Provost's Post

West Chester University's Inaugural Life Science Innovation Class Wins Big at Wistar Institute's Shark Tank Event

(Courtesy of WCU Communications & Marketing)

In its first-ever run, West Chester University's new experiential course, MKT440-01 Life Science Innovation, has won two top awards at the prestigious Wistar Institute's Life Science Innovation Shark Tank competition. Leading the way was the BioXvessel team, composed of WCU junior biomedical engineering majors Tasila Mkwayaya, Davi Saleet, and Sophia Nguyen, who are also all pursuing supply chain management minors. Their innovative pitch on using genetically modified protozoa to deliver therapeutic proteins to treat Gaucher's disease earned them the event's top undergraduate award. BioXvessel's approach offers patients a revolutionary, low-cost treatment alternative, cutting both costs and treatment burdens dramatically.

The Wistar Shark Tank competition featured 15 teams from institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, PCOM, La Salle, Lincoln University, and Leiden University in the Netherlands. WCU fielded three teams, more than any other school. Beyond BioXvessel's top judged prize, another WCU team — Amanda Branscome, Kristen Kuniegel, and Laci Mahoney — won the coveted People's Choice Award, securing the highest percentage of more than 700 votes for their Syntria concept, an innovative treatment for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

The success marks a huge achievement for WCU’s Cottrell Center’s entrepreneur-in-residence Marc Duey's newly launched Life Science Innovation course. The class is designed to merge science, business, and entrepreneurship through real-world biotech commercialization projects. Students worked with actual patents, were mentored by industry experts, and pitched to top investors and venture capitalists at the Shark Tank event.

WCU Students Take Top Honors in WCU Business Idea Pitch Competition

(Courtesy of WCU Communications & Marketing)

A team of three biomedical engineering undergraduates from West Chester University (WCU) has taken first place in the undergraduate track of the 13th Annual WCU Business Idea Competition – and their journey doesn’t stop there. The trio will present their pitch this Wednesday, April 23, at the Life Science Innovation (LSI) Shark Tank Event hosted by the Wistar Institute, where they’ll pitch to a panel of biotechnology investors and leading scientific experts.

The Annual West Chester University Business Idea Challenge is hosted by WCU’s Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center, the Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic, and The Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce. Junior biomedical engineering majors Nathan Barker, Joshua Pitts, and Chris Needham, formed their company, Cell-U Therapeutics, as part of an experiential learning course led by the Cottrell Center’s entrepreneur-in-residence Marc Duey. Their concept is built around a patented T cell-engaging therapy from Swiss biotech startup Encelta. The technology aims to bridge a major gap in treatment for immunocompromised cancer patients, particularly those not responding to chemo or radiation, offering potential applications in treating myeloma and leukemia.

“We’re passionate about the science and the potential to impact real lives,” Barker said. “This has been an amazing opportunity to be able to take both the research and understanding of the science, and then try to find a way to translate that into a business pitch, especially for people who may not have that science background.”

For Needham, the opportunity is personal. “I have goals of pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering and I wanted to do research on cancer treatment in Graduate School, so this has been a real eye-opening experience to combine both the science and the real-world implications of science.”

As a result of their work, the three students have been offered an internship for ongoing participation in the project. Their success at WCU also earned them a $5,000 award from the Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic, positioning them for a future pitch to regional angel investors. 

The students credit their win to a semester’s worth of deep collaboration with their scientific partner, Dr. Edo Kapetanovic, and mentorship from Duey, who helped craft the hands-on course specifically to merge science, business, and real-world impact. Duey said he wanted to create a class that would offer substantive experiences, similar to those he found meaningful when he was an undergraduate student. “It’s a very exciting opportunity for students to get practical knowledge alongside their theoretical and lab work that they do,” Duey said. “They get exposure to real-world decision making in an integrated and immersive fashion.”

Also recognized during the WCU Business Idea competition was Matt Zwilgmeyer, a 2022 WCU alumnus and former student-athlete, who won the graduate, alumni, faculty & staff category. Zwilgmeyer returned to the competition three years after placing as an undergrad, this time pitching a novel stainless-steel water bottle designed for quick, one-handed hydration.  He was inspired to design the water bottle after years as a student-athlete, where he noticed how difficult it was to quickly hydrate during intense physical activity. He aimed to solve that problem with a spring-loaded, one-handed cap mechanism.

