Alumni Recognition Award recipient Asra Nomani to speak at Certificate of Achievement ceremony honoring outstanding Eberly students

Morgantown, W.Va., January 28, 2008: The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences will salute its brightest students with an invitation to the Certificate of Achievement ceremony Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m in the Mountainlair Ballrooms. Additionally, Asra Nomani, featured speaker for the ceremony, will be honored with the college’s Alumni Recognition Award for her work as a journalist, author, and lecturer on women’s issues and religious understanding and tolerance.

This year, the ceremony honors 862 undergraduates with outstanding academic records who have completed 45 or more credit hours and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5. Honorees are eligible to apply for a $1,000 Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Scholarship for the 2008-09 academic year. Up to 25 merit-based undergraduate scholarships have been awarded annually since 1988 and recipients receive a personalized cast-bronze medallion, become known as Eberly Scholars, and their names are displayed on a plaque in Woodburn Hall.

Asra Nomani, graduated in 1986 as an interdisciplinary major of the Eberly College and has been a successful journalist since her days at WVU. She spent 15 years as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and her articles have appeared in Time Magazine, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

In 2003, she published Tantrika: Traveling the Road of Divine Love, which tells the story of a woman whose world travels and spiritual journey bring here face-to-face with the most fundamental dichotomy of her identity. Born in India and raised in West Virginia, Nomani moves away from her Muslin upbringing to explore the Hindu and Buddhist paths of divine love. In Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam (2005), she returns to her Muslim heritage and develops an international voice for change and understanding.

The Eberly College commends Asra Nomani for her professional achievements as a writer, her commitment to exploring important contemporary issues with global significance, and her devotion to lifelong learning.

The Alumni Recognition Award acknowledges living college alumni, regardless of major or degree level, who are making important contributions to their community or field, demonstrate the value of lifelong learning and reflect the values of a liberal arts and sciences education. Faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to nominate individuals from any department or program in the Eberly College.

For more information, please contact the Office of the Dean at 304-293-4611.

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