthen and sustain WLU through raising, investment and stewardship of private funds. For more information, please call 304-336-5635 or visit wlufoundation.org.

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., July 7, 2021 — West Liberty University now has its first scholarship designed exclusively for master degree students. Established with the WLU Foundation, the scholarship is for a graduate student enrolled in the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree program.

The two lead donors who funded the new award are Dr. Howard Shackelford of Wheeling and Dr. Robert Wetzel of St. Clairsville, Ohio.

“I am so grateful to Dr. Shackelford and Dr. Wetzel for helping us establish the first endowed scholarship for PA students. Both physicians saw value in giving back to the health care community, strengthening the WLU PA program and reducing debt for students,” said Angela Zambito-Hill, executive director of the WLU Foundation.

The fund has more than $22,000 in it at this point. Zambito-Hill added that the WLU Foundation will continue to raise dollars for this effort. The first PA student to receive an award from the endowed scholarship is expected to be selected in June 2022.

“This is the first ever PA specific scholarship, and even though we have one of the most affordable programs in the region, I’m proud to say we have worked on establishing a scholarship to support our PA graduate students and lessen their debt load,” said William Childers, EdD, MS, PA-C, who is the director of the PA program.

In addition to enhancing affordability, the scholarship will strengthen WLU’s ability to recruit students, he noted.

With 45 years of experience in his field, Dr. Shackelford is a board-certified and respected cardiothoracic surgeon. He specializes in Cardiac Surgery, General Surgery, and Thoracic Surgery. He has offices in Wheeling and St. Clairsville. Shackelford is medical director of the Physician Assistant Studies program, a position he’s held since 2012, and is an associate professor in WLU’s College of Sciences.

Dr. Wetzel has more than 25 years of experience in the practice of obstetrics and gynecology both in civilian and military settings. He also has administrative experience and has served as a medical director at the Health Plan of the Upper Ohio Valley.

Wetzel has served as an assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Studies program since 2015.

WLU now has a total of 10 master degree programs.

West Liberty University’s Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies degree program is a 24-month, year-round course of studies that welcomes a new class each June. Fully accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, it includes one year of didactic, in-classroom work, and a second year of clinical rotations under the supervision of licensed clinical preceptors.

WLU’s PA program began during the summer of 2012 and is housed in the newest academic building on campus, the Campbell Hall of Health Sciences.

For complete information, please visit westliberty.edu/physician-assistant or call 304-336-5098.

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., June 22, 2021 — West Liberty University’s College of Education and Human Performance is one of nine “Sparking Early Literacy Growth” grant recipients selected by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation of Pittsburgh recently. The award is for $25,000.

“West Liberty University is committed to working toward the goal of literacy growth for our youth across the Mountain State. I would like to thank the Benedum Foundation for its support in assisting higher education to close the literacy gap,” said Dr. W. Franklin Evans, WLU president.

Heeding the call to raise West Virginia’s third-grade reading proficiency rate, which hovers at 44 percent, the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative (WVPEC) joined forces with the West Virginia Department of Education, the Benedum Foundation, and Marshall University’s June Harless Center, to improve the state’s literacy levels by the end of third grade.

Chosen from a pool of 64 applications, the nine grant recipient projects were selected by a committee of literacy experts.

Benedum Foundation Vice President Jim Denova said, “No one disputes the importance of third grade reading to the future success of all students. West Virginia’s overall reading scores are not good, but averages also mask disparities between and among student populations, schools, and grade levels. This initiative, administered by the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative, will attack these gaps with innovative programming.

Phase one of WLU’s literacy growth project will place graduate students from the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) Reading Specialist Program in preschool and elementary residencies in Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel Counties.

The MAED students will work alongside experienced literacy experts, who will serve as graduate student mentors. Each graduate student will be responsible for case analyses of three to five high-risk students. The mentors will coach the graduate students on the range of assessment instruments, methods of diagnosing individual learning styles, and individual impediments to learning and matching instructional strategy to need.

Diagnostic assessments and progress monitoring data logs will be used to measure elementary student growth. WLU anticipates that the mentorship component and clinical rounds will inform new teacher preparation standards for the state.

“WLU’s proposal to enhance teacher preparation programming with expert mentoring was one of nine proposals selected for Benedum funding, mainly because it will prepare teachers to better diagnose individual learning styles and customize learning plans to each student’s unique needs – a skill set that WLU recognizes is not adequately covered in traditional teacher preparation, but will be increasingly critical as the public education system struggles with COVID-impacted learning loss,” Denova said.

Phase two of WLU’s plan is launching the Children’s Center for Literacy and Language, including a resource center, meeting rooms, and a model classroom incorporating state-of-the-art design for multi-sensory learning.

WLU proposes to use the center to train, mentor, and prepare future teachers to teach reading.

“Highly-qualified teachers are the backbone of our education system and the key to student success, which is why it’s so important to invest in training, mentoring, and preparing our next generation of teachers,” said Donna Peduto, executive director of the WVPEC.

“Programs like West Liberty University’s new Children’s Center for Literacy and Language Center will not only help set our future teachers up for success in the classroom but help them become future literacy leaders who can help our state strengthen reading proficiency rates from the ground up. We thank WLU and the Center’s first cohort of graduate students and mentors for their leadership in taking on early literacy,” she added.

According to the National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, disadvantaged children often lack exposure to the reading and vocabulary that develops early language and cognitive skills, with 61 percent possessing no children’s books at home.

By age two, these children are already behind their peers in listening and counting. By age four, they may hear as many as 30 million fewer words before reaching kindergarten. By age five, they may only recognize nine letters compared to 22 among children raised in more affluent households.

“We are committed to providing comprehensive educational experiences through research and practical experience for our teacher candidates in order to provide the best educational footing for our youngest learners to reach their full potential,” explained Dr. Cathy Monteroso, WLU’s dean of the College of Education and Human Performance.

“This grant provides the needed resources to allow our program to redesign and revolutionize graduate-level clinical experiences. In addition, the WLU graduate residency model will increase teacher candidate effectiveness and provide much-needed supplementary intervention services to our educational partners,” said Dr. Nicole L. Ennis, WLU’s director of the Master of Arts in Education degree program.  

The WLU Foundation will administer the grant and raise matching funds to support the project.

The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation has served West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania since it was established in 1944 by Michael and Sarah Benedum. Grants are made to support specific initiatives in the areas of Education, Economic Development, Health and Human Services, and Community Development.

For more information, please visit www.westliberty.edu or call 1.866.WESTLIB.