WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Dec. 17, 2019 — Dr. Matthew Zdilla, associate professor of biology and physician assistant studies at West Liberty University, has been selected as one of the five finalists for 2019 Professor of the Year by the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia.
“We congratulate Dr. Zdilla for achieving this statewide honor that recognizes his excellence in teaching and research. Our students know first-hand what a wonderful professor he is and we value his work,” said Dr. Stephen Greiner, WLU president. “We can all be very proud of our biology department.”
Zdilla is a faculty member in WLU’s College of Sciences and is an anatomist. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh and his doctoral degree at New York Chiropractic College.
Zdilla is a resident of Wheeling and has taught at WLU since 2009. His laboratory is involved in research aiming to improve clinical procedures and discover new links between human structure and function.
Zdilla is the third WLU biology professor to be selected as finalist for West Virginia Professor of the Year over the past five years. The other two were Dr. Zachary Loughman and Dr. Joseph Horzempa and both of these went on to receive Professor of the Year honors.
The Foundation board selects Professor of the Year finalists based on written nominations and on interviews with candidates. Zdilla will interview as a finalist on Feb. 18, 2020.
The finalists and recipient of the 2019 Professor of the Year will be honored at an awards banquet in Charleston on April 7, 2020. The Professor of the Year will receive a $10,000 award and a trophy and the runner-up will receive a $2,500 award. The remaining finalists each will receive $1,000.
The Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia was created in 1984 to recognize and reward innovation and creativity among the faculties of West Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities.
To be eligible for consideration, a professor must be associated with one of the public or private nonprofit degree-granting colleges or universities in West Virginia and be a full-time employee of the nominating institution for a minimum of five consecutive years.
West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest public university and today it offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, plus a growing number of graduate programs, both online and on campus. For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB), visit westliberty.edu or follow WLU on social media. To view more about WLU, please visit westliberty.edu/youtube.