“This has been in the works for a while and we are pleased to have it finalized. It offers BridgeValley students, who have earned their associate degree, an opportunity to advance their education and complete a bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene at West Liberty University in a seamless manner. We welcome these BridgeValley graduates and are looking forward to working with them,” said Stephanie Meredith, program director for WLU’s dental hygiene department.

Meredith has been at the helm for four years now. She describes the new degree completion program as consisting mostly online classwork, making it very attractive for distance learners who wish to earn a bachelor’s degree.

The WLU Office of Admissions will work with BridgeValley graduates to ensure that the transfer process is easy and quick. Stephanie North is the associate director of admissions and coordinates all transfers.

“Students interested in taking advantage of this new degree completion agreement and wanting to transfer are encouraged to contact me by phone or email anytime. I am happy to assist,” North said. She can be reached at northsm@westliberty.edu or 304.336.8311.

WLU has long been known for its excellence in providing dental hygienists with a first-class education in its Sarah Whitaker Glass School of Dental Hygiene, which was established in 1938. It has graduated thousands of alumni, successfully employed throughout the region and beyond.

Earlier this year, WLU announced its new Master of Science in Dental Hygiene degree, a 30-credit hour program that also is online and allows working professionals to advance their career while holding a full-time job.

Located in the Campbell Hall of Health Sciences, the dental hygiene clinic includes state of the art equipment and technologically advanced classrooms and operates a very active public clinic.

The Sarah Whitaker Glass School of Dental Hygiene is part of the College of Sciences, one of five colleges and a school of professional studies, housed at WLU.

For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB), visit westliberty.edu or follow WLU on social media.

The post BridgeValley Dental Hygiene Agreement Inked appeared first on News & Media Relations.

The post BridgeValley Dental Hygiene Agreement Inked appeared first on �ƹ���Ƶ.

The post BridgeValley Dental Hygiene Agreement Inked appeared first on Student Life.

The concert is free and open to the public. The choirs will be joined by Pittsburgh harpist Nuiko Wadden.

Enjoy a festive concert at 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 2.

“We hope everyone will join us for ‘O Radiant Dawn’ presented by WLU Choirs. It will feature the inaugural performance of WLU’s newest choral ensemble, the Choral Scholars presenting Benjamin Britten’s ‘A Ceremony of Carols with harp,’” said Dr. Ryan Keeling, director of Choral Activities at the university.

The WLU Singers also will present seasonal works by James MacMillan, John Rutter, and others during the festive performance.

Keeling also is an alumnus of WLU and joined the university as faculty and choir director in 2017. He also is the artistic director of Voces Solis, assistant conductor of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and music director of OvreArts.

The West Liberty University music program is nationally accredited by NASM, the National Association of Schools of Music, and is recognized for its award-winning faculty and staff. 

Performance opportunities for music students at WLU include the Marching Hilltoppers, the Wind Symphony, WLU Singers, University Band, Choral Scholars, African Drumming and Dance Ensemble, Community Choir, Steel Bands, Hilltop Opera, Jazz Combos, Percussion Ensemble, and the Electronic Music Ensemble.

WLU’s Department of Music and Theater is housed within the College of Arts and Communication led by College Dean Dr. Matthew Harder. It offers Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Performance and Music Technology and the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education. Students also may choose to minor in music. For complete information on the WLU Department of Music, please visit or call 304-336-8006.

The post Choirs to Present Festive Concert appeared first on News & Media Relations.

The post Choirs to Present Festive Concert appeared first on Student Life.

Mohamed Amin Ahmed

“We will talk with Mr. Mohamed Amin Ahmed, the founder of Average Mohamed, via Skype and he will share his unique style of leadership and education,” said Megumi Maruta, who is a WLU graduate assistant for Community Education enrolled in the Master of Education program with an emphasis on Community Education: Research and Leadership.

The talk takes place at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 in College Hall and is open to the public.

Ahmed is internationally known and leads an organization that promotes ideas of counter terrorism through the use of popular culture and cartoons. Spreading the message of anti-extremism is at the core of its mission.

Ahmed migrated to the United States 20 years ago and has played numerous roles in both civic and corporate worlds. At the onset of the 9/11 attack, he joined the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism, and has since been the Chapter President for Minnesota.

His counter terrorism mantra is: “It takes an idea, to defeat an idea.” , YouTube, Facebook and other social media sites, feature a series of short cartoons countering the extremist media that many Muslim young people encounter.

Cartoon titles include “A Muslim in the West,” “The Bullet or the Ballot,” and “Identity in Islam,” among others.

He currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife and four children and is currently a student at the University of Minnesota pursuing his bachelor’s degree. 

“My goal is to introduce students to different styles of leadership and I’m hoping students will use what they learn in class and share it with their home communities,” Maruta said.

A native of Japan, Maruta has been in the United States, studying at WLU for about six years. He earned his undergraduate degree in Community Education, double majoring in Teaching English and Global Education and Sports, Recreation, and Wellness, and went on to work in Pittsburgh for a year before returning to WLU to earn a master’s degree.

“I met Mohamed at the Global Ties U.S. National Meeting in Washington, D.C. He won an award there and talked to him afterwards. We became friends and I am grateful that he is taking the time to meet with us,” Maruta added.

“This Skype talk is a perfect addition to our Leadership in Community Education classroom curriculum and I’m looking forward to our students participating in this opportunity,” said Dr. Miriam Roth Douglas, who is a professor in WLU’s College of Education and Human Performance and co-teaches the community education class with Maruta.

The Skype talk also is part of WLU’s observance of International Education Month during November.

For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB) or follow WLU on social media. To view more about WLU, please visit .

The post Skype Lesson with Average Mohamed appeared first on News & Media Relations.

The post Skype Lesson with Average Mohamed appeared first on Student Life.

Mohamed Amin Ahmed

“We will talk with Mr. Mohamed Amin Ahmed, the founder of Average Mohamed, via Skype and he will share his unique style of leadership and education,” said Megumi Maruta, who is a WLU graduate assistant for Community Education enrolled in the Master of Education program with an emphasis on Community Education: Research and Leadership.

The talk takes place at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 in College Hall and is open to the public.

Ahmed is internationally known and leads an organization that promotes ideas of counter terrorism through the use of popular culture and cartoons. Spreading the message of anti-extremism is at the core of its mission.

Ahmed migrated to the United States 20 years ago and has played numerous roles in both civic and corporate worlds. At the onset of the 9/11 attack, he joined the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism, and has since been the Chapter President for Minnesota.

His counter terrorism mantra is: “It takes an idea, to defeat an idea.” , YouTube, Facebook and other social media sites, feature a series of short cartoons countering the extremist media that many Muslim young people encounter.

Cartoon titles include “A Muslim in the West,” “The Bullet or the Ballot,” and “Identity in Islam,” among others.

He currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife and four children and is currently a student at the University of Minnesota pursuing his bachelor’s degree. 

“My goal is to introduce students to different styles of leadership and I’m hoping students will use what they learn in class and share it with their home communities,” Maruta said.

A native of Japan, Maruta has been in the United States, studying at WLU for about six years. He earned his undergraduate degree in Community Education, double majoring in Teaching English and Global Education and Sports, Recreation, and Wellness, and went on to work in Pittsburgh for a year before returning to WLU to earn a master’s degree.

“I met Mohamed at the Global Ties U.S. National Meeting in Washington, D.C. He won an award there and talked to him afterwards. We became friends and I am grateful that he is taking the time to meet with us,” Maruta added.

“This Skype talk is a perfect addition to our Leadership in Community Education classroom curriculum and I’m looking forward to our students participating in this opportunity,” said Dr. Miriam Roth Douglas, who is a professor in WLU’s College of Education and Human Performance and co-teaches the community education class with Maruta.

The Skype talk also is part of WLU’s observance of International Education Month during November.

For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB) or follow WLU on social media. To view more about WLU, please visit .

The post Skype Lesson with Average Mohamed appeared first on News & Media Relations.

The post Skype Lesson with Average Mohamed appeared first on Student Life.

“We are pleased to show an increase during these challenging times. With a relatively stagnant enrollment trend nationally, and decreasing high school enrollment numbers, this is good news to celebrate,” said President Stephen Greiner.

“I am grateful to our strong admissions team and all faculty and staff that strive to attract prospective students to the hilltop,” he said.

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) released the .

The report showed that attendance at four-year public colleges and universities in the state is down 3 percent in comparison to a year ago.

Chris Treadway, senior director of research and policy for the state HEPC, presented the figures to the HEPC board at its regularly scheduled meeting.

WLU is one of just three institutions reporting an increase this fall. The other two are Fairmont State University and West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest institution and today offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, plus a growing number of graduate programs including master degrees in clinical psychology, education, physician assistant studies, biology, professional studies and online master degrees in criminology, dental hygiene and the MBA. 

For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB), visit westliberty.edu or follow WLU on social media. To view more about WLU, please visit .

