Like the University it serves, Wheeling Jesuit’s Charter Guild is now celebrating its 50th Anniversary. To commemorate this occasion, new Charter Guild president and Wheeling Jesuit alumna, Joni Watkins ’83, is seeking 100 or more new members to join the group.
“I want to observe the 50th anniversary in a meaningful way and gaining new members is so important to our organization,” said Watkins. “We welcome former students, family members and friends of the University who seek to support Jesuit education in the Upper Ohio Valley in this way.” She hopes to attract new members as soon as possible so that they might attend the October meeting.
Over the years, the members of the Charter Guild have been a driving force behind many activities on campus, raising a total of $88,978 in support of University programs, which include but are not limited to the Buckius-Burke Scholarship, the Buckius Loyola Scholarship, the Lewis Fund, Greene and Washington Co. Scholarship, Students in Union, the Annual Fund, and more.
Held four times a year, Charter Guild meetings take place right on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University. The first meeting is coming up at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 6 in the Benedum Room. The annual dues are just $15 and members are not required to attend meetings.
Also planned for October is the Phantasia Jewelry Sale, Oct. 20 at the Erickson Alumni Center.
“We welcome our members, both old and new, and hope that they can attend our meetings however, we know that many times this is impossible,” said Watkins. A resident of West Finley, Pa., Joni (Skatula) Watkins, received a bachelor of arts in psychology from WJU in 1983. She is a multisystemic treatment therapist at Adelphoi Village, a provider of community-based programs and services for children, youth and families with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Other officers of the Wheeling Jesuit University Charter Guild include: vice-president Theresa Ritz, ’83., secretary Janet Nolan and treasurer Audrey Ciripompa, all of Wheeling. Some of the activities planned for the coming year that members can get involved with include: calling members, greeting members, jewelry sale, rummage sale, style show and scholarship committee.
Charter Guild membership is comprised of and open to any person expressing interest in Wheeling Jesuit University and its activities. The goal of the Charter Guild is to establish a scholarship to aid students to attend college who may not otherwise have the opportunity to do so.
Wheeling Jesuit University integrates the Jesuit traditions of intellectual excellence with the best of advanced technology to educate students for life, for leadership, and for service with and among others. U.S.News & World Report ranks Wheeling Jesuit University 17th in the "Best Master's Universities in the South," making it the highest ranked institution in West Virginia and the Ohio Valley for nine consecutive years. Wheeling Jesuit--the only Catholic institution of higher education in West Virginia--offers more than 30 undergraduate programs of study and six graduate degrees to about 1,500 students each year. It has a student-to-faculty ratio of 14 to 1, and 18 intercollegiate NCAA Division II athletic teams. The 65-acre campus located in Wheeling, W.Va., includes 15 modern buildings, multi-million dollar Acker Science Center, and residence halls, and a modern recreation and athletic facility that includes a soccer/track and field complex. The campus is home to the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center, the Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies, a Challenger Learning Center and the Clifford M. Lewis Appalachian Institute.
To find out more about joining the Wheeling Jesuit University Charter Guild, please call 304-243-2296 or 1-800-888-2586.
