--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.

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.