--The WJU Cheerleaders captured their first WVIAC conference crown. The team finished first at the cheerleading competition.

March -- Jay DeFruscio returns to the coaching ranks as the Cardinals head basketball coach.

April -- the first ever student research symposium was held. About 60 students presented papers and projects in several fields of expertise. Awards were given to the top projects in 12 areas.

May 7 -- Kirby Hall is dedicated. The female residence is named in honor of Philip and Evelyn Kirby. Philip Kirby was the chairman of the board of directors and a benefactor to the University.

May 13 -- United States Attorney General Janet Reno delivers the May Commencement address. The Attorney General was greeted with a standing ovation. Before the ceremonies began, Reno met with about 20 WJU students.

May -- The Board of Directors and other honored guests recognized Rev. Thomas S. Acker for his 18 years of service to Wheeling Jesuit. At a reception, Acker, Board President Philip Kirby and past board president Donald Hofreuter were given the Clifford Lewis S.J. Award from the WJU Alumni Association. The three men were recognized for leading Wheeling Jesuit’s resurgence.

July 5 -- a group of WJU, CET and CLC officials travel to Alaska to participate in the launch of the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska’s site. Wheeling Jesuit’s CLC licensed its distance learning program to Alaska’s center.

July -- An educational program, created in part by the Center for Educational Technologies, captured a regional Emmy award in the category of children’s programming. The 30-minute program “Geometry of Exploration: Water Below the Surface of Mars?” is part of the 1999-2000 NASA CONNECT series.

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6th President - Rev. George F. Lundy S.J., 2000 - 2003 Rev. George F. Lundy, S.J. assumed duties as the sixth president of Wheeling Jesuit University on July 31, 2000. Lundy brings 30 years of professional experience in education to his new post. Lundy, a Chicago native, joined the Society of Jesus at 19. He earned an A.B. in sociology from Loyola University of New Orleans. Lundy received a master of divinity degree from Loyola University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Chicago. Before coming to Wheeling Jesuit, Lundy served as the academic vice president and provost of the University of Detroit Mercy from 1995 to July 2000. Lundy served in numerous positions, including acting president, interim vice president for academic affairs and senior vice president/dean of faculties. He also served as the director of the Loyola University, New Orleans Institute of Human Relations. During that time, Lundy taught courses with the Institute's Labor Studies Program.

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September -- Wheeling Jesuit University announces its law school acceptance rate will remain at 100 percent. Since 1992, at least 61 Wheeling Jesuit University students have been accepted into law schools across the country, representing a 100 percent acceptance rate.

September -- WJU's swimming ace Zoran Lazarovski, who represented his homeland of Macedonia, swam at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He swam in the 200m-butterfly event, setting a personal best time, but failed to qualify for the finals. Lazarovski was the first WJU athlete to compete in the Olympics.

October -- WJU and Ohio County Schools Team Up with Yale University to offer educational program to teachers. The "Teacher Training for Diversified Instruction and Assessment: A New Program for Elementary School Fourth Grade Teachers, aims to implement three different methods of instruction and assessment at the fourth grade level. Teachers at Ohio County and WJU teacher prep students took part in the program.

October 13 -- Executive Vice President and CFO Carole T. Coleman and Director of Athletics Jay DeFruscio announced that women's fast pitch softball would return as a varsity sport in the spring of 2001. Melissa Frost, a former player and coach at Marshall University, was named head coach.

October 28 -- The campus community celebrated Rev. Walter Buckius and Rev. Joseph Burke's 60th anniversary as members of the Society of Jesus. The celebration was marked by a Mass in the Chapel of Mary and Joseph and was followed by a dinner. Because of their dedication to WJU, the Buckius-Burke Scholarship has been named in their honor. The scholarship will benefit a third-year science or theology major in need of financial assistance.

November -- Wheeling Jesuit's fall sports teams earn honors. The women's soccer team, the volleyball team and men's cross country team captured West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. The men's soccer team entered the NCAA Division II tournament ranked in the top five in the nation, advancing to the quarterfinals before losing to Lewis University.