The post WLU Bucks Trend and Reports Increase appeared first on News & Media Relations.

The post WLU Bucks Trend and Reports Increase appeared first on Student Life.

Free and open to the public, the performance will take place in the Elbin Auditorium, College Hall.

Henry Wong Doe

“Please join me for an afternoon of exciting and colorful piano. Professor Wong Doe’s challenging program includes the following repertoire: Haydn’s Sonata in E minor, Ginastera’s Sonata No. 1 and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, an impressive tour de force and one of the most important pieces in piano literature,” said Dr. Gerald Lee. Lee is professor of piano in WLU’s College of Arts and Communication.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Henry Wong Doe has garnered top prizes, including two “Audience Favorite” awards in the Rubinstein, Busoni and Sydney International Piano Competitions.

Performance highlights include venues such as Carnegie Hall, New York, Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay Singapore, the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Performances with orchestra include the Pittsburgh Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber and Auckland Philharmonia orchestras, under the batons of Christopher Hogwood, Mendi Rodan, Edvard Tchivzel, Michael Christie and Marko Letonja.

Doe studied at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and Indiana University Bloomington before earning a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School in New York. His teachers have included Evelyne Brancart, Leonard Hokanson and Joseph Kalichstein. Henry is currently professor of piano and keyboard area chair at Indiana University of Pennnsylvania.

Doe has released four commercial recordings, one chamber disc for Klavier records Five in the Sun (K11193) and three solo discs on the Trust and Rattle labels. His debut solo disc Horizon on Trust Records (MMT 2070, works by Gareth Farr) was featured on WNYC radio New York as part of their New Sounds program.

His second disc, Landscape Preludes (Rattle Records, RAT-D046), was critically acclaimed both in New Zealand and the United States. His latest disc, Pictures (Rattle Records, RAT-D072 was included in the New Zealand Herald’s top 10 Classical CDs for 2017. Pictures was also nominated as a finalist (Best Classical Artist category) for the 2018 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

Read more at .

The post Guest Artist Concert Features International Performer appeared first on News & Media Relations.

The post Guest Artist Concert Features International Performer appeared first on Student Life.

Zimmerman adapts a group of lesser-known fairy tales to create this theatrical work that sets dark mystery against her signature wit and humor. The framing story concerns a child and the frightening babysitter with whom her parents leave her.

As the babysitter (who just happens to be an ogre) reads from a book of fairy tales, the characters in each of the tales materialize, with each tale breaking off just at its bleakest moment before giving way to the next.

The play is co-directed by senior theatre major, Callie Carroll, and WLU theatre director Michael Aulick.

Carroll is from Morgantown, W.Va. and will graduate in May 2019. She’s planning on entering the professional world of theater after graduation and has already lined-up three professional auditions as her next big step. She tells us a bit more below:

What inspired you get into theatre?
I moved to Morgantown from Raleigh, North Carolina when I was 8 years old and my mother got me involved in children’s theatre as a way to make friends. I fell in love with it then and never stopped acting and being involved in all aspects of theatre, including set building, costumes and everything. I also got a chance to direct in high school.

Have you seen the play “The Secret in the Wings” performed before?
I’ve not. Professor Aulick chose the play and it’s a contemporary play from one of Aulick’s favorite playwrights. It’s performed in one act, with no intermission, and runs about 90 minutes.

What interests you the most about directing?
I’ve always been an involved person in theater and wanted to learn all aspects of the play. Directing involves all parts of the play so it’s everything. I love seeing the cohesion of the final product with the actors and everything involved. I had a chance to direct a performance last year, a director’s showcase at Kelly Theatre. It also was a one-act.

Callie Carroll

What is the unique or special thing about this play?
The play lends itself to mystery in a way, since the audience is figuring it out with the actors. It consists of a number of stories (fairy tales) and the way they are told. You don’t understand it at the start. It’s intriguing to the audience because you don’t know where it will go next. Once you see it all, you realize nuances that you didn’t catch. It’s fun to see. The action is fragmented and it leaves you a bit surprised. Zimmerman keeps it very interesting and there’s a twist at the end that ties it all together.

Can you give us some information about the cast?
There are 10 cast members, five men and five women. All members of the cast are equally important since it’s and ensemble-show. We have both seasoned performers and younger ones. There’s good energy and drive. It’s exciting to see the cast bring new things to the table.

Why should people come see “The Secret in the Wings”? What can they expect?
This show challenges the audience to stay involved and is definitely not boring. It’s a dynamic night of theatre.