The event’s organizers say the true value of the competition goes beyond prizes and presentations. “It’s about giving entrepreneurs the confidence and tools to turn those ideas into real-world impact,” said Pattie Diggin, Director of the Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center. “Watching the student competitors grow into innovators right before our eyes is what makes this work so rewarding.”

WCU Welcomes Alumni Returning to Campus for Alumni Weekend 

(Courtesy of WCU's Communications & Marketing Department)

Every year, West Chester University alumni return to campus to enjoy socializing, soaking in Golden Rams school spirit, and learn what’s new at WCU during Alumni Weekend, which took place this year April 24-27.

Festivities kicked off with Banana Night on Thursday, April 24 at Levante Brewing. On Friday, the West Chester University Alumni Association (WCUAA) hosted a kick-off party prior to the annual spring scrimmage football game at Farrell Stadium on South Campus. 

Other Golden Rams athletics teams also competed on campus that weekend with alumni participating in men’s and women’s alumni soccer matches.

WCU's Community Mental Health Services Clinic Partners with Philadelphia Court System to Provide Post-Trial Support to Jurors

(Courtesy of WCU Communications & Marketing)

West Chester University’s Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) clinic raised its hand high recently when the Philadelphia court system asked several mental health agencies in the area to consider providing free post-trial support to jurors coping with anxiety or trauma following the completion of their civic duty. CMHS was the only clinic to embrace the opportunity. Having started on Monday, April 6, the After-Service Support for Jurors Program at West Chester University’s Community Mental Health Services clinic is now offering free support services to those who have completed jury duty or have completed the jury selection process through the Philadelphia court system and are experiencing anxiety or trauma.

As part of the new program, individuals who have served on criminal cases or civil cases through the Philadelphia court system are welcome to take advantage of three, free, 30-minute telephone sessions with Dr. Michele Pole, a licensed psychologist who specializes in trauma and PTSD and leads CMHS as its director. Under the supervision of Dr. Pole, doctoral student clinicians, who are trained in trauma-informed approaches and psychological first aid, also provide support to clients. The confidential telephone sessions are designed to help jurors process the jury duty experience, as well as access emotional resources and acquire healthy coping mechanisms.

 “When Pat Martin, the jury commissioner of Philadelphia, contacted me, I was really intrigued by his inquiry,” said Dr. Pole, who conducted a great deal of research on similar programs and found only a handful of states in the U.S. offering support to jurors after their service had been completed. “It never occurred to me, as a psychologist who specializes in trauma and PTSD, that jurors may struggle after they complete their service. There is some research on this topic, but when you go to Reddit, there are lots of conversations about the psychological impact of jury duty for some people. I had conversations with Pat and several others in Massachusetts where they implemented a similar program statewide. I wanted to find a way to provide this service to the city of Philadelphia and to potentially expand it to jurisdictions statewide.”

Dr. Pole stresses that the clinic will not be providing therapy or counseling to the former jurors, but will, rather, offer them support through Psychological First Aid (PFA) --- an evidence-based approach to support people in the aftermath of disasters, as a contracted service through the City.

She adds, “If we find that people have greater need for continued care beyond the three telephone sessions, we will refer them directly to licensed providers in the community, including CMHS.”

In addition to helping to ease post-trial distress for those in need, the program has the added benefit of providing valuable training opportunities to WCU doctoral students pursuing clinical psychology specializations in trauma or child/family therapy through the University’s Doctor of Psychology Program in Clinical Psychology.

“To have the opportunity to develop a comprehensive behavioral health program that would serve those in our community and that would, at the same time, enhance our work at the training clinic with doctoral students was a win-win for all of us at CMHS. We are very excited to be able to serve in such an impactful way,” said Dr. Pole.

Those who are interested in learning more about the After-Service Support for Jurors Program may contact CMHS at (610) 436-2510 or email cmhs@wcupa.edu.

Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Survey Due May 16

As another semester comes to an end, the Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact (CCESI) needs your assistance in completing our semiannual survey.  The survey is a way to share your Community Engagement achievements from Winter 2024 and/or Spring 2025.

