BUCKHANNON – West Virginia Wesleyan College awarded honorary degrees to two individuals who have made a lasting impact on the College.

Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball, of the West Virginia Annual Conference, received a Doctor of Humane Letters.

Steiner Ball was ordained Deacon and Elder by Bishop Joseph H. Yeakel in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of The United Methodist Church. She was elected to the episcopacy by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference (NEJ) in 20212 and was assigned to the West Virginia Area. Steiner Ball also currently partners with Bishop Moore-Koiko to provide episcopal coverage for the Susquehanna Conference in Pennsylvania.

“She is the epitome of a true servant leader,”  Vice President of Advancement Kristi Wilkerson ’99 said. “Because of her dedication to West Virginia and to West Virginia Wesleyan College, we are all better because she has been a part of us for the past 12 years.”

Steiner Ball is a graduate of Dickinson College, Duke Divinity School and Wesley Theological Seminary.

Dr. Cynthia Brissey, retiring Associate Dean of Faculty, also received a Doctorate of Humane Letters from WVWC.

Brissey’s commitment to teaching and learning has taken many forms, teaching biology at secondary and college levels, serving in student support positions and then supporting faculty.  Brissey’s relationship with WVWC began as a lab coordinator and instructor in the biology department. Her involvement on Assessment Council ultimately impacted the remainder of her service to WVWC. The College’s Title III federal grant allowed her to focus on faculty support through the Center for Teaching and Learning. Participating with faculty in the assessment of the General Education program led to coordinating the College’s assessment program and serving on three accreditation steering committees. Following the conclusion of the Title III grant, the Center for Teaching and Learning joined the Dean’s Office, allowing her to support the broader work of Academic Fairs.

Brissey began her journey in higher education at Salem College, earning a Bachelor of Science in biology and then earned a Master of Science in biology from West Virginia University. She pursued graduate studies in science education and higher education curriculum and instruction.