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Sam Zizzi, Pat Fehl Endowed Professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Faculty Award for Distinction in Graduate Research Mentoring.

Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Education and Life, the award was created in the 2018-19 academic year to honor faculty who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the mentorship of graduate students.

The textbook, “Group Counseling: Strategies and Skills,” written by West Virginia University faculty members Ed Jacobs and Christine Schimmel, along with Bob Masson and Riley Harvill, has been recognized by the Textbook and Academic Authors Association with the McGuffey Longevity Award.

 Jacobs and Schimmel are both faculty members in the School of Counseling and Well-Being in the College of Applied Human Sciences.

West Virginia University’s Eloise Elliott was recently inducted as a fellow into the North America Society of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance Professionals at the SHAPE America Convention in Cleveland.

Elliott, Ware Distinguished Professor in the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, was one of eight to be inducted into this year’s class. Fellows must demonstrate outstanding competence through professional involvement over a period of at least 20 years and be engaged in a minimum of two identified aspects of professional contributions (teaching, administration, professional or scholarly literature, and leadership within their discipline or service to the community).

Jake Follmer, assistant professor in the School of Education, is one of four faculty members at West Virginia University to be recognized for exceptional and innovative teaching with the 2024 WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching. 

West Virginia University’s Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology program has partnered with local organizations to launch a martial arts program for individuals with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities. (FULL PHOTO GALLERY)

Jeanette Garcia joined WVU’s College of Applied Human Sciences in the School of Sport Sciences in August 2023. Prior to coming to Morgantown, she was at the University of Central Florida where her research focused on developing community-based for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, primarily those with autism.

Peter McGahey, teaching assistant professor at West Virginia University, has been named as an assistant coach for the United States Power Soccer National Team. He is one of two assistants under the direction of head coach Tracy Mayer.

McGahey’s appointment is for the next World Cup cycle. The next World Cup is in 2026 in Argentina. The United States is coming off a third-place finish in the 2023 World Cup in Australia.

Kim Floyd, associate professor in the WVU School of Counseling and Well-Being, has been awarded the Teacher Education Division (TED) Social Justice Award in recognition of her significant contributions to special education, teacher education, and the TED organization. The award ceremony took place in Long Beach, Calif., in October of 2023.

Floyd, a two-time recipient of the Outstanding Teacher award at WVU, has consistently demonstrated her commitment to advancing education through dynamic and timely curriculum development. Her teaching practices focus on socially and culturally responsive methods, earning her a reputation for excellence in the field.

The National Science Foundation recently awarded a grant of nearly $600,000 to a team of faculty at West Virginia University, including Jake Follmer from the School of Education in the College of Applied Human Sciences, for a project aimed at enhancing engineering education for students at West Virginia University.

Follmer is joined as a lead investigator on the project by Lizzie Santiago (principal investigator) and Michael Brewster (co-principal investigator), who serve as faculty members in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering.

The Center for ActiveWV in the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences received $390,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the first year of a five-year cooperative agreement for its WV Healthy Schools in Action project. The initiative, which aims to address the pressing health challenges faced by West Virginia schools and students, is anticipated to have $1.95 million in funding over five years.

The WV Healthy Schools in Action project aims to develop targeted approaches that enhance physical activity, healthy dietary behaviors, and self-management of chronic health conditions among underserved students statewide, with a special focus on Mercer County. By implementing comprehensive knowledge and capacity-building strategies aligned with the "Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child" framework, the project seeks to improve school health policies, practices, programs, and services that promote healthy behaviors and health equity practices.

The School of Sport Sciences recently had several faculty, students and alumni recognized for outstanding work across multiple fields and disciplines.

Tsuda named SHAPE Research Fellow
Emi Tsuda, assistant professor, was named a SHAPE Research Fellow at the organization’s annual conference. Fellow status is reserved for members who have made significant and sustained contributions to scholarship (research, creative, or scholarly activity) and related service in the areas of interest to SHAPE America. The purpose of Fellow status is to promote scholarship as an integral component of SHAPE America, recognize accomplishments in scholarship and promote participation in research activities of SHAPE America.