What to report:

• Academic Community-Engaged Learning course: Community-engaged learning is a form of experiential education that combines community service with academic learning. Faculty guide students to think critically and reflect, making connections between the service activities and academic learning.
• Community-based research: Community-based research is a collaborative and participatory approach to research in which community organizations partner with academic researchers to produce knowledge that solves real world problems.
• Community service projects NOT related to a course: Community service projects are defined as assistance to a nonprofit or governmental agency. The projects are not curricular based.

How to Report:  Please access the Community Engagement Survey here or use this link: https://forms.gle/JyrbrNdisJkRiNut8.

Responses are greatly appreciated by Friday, May 16th. 

This data is essential to documenting the incredible amount of community-engaged learning, research, and service we do across the university, earning WCU national recognition by various organizations and awards such as the Philadelphia Foundation’s Civic 50. Last semester’s data was extremely useful as WCU reapplied for continued designation as a Carnegie Foundation Community Engaged Campus.  Thank you!  This archived documentation also positions CCESI and other offices on campus to apply for resources to expand this work.  

Any questions can be directed to Associate Director Katie Clay at kclay@wcupa.edu.

40+ Children from Philadelphia's Global Leadership Academy Learn How to DREAM Big

More than 40 children in grades 3 - 8 from the Global Leadership Academy in Philadelphia visited West Chester University (WCU) to learn how to dream big and embrace their inner power through Zumba, rock climbing, team games, mindfulness & meditation, and more on April 26. This was the first time that many of the children have visited a college campus. WCU Professor of Sport & Exercise Psychology Margaret Ottley, a mental performance specialist who has trained elite Olympic athletes to defeat mental hurdles, and the graduate student teachers in her Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology class collaborated with the Philadelphia-based Black Women in Sport Foundation (BWSF) and the Global Leadership Academy/Global Academies to empower the children with leadership skills. Exploring a variety of careers in the sport/exercise field was an important part of the very active day.

“Children need to envision all they can become, acquiring mental skills like visualization and mental imagery, which play a crucial role in human development,” says Dr. Ottley. “This one-day youth camp is designed to show children that they can do whatever they set their minds to do and they can be whomever they would like to be. As a leadership development tool, we explore the numerous benefits of play by coming together, working together, and bringing one another along.” 

Now in its third year, the one-day youth camp is supported by West Chester University’s Office of the Dean in the College of Health Sciences, as well as the Athletic Department and its staff, coaches, and student athletes. Also supporting the camp are WCU’s Student Recreation Center, the Frederick Douglass Institute at West Chester University, Exercise Science graduate student athletes, and the Black Women in Sport Foundation (BWSF). In addition, the graduate students in Dr. Ottley’s class are working toward their Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) Certification.

Expanding the STEM Workforce for PA’s Youth

With its goal to expand the STEM workforce for PA’s youth, West Chester University’s Center for STEM Inclusion introduced 45 Oxford Area High School 9th through 11th graders to the hands-on world of chemistry and nanoscience on April 24. Uniting innovators, technologists, philanthropists, and educators, the Center’s goal is to help inspire youth who do not have access to, or the resources associated with, a robust STEM-focused curriculum to become interested in pursuing technology, engineering, coding, and related career paths.

Students teamed up to make polymers, which are large molecules analogous to those used in medicine, with faculty in Science Complex South and in the SECC to synthesize gold nanoparticles that are used in medical applications for cancer treatment and Rapid COVID/Flu tests. The two distinct hands-on activities were followed by a campus tour and lunch. The day concluded with an “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About STEM But Were Afraid to Ask” question and answer session with undergraduate STEM majors and industry partners from Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers program, the Hope Institute of Science in Philadelphia, and others.

“It is crucial to educate students about the range of STEM careers available, as understanding these opportunities will ignite their interests and provide them with the motivation to pursue paths they might not have realized were available or attainable,” says West Chester University Professor of Physics and Engineering Dr. Brandon J. Mitchell, who helped establish and currently leads WCU’s Center for STEM Inclusion. “Ultimately, we believe that this type of program will create an expanded technology-based workforce in the Commonwealth of PA and throughout the U.S.”

Kinesiology’s Dr. Ken Clark Continues Olympic Connections

(Courtesy of WCU Communication & Marketing)

On the first weekend in April, Dr. Ken Clark ’09, assistant professor of kinesiology in WCU’s College of Health Sciences, was watching as a new era in track began with the first competitions in the brand-new Grand Slam of Track (GST), brainchild of Olympic icon Michael Johnson. Gabby Thomas, a three-time Olympic gold medalist at the Paris Olympics last year, is one of the GST contracted athletes and one of the elite sprinters whose biomechanics Dr. Clark regularly analyzes in person and via video.

