Homecoming Court
A record 44 seniors—nine men and 35 women—competed
to be part of this year's Homecoming court. Adriane Morrow, a
marketing major from Morgantown, was voted the 2003 Homecoming
Queen, and Josh Aultman, a business and economics major from
Lakeview, Ohio, was voted Homecoming King.
Three Honored
at Student Affairs Ceremony
WVU Student Affairs honored three of its own during a ceremony
in October.
Professor of Law Franklin D. Cleckley received the Student Affairs
Outstanding Achievement Award for his lifelong service and commitment
to students. A graduate of Anderson University, Cleckley holds
law degrees from both Indiana University and Harvard University.
During the 1960s, he served three years as a Navy JAG officer
and gained the reputation as the most requested lawyer in Vietnam.
In 1969, when there were few African-American lawyers in West
Virginia, he became a public defender for the state, frequently
taking legal-aid-type cases for clients who did not have the
resources to hire an attorney.
That same year, Cleckley joined WVU's College of Law faculty,
becoming the first African-American full professor in the history
of the University.
Former West Virginia Governor Gaston Caperton further acknowledged
Cleckley's accomplishments in 1994 when he appointed him to the
state Supreme Court. Cleckley was the first African American
to receive such an honor.
In addition to the Outstanding Achievement Award, two former
WVU employees were inducted into the Student Affairs Hall of
Fame.
Beginning in 1966, Frank G. Carney served as the assistant director
of the WVU Placement Office (now known as the Career Services
Center) and was promoted to coordinator in 1974. He left WVU
in 1980. Carney now lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
William W. Livengood was honored for his 34 years of loyal service
to WVU that began in 1965 when he worked in the "Old Lair"
as a part-time employee with the custodial staff. He eventually
earned a full-time supervisory position in the Mountainlair Food
Service Department. He retired from WVU in 2002 and resides in
Fairchance, Pennsylvania.
Nehlen and Faini Honored
at Homecoming
The WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors selected former
head football coach Don Nehlen as 2003 Homecoming parade marshal.
Phil Faini, retired dean of the WVU College of Creative Arts,
was the 2003 Outstanding Alumnus. Both still reside in Morgantown.
The winningest football coach in WVU history, Nehlen coached
from 1980 through the 2000-2001 season, posting a 149-93-4 record.
During his tenure, he led WVU to two undefeated seasons, 13 bowl
trips, and coached 15 first team All-Americans, 82 all-conference
players, and 80 players who went on to professional football.
Faini, who retired as dean of the College of Creative Arts in
2000, served the University for 40 years as an educator and an
administrator. His areas of expertise include jazz theory and
African music. At WVU, he headed the percussion program, directed
the Percussion Ensemble, and founded the World Music Center.
Known as one of the country's premier percussion teachers, Faini
enabled the Percussion Ensemble to develop a repertoire unique
to the United States.
Both Nehlen and Faini were featured in the Homecoming Parade
and at halftime of the WVU—Central Florida game November
1.
College of
Creative Arts Dedicates New Performance Hall
The WVU College of Creative Arts dedicated its newly renovated
Bloch Learning and Performance Hall, previously known as the
Choral Recital Hall or Room 200A, at the Creative Arts Center
in October. The space is named for Stuart and Stephanie Bloch
of Wheeling, longtime friends and advocates of the college.
"Bloch Hall, as our students refer to it, significantly
enhances the educational capabilities of the Creative Arts Center,"
said Dean Bernie Schultz of the College of Creative Arts. "Stuart
and Stephanie are both gracious and visionary; their gift to
our students and faculty opens new opportunities in learning
and performance, which, in turn, will advance the future of the
arts and their meaning to our Morgantown community."
The Bloch Learning and Performance Hall is both an exceptional
recital hall and a first-class academic and lecture hall. Renovations
to the space were completed over the summer of 2003 with generous
support from Stuart and Stephanie Bloch and University funds.
The room has been outfitted with the latest audiovisual technology
that makes it what is known as a C-tech classroom, or an electronic
classroom. Improvements include new lighting with controls for
preprogrammed lighting looks, new seats, aisle lights and handrails,
improved acoustics, new carpeting and a new wood floor at the
platform, a new area for piano storage, a large projection screen,
and improved aesthetics and upgraded finishes, including acoustical
curtains.
