MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University celebrated the accomplishments of Mountaineer students with their winter commencement.
Ceremonies were hosted at the Coliseum on Saturday, where two separate commencements were hosted for WVU’s twelve colleges, with just over 1,200 graduates participating. Mountaineers and their families celebrated the occasion with WVU President E. Gordon Gee was in attendance, Vice Provost Mark Gavin, and many notable guests who received honorary degrees.
“Today marks a milestone of achievement in your lives,” said Gavin during the first commencement ceremony. “Graduating from college or graduate school is a major accomplishment, you’ve worked hard, overcome challenges, and celebrated numerous victories along the way,” he said.
The first ceremony involved the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, the Creative Arts and Media, the College of Law, and the Eberly College of Arts & Sciences. Metronews’ Hoppy Kercheval was in attendance during the first ceremony, where he received a Presidential Honorary Degree for his four decades of journalism in West Virginia. Gavin addressed the graduates who were a part of the four colleges’ various bachelor and graduate programs.
“All along that journey, you persevered, and you kept your eye on the prize, and now, here you are, just moments away from receiving your WVU diploma,” Gavin said.
Students who graduated from the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering & Mineral Resources, and the John Chambers College of Business & Economics were on hand for the second commencement ceremony. They were joined by the WVU School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, and the School of Public Health. Chancellor and Executive Dean for WVU Health Sciences Dr. Clay Marsh was in attendance, where he addressed the graduates in attendance during the afternoon ceremony.
“The work that we each get to do is noble, we get to help others and we get to serve others,” said Marsh. “We can create a healing world for ourselves, our families, and our communities if we choose to,” he said.
Kercheval was the first Presidential Honorary Degree recipient to address the soon-to-be graduates. He was among three other honorary degree recipients, including David Riggle, a special education teacher in Tyler County, and Nitin “Nick” Kumbhani, a leading executive in software development and investment management. As a West Virginia native who graduated from WVU with both bachelor’s and graduate degrees and worked in his home state for over 40 years, Kercheval encouraged the new graduates to reflect fondly as they look towards the future.
“West Virginia University is your home, you’re always a Mountaineer, you can come back and you will come back,” said Kercheval. “You will bring your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, you will meet your friends for homecoming, you will be drawn back, because of your experiences here are embedded in your mind, and in your heart,” he said.