“I think that when you look at a program of our size, West Liberty University cranks out great shows that challenge performers and challenges the technical aspects of our program. But somehow it looks effortless,” Carroll added.

“Zimmerman is known for her use of costumes, props, sets, and lighting that adds to the drama of these fairy tales,” she said. Most of the fairy tales are taken from Grimm’s famous work, one is an Italian folk tale.

Each member of the cast is simply named the actor’s name since every actor plays at least five roles, according to Carroll.

The cast includes: Seniors Alexandra Burdick and Amanda Tamplen, juniors Ben Moore, Jalen McCrary and Daniel White; sophomores Autumn Carver, Lexy Glover and Hayden Heiserman; freshmen Delaney Bird and Shannon Shiflett. Understudies are junior Grant Vancamp and freshman David Gaudio.

Students are responsible for nearly all of the set and costume design and include:

• Stage Manager: junior Hunter Helms
• Assistant Stage Manager: freshman David Gaudio
• Music Director: senior Amanda Tamplen
• Choreographer: Jill Howard Warren, adjunct professor of dance
• Set Designer: senior Christopher Rees
• Lighting Designer: physician assistant graduate student Alex Franke
• Costume Mistress: sophomore Autumn Carver
• Props Master: senior Alex Burdick
• Sound Technicians: Austin Lee, Mason West, Kody Liller, all music majors

Times and dates for “The Secret in the Wings” are 7:30 p.m., Nov. 29-30 and Dec. 6-8 and 3 p.m., Sunday Dec. 9.

Tickets for all Hilltop Players productions will be available through Brown Paper Tickets () online and on sale 30 days prior to the opening of each production. For more information, please call or email maulick@westliberty.edu.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Interview questions were prepared by Media Relations Intern Anthony Veltri.

The post Secret in the Wings Opens Nov. 29 appeared first on News & Media Relations.

The post Secret in the Wings Opens Nov. 29 appeared first on Student Life.

Zimmerman adapts a group of lesser-known fairy tales to create this theatrical work that sets dark mystery against her signature wit and humor. The framing story concerns a child and the frightening babysitter with whom her parents leave her.

As the babysitter (who just happens to be an ogre) reads from a book of fairy tales, the characters in each of the tales materialize, with each tale breaking off just at its bleakest moment before giving way to the next.

The play is co-directed by senior theatre major, Callie Carroll, and WLU theatre director Michael Aulick.

Carroll is from Morgantown, W.Va. and will graduate in May 2019. She’s planning on entering the professional world of theater after graduation and has already lined-up three professional auditions as her next big step. She tells us a bit more below:

What inspired you get into theatre?
I moved to Morgantown from Raleigh, North Carolina when I was 8 years old and my mother got me involved in children’s theatre as a way to make friends. I fell in love with it then and never stopped acting and being involved in all aspects of theatre, including set building, costumes and everything. I also got a chance to direct in high school.

Have you seen the play “The Secret in the Wings” performed before?
I’ve not. Professor Aulick chose the play and it’s a contemporary play from one of Aulick’s favorite playwrights. It’s performed in one act, with no intermission, and runs about 90 minutes.

What interests you the most about directing?
I’ve always been an involved person in theater and wanted to learn all aspects of the play. Directing involves all parts of the play so it’s everything. I love seeing the cohesion of the final product with the actors and everything involved. I had a chance to direct a performance last year, a director’s showcase at Kelly Theatre. It also was a one-act.

Callie Carroll

What is the unique or special thing about this play?
The play lends itself to mystery in a way, since the audience is figuring it out with the actors. It consists of a number of stories (fairy tales) and the way they are told. You don’t understand it at the start. It’s intriguing to the audience because you don’t know where it will go next. Once you see it all, you realize nuances that you didn’t catch. It’s fun to see. The action is fragmented and it leaves you a bit surprised. Zimmerman keeps it very interesting and there’s a twist at the end that ties it all together.

Can you give us some information about the cast?
There are 10 cast members, five men and five women. All members of the cast are equally important since it’s and ensemble-show. We have both seasoned performers and younger ones. There’s good energy and drive. It’s exciting to see the cast bring new things to the table.

Why should people come see “The Secret in the Wings”? What can they expect?
This show challenges the audience to stay involved and is definitely not boring. It’s a dynamic night of theatre.

“I think that when you look at a program of our size, West Liberty University cranks out great shows that challenge performers and challenges the technical aspects of our program. But somehow it looks effortless,” Carroll added.

