News

In a 92 public service announcement, Cohort 14 WVU Presidential Student Ambassador, Liam McCarthy, discussed how the program emboldened him to venture into new activities.  From Gerradstown, WV, the WVU Foundation Scholar is majoring in chemistry and minoring in piano performance. Listen to his comments here.

During the month of February, Presidential Student Ambassadors received a wealth of information to aid in their leadership preparation.  Speakers included (1) Sara DiSimone, Carruth Center Assistant Director of Outreach and Campus Engagement, (2) Cate Schlobohm, Director of the WVU Purpose Center, and (3) Aerianna McClanahan, Program Manager for Community Engaged Learning. 

Congratulations to the following Presidential Student Ambassadors in Cohort 15!  Nominated by faculty, these students represent what is best about West Virginia University. Enrolled in six different colleges, they include: Lama Alshamroukh, Joely Chikombero, Catherine Evans, Paige Fox, Adalaide Hickey, Kayla Holloman, Daniel Kaddar, Karlee McCune, Lillian Meyers, Brooklynn Miller, Lauren Morris, Sarah Rahin, and Tyson Watson. In addition to recording and presenting face-to-face peer-advice speeches, they will engage in 40 hours of service and meet with campus administrators and leaders in class and at the PSA Summit V at Blaney House in March. At the conclusion of the WVUe 280 course (Presidential Student Ambassadors: Leading & Serving), they will become Certified Student Leaders via Student Engagement and Leadership. 

Whether it was assisting with book requests related to the Appalachian Prison Book Project - hearing from veteran Frank Vitale, US National Guard and President/CEO of Forge Business Solutions on Veteran's Day - or being invited into the world of Erik Muendel, creative technologist, entrepreneur, and community builder...the PSAs were immersed in different aspects of service, team-building, and passion.

Today’s higher education institutions across the United States face serious challenges including financial constraints, declining enrollments, technological advancements, political pressures, student health concerns, political pressures, and faculty/staff/student protests, to name a few.  The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has added uncertainty to an already problematic situation.

Liam Risk (C10), Laasya Chennuru (C8), and Rozaireo Jones (C13) were featured in the WVU Foundation Day of Giving 2025 video.  

Thank you to the University Police Department, specifically Sgt. Brock Armstrong, Lt. Bryan Kuhn (pictured below with Cohort 13), and Lt. Jeff Wright for providing training to the PSAs on active shooters, de-escalation, and safety.  We appreciate your wisdom and suggestions.