WEST LIBERTY, Aug. 17, 2015 — West Liberty University Board of Governors welcomed three new members at its recent meeting. Officially joining the Board are Classified Staff Representative Rhonda Tysk, Faculty Representative Professor Jim Haizlett and Student Government Association President Allyson Ashworth.
Board of Governors Chairman George Couch administered the oaths of office and greeted the newest members at the 4 p.m., Aug. 12 regular meeting.
Ashworth will serve a one-year term while she fulfills the duties of the student government office. Both Tysk and Haizlett will serve two years after being selected as BOG members by the Faculty and Classified Staff Counsels.
“It’s an honor and privilege to serve on the Board of Governors,” said Tysk, who is an admissions counselor. “This is my first time to attend a meeting and I’m looking forward to serving the campus and the Board in this new role.”
Tysk joined the admissions’ office in 1989 and has held her current position since 2003. She earned her undergraduate degree at WLU and earned a master’s of legal studies at West Virginia University.
She also is active in the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the American College Testing (ACT) organization and the West Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (WVACRAO). A resident of Wheeling, she is married to Joe Tysk and they have four children.
Associate Professor of Graphic and Digital Media Design Haizlett has taught at WLU since 1999. He is founder and director of the annual WLU MAD (Media Arts and Design) Festival.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in communication arts at Grove City College, his master’s in instructional technology at Bloomsburg University and has 30 additional graduate hours at West Virginia University.
“I am honored to have been chosen by my peers to be the faculty representative to the BOG,” said Haizlett. “I have found the Board to be very engaged and determined to build a bright future for West Liberty.”
A member of the Pittsburgh AIGIA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), Haizlett is an exhibitor at regional juried art exhibitions including the Huntington Museum of Art, Bethany Annual, Crosscurrents, Appalachian Corridors, West Virginia Biennial Exhibition, West Virginia Arts and Crafts Guild Traveling Exhibit, and at Tamarack.
Haizlett and his wife Jo Ellen live on a farm near Bethany and have seven children. Their daughter Rosalie is a junior graphic design major at WLU.
Ashworth is from Hamlin, W.Va. and was voted in as president of SGA this past spring by the student body. An English literature major, she hopes to enter law school after she graduates this spring.
Also a member of the WLU Honors College, she has been an academic tutor for English classes and worked with International students. She participated in a summer service learning abroad program, traveling to China in summer 2014.
Over this past summer, Ashworth attended the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Student Leadership Conference and was one of four SGA college presidents that designed a service project for all West Virginia schools to participate in as a unified effort.
“I’m excited to work with the Board. I want to see how much focus they put on the students and work for the best interests of the University,” she said.
Interim President Dr. John McCullough works closely with the Board of Governors and said:
“I’m really looking forward to working with the new Board members. Rhonda, Jim and Allyson will bring fresh perspectives and valuable input to the Board and to the University.”
The Board of Governors meets throughout the year to oversee the financial, business, and education policies and affairs of the university. Other members of the Board include Joseph W. Carey, Richard Carter, Sandra M. Chapman, Leslie DeFelice (Vice Chairman), Patrick B. Ford (Secretary), Brian E. Joseph, Patrick D. Kelly and B. Ann Thomas.
For more information, please visit westliberty.edu/bog.