“Zimmerman is known for her use of costumes, props, sets, and lighting that adds to the drama of these fairy tales,” she said. Most of the fairy tales are taken from Grimm’s famous work, one is an Italian folk tale.

Each member of the cast is simply named the actor’s name since every actor plays at least five roles, according to Carroll.

The cast includes: Seniors Alexandra Burdick and Amanda Tamplen, juniors Ben Moore, Jalen McCrary and Daniel White; sophomores Autumn Carver, Lexy Glover and Hayden Heiserman; freshmen Delaney Bird and Shannon Shiflett. Understudies are junior Grant Vancamp and freshman David Gaudio.

Students are responsible for nearly all of the set and costume design and include:

• Stage Manager: junior Hunter Helms
• Assistant Stage Manager: freshman David Gaudio
• Music Director: senior Amanda Tamplen
• Choreographer: Jill Howard Warren, adjunct professor of dance
• Set Designer: senior Christopher Rees
• Lighting Designer: physician assistant graduate student Alex Franke
• Costume Mistress: sophomore Autumn Carver
• Props Master: senior Alex Burdick
• Sound Technicians: Austin Lee, Mason West, Kody Liller, all music majors

Times and dates for “The Secret in the Wings” are 7:30 p.m., Nov. 29-30 and Dec. 6-8 and 3 p.m., Sunday Dec. 9.

Tickets for all Hilltop Players productions will be available through Brown Paper Tickets () online and on sale 30 days prior to the opening of each production. For more information, please call or email maulick@westliberty.edu.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Interview questions were prepared by Media Relations Intern Anthony Veltri.

The post Secret in the Wings Opens Nov. 29 appeared first on News & Media Relations.

The post Secret in the Wings Opens Nov. 29 appeared first on Student Life.

Card designed by WLU student Nathaniel Wilhelm of Bellaire, Ohio.

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Nov. 16, 2018 — Visual Communication Design students joined a community effort sponsored by Pittsburgh designers to support the Tree of Life synagogue as a result of the Oct. 27 mass shooting in Pittsburgh. 

“Each student enrolled in my design class has been asked to create and submit a card design that symbolizes love, support and hope for our fellow human beings,” explained professor Sarah Davis, who teaches in the Visual Communication Design program and resides in Pittsburgh. 

AIGA Pittsburgh is one of 72 chapters of the professional association for design and according to its website, the project will support the “grieving community by creating cards that we can deliver to the Tree of Life Synagogue, the local Jewish Community organizations, the police station, and the greater Pittsburgh Community.”

Card design by WLU student Taylor Still-Pepper, Zanesville, Ohio

“This is not only a chance for students to realize the power of their visual communication skills, but to practice looking beyond their own opinions and beliefs to instill a sense of acceptance and compassion toward others,” she said.

“My students turned in their designs this past Monday and are now revising them after an in-class critique. These final designs will be submitted to the AIGA website by Monday (Nov. 26),” said Davis.

Professor Davis is education co-director on the AIGA Pittsburgh board. Her former student, alumna Sydney Bennett was instrumental in initiating this project and also serves on the AIGA board.

Bennett now lives in Regent Square, near Squirrel Hill. She previously resided in Follansbee, W.Va. and graduated from Brooke High School.

Sydney Bennett ’14

“Pittsburgh is such a neighborhood-focused community, and to have something like that happen and tear apart the family and community aspect of my neighborhood, was awful. I reached out to one of my fellow board members and discussed what we could do.

“We wondered what would be valuable. We wanted it to be an act of kindness and also a way for designers to express some much needed love. Since I’m on the board it felt right that I would do this,” Bennett said. She’s been asking other chapters of the national organization to get involved and share cards as well.

“The more the merrier,” she said.

Bennett now works at , a design-consultancy firm located in Pittsburgh.

Eventually the WLU cards will be shown to the public as an art display on the WLU campus in the new pop-up gallery, known as the Moon Gallery, located in the Media Arts Center.

All cards also will be distributed to the and community members like first responders in Squirrel Hill, once completed. The card distribution will likely take place in early December, according to Bennett.

The Pittsburgh chapter of AIGA is also planning a card-making workshop for local families and a “pop-up shop” in Squirrel Hill to display and distribute the cards for free.

WLU students are encouraged to volunteer and attend the workshop, Davis said.

The Visual Communications program is just one of the majors offered in the College of Arts and Communication and for more information, please visit WLU’s Visual Art webpage at

The post Design Students Reach Out to Tree of Life appeared first on Student Life.