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Photo of Eric Mason in town hall

A Mountaineer in Town Hall

A Mountaineer in Town Hall

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Some people take their business public. Chambers College alumnus Eric Mason took his business to the public. 

In 2020, Mason was named chief financial officer of Quincy, Massachusetts – his hometown, and a city with a population of over 101,000. He was 26 at the time, equipped only with an undergraduate degree in economics from the Chambers College. 

Four years later, Quincy's budget has grown to more than $500 million. Mason now manages the largest pension obligation bond in Massachusetts, and recently issued a bond via blockchain, a first for the American public sector. 

Between historic firsts and unprecedented success, Mason also found time to return to Chambers for his master’s degree in economics. 

"Being a public sector CFO by its nature requires many interdisciplinary skills to ensure that every public dollar generates the greatest return for the taxpayer,” said Mason. “The Chambers College curriculum's prioritization of specialization while contextualizing it within a broader business framework has been invaluable in my career.” 

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All Women, All Business

Prior to 2019, West Virginia University was the only Big 12 school without a student organization dedicated to women in business. That fall semester, Deanna Crumm – now a marketing and organizational leadership senior – and other young women in the Chambers College began the University’s first Women in Business student organization to foster a supportive community of women and equip them with the knowledge, skills and network to succeed and follow their passions. 

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Testify

John Deskins, director of the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research, testified on Capitol Hill before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in July. The topic? The importance of energy innovation to economic growth.

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Leaving her own Mark

For many students, WVU feels like family. For Amaya Gray, it is family. Gray’s grandfather, Ken Gray, may have founded the long-standing program WVUp All Night (which hosts events and activities for students as an alternative to the bar scene), but Gray is leaving her own mark as a Mountaineer. She’s been part of the Career Readiness Program with our in-house Center for Career Development, served as a Peer Mentor for incoming freshmen in BCOR 191 and a Chambers College Ambassador, has been a member of the Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) with Naomi Boyd, and founded Students of Color in Business with the help of Susan Lantz. “Students of Color in Business is geared towards business students and business minors, as well as any student who wants to be an entrepreneur or learn more about business,” Gray said. 

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Celebrating in Style

When COVID-19 hit, many faculty members were left learning virtual tools and hoping for some good news. Our Associate Professor of Marketing, Dr. Laurel Cook, did both. Cook receiving the news of her award of tenure was both exciting and joyful – a rainbow over the year 2020. While she could not throw the celebration party she had always wanted out of respect for our state’s COVID-19 restrictions, she did throw a one-of-a-kind photo session to share her news. “As a first-generation faculty member, this achievement is a reflection of the support and encouragement of my family,” said Cook. “Plus, this award bodes well for future generations in my family, and I am also incredibly grateful to West Virginia University and Chambers College.”

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Immersed in Indonesian

Jana El-Khatib, a Master of Business Administration student from Hurricane, West Virginia, was one of four WVU students to earn the Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. Over the summer of 2021, El-Khatib got to study Indonesian, a language she became interested in after spending time living in Southeast Asia as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. She hopes to use the skills gained from the scholarship to improve her cultural competency for a future career as a healthcare provider. 

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