Dr. Clark spent part of spring break consulting with Thomas and her coach Tonja Buford-Bailey in Austin, TX, conducting on-track analysis and video data analysis, part of his work in sprint biomechanics with USA Track & Field (USATF). That week, he also traveled to Clermont, FL, to consult with Paris Olympics 100 meters gold medalist Noah Lyles and his coach Lance Brauman. Lyles, crowned “World’s Fastest Man” after that Olympic achievement, also won a trio of gold medals (100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay) at the 2023 world  championships.

“I feel fortunate in that is the type of opportunity that few other sports scientists get to experience,” says Dr. Clark, whose expertise in biomechanics and sprinting brought him to the attention of USATF. He was named the 2024 USATF Sports Scientist of the Year.

Dr. Clark provides technique analysis on the athletes’ sprinting mechanics through weekly data collection and says it’s a way of quickly evaluating what might be going right or wrong. Coaches or USATF personnel do the filming and send him the videos.

“It’s a great monitoring tool. Reviewing the normative data for so many athletes over time is a benefit for coaches so they can advise their athletes to ramp up or tone down their work. It helps coaches make informed decisions.”

Dr. Clark works on a daily basis with Tyler Noble, USATF’s Lead Sport Science & Data Analyst for USATF, and on a regular basis with Dr. Robert Chapman, USATF’s Chief of High Performance Operations. Dr. Clark began with USATF in 2017 assisting biomechanist Ralph Mann (who died 1/2/25 at age 75), an Olympic sprinter and hurdler (silver in 400m hurdles in Munich 1972) who became one of the world’s leading researchers and clinicians in sprint and hurdle biomechanics.

Dr. Clark made on-track visits with elite sprinters for USATF from 2017-2019. The pandemic curtailed travel so he conducted remote video analysis from 2020 through 2022. In 2023, he traveled to Texas in August to consult with the “relay camps where the teams get together and I was on the track with the eight best male and female runners.”

“This speaks directly to the high level of expertise we have here at WCU,” notes Scott Heinerichs, dean of the College of Health Sciences.

 Dr. Ken Clark ’09, assistant professor of kinesiology, consults with Paris Olympics 100 meters gold medalist Noah Lyles
WCU students are benefiting as part of the research team funded over the last five years via this USATF/WCU research agreement. Two to three WCU master’s students are funded annually through these grants to study sprint biomechanics. Former graduate student Christopher Meng was the first to work on the project and earned the 2023 USATF Graduate Student Sports Science Award. He is now an assistant track and field coach at Princeton University. Current graduate student Lily Palacio-Lewis is captain and star sprinter on the WCU women’s track team. Graduate students Andrew Torney and Barrett Snyder have also worked on this project. Dr. Clark also credits research engineer consultant Dr. Larry Ryan for bringing his expertise in math and physics, computer coding, and signal processing to assist with data analysis.

Dr. Clark also works regularly with female sprinter English Gardner, one of the fastest American female sprinters of all time. She won a gold medal for the women’s 4x100m relay team in the 2016 Olympics and a silver for the women’s 4x100m relay team in the 2020 Olympics. In addition, Dr. Clark coaches WCU athletes and works with the Garnet Valley High School football team during summer speed training.

He also conducts additional research with an upcoming study this fall involving the WCU track team. The data will help inform our coaches, he says. “Plus, the human performance lab on campus is a great addition to our lab, he says, growing our footprint in the field of biomechanics.”

This summer, Dr. Clark will be on campus but will make other on-track site visits and will travel to the national championships in late June as well as the high performance summit in late October in Las Vegas. Right now, he is anticipating the Penn Relays April 24 to 26 and the continuation of the Grand Slam of Track in Miami, then Philadelphia May 30 to June 1, concluding in Los Angeles.

Learn More about the Kinesiology Department

University College Faculty Wins Fulbright Hays Scholarship

University College is very proud to announce that Dr. Casey Schmitt has been selected to participate in the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad in Tanzania with the School of International Training (SIT), Tuko Pamoja: Tanzanian Creativity and Perspectives in an Era of Climate Change. 

