By CHRISTINA ELLIOTT, Times Leader Editor


AS WHEELING Jesuit University concludes its celebration of 50 years as part of the Ohio Valley community, its motto, "Let your light shine," continues to guide the institution and point the way toward another 50 years of educational success.

Today, marks the end of a year-long jubilee, in which the vision of founder Bishop John J. Swint and the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus has proven stronger than ever for the school. The Rev. Fr. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J., believes that among the most important roles played by Wheeling Jesuit University during the past half-century has been that of a source of "academic excellence and discerning leadership development in the Jesuit tradition for the men and women who have attended the institution.
"Reflecting on the past half-century, Wheeling Jesuit University's unique contribution has been its consistent and quality training of students for lives of discernment in the Jesuit tradition and for leadership positions in the contemporary world," Hacala said.

From the day on which it was incorporated as Wheeling College, on Sept. 25, 1954, the Jesuit Fathers who founded the school have sought to teach students who would go on to take service and leadership roles in a changing society. As the only Catholic college or university in West Virginia, and one of only 28 Jesuit institutions of higher education in the country, Hacala said he believes WJU is an important resource in today's world.

"The Jesuit mission of the service of faith and promotion of justice has been at the heart of who we are and what we do at Wheeling Jesuit University," Hacala said. "We educate students to live an integrated and holistic life in service of God and neighbor."

Programs at WJU are often devoted to serving the people of local communities and the Appalachian region as a whole. For example, the Coal Impoundment Location and Information System developed in part by the National Technology Transfer Center and the Center for Educational Technologies at WJU is designed to locate potentially dangerous coal impoundments in West Virginia, alert residents to emergency situations and evacuation plans, improve safety and examine alternatives for impounding waste and sludge in the Mountain State. As a result of this project, WJU has also developed Community Alert Online, a real-time information Web site for the Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management Agency and Ohio County Schools.

With a reach that goes much farther than the Ohio Valley, however, WJU has been recognized as an important player in the higher education community at a national level. In the 2006 edition of U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges," WJU was ranked 17th in the "Best Universities - Master's Category" in the south. Such a ranking is the highest achieved by any college or university in West Virginia for nine consecutive years.

"Our ranking in the upper echelon of America's best colleges only highlights our lofty goals and challenges for our students," Hacala said. "Our desire is to provide a quality, academic education that promotes service to others."

WJU has also recently become home to a world-renowned masterpiece. Housed in the Bishop Hodges Library at Swint Hall, "St. Jerome Kneeling in Prayer, Looking Down," an etching by Rembrandt van Rijn, was donated by an anonymous alumnus as a 50th anniversary gift. The etching is dated to 1635.

"One of the goals of the past two years has been to re-engage our alumni to their educational home," said Brent Bush, vice president for advancement. "Our 50th anniversary jubilee celebration is an opportunity for our graduates to recommit themselves to the future of Wheeling Jesuit University."

In fact, there are now thousands and thousands of alumni of WJU making their mark throughout this country. Many of them are eager to give back to the school that gave them their start. The multi-million dollar Planned Giving Pilot Program, developed in conjunction with 50th anniversary celebrations, has so far netted close to $2 million in pledges. Such strong financial support, and the institution's desire to help as many students as possible obtain an education, has led to programs such as one in which full-time undergraduates who register before Oct. 31 will receive a $500 award toward tuition once they gain acceptance and enroll for Fall 2006.

More than 90 percent of WJU students receive financial aid. The average freshman financial aid award is more than $16,000, with more than $9,000 of that figure coming directly from the university.

Among those students receiving financial aid are the athletes competing for the school's NCAA-sanctioned men's and women's teams.

For the third time in four years, a WJU student athlete has been named NCAA Woman of the Year for West Virginia. Soccer stand-out Lauren Deschamps was not only a stellar athlete, she was a high-powered student, graduating as valedictorian of the class of 2005.

Meanwhile, WJU's men's swim team was honored as achieving the highest overall grade point average of all NCAA men's swim programs in spring 2005.

Many of these scholar athletes are graduates of Ohio Valley Athletic Conference high schools. This year, 19 student athletes from OVAC schools received Cardinal Club Scholarships.

"As a native of West Virginia, it's a deep honor for me to hear such constant high praise for the excellent achievements, both on the court and in the classroom, of our student athletes," Hacala said.

And so, as WJU reflects on the achievements and contributions to the Ohio Valley community that have marked its first 50 years, it is preparing for implementation of a new strategic plan. While the plan will continue to focus on the university's mission of educating for life, leadership and service and core values derived from Catholic and Jesuit traditions and a special commitment to Appalachia, its leaders look ahead with goals to increase the stability and growth for the university and further integrate the school with the community it serves.

New academic programs will also be a focus of the school's administration in upcoming years. Campus discussion has led to the desire to offer new programs such as forensics, informatics and human performance, to name a few.

The Appalachian Institute on campus will be an important part of the growth of the university's role as a resource for health care, education, economic development and coal impoundment.

"In reaching out to engage the cutting edge issues of this region and its people, the Appalachian Institute carries on the vision of Fr. Clifford M. Lewis, S.J., who dreamed of an institution that would 'provide independent enlightenment to tomorrow's problems,'" Hacala said. "We want to tap sources of hope in the Appalachian region."

These are only a few of the many goals the university has set for itself in approaching another phase in its development.

Today, the Wheeling Jesuit University community concludes celebration of its golden jubilee. But, the future stretches out for the university as far as the reach of the 47 years' worth of graduates, who now live in all 50 states and approximately 100 countries.

"The dream, the vision, the hope of Archbishop Swint and the early Jesuits lives on today in the lives, the success and the impact on our world of our more than 9,000 graduates," Hacala said.