In addition to funding the new Bloch Learning and Performance
Hall, Stuart and Stephanie Bloch have provided support for numerous
student scholarships and computer technology upgrades at the
College of Creative Arts.
Stuart Bloch is former president of the Bloch Brothers Tobacco
Company, vice president of Helme Products, Inc., and vice president
of General Cigar & Tobacco Company, a division of the Culbro
Corporation. Since 1980, he has been executive vice president,
secretary, and director of Hazlett, Burt & Watson, Inc. He
was formerly the chairman of the WVU Foundation and is currently
a member of the WVU School of Medicine Visiting Committee.
Stephanie Bloch has been involved in community service for many
years and served on numerous community boards. She is a member
of the Oglebay Institute Board and the Snowshoe Institute Advisory
Board, as well as the College of Creative Arts Board of Advisors.
WVU Honors
Men Instrumental in Obtaining Mountaineer Field Support
Mountaineer Field opened on September 6, 1980, with a capacity
crowd of 50,000 and a 41-27 victory over Cincinnati. The late
John Denver sang Country Roads and Coach Don Nehlen recorded
his first win as WVU's new head football coach, as former WVU
President Gene Budig and then-West Virginia Governor Jay Rockefeller
stood watch over the historic day.
On September 13, these two individuals who were instrumental
in obtaining the funding and support for WVU's new stadium—Dr.
Budig, now senior advisor to the commissioner of Major League
Baseball, and Rockefeller, a U.S. senator and vice chairman of
the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence—were back to
cheer the Mountaineers and to be recognized by WVU President
David C. Hardesty Jr. with a plaque commemorating their involvement.
The plaque will be hung on the west side of the stadium concourse.
"Today, Mountaineer Field has grown from a nice-sized stadium
to one of the best on-campus athletic competition and training
facilities in the country," said WVU President David C.
Hardesty Jr. "The stadium now holds 63,500 fans, has an
updated astroplay surface, 12 suites, improved press box and
scoreboard, adjoining indoor practice facility, and state-of-the-art
training and office complex next door. And, we have these two
gentlemen to thank for building the foundation for such greatness."
Leaders Named
to West Virginia Business Hall of Fame
Four industry leaders with strong ties to West Virginia have
been named to the 2003 West Virginia Business Hall of Fame.
They were inducted during a ceremony October 2 at the WVU College
of Business and Economics, which sponsors the event.
Those honored as top business leaders were:
- Hank Barnette, chairman emeritus of Bethlehem Steel Corp.
- Glen Hiner, retired chairman and CEO of Owens Corning.
- Ray Lane, general partner at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and former president and chief operating officer of Oracle Corp.
- L. Newton Thomas Jr., senior vice president of ITT Carbon Industries, Inc.
This is the third group to be inducted into the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame. This celebration of business is a tribute to those who have demonstrated accomplishments in the world of business and who provide models for entrepreneurs and business people of the future.
Special
Ed Program Reaches Out to Rural Teachers
WVU launched a new distance education program in January. The
new special education program in the College of Human Resources
and Education's Department of Educational Theory and Practice
leads to certification and/or a master's degree in multicategorical
mild disabilities.
Teachers who become certified in this new specialty will be able
to work with students in three areas: learning disabilities,
behavior disorders, and mild mental impairment. Previously, teachers
had to seek separate certification in a specific category to
work with special education students.
The 33 hours of the program required for certification will be
available through a blend of distance learning delivery methods
(online, Web-based, and satellite) that will allow students to
seek certification without leaving their region.
Thirty-nine credit hours are required for the master's degree.
The additional six credit hours will be offered on campus in
the summer, as well as during the regular academic year.
West Virginia has experienced a shortage of certified special
education teachers for a number of years, especially in rural
areas.
"This program will put more highly qualified special education
teachers in the schools, and teachers already teaching with a
provisional permit will be able to become certified more quickly,"
said Assistant Professor Kate Mitchem.
