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The Reed College of Media and College of Creative Arts will merge to form the new WVU College of Creative Arts and Media as of July 1, 2024. Get details.

College of Media sophomore named next Mountaineer

Timothy Eads

Timothy Eads, a sophomore at the College of Media, has been named WVU’s 66th Mountaineer Mascot. The announcement was made at the men’s basketball gave vs. Texas Christian University on February 25.

Eads, a native of Buffalo, West Virginia, was chosen by a committee of faculty, staff and students who based their decision upon an application, essay, interview, followed by a cheer-off competition that was held during the men’s basketball game vs. Kansas State.

The public relations major is no stranger to the duties of the Mountaineer. For the past year, he has served as the alternate to WVU’s current mascot, Trevor Keiss.

“Being the alternate Mountaineer has been an amazing experience,” said Eads. “But I’ve dreamed of being named the Mountaineer for a long time. I’m looking forward to representing WVU, the state of West Virginia and Mountaineers everywhere in a way that makes them proud.”

Eric Minor, director of student careers and opportunities at the College of Media, said Eads epitomizes the passionate and determined Mountaineer spirit. Minor met Eads during a class presentation about internship opportunities. Eads was wearing a Future Farmers of America t-shirt and Minor had just received a request from WVU’s Small Farm Center for an intern.

“This was one of my favorite encounters with Tim,” said Minor. “He stayed after class to ask me about the internship, applied for it that afternoon and was offered the position before the end of the week. It speaks to his willingness to jump right in and get involved.”

In addition to being an undergraduate communications assistant for the WVU Extension Services Small Farm Center, Eads is an executive board member of the Mountaineer Maniacs, an organization that supports Mountaineer athletic teams and helps promote good sportsmanship and Mountaineer pride and tradition.

His involvement with Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school inspired him to pursue public relations at WVU. FFA gave him the opportunity to participate in marketing competitions and public speaking, which sparked an interest in content creation and marketing. He is a 2018 recipient of the American FFA Degree, one of the organization’s highest honors awarded to less than one percent of members.

“The great thing about the Reed College of Media is that it has a sense of home,” said Eads. “I grew up in a small town and attended small schools my entire life, so it’s great to be a part of a college that values small class sizes and getting to know the students.”

Eads will formally accept the responsibilities of the Mountaineer in a “Passing of the Rifle” ceremony on April 11 at 3 p.m. at the Erickson Alumni Center.