Eberly News

West Virginia University undergraduates Shelby Cavender and Tyler Jeffries started small, collaborating to sell fashion finds on social media — WVU gear, graphic tees, sneakers and more. Then their resale operations grew. And grew. And grew.

Gregory Dunaway will conclude his tenure as dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at the end of this academic year. The 2025–26 academic year will mark the final chapter of his leadership of the Eberly College, the largest academic unit at the University, serving more than 5,000 students across over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs, which span disciplines in the humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and the social and behavioral sciences.

The West Virginia University Higher Education in Prison Initiative (WVU HEPI), operated within Eberly College's Dept. of English, has been awarded a $30,000 subgrant from the Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education in Prisons (PA CHEP). 

Dr. Eric Horstick, a faculty member in West Virginia University’s Department of Biology, is advancing our understanding of how the brain adapts to the world around it. His research focuses on how environmental and sensory experiences shape neural circuits and influence behavior, uncovering fundamental principles of brain plasticity that extend across species.

In all, McKown and Meuser have contributed nearly $100,000 to WVU, providing scholarship support for nearly 30 students within the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences and the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. They have also committed to generous planned gifts that will provide additional support for scholarship and research upon their passing.

“MARS was created because there was a lack of STEM opportunities for youth in West Virginia. It started out locally and now has grown statewide, so the focus is to provide, through competitive robotics, hands-on learning for K-12 students throughout the state,” said Earl Scime, Oleg D. Jefimenko professor of physics and astronomy in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and MARS director. “We are able to reach these students because of the strong support of our partners, including WVU, K-12 schools, private foundations, companies like Boeing and EQT, and others who want technically trained employees. MARS is preparing our kids to meet those needs.”

West Virginia University scholarship recipients Ben Golden, Jayla Boyd and Reese Allen could never have imagined how philanthropic support would lead to unexpected opportunities that would shape their college careers and professional goals. As a Neil S. Bucklew Scholarship recipient, Golden found he could study more than general business; he could fine-tune his studies down to a music business and industry degree. And, through donor support, Golden discovered he could do even more.

Political science, engineering, biology, health sciences, chemistry, physics and astronomy are some of the disciplines uniting to support 13 future WVU doctoral students who will collaborate with K-12 schools and regional industry to enhance West Virginia’s economic development in evolving energy.

Four promising West Virginia University doctoral students are continuing their academic journeys with support from the Ruby Scholars Graduate Fellows program. This year’s fellows are Ayers Aguiar, Abyss Halley, Damon LeMaster and Dylan Nice. Each student will receive a $34,000 stipend, a $2,000 travel grant and a tuition waiver to allow them to advance their research at WVU.

In this Staff Spotlight, we speak with Nick Sano-Franchini, Program Manager and Senior Academic Advisor for the Eberly College’s Multidisciplinary Studies Programs! With the recent launch of the new online Integrated Studies, B.I.S. program, we wanted to gain insight into Multidisciplinary Studies, the students in these programs, and Nick’s pivotal role in guiding and advising them.