MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Center for Service and Learning announced the Student-Athlete Enhancement Program as the winner of the 2020 Excellence in Community Engagement Award for Outstanding Campus Partner.
The honor recognizes a campus partner that has established a strong reciprocal and sustainable relationship promoting campus or community service and engagement.
The Student-Athlete Enhancement Program has made a significant contribution to WVU’s culture of engagement, strengthening the University’s ability to support its community. The impact of the program under WVU Director of Student-Athlete Enhancement Tangela Cheatham’s leadership has made an extraordinary difference in the community and among the student-athletes. Nick Garner, a graduate assistant, also played an integral part in the team’s service initiatives.
“We’re excited to have the work our student-athletes do in the community recognized by the Center for Service and Learning,” Cheatham said. “Each of our teams set goals related to community engagement and reach them through collaborating with Student-Athlete Enhancement, as well as scheduling and coordinating team-specific initiatives. As a department, we have made a commitment to the greater Morgantown community, and we’re grateful for this recognition. We look forward to continuing to give back.”
The Mountaineers have completed more than 3,500 hours of community service throughout the 2019-20 academic year, which is equivalent to $91,000 of labor/service, according to the HelperHelper App.
Five teams also ranked inside the top-10 nationally of their respective sports across all Division I programs: Gymnastics, rowing, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and wrestling. The football, gymnastics, rowing and wrestling programs also totaled more than 400 hours of community service each.
Despite being away from campus due to COVID-19, the Mountaineers have continued to engage remotely by donating blood, writing letters to soldiers, making get-well cards, calling residents at senior centers and more.
The annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards honor extraordinary accomplishments in engaged learning and community impact. The recognition criteria are founded upon demonstration of the Mountaineer core values: Service, Curiosity, Respect, Accountability and Appreciation.
