WVU Potomac State College Alumni Newsletter | Summer 2024

Dear Potomac State College Alumni,

Hello, Fellow Alumni!

This year the Alumni Awards Event will take on a fresh look. What formerly was known as the Alumni Awards Banquet will now be the Alumni Awards & Athletic Hall of Fame Awards Reception. This innovative approach will allow individuals to be a part of both events.

Guests will have the opportunity to mingle with each other and enjoy delicious appetizers. The reception is scheduled for Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, September 28. There will be a reception from 5:30 – 6:15 p.m. with heavy hors d'oeuvres. The program begins at 6:15 p.m. and lasts until 7 p.m. It will be held in the Davis Hall Conference Center

Each year at homecoming, the WVU Potomac State College Alumni Association proudly presents three alumni awards to recognize the outstanding achievements of those who have earned distinction in their chosen field. Nominations must be submitted by Tuesday, August 20, for consideration for the 2024 Awards Reception.

Your help is needed in recognizing the exceptional achievements of our alumni by submitting a nomination(s) for the following 2024 awards. (Please note: For consideration, an individual who successfully completed one class at PSC is considered an alumnus.)

When the PSC Alumni Association received the results from the Engagement Survey, by far the most requested item was to mentor and help students. The board has been diligently working in partnership with the College to develop the WVU PSC Alumni Mentorship Program.

This program is designed to help students gain expertise while building their professional networks. The students will be teamed up with an alumni mentor, who will share their knowledge and experience in areas such as career goals, networking, educational planning, confidence and morale building, and study and time management.

It is hard to believe that the students will be back so soon! The PSC Alumni Association is prepping to greet the incoming students. On Sunday, August 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Association will host a table in the Mary F. Shipper Library to hand out snacks and drinks. The students can also register for a laptop giveaway. The laptop will be awarded to the winning student at the Convocation event to be held on Monday, August 19, at the Church-McKee Arts Center, at 11 a.m.

Dear Potomac State College Alumni, I trust everyone is having a great summer. It is quiet on campus during summer, as usual. Several classes are running but are online. This quiet period provides ample time to make facility improvements and to relocate some faculty to Reynolds Hall who have requested office moves. Additionally, several roofing projects are moving forward this summer and into the fall semester. Roof work is scheduled for Lough Gym, Science Hall, and others.

The West Virginia University Potomac State College Alumni Association awarded two John Philip Spoerl Scholarships this past spring. Spoerl, class of 1963, created a perpetual trust as part of his estate which funds scholarships for students enrolled in business administration at the College. The most recent recipients are Addison Cross and Marissa House.

Cross is a business technology major from Ridgeley, W.Va. House is from Fort Ashby, W.Va. and is also a business technology major. House is involved in the Bible study group, Young Life, and is also working with Energy Express this summer.

Keith Leo Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., was posthumously named the 2024 WVU Potomac State College Professor of the Year. Dr. Thomas A. Habegger (center) accepted the award for Dr. Johnson. Dean of Academic Affairs Phil Douthitt (left) and Interim Campus President Paul Kreider (right) presented the award.

Terrie Rogers was recently named the 2024 Outstanding Staff Person of the Year at West Virginia University Potomac State College. WVU PSC Interim President Paul Kreider presented the award.