Elizabeth Oppe, Ph.D.,
Tricia Petty and
Geah Pressgrove,Ph.D., have been recognized for their outstanding service to
WVU Reed College of Media students and to the state of West Virginia.
Elizabeth Oppe, a teaching associate professor at the College, is the recipient of the Beginning Service Award, a Heebink Award for Distinguished Service to the state of West Virginia. Established in 1992, the award is given to faculty and staff who have “used the unique resources of the university” as well as their own professional experience to provide an educational or public service benefit to West Virginians. Oppe will receive a $2,000 honoraria for professional development support.
Oppe founded Get Moving! Day of Play, a program that brings WVU alumni athletes back to Morgantown to inspire healthy lifestyle choices for children across the mountain state. Children attend an activity camp, and the athletes visit WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital.
Tricia Petty, assistant dean of students and enrollment services, is a recipient of the Nicholas Evans Excellence in Advising award. Established in 2009, the award recognizes two faculty and two staff members every year for the important work they perform shepherding students through their undergraduate experience.
Petty was nominated by her students, who cited her “warm and welcoming demeanor” as a key reason for their recommendation. One student wrote, “Having her for a mentor does not mean automatically generated emails—it means an always-open door, thoughtful and in-depth insight to my questions.”
Geah Pressgrove, an assistant professor at the College, has been awarded the 2019 Faculty Award for Distinction in Mentoring Undergraduates in Research.
The Faculty Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award is sponsored by theOffice of Undergraduate Researchand theHonors College and recognizes faculty members who mentor undergraduate students in research and creative endeavors. The award “applies rigorous criteria in identifying faculty who specifically mentor undergraduates in making an original intellectual or creative contribution to their discipline.” Pressgrove will receive a monetary award from the Office of Undergraduate Research to be used toward her support of undergraduate research.