To find out more about this new program, contact Dr. Elizabeth
Dooley at 304-293-3441 or e-mail HREadmn@mail.wvu.edu.
College of
Creative Arts Awarded Benedum Grant
The College of Creative Arts has received a $92,000 grant from
the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to develop and initiate
Summer Institutes for Teacher Education (SITE) in the Arts for
2004 and 2005.
The summer programs for arts educators will improve and enhance
K-12 instruction of the performing and visual arts in public
and private schools in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania.
"I am thrilled that the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
will be a partner in this initiative," said College of Creative
Arts Dean Bernie Schultz. "This is the largest grant of
this type in the history of the College of Creative Arts, and
it will allow us, working with area teachers, to advance the
quality of arts education in our region."
SITE in the Arts is a response to needs identified in a 2000
National Endowment for the Arts Survey called Arts Initiative
for the Millennium. The survey assessed the professional development
requirements of fine arts teachers in West Virginia and revealed
ongoing needs for improved arts training for educators, as well
as guidelines for the integration of technology in the arts classroom,
and the establishment of models of student assessment for the
arts.
The survey emphasized that the arts must become an educational
priority at local, regional, and national levels.
SITE in the Arts will enrich and nourish the teaching and practice
of the arts through an intensive two-week curriculum and residential
experience.
Teachers who take part in the program will be involved in workshops
that provide fresh teaching strategies, renew current teaching
methods, and teach innovative instructional techniques, particularly
those that utilize technology designed specifically for the arts
classroom. They also will learn ways to develop connections between
the arts and other disciplines.
SITE for the Arts will be held at the Creative Arts Center, and
teaching personnel will include faculty members from the College
of Creative Arts, as well as professional artists selected specifically
to meet the goals of the program. Cyndi Conner-Bess, a faculty
member in the WVU Division of Music, serves as the program coordinator.
The grant was made in conjunction with the Building Greatness
Campaign, which is being conducted by the WVU Foundation on behalf
of the University.
West Virginia Natives
Head Daily Athenaeum
While most students were catching up with friends, seniors Sarah
Nagem and Grant Smith were hard at work at The Daily Athenaeum
(DA) newsroom the night before the fall semester began. For the
two editors of WVU's student newspaper, they would not have it
any other way.
Nagem, from Wheeling, was recently named editor of the DA;
Smith, from Charleston, managing editor. Both are journalism
majors.
A transfer student from Point State College in Pittsburgh, Nagem
recently completed her second summer internship with the Clarksburg
Exponent-Telegram. This is her third year at the DA.
"I think I'd want people to know the paper functions just
like any other newspaper," Nagem said. "We put in a
lot of hours and it's hard work. I help wherever needed, but
it's the writers and editors who make it work. I'm just there
to make it all run smoothly."
Nagem says she is interested in going to law school, but has
not ruled out a career in journalism. In fact, it has always
been her dream to write for the Baltimore Sun.
Smith just wrapped up an internship with the Charleston Daily
Mail. He would like to write for a West Virginia newspaper
after he graduates. This is his fourth year working at the DA.
"I'd say to students: look for more changes," Smith
said. "We have to have a dynamic paper and we really want
to be a voice on campus. I want more thorough coverage of every
beat. The staff has always done a great job in the past, but
this year, I'm hoping to raise the bar a bit."
The DA is an award-winning newspaper. It has been in circulation
since 1887 and serves WVU's 24,000 students. Supported by student
fees, the paper is independent of the School of Journalism and
the WVU administration.
Former WVU
Administrator Named Texas Tech President
A former WVU administrator and theater professor is the new president
of Texas Tech University.
Jon Whitmore became the Lubbock school's 14th president September
1. He was provost and professor of theater arts at the University
of Iowa from 1996 until his present appointment. Before that,
he served six years as dean of the College of Fine Arts at the
University of Texas at Austin and five years as dean of the faculty
of arts and letters at State University of New York at Buffalo.
Whitmore was a member of WVU's theater faculty from 1974 to 1985.
During that time, he also served as chair of the Division of
Theater from 1979 to 1983, assistant to the president from 1983
to 1984, and interim dean of the College of Creative Arts from
1984 to 1985.
