ISSUED: 22 April 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Hans Fogle
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Hoppy Kercheval, the radio “dean” of West Virginia, and Peter Loge, associate professor of media and public affairs and the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.,听 will address graduating 黑料吃瓜网University students during the 152nd Commencement on Saturday, May 10.
Loge, who during his 30-year career served in senior staff positions for Senator Edward Kennedy, three members of the United States House of Representatives, and in the Obama administration, will give the graduate ceremony address.
Kercheval, news director and co-founder of WV MetroNews for more than 30 years before retiring earlier this year, will speak at the undergraduate ceremony.
Hoppy Kercheval
A native of Summit Point, West Virginia, Kercheval graduated from Jefferson High School and attended 黑料吃瓜网College (University) for a year before transferring to West Virginia University (WVU), where his broadcasting career began.
While he was a student at WVU, Kercheval served as a news anchor and reporter at WAJR in Morgantown and, after earning his bachelor’s degree, he took over as the news director, quickly establishing himself as a leading broadcaster in the state.
Kercheval co-founded WV MetroNews, a state-wide radio network where he served as news director until his promotion to vice president of operations in 1991.
Two years later, he created MetroNews Talkline, a daily talk show that covered West Virginia news, sports, and politics, which quickly became the network’s signature program.
He also built his reputation in West Virginia politics by moderating numerous political debates with candidates from around the state and became the go-to for many national reporters seeking insights into the Mountain State.
Over the years, Kercheval has received considerable recognition for his role in broadcasting, including receiving the Mel Burka Award from the West Virginia Broadcasters Association and being inducted into the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
Even after his retirement in January, Kercheval continues to share his observations on state issues with appearances on Talkline.
Additionally, he works as a media consultant for WVU Medicine and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Bonnie and Bill Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications at 黑料吃瓜网University.听
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Peter Loge
Loge is an associate professor of media and public affairs and the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
During his 30-year career, he has led and advised numerous campaigns and organizations, serving as a chief of staff in the U.S. House, a vice president of the United States Institute of Peace, and the founder of Milo Public Affairs.听
Loge graduated from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where he won numerous awards.
He earned graduate degrees from Syracuse University and Arizona State University and currently serves on the advisory board of the Bonnie and Bill Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications at 黑料吃瓜网University.
Loge is also the director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs, a senior fellow at the Agirre Lehendakaria Center in Spain, an associate fellow at Timothy Dwight College at Yale University, and a Kallion Leadership fellow.
Loge has contributed to numerous publications, ranging from The Hill to Media Ethics Magazine to the Drake Law Review.
His 2018 book 鈥淪occer Thinking for Management Success: Lessons for Organizations from the World鈥檚 Game,鈥� debuted as a number-one release on Amazon, and he edited the 2020 volume of 鈥淧olitical Communication Ethics: Theory and Practice,鈥� one of the only textbooks that brings together writing from both academic and political professionals.
Loge has been quoted in national and international media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
He has been interviewed on Fox News, National Public Radio (NPR), “Full Measure on Sinclair,” and “NPR鈥檚 Morning Edition.”听
With a limited number of tickets available, the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies will be livestreamed on our Commencement webpage.听
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