Wheeling University President Dianna Vargo, far right, said one of her most important jobs is to be present for her students. Pictured with her are, from left, Olivia Moyer, Caitlin Oltman, and Kaitlyn Osario-Mendez, members of WU’s Student Government Association.

Wheeling University President Dianna Vargo remembers getting the call from the university’s board of trustees about two years ago. She already was on campus as the director of WU’s education program.

Changes were coming, she was told. The president at the time, Ginny Favede, was out. The board asked if she could step in as the university’s interim chief operating officer.

“They asked, ‘Can you help out?'” she recalls. “I’m always ready to help.”

So she hit the ground running and there was plenty of work to do. It was a new role for her at the university, but education leadership was nothing new to her. Vargo drew on decades of experience as a teacher, principal and superintendent of schools to make sure the faculty, staff and students at Wheeling University would be OK.

Fast forward to now, about a year and a half after she was officially installed as WU’s president, and the university is on the right track. Improvements are happening throughout campus, the bond between the university and the community has strengthened and enrollment continues to grow.

Vargo is quick to credit the university community for their work in making Wheeling University a better place, but those who work for and with her say they’re just following her lead.

When Vargo assumed the interim COO position, her first thoughts were with everyone else at the university – the faculty, staff and students. She didn’t want them to worry, and she wanted them to know that Wheeling University would move forward anchored by the strength of the people who called it home.

“We got all the faculty and staff together – and the students after the faculty and staff – and said, ‘Something is going on on the outside. We know what we have here on the inside, and we will work together, and we will continue the good work here at this university,'” she said.

University administration pulled together and made sure there were no disruptions, that seniors had the credits needed to graduate, that the university kept enrolling new students, that bills were paid, facilities were improved and academic credentials were secured.

“A lot of our days were just being around the students and making sure there was no disruption for them and faculty and staff,” she said. “It was just amazing. I cannot say enough great things about all of them. And so then we just worked.

“Everybody here just works, no matter what it takes,” Vargo added. “And that’s why we’re successful today.”

That work ethic has been a part of Vargo’s DNA as an educator since beginning as a math teacher in the early 1980s. From there, she kept climbing the ladder, serving as an assistant principal and principal at Wheeling Park High School, then becoming an assistant superintendent and superintendent of Ohio County Schools. Throughout, she could always be seen in the schools and at out-of-school events, supporting students and teachers.

It’s one of the things she has always loved about education.

“I think anytime you can spend time with young people, it’s just amazing and rewarding,” she said. “And I would tell you that, in my entire career, the young people then and young people today, we’re so fortunate. Our future is bright with all of them.”

That hasn’t stopped now that she is Wheeling University’s president. She continues to be a public presence around campus, at athletic events and other functions. Father David Griffin, the university’s chaplain and director of campus ministry, said he often sees Vargo walking through the dining hall, stopping at every table to chat up students.

“I was there one time, and I saw her walk over to a freshman table, and after she walked away, they went, ‘That’s the president. That’s the president,'” he said. “She walked to another table, and they go, ‘Oh, that’s just Dr. Vargo. She’s here all the time.’ I mean, it was the comfort level. She is the heartbeat of this institution.”

Vargo said it takes everyone to keep the university’s heart pumping, and she loves that she can call on everyone on campus when help is needed. Service to the surrounding community has been very important for Vargo since her tenure began. Wheeling University students always spend a day at the beginning of the school year on various service projects around Wheeling. Now, the faculty and staff have their own day where they go out and do the same.

Vargo recalled last year when St. Michael Parish Church asked for some students to help pack 60,000 boxes of food to be sent overseas. The church was hoping for a couple dozen to drop by. Wheeling University brought nearly 200.

The Special Olympics recently held its basketball tournament on campus at the McDonough Center, and all of the university’s student athletes attended, making the tunnel for the Special Olympics athletes to run through, waving towels as they zipped by.

“One of our goals was to let the community know that Wheeling University is here, we’re thriving, and we’re doing well,” she said.

The job is far from done, Vargo said. The university just embarked on a $2 million capital campaign to renovate Bishop Schmitt Field, where many of its outdoor sports compete. On the day of the announcement, the university already was halfway there with a pair of $500,000 donations from WesBanco and Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration.

The university also has a small projects committee that meets weekly, looks around the campus and finds areas it can improve. It has already redone the university’s workout room, renovated its computer lab, added televisions around campus for students and made upgrades to its chapel. Future projects include upgrading the furniture in the dorms and replacing the McDonough Center’s arena floor.

The university also added a concentration in AI technology this year in its School of Business, which the upgraded computer lab boosts significantly, she said.

It has been a whirlwind two years since Vargo got that phone call, but she remains proud of the successes achieved and excited for Wheeling University’s future.

“The progress that we have made can be attributed to everybody that is here, faculty, staff and our students, and support from our parent groups and our athletic coaches,” she said. “Everybody has just stepped up and is just amazing. It’s because of everyone here, all their support and the support from the community, that has allowed us to continue to be successful.”