Nothing brings more excitement to campus than the return of our students at the
beginning of each semester. Each WVU student has their own story for why they
chose to make this their home among the hills for their college years. Often,
we hear that students chose WVU because it’s where their parents and grandparents
went to school. Some students find their way here because of the great work of
our team in Undergraduate Admissions. By building relationships with prospective
students and their families, they are able to demonstrate that the sky's the
limit for our students by creating a path for their field of study, extracurricular
in
volvement, research, and life on campus. Others find their way to WVU because of
the vital scholarships offered through the WVU Alumni Association and our chapters
around the country. These scholarships help bring the idea of attending WVU to
reality.
The Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund (LPEF) of the WVU Alumni Association has provided financial assistance to more than 4,000 students over the past 70 years. This year alone, total LPEF awards will approach $600,000. Because of this and other scholarships, students are able to fulfill their dreams through the transformative power of a WVU education. These scholarships would not be possible without the help of alumni around the country who support our mission through their generosity, volunteerism and by becoming members.
Students also find their way to WVU because of the thoughtful work of our Alumni Chapters, and their consistent efforts to build local programming and scholarships for prospective students in their cities. Just this month, our Low County Mountaineers Chapter in Charleston, South Carolina, became the latest group to endow their scholarship. Starting in 2022, the Charles Drake Memorial Scholarship will help to send a student from South Carolina to WVU, forever changing their life. Many chapters around the country have similar scholarships already endowed or working towards endowment. The Rocky Mountain Chapter in Denver, Colorado, is moments away from also reaching this major milestone. From Seattle to Austin, and Miami to Boone County, alumni are gathering and volunteering to create more paths for students to attend WVU. I am continually amazed at the selfless work of our volunteers and I can't express how thankful I am to have them as a part of the Mountaineer family. If you'd like to get involved with your local chapter to help recruit students, support scholarships, meet up for a Mountaineer game watch, or participate in local community service, I encourage you to visit our website and find a chapter near you.
Whether it was a local chapter, a Mountaineer in the family, an awesome conversation with a WVU recruiter, or a scholarship that brought you to West Virginia University, I speak on behalf of the entire WVU Alumni Association in saying that we are so grateful that country roads led you home. On that note, we'd love to hear what brought you to WVU; let us know on any of our social media channels!
Let’s go!
Kevin Berry (’94; ’95)
Associate Director
WVU Alumni Association