Inspiring
Greatness
With this issue of West Virginia University Alumni Magazine, we debut our new design and our new nameplate, the lines of type on our front cover that tell who we are. You may have noticed the editorial and design changes we have been quietly implementing since our Summer 1998 issue. We have been planning the more dramatic changes incorporated in the current issue for quite some time, and we thank all of our readers who participated in our Winter 1998 mail-in survey, who submitted our on-line survey form, or who shared helpful opinions and ideas with us in other ways. Please continue to do so!
The new nameplate reflects the magazine's evolving personality. You will notice that the magazine's name has not changed, although we are placing a strong emphasis on the words "West Virginia." The new nameplate reflects our growing emphasis on topics and issues that are important not only to WVU alumni, but also to the general population of West Virginia—and it signals our commitment to making you feel, no matter where you are living, that a piece of West Virginia has arrived in your mailbox whenever the magazine shows up.
Why should WVU's alumni magazine focus on the state itself as well as the institution that publishes it? Because we believe that the close, often personal relationship between West Virginia University and the people we serve, the people we represent in our activities on the national stage, should be acknowledged. As President Hardesty has said, WVU serves as an invaluable "window on the world" for West Virginia. Through this window, the best of West Virginia shines outward, while the world outside casts nurturing light on those of us within.
WVU is West Virginia's university. It is the flagship institution of higher education in the state of West Virginia. No other university in our state shares WVU's unique public service and research mission, something that derives from our historic status as one of the land-grant universities envisioned by President Abraham Lincoln. No other university in our state is a national research institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the same category as Ohio State University, Penn State, Cal-Berkeley, and the University of Michigan.
We are the largest, most diverse university in West Virginia, yet we are devoted to serving our students and other constituents in a personalized manner. Recently, other institutions in our state and beyond have announced plans to become more student-centered and success-oriented. They look to WVU as a model because we have been leading the way for more than five years with such innovations as Operation Jump-Start and the Mountaineer Parents Club. You should be proud of your association with a University that is an inspiration for others.
This magazine, however it may evolve, remains the alumni magazine of your alma mater. Our editorial focus remains one of sharing news, ideas, knowledge, and opinions with WVU alumni of every geographic, social, and cultural origin—across the nation and around the world. In doing so, we intend to communicate many of the reasons why "West Virginia" is the name of both a great state and a great state university. We ask that you help us by sharing your personal West Virginia success stories with those around you.
T.S.C.