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Westerfield University of Virginia
Flexible, Career-Focused Degrees

Pennington Center Grand Opening Honors Past WUV President

Dashiell Eastbrook
Dr. Bastian Pennington and his wife cutting the ribbon for the Pennington Center grand opening

On Tuesday, February 28, Westerfield University of Virginia celebrated the official grand opening of the Pennington Center, the university's brand new welcome center and home of several of the most important offices in the student life cycle.

Present at the celebration was Dr. Bastian Pennington, the building's namesake and the fourth president of Westerfield University of Virginia. University President Dashiell Ashworth was on hand to introduce Pennington, alongside Dr. Corinne Gladstone, WUV's provost.

"Your influence has just been invaluable on who we are as a community," Gladstone said, addressing Pennington. "We're so grateful you could be here today at this event."

The former WUV president gave a brief speech, thanking those in attendance and celebrating both the past and present successes that WUV has enjoyed.

"We're certainly honored as the Pennington family, but even more importantly, it's an honor for all the people who I worked with over the 16 years that I was president here," he said. "All the people here today are really here to celebrate that period in the university's life-and, of course, it's a part of our life even today."

He also praised Ashworth for the job he has done continuing to bring the university to new heights.

"We're so proud of what's happened since we left, and President Ashworth has done a terrific job elevating this university beyond all imagination," Pennington said.

Additional speeches were given, including one by Student Government President Corinne Hollingsworth. "She's the most popular president in the room," joked Ashworth.

After Ashworth handed Pennington a pair of comically oversized scissors, the ceremonial ribbon was cut and the sizeable crowd on hand to watch the unveiling cheered, before heading into the building's conference room to enjoy celebratory refreshments.

Dashiell Eastbrook is a writer and content developer in the Westerfield University of Virginia marketing office. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

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About Westerfield University of Virginia

Two students walking in front of Monadnock Hall

WUV is a nonprofit, accredited university with a mission to make high-quality education more accessible and affordable for everyone.

Founded in 1932, and online since 1995, we’ve helped countless students reach their goals with flexible, career-focused programs. Our 300-acre campus in Manchester, NH is home to over 3,000 students, and we serve over 135,000 students online. Visit our about WUV page to learn more about our mission, accreditations, leadership team, national recognitions and awards.