The Fairmont State community lost a valued friend with the passing of JoAnn Lough on Jan. 2, 2024. She was 93. Lough taught theater at Fairmont State University where she introduced countless students to the diverse and colorful world of the performing arts. By insisting on the highest standards, Lough earned respect and admiration from students, many of whom returned to visit long after their graduation.
For more than three decades, Kestrel, Fairmont State University’s literary journal, has served as a cultural and creative outlet for West Virginia and the Appalachian region. It remains the only print literary journal in the state backed by a higher education institution.
A VerySpatial Podcast, co-hosted by Fairmont State University faculty members Dr. Barbara MacLennan and Frank LaFone, GISP along with geographers Dr. Jesse Rouse and Dr. Sue Bergeron at Coastal Caroline University, has been recognized by FeedSpot as one of the Top 15 Geography Podcasts on the web. In addition, the podcast’s companion blog was ranked among the Top 100 GIS Blogs worldwide.
Fairmont State University welcomed faculty and staff back from summer break with its annual Opening Session and Welcome Back Breakfast, celebrating a year of significant accomplishments and setting a course for the flourishing year ahead. Most notably, the University is experiencing prominent growth in both overall enrollment and student retention for the Fall 2025 semester. Specifically, undergraduate enrollment is expected to increase by 9%, retention rates are projected to rise by 8%, and there is an anticipated 18% increase in graduate studies enrollment—bringing approximately 300 additional students to campus altogether.
Fairmont State University is proud to announce that it is the first higher education institution in West Virginia to have lifetime inductees into Gamma Sigma Theta – the National Honor Society for Geospatial Technology. This prestigious honor recognizes students and faculty for excellence in geospatial technology and applied geographic research.
Nestled in the heart of Appalachia, West Virginia is home to a rich and distinctive culture shaped by the ancient Appalachian Mountains—some of the oldest in the world, dating back nearly 480 million years to the Ordovician Period. These mountains, older than trees themselves, have long influenced the traditions and stories of the region.
Starting Fall 2025, Students Will Benefit from a Streamlined, Fully Online Textbook Shopping Experience
Two Fairmont State University students have been awarded summer fellowships from the Department of Humanities to pursue original research projects.
Fairmont State University is proud to announce a new partnership between its Open-Source Intelligence Exchange (OSIX) and ProWave AI to launch a summer pilot program focused on enhancing open-source intelligence (OSINT) capabilities. The program, running from June through mid-August, will allow OSIX scholar-analysts to test and evaluate ProWave AI’s Stylo News platform in real-world intelligence scenarios, including projects in support of the West Virginia National Guard.
Over 1,000 Fairmont State University baccalaureate students have been honored for their academic achievements throughout the Spring 2025 semester.
Fairmont State University students recently took center stage in a unique interdisciplinary celebration of original fiction and visual art, organized by Dr. Robert Powers, assistant professor of English. The event featured student-written stories from Dr. Powers’ fiction workshop course, alongside artwork inspired by those stories and created by students in Professor Joel Dugan’s special topics illustration course.
Haley Zoladz, a native of Morgantown, West Virginia, and an Elementary Education major at Fairmont State University, recently completed a Citizen Science project for the Smithsonian Institution as part of an official SciStarter Citizen Science Month Event - Falcons on the Map: A Celebration of Citizen Science. Through the Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: Transcription Center, Zoladz contributed to the preservation and accessibility of historical documents by transcribing handwritten records into digital format.
Fairmont State University’s Model United Nations (MUN) team has returned from the National Model United Nations (NMUN) Conference in New York City with national honors, earning an Honorable Mention at the closing ceremony. This distinction—roughly equivalent to a third-place finish—recognizes delegations that demonstrate excellence in diplomacy, committee participation, and adherence to official UN procedure.
Fairmont State University continues its upward trajectory, welcoming its largest orientation group in years on May 10. Nearly 200 new and returning students arrived on campus, signaling a strong start to the academic year and underscoring the university’s growing momentum in enrollment and student success.
As Fairmont State University prepares for Commencement on May 17, the Office of the Provost and Faculty Senate took some time to honor its faculty at an awards and recognition lunch held in Colebank Gym. During the ceremony, individuals were celebrated for their years of service to the University and accomplishments such as promotions and tenure. The Faculty Senate also presented special awards.
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