Dr. Schmitt was one of 12 scholars worldwide selected for this opportunity. As a Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Schmitt joins a number of notable scholars across the world that include heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs, university presidents, journalists, artists, and especially professors and teachers who have influenced thousands of others.

WHYY Features Dr. Ellie Brown’s Research into the Importance of the Arts in Education

West Chester University's Research on Education and the Arts (REACH) Lab hosted the second edition of a biennial conference in April.  The REACH Lab’s team of researchers works to measure and analyze the impact of arts in early childhood education through partnerships with Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project, Settlement Music School’s Kaleidoscope Preschool Arts Enrichment Program and Play On Philly.  Click button below for coverage.

WHYY Covers Ellie Brown and REACH Lab

WCU Anthropologist Studies Pope Francis' Relevance Across Generations

(Courtesy of WCU Communication & Marketing Department)

The recent death of Pope Francis has brought renewed attention to the people and ideas that defined his papacy – like the concept of the “everyday saint,” a term Pope Francis championed throughout his ministry. This idea of holiness rooted in ordinary life resonates powerfully in the stories of both Pope Francis and Italian teenager Carlo Acutis, a soon-to-be canonized saint who died in 2006, said Dr. Michael A. Di Giovine, professor of anthropology at West Chester University.

Their lives, Dr. Di Giovine said, suggest that sainthood is not about perfection, but about being available to others, grounded in compassion, and committed to something greater than oneself. Acutis’ canonization was expected to take place during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, but following Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday, the process has been delayed, as Church leaders focus on the transition and upcoming conclave.

A socio-cultural anthropologist, Dr. Di Giovine has emerged as a key voice on modern sainthood, pilgrimage, and the Church’s efforts to stay relevant in a digital age. His recent work on Acutis, featured last year in The Conversation, explored how a teenager who played video games, wore Nikes, and coded websites became a global spiritual figure. Dr. Di Giovine also discussed Acutis and Pope Francis in a recent episode of Vox’s podcast Today, Explained and The Psychology of Pilgrimage podcast. The Vox segment was also featured on NPR.

Dr. Di Giovine’s academic interest in saints began with Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, one of the most recognized figures in 20th-century Catholicism. Dr. Di Giovine’s research into Pio’s life and legacy laid the groundwork for understanding how saints resonate across generations. But it’s Acutis, who has been called the “patron saint of the internet,” who captivated Dr. Di Giovine’s students and broader audiences alike. “You could put yourself in his Nikes, which my students do,” he said.

Each year, Dr. Di Giovine leads WCU students on a 5-week study abroad field school to Italy, visiting sites tied to both Acutis and St. Francis of Assisi. What begins as an academic excursion often becomes something more meaningful. Students, many who are not religious, find themselves unexpectedly moved by Acutis’ story and the environment around his tomb in Assisi.

“We were just walking around doing our typical tour,” Dr. Di Giovine said of his first encounter with Carlo Acutis years ago. “His picture was everywhere. The students asked, ‘Who is this kid?’ And we went on a kind of scavenger hunt to find his burial site.”  That fascination has only grown. Dr. Di Giovine teaches them how to conduct ethnographic research. In 2016, he even brought students to Rome during Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy, where they saw the Pope in person and visited Padre Pio’s body in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Back on campus, Dr. Di Giovine strives to ensure his classroom is a space that welcomes a range of thoughts. Whether sharing a relic of Padre Pio’s blood or giving a pasta-making lesson tied to saints’ lives, he encourages students to engage with religion as a cultural force.  

Dr. Di Giovine sees ambiguity as a success. To him, it means students are thinking critically and keeping their minds open. They’re learning how to think about belief, not what to believe.

“I try to bring these concepts into the classroom in a way that straddles both worlds of thought,” he said. “That I can model the idea that you can have your own individual relativistic approach to learning about saints, but still understanding that some people, maybe even myself, would believe in this.”

WCU Hosts 30th Annual RECAP Conference on May 15

West Chester University will host the 30th Annual RECAP Conference in the Science and Engineering Center Commons (SECC) on Thursday, May 15, 2025!  The RECAP 2025 Conference marks a significant milestone—30 years of advancing education through technology. This year’s theme, Innovation in Action: Facing the Future – Together invites educators, technologists, and support teams to collaborate in navigating the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Join us in our mission to foster exploration, spark dialogue, and shape the future of higher education – together. For more information, visit https://wcupa.edu/RECAP

Employee Appreciation Days May 13-15

Take a break to connect with the campus community and celebrate our accomplishments as we kick off the summer! This year’s events will have you thinking of fun and sun, iconic beaches, golf courses, summer grilling and fresh produce from farmers' markets, and those hot dog days of summer.

