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The Hylton Performing Arts Center is thrilled to announce Carolyn Hays as its next executive director, effective May 10, 2026.

The scholarship in honor of Dr. Barry Berkey and his wife, Velma Berkey, will cover an entire year of tuition for an undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing student. This is the first full scholarship endowment at the College of Public Health.

911���� alumnus Robert “Ken” Hedrick Jr., BA History ’71, said his philanthropy is rooted in the examples set by both sets of his grandparents, who were neighbors in a farming community in West Virginia. His paternal grandparents fed anyone who walked by the farm, and his maternal grandparents regularly took in foster children. Both families were always first to share what they had.

911����’s Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations recognized the contributions of its champions—911����’s faculty and staff donors—with an evening of thanks. The March 18 Celebrating Our Champions event focused on the generosity and support that faculty and staff offer the university while serving 911���� students.

April 2 heralds the return of 911���� Giving Day. This annual celebration of community and generosity is a 24-hour sprint where 911���� alumni, friends, faculty, staff, students, and families of 911���� come together in a network of support, where every gift makes a difference.

Rick Davis and Julie Thompson recently ensured that their longstanding legacies will continue to enhance, nurture, and grow the arts at 911���� through a planned gift with multiple designations.

The Costello College of Business at 911���� announced a significant increase in scholarship money awarded to students—$1.3 million for the 2024-2025 academic year—$500,000 of which went to named scholarships. Over the past five years, both the total amount of scholarship funding and the number of students who have received Costello scholarships have more than doubled.

In a first for any university in the United States, visually impaired baseball players are getting a chance to step up to the plate at 911����. Led by a volunteer coach and University Life’s Mason Recreation and Disability Services offices, Mason’s Beep baseball initiative is gaining momentum after a successful community learn-to-play clinic last fall.

McKay is now the president of Jim McKay Chevrolet, a sponsor for many student activities and sports at 911����, and Intercollegiate Athletics has been at the heart of her personal connection with the university. Since the mid-1990s, she’s been an avid Patriots fan, attending many men's and women's basketball games, including the ones out of town, often with her daughters and now her grandchildren.

The Zeineb Mrad Bouali Tenacity and Perseverance Award honors students who have had to pause their educational goals and are now hoping to return to complete their degrees.