 

November 1 -- The Wheeling Jesuit men's soccer team learned was ranked number one nationally in the NCAA Division II polls for the week of Oct. 29. The team was the first team to receive the distinction. Sophomore striker Joel Bailey was also honored as the leading scorer in the nation in all NCAA divisions.

December -- MountainMade.com, a web site designed by the NTTC to sell West Virginia artisan creations on the Internet, officially opened for business in early December. Introduced in April 2000 by Congressman Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.), the site is the culmination of several years worth of research, site design, operational setup and logistics planning. Warehouse/distribution operations, as well as a retail store are open and located in Thomas, W.Va., in the heart of the Canaan Valley recreation area. The site features works of more than 80 artisans and offers glassware, woodworks, jewelry, pottery and clothing

2001:

January -- Jane Elliot, author, teacher and inventor of the Brown Eye, Blue Eyes experiment, speaks during the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration.

April -- Wheeling Jesuit announces it will bring back women’s fast pitch softball in the spring of 2002 after a 10-year hiatus.

July -- After 17 years of working in Washington D.C., Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J., returns to his home state to serve as special assistant to President George F. Lundy, S.J.

September -- U.S.News & World Report names Wheeling Jesuit the 12th best master’s university in the south region.

October -- Wheeling Jesuit University’s psychology department receives funding to establish a sleep lab to allow students and faculty to conduct in depth research.

Center for Educational Technologies announces it will work with two other universities to establish a new Internet-based learning Web site to teach people about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

November -- Rev. Daniel R. Joyce, S.J., is named assistant to the President for community partnerships. Wheeling Jesuit University joins more than 20 other congregations from all over the city in the Hopeful City Project – a faith based organization working to revitalize the city of Wheeling.

December -- The National Technology Transfer Center’s First Responders Technology Program receives $1.5 million in funding from Cong. Alan B. Mollohan. The portrait of Sara Tracy, benefactor to Wheeling Jesuit University is dedicated. The Online RN to MSN degree program is launched for nursing majors wishing to gain bachelors and graduate degrees.

2002:

2004:

January -- Wheeling Jesuit and the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston launch the Theology in Ministry of Ecclesial Lay Leaders and Youth (TIMELY) program, designed to strengthen the laity for leadership roles in the Church, encourage young Catholics to consider vocations in Christian ministry, and stimulate interest in theological leaning among youth and adults.

February -- Dr. Jill Kriesky becomes Director of the Clifford M. Lewis, S.J. Appalachian Institute.

Howard “Corky” Korth, ’64, a member of the Cardinal basketball team, and James McGrogan, ’91, from the men’s soccer program, are inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

March -- Sistersville resident Darlene Peregoy is the recipient of the 2004 Linda K. Baron Memorial Scholarship, a scholarship designed to help students in Wheeling Jesuit University’s bachelor of organizational leadership and development (BOLD) program.

April -- Wheeling Jesuit University’s women’s softball team finished fourth in this year’s West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament

May -- University President Joseph R. Hacala announced plans to celebrate 50th anniversary of University’s incorporation.

June -- President George W. Bush watches as flight controllers in Wheeling Jesuit University's Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies guide seventh grade students at Southern Columbia High School in Catawissa, Pennsylvania, on a distance education e-Mission.

July -- Gov. Bob Wise recognizes graduate Ian Wilson, a faithful servant to young people in the Wheeling area, for his service to St. Alphonsus Youth Center and for being a positive role model to the many children at the center.

August -- University establishes Service for Social Action Center (SSAC) to coordinate the extra-curricular and course-based service activities of members of the Wheeling Jesuit University community.

September -- University President Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J., enrolls 350 students in the Class of 2008, making it the largest incoming class in the history of the campus.

Hundreds turn out for the September 24th kickoff of the 50th Anniversary.

October -- University holds "Celebration of Re-Commitment to Mission and Installation of Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J as seventh president."