Employee Appreciation Days Info and Registration

2025 Celebration of Teaching Events May 8

Incredible teaching happens every day across WCU! Join the Teaching and Learning Center on Thursday, May 8 for a series of four events to sample and discover new WCU teaching innovations, dialog with peers on teaching topics, and celebrate the teaching excellence that happens across WCU. 

The day's events will include mini-workshops, our 10th annual Teaching Excellence Showcase, a virtual keynote presentation from spring book club author Robert Talbert, and the TLC Teaching Awards Ceremony. Learn more on the TLC blog!

Registration for Celebration of Teaching Events

 

Call for Faculty Mentors

Are you looking for a university-level service opportunity? Do you want to make a significant difference in a colleague’s career development? Do you want to increase your own job satisfaction? Consider becoming a mentor with WCU’s Faculty Mentoring Program. The Faculty Mentoring Committee seeks faculty to serve as mentors for untenured faculty, faculty seeking promotion, and adjunct faculty. Learn more about qualifications and expectations, read about recent FMC events, or sign up to participate in mentor training.

LEARN MORE

WCU's State of Career Readiness: Spring 2025 Update

If you missed the State of Career Readiness update this month, and want to see progress being made on campus to impact students' career readiness, check out the 12-minute recap by clicking the button below.

Career Readiness Update

JARIHE 2025 Call for Manuscripts

The Journal of Access, Retention and Inclusion in Higher Education (JARIHE) is welcoming manuscripts through April 15, 2025. A response from the editor regarding a decision will be prior to June 30, 2025. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025. Submissions will accepted at jarihe@wcupa.edu. Please direct all questions to John B. Craig, Ed.D., Editor at jcraig@wcupa.edu.

Advance Reservation is the process that Sykes Union and Student Activities implemented in 2022 to assist student organizations and university departments with reserving space within Sykes Student Union for future events. Sykes Student Union is pleased to begin the 2025-2026 Advance Reservation process. Please review some of the FAQs in the link below and note the tentative timeline.

New for this year, Sykes Student Union staff, is hosting an open house Reservations Showcase and will be available for consultations on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 to walk through the Advance Reservation form and answer questions and/or support departments and student organizations in preparing their requests. Mark your calendars today!

Advance Registration

How to Submit Your Event to Online Campus Calendar

The WCU Calendar is populated by events submitted in 25Live, WCU's room reservation and calendaring program. Faculty/Staff may submit events to the calendar by selecting "WCU Featured Events Calendar" in the "Resources" section of the 25Live Event Form.

WCU Event Calendar How to Submit your event to wcu calendar

Professional Headshots Available via Iris Photo Booth at Twardowski Career Development Center

Students, Faculty, and Staff now have access to the Iris Booth, a free professional photo booth located in the

Career Development Center (Lawrence 225).

Students, Faculty, and Staff can stop by anytime Monday through Friday between 8:30am and 4pm to get a photo taken, no appointment needed.

FAST Schedule & Offerings

Check out what IS&T has on tap for the semester! The Faculty and Staff Training (FAST) unit supports WCU faculty and staff in becoming proficient in various applications, in addition to providing best practices in trending platforms (e.g., OneDrive, D2L, RamCloud). Courses are designed to accommodate all levels of learning and allow users to build on acquired skills. Click below for the full schedule or take self-paced options.

FAST Schedule

Want to learn more about Navigate?

Visit our webpage. You’ll find an overview, information about Progress Reports, and our training site.

You can also check out the FAST training site and search “navigate” to final all of the Navigate-specific offerings. Here's a quick guide to the offerings.

Navigate Home page

FREE LinkedIn Learning Content Available to WCU Faculty, Staff and Students

LinkedIn Learning with Lynda.com content is an industry leader in online training, with a digital library of over 180,000 videos, covering a wide range of technical, business, software, and creative topics. West Chester University faculty, staff and currently enrolled students have unlimited access.

Access LinkedIn Learning