Milton has met modern technology at WVU, in the first of many such marriages that will make WVU graduate student research available worldwide at the click of a mouse.
The University now requires that students submit theses and dissertations electronically, unless the dean recommends an exception. WVU is the nation's second university to require electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). Virginia Tech made ETDs mandatory in May 1997.
WVU is the first institution to require ETDs in many
arts and 
humanities programs.
Some faculty expected
resistance from students in those fields, said English Department
Chairman Patrick Conner, a member of the committee that developed
WVU's ETD policy, but that didn't materialize.
During a test period last spring, a master's degree candidate in English became the first to post a thesis at the WVU site (http://www.wvu.edu/~thesis/).
Students will be able to limit outside access to their theses and dissertations—mainly in cases in which students want to publish their work or seek a patent. But the University is encouraging them to make their research available to the world.
"This will make it possible for graduate students to share their work with a much wider Internet community," Dr. Conner said.
Theses and dissertations that languish in libraries are accessed only infrequently, he said. Putting them on-line will give many more scholars access to leading research. ETDs can also help students market themselves to potential employers and help WVU recruit faculty, Conner noted.
To prepare the thesis or dissertation, students need only basic computer skills, Conner said. WVU offers help to students converting their work into the proper format.
Electronic submission holds the potential to add a new dimension to student research through the use of links, graphics, videos, or hypertext. For example, Conner said, theater students can include videos of performances.