November -- University Hosts 2004 AJCU Mission and Identity National Conference

December -- Senior Jose Gonzalez is the 34th men’s basketball player in Wheeling Jesuit University history to score 1,000 points in his career.

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2005:

January -- The Class of ’63 and the Class of ’64 launch a pilot planned giving campaign among its respective classmates.

February -- Terry Edwards of Wheeling Central Catholic High School will coach the University's newly established Cardinal baseball program.

University honors Dr. Lee Jones of Wheeling with the St. Francis Xavier Award during its Founder’s Day celebration, Friday, Feb. 11

March -- Wheeling Jesuit University receives two 50th Anniversary gifts from the men's and women's basketball teams as both teams won their respective West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournaments. This is the first men's WVIAC title in the history of the University. It's the first men's-women's double in the WVIAC since Fairmont State turned the trick in 1984.

April -- Wheeling Jesuit University and the University Jesuit community remember Pope John Paul II and honor him for his many contributions to the Kingdom, especially in education and social justice issues.

May -- Dr. James Birge is selected as Executive Vice-President.

June -- Just in time for May 14 commencement, a special donation of a Rembrandt etching is now on public display at Wheeling Jesuit University.  Installed in the Bishop Hodges Library, located in Swint Hall, “St. Jerome Kneeling in Prayer, Looking Down” delights art lovers and local historians. Donated by an anonymous alumnus, the gift is another way for the University to mark its 50th anniversary year.

July -- University unveils Community Alert Online, a new Web site provides Ohio County residents with access to local, real-time emergency information and resources for preparing for and responding to a variety of situations.

August -- Kathleen Solovan, CPA, CMA, associate professor of accounting, becomes chair of  the Business Department. Solovan, who joined the Wheeling Jesuit faculty in 1984, is the first female head of the department and received her undergraduate degree in accounting from Wheeling College in 1979, her MBA from Wheeling Jesuit in 1983 and a master’s in accountancy from West Virginia University in 1989.

Rev. Christopher Fronk, S.J., is appointed Rector of the Jesuit Community at the University. He succeeds Rev. Terrence Toland, S.J., who served as Rector since 2003.

September -- For the third time in four years, a Wheeling Jesuit University student-athlete is named NCAA Woman of the Year for West Virginia. Lauren Deschamps, a resident of Gibsonia, Pa., and former soccer standout at Wheeling Jesuit, is chosen among the 2005 state winners.

October -- The results of a new WVICU study reveals the University’s total annual economic impact of $216.4 million, and 1,307 jobs in Ohio and Marshall counties.

November -- Wheeling Jesuit University high marks for offering its students an enriching educational experience, a supportive campus environment, collaborative learning, high level of academic challenge and student-faculty interaction. The campus’ mean scores were higher in every category when compared to the mean scores of the other participating Jesuit colleges or universities in the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).

December -- Wheeling Jesuit University joins Tuition Plan Consortium’s Independent 529 Plan, allowing families to lock in tuition rates at less than present levels for their children’s future use.

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2006:

January -- University President Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J., unveils campus' events to celebrate Jesuit Jubilee Year.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin appoints J. Davitt McAteer, VP for Sponsored Programs, as a special advisor to the governor on the investigation into the Sago Mine Tragedy in Upshur County that resulted in the deaths of 12 miners.

The Adult and Continuing Education Department develops the regional workforce as the university's highly effective Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Development (BOLD) program helps workers advance in their careers. More than 800 students have graduated from the program since its inception in 1987.

As the highest ranked master’s university in the Ohio Valley and among the highest-ranked master’s universities in the South, Wheeling Jesuit has a profound, positive impact on the long-term economic health of the region and West Virginia. President Joseph Hacala, SJ notes that long before Rev. Clifford M. Lewis of the Society of Jesus—the first priest at then named Wheeling College—set foot on campus, he dreamed of a Jesuit institution that would “provide independent enlightenment to tomorrow’s problems.”