WVU and Morgantown
Partner to Enhance Communication Equipment
First responders agree the ability to communicate is critical
during an emergency. Realizing this, WVU and the City of Morgantown
are teaming to improve communications during emergency incidents
that occur on campus and within the city.
In a memorandum of understanding signed by representatives of
the University and the city, both parties agreed to contribute
$10,000 toward the purchase of state-of-the-art radio communications
equipment for the Morgantown Fire Department. Additionally, WVU
has agreed to contribute $10,000 in both 2004 and 2005 for equipment,
subject to the availability of funds and provided the city will
match the amount.
"WVU is committed to doing all it can to ensure the safety
of our students, faculty, and staff," said Amir Mohammadi,
associate vice president for student affairs and WVU's chief
housing officer. "We are excited to be entering into this
agreement with the city and believe it will not only benefit
the University, but the entire Morgantown community."
Currently, portable radios used by the Morgantown Fire Department
can- not be interfaced with WVU communications equipment, making
it difficult—if not impossible—for fire personnel to
talk by radio with University housing and physical plant personnel
from the scene of an incident. Now the city will select the type
of equipment that it believes will best serve its emergency needs,
consulting with WVU to ensure interface compatibility with University
equipment.
With the initial $20,000, the fire department will be able to
purchase 2024 new portable radios plus ancillary equipment
like charger units and spare batteries, said Morgantown Fire
Department Capt. Bill Graham.
Kudos
Landscape Architecture Students Receive
Commendation
Two students from WVU's landscape architecture program received
a commendation for their entry in the American Society of Landscape
Architects (ASLA) National Student Design Competition.
Kevin Burch of Brookeville, Maryland, and Jonathan Nutt, of Winfield, were recognized for their project, "Cincinnati Central Riverfront Park." They were sponsored of Sasaki Associates, Inc., a Boston firm specializing in planning and urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture.
Burch and Nutt completed the design as part of their senior landscape architecture capstone experience in WVU's Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Consumer Sciences. The project requires students to develop a comprehensive design for an outdoor environment, creating complete design portfolios, and making a professional presentation to faculty and student peers.
Burch and Nutt were interested in urban riverfront redevelopment, and Sasaki offered them the opportunity to interpret its Cincinnati project. The student designers' goals were to create a riverfront space that encouraged social interaction while offering Cincinnatians a stronger sense of community identity.
"We wanted to create a park that connected Cincinnati's downtown core to the Ohio River," Burch said, "and to revitalize the city's historical background within the Cincinnati Central Riverfront Park."
To do this, Burch and Nutt created large public gathering spaces using the city's historical vistas—the skyline, the Roebling Suspension Bridge, the Great American Ballpark—as backdrops. Another project goal was to make the park more welcoming to all ages by improving amenities.
The competition is designed to identify and recognize outstanding works of design and research accomplished by landscape architecture students. A jury of landscape architects chose the winners from a pool of 210 entrants. Only seven teams received commendations for undergraduate team design.
"The presentation of this project is exceptional, and the designers have incorporated the design and the site skillfully," said ASLA judges of the pair's work.
WVU Student Receives the Royal Treatment
"I was completely flabbergasted, shocked, and excited!"
That was WVU senior Carolyn Jennings' reaction to winning the Miss West Virginia USA Pageant in October. The 2003 pageant was the first time Jennings competed for the title of Miss West Virginia USA.
"To actually hear your name is kind of surreal, but I knew I had a chance after I heard them read the top five," she said. "Right now, I'm just trying to acclimate myself with the different community service programs and charities I'm going to represent. The whole year is going to be packed and so much fun. I'm really looking forward to the Miss USA Pageant, and there are so many people backing me so I'm going to go and give it my best shot."
A Pennsylvania native, Jennings grew up in Erie. She is studying broadcast journalism at WVU, and her dream job is to work for MTV, E!, VH1, or the Style network. As Miss West Virginia USA, she will represent the state at the Miss USA pageant March 24, 2004, in San Antonio, Texas.
Along with representing the state at regional and national events, Miss West Virginia USA will be expected to take an active role in promoting literacy, a youth antidrug campaign, and ovarian and breast cancer research.