Psychological study finds that peppermint and cinnamon lower driver's frustrations and increases alertness. The scent of peppermint or cinnamon may keep you more alert and decrease your frustration when you’re behind the wheel, according to the results of a recent study led by Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, director of Undergraduate Research and associate professor of psychology. According to the study, both cinnamon and peppermint led to increased ratings of alertness and lower frustration. Cinnamon also decreased drivers’ fatigue ratings.
 
The Clifford M. Lewis, S.J., Appalachian Institute presents: Our Future in Retrospect? Coal Miner Health in Appalachia, Photographs by Russell Lee-1946 and Earl Dotter-2006 at the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation's Artisan Center. The Appalachian Institute exhibition marked the upcoming 60th anniversary of this classic survey, commonly abbreviated as the “Boone Report.”

An effort underway in the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) may play a key role in the safety of the nation's coal miners. The NTTC is utilizing its experience in identifying technologies and development partners to contribute to National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to develop the next-generation Self-Contained Self-Rescuer system research on health conditions in the Appalachian region.

February -- Wheeling Jesuit University announces it will serve as the site for an upcoming International Mining Health and Safety Symposium this April. It will mark the first international gathering of mining industry leaders and safety experts to discuss mine safety since the January passage of landmark mine safety legislation in West Virginia and the introduction of measures on both the state and federal level to make mining safer.

Fellow coaches in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selected Wheeling Jesuit University Lady Cardinals' Coach Joe Key as the Coach of the Year.

The WJU Cardinals Baseball team earned its first win of the season and team history on February 26 on their way to a doubleheader split against the Gannon Golden Knights during their Spring Break trip to Ft. Myers, Florida. The score was 9-0. 
 
Nationally known blues artist K.J. James, appears at the university Feb 3. Footstompin' styling and unique guitar pickin' makes for an entertaining show at the Ratt.

The university welcomes best-selling author Rev. Dean Brackley, S.J., professor of theology at the University of Central America (UCA), San Salvador, to the campus for a lecture and reception on Thursday, Feb. 9.

Visitors can gain insights into living conditions in mining communities through a new photography exhibit, "Our Future in Retrospect: Coal Miner Health in Appalachia,” on display at the Blessed John XXIII Pastoral Center in Charleston. The exhibit, sponsored by the university’s Appalachian Institute, includes photographs taken by Russell Lee in 1946 and photojournalist Earl Dotter, who recently photographed health conditions in today's southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky coalfield region.

Through the efforts of coordinator of Counseling Services Arika Shafer, the university received a $500 grant from The Network, a national higher-education leadership group, to fund the new late-night programs for students.

The 2006 College Bowl team took third place honors in the Regional Competition of College Bowl Tournament held at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md. The WJU team consisted of John Bowman (Capt.), Isaiah Fry, Matt Hartzell, and Matthew (Tad) Hudkins.

March -- West Virginia’s Faculty Merit Foundation selected chemistry professor Norm Duffy as one of the state’s top three professors of the year at a banquet in the Charleston Cultural Center. Chemistry department chair and WJU’s 2005 Teacher of the Year, Duffy was among 22 statewide applicants competing for the annual award and he received $1,000.

Lou Vargo, deputy director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management Agency, will chair the product steering committee for NC4, also known as the National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination. Vargo, a 1980 graduate of Wheeling College, helped guide the development of the Community Alert Online web site (www.communityalertonline.com) and continues to work with the site’s creators.

A joint initiative among WJU, the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation, and the Schiffler Cancer Center, the newly established Urological Research Institute at Wheeling Hospital will focus on innovative research methods directed toward the effective prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer and other urologic disorders. University students and professors will play a key role in this new endeavor.

Online photo goes live. Sponsored by the Appalachian Institute, the exhibit, "Our Future in Retrospect? Coal Miner Health in Appalachia,” has an online home (http://www3.cet.edu/appalachianinstitute) thanks to the efforts of the Center for Educational Technologies at the campus.

Grace Corrigan, the mother of educator astronaut, Christa McAuliffe, who died aboard the space shuttle Challenger, visits the Challenger Learning Center® on May 2. Corrigan will be in West Virginia as part of the annual Freida J. Riley National Teacher Award ceremonies in Clarksburg. Riley was the teacher of the so-called Rocket Boys, whose story was captured in a book by Homer Hickam and later in the film, October Sky.

An affiliate associate professor of physics at the university, who is a leader in the field of prostate cancer, has been named vice chairman of a national organization charged with the evaluation of different prostate cancer treatments. Dr. Gregory S. Merrick, who is also director of the Schiffler Cancer Center at Wheeling Hospital, is appointed vice chairman of the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria Panel for Prostate Cancer. He will serve as vice chairman through 2007 and will be the chairman from 2008-2012.

Visually impaired students help the Challenger Learning Center® complete a first for both the students and the center—they will be the first visually impaired students to take part in the simulated space mission aimed at middle school students. After a year of planning, the students, who attend school in various districts throughout Washington and Fayette counties in Western Pennsylvania, will take on the Voyage to Mars! Mission April 6. To make the mission possible, Terri Fernandes, a vision support teacher with Intermediate Unit 1 in Western Pennsylvania; Frank Spina, a certified braillist; and Sharon Morgan, a flight director at Challenger, have worked for months converting the task cards used in the mission to Braille or large print.

Dr. Meri Cummings, science resource teacher and lab manager at the Center for Educational Technologies®, has been tabbed as a member of a panel to discuss the future of creativity in America and how to inspire children to imagine everyday. Among those joining her as a panelist at the April 6 event in New York City is actor Matthew Broderick. Cummings was invited by LEGO for her extensive work in using LEGOs to teach robotics.

Representatives of two federal agencies speak at the International Mining Health and Safety Symposium, taking place April 20-21 at the university and WesBanco Arena. Executives from the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health participate on panel discussions during the two-day event.

University first year student, Ashley Kisner of Moundsville, is one of only 50 students in the state to receive a $1,000 scholarship, thanks to the Bernard McDonough Foundation, Inc., of Parkersburg, W.Va. The scholarship, awarded to West Virginia students attending West Virginia private colleges and universities, is part of the Circle of Vision Scholarship Program, administered by the West Virginia Independent Colleges & Universities, Inc. (WVICU).

University President Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J., offers the deepest sympathy and condolences of the university community on the death of Mrs. Erma Ora Byrd. Mrs. Byrd lived a graced life, exemplifying the two great commandments of her Christian faith: the love of God, and the love of neighbor.

A partnership between the Center for Educational Technologies® at the university and the Ohio Valley Greyhounds indoor football team is providing web-streaming services so that all home games for the United Indoor Football franchise here can be accessed live over the Internet at, http://www.ohiovalleyhounds.com/.

April -- University President Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J. invites the community to a presentation by internationally known author and lecturer Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J. The McGinley Professor of Theology at Fordham University, Cardinal Dulles speaks on “Jesuit Origins and Jesuit Mission Today,” April 19, in Troy Theater. Cardinal Dulles is one of several distinguished speakers the university welcomes as part of its Jesuit Jubilee Year celebration which commemorates the founders of the Society of Jesus.

A national college guidebook praises the quality of several university undergraduate programs. The 2006 Rugg's Recommendations on Colleges, designed to aid counselors, parents and children with their college search, showcases the university's biology, business administration, chemistry, English, history, math, nursing, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies programs.

As part of the Jesuit Jubilee Year Celebration, the university confers honorary degrees to Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. and the Most Reverend Michael Bransfield, Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

President Joseph R. Hacala SJ announced today that the university will confer the distinguished Kolvenbach Award during its 48th Commencement to the Sisters of the Visitation, the Sisters of St. Joseph, and all past and current lay colleagues of the University—faculty, staff and administrators. Named in honor of the Very Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., current Superior General of the Society of Jesus, the award honors groups and individuals who promote and serve the mission of the university, educating men and women for life, leadership, and service.
The award-winning Exploring the Environment® web site created by the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future at the university is featured this month on a leading education web site. Education World (www.education-world.com), which since 1996 has served as an online portal for educators, highlighted Exploring the Environment as one of its top web sites reviewed for April 2006.

Phillip Bounds, director of NASA headquarters’ Security Management Division, will join veteran NASCAR driver Brett Bodine for a panel discussion scheduled for the International Mining Health and Safety Symposium, being held April 20-21 at the university. Bounds, who has experience investigating the space shuttle disasters and assisted in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina, will be on the panel addressing the topic “Dealing with Disaster—An Institutional Approach.” Bounds will speak on NASA’s approach to disasters. Bodine, a special project manager for NASCAR’s R&D staff who holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York at Alfred, will discuss the institutional changes NASCAR initiated after several fatal accidents to improve the safety of the sport.

The University and WesBanco Arena played important roles in the advancement of mine safety throughout the international community as both locations served as host sites for the International Mining Health and Safety Symposium. The event, the first international gathering of mining industry leaders and safety experts since West Virginia passed landmark mine-safety legislation in January, brought several hundred politicians, technology companies, academics, and representatives of industries, government agencies, labor, and management to the region.

May -- University President Joseph R. Hacala, S.J., announces the establishment of a student scholarship endowment, the Philip C. and Evelyn F. Kirby Memorial Scholarship Fund. It will provide scholarships for students coming to the university from the 3rd Congressional District of West Virginia, where Mr. and Mrs. Kirby spent their youth, or from Talbot County, Maryland, where they enjoyed their retirement residence.

The University presents the Reverend Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S. J. Award for Mission and Service to three esteemed groups at its 48th Commencement exercises, held at 10:30 a.m. May 13 in the Alma Grace McDonough Center.

June -- Ohio Valley Medical Center presents President Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S. J. and the nursing program with a $5,000 grant on Tuesday, June 6 to assist in nursing faculty development.

The university partners with the Urologic Research Institute at Wheeling Hospital to present the institute's program to educate high school boys and young men about testicular cancer and its prevention through self-examination. The institute received a $75,000 grant in December from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to extend the program to rural areas in West Virginia and the institute will use the facilities of the Center for Educational Technologies to accomplish this goal.

The Challenger Learning Center® enjoys its most successful year ever, on schedule to fly more missions than it has before, two sets of summer camps promising to bring in more youngsters and a visit by an astronaut slated for later in the year.

The Center for Educational Technologies' work in creating coal impoundment data for West Virginia helps with a new system the state created to report mine and industrial accidents after this year's mining tragedies. The Mine and Industrial Accident Rapid Reporting System is a call center created with the passage of West Virginia Senate Bill 247 shortly after the Sago and Alma mine tragedies earlier this year. The Coal Impoundment Project created through the Center for Educational Technologies and National Technology Transfer Center share its data with the call center.

Acker Science Center Auditorium is dedicated to the Hawk Family and is named in honor of university benefactors, Henry and Beverly Hawk and their family.

July -- The Bishop Hodges Library is named a “Cooperating Collection” of the Foundation Center of New York. Cooperating Collections provide information free of charge to people seeking details on how and when to apply for a grant for their foundation. These no-cost funding information centers, located in libraries across the country, contain a core collection of publications, supplemental materials and online resources useful to grant seekers. In addition, Cooperating Collections often hold workshops and orientations for grant seekers and local nonprofit organizations.

NASA-TV's web streaming of space shuttle Discovery's week at the International Space Station has been as rousing a success as the shuttle mission itself, and the Center for Educational Technologies® at Wheeling Jesuit University helps to make it possible.

The Claude W. Benedum Foundation awards a $15,000 planning grant to the Clifford M. Lewis, S.J. Appalachian Institute. The funds will be used to support the development of Valley Ventures, a grassroots initiative to promote and sustain an entrepreneurial environment in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and Jefferson County in Ohio.

The University's board of directors welcomes a new member, Pittsburgh attorney Terrence M. Lewis. Lewis graduated magna cum laude from Wheeling Jesuit in 1993 with a degree in political science.

August -- University President Joseph Hacala, SJ is appointed to W.Va. Humanities Council by Gov. Joe Manchin, III.

U.S.NEWS ranks university among the best for 10 consecutive years.

The Center for Educational Technologies® hosts administrators from emergency management agencies in both Marshall and Ohio counties along with representatives of American Electric Power, Consol Energy, the national Hazmat program, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the American Red Cross, the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Ohio and Marshall County 911 call centers, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the Benwood Fire Department and the Marshall County Sheriff Department to improve emergency response. The center and its partner in the Coal Impoundment Project at Wheeling Jesuit - the National Technology Transfer Center - coordinated the exercise with the Water Research Institute.

September -- The Mid-Atlantic Region Space Science Broker presents solar system exploration workshop at the Discovery Center in the Center for Educational Technologies® building.

University professor Bryan Raudenbush, Ph.D. is awarded a Mellon Fellowship to the prestigious Salzburg Seminar. He is associate professor of psychology and director of undergraduate research.

President Hacala steps down from Wheeling Jesuit, due to amyloidosis, a rare, life-threatening disease related to the protein in his body. He travels to Mayo Clinic for treatment.

The teaching program at Wheeling Jesuit University receives its five-year accreditation.

University Announces Opening of Schenk Center for Informatic Sciences, under the leadership of director Ben Hitt, Ph.D.

University's Executive Vice President James Birge is appointed interim president of the university, after the resignation of the Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J. on Sept. 16. The board begins a search for a permanent president.

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals meets at university.

49th Annual Tri-State Tax Institute meets in Troy Theater on Oct. 17.

October -- Recognized for distinguished service and superb dedication to the Missile Defense mission, Wheeling Jesuit University's National Technology Transfer Center/Washington Operations (NTTC-WO) office recently was honored with a gold medal by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).

WJU receives $200,000 grant to conduct Appalachian water study from The Mousetrap Foundation in Reston, Va.

Mining & social justice explored in Oct. 24 public lecture held in Troy Theater.

WVNCC and the university collaborate in 2 + 2 agreement that allows WVNCC students to earn a bachelor's degree in computer science from the four-year university. The Computer Information Technology agreement is the first of its kind for Wheeling Jesuit.
A record-breaking 40,000 plus students ventured into space or tackled other exciting adventures at the Challenger Learning Center during the 2005-2006 school year, according to participation figures for the past school year.

November -- New athletic training program begins at university.

Professor of chemistry Dr. Norman Duffy is named a U.S. Professor of the Year, the first time that a Wheeling Jesuit professor or a professor from a West Virginia private college earns the award. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named Duffy the 2006 West Virginia Professor of the Year at a Nov. 16 ceremony held in Washington, D.C.

Episcopal priest the Rev. Margaret Bird Caldwell Phillimore, a leading advocate for women's ordination as priests in the American Episcopal Church and an alumna of Wheeling College (1974), is inducted into Wheeling’s Hall of Fame on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006.

December -- Professor Bryan Raudenbush is appointed to Fragrance Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee.

Founded in the spring of 2006 as a result of a grant from the BB&T Charitable Foundation the WJU Institute for the Study of Capitalism and Morality is dedicated to an examination of all aspects of capitalism and the promotion of an in-depth examination of a free society and will sponsor a series of programs - including lectures, seminars and undergraduate courses - to advance its mission of providing a deeper understanding of the moral, legal and economic foundations of such free society.

The board of directors welcomes three new members to its ranks recently: West Virginia University Basketball Coach John Beilein, Riesbeck Food Markets Chief Executive Officer Richard L. Riesbeck and Acordia Senior Vice President Andrew J. Paterno.