West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a coeducational public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser; and a second clinical campus for the University's medical and dental schools at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston. Since 2001, WVU has been governed by the West Virginia University Board of Governors.[WVU.edu: Board of Governors - "Powers & Duties"]
Enrollment for the fall 2007 semester was 28,113. The University offers 185 majors in 15 colleges and has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars[WVU.edu: WVU Facts], including former WVU president David C. Hardesty Jr. The University also has produced 30 Goldwater Scholars, 19 Truman Scholars, five members of USA Today 's All-USA College Academic First Team, and two Morris K.Udall Undergraduate Udall Scholarship winners.[Morris K. Udall Foundation]
History
Under the terms of the 1862 Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act, the West Virginia Legislature created the Agricultural College of West Virginia on February 7, 1867.[Doherty, William T. Jr. and Festus P. Summers. (1982) West Virginia University: Symbol of Unity in a Sectionalized State. Morgantown, West Virginia: West Virginia University Press, page 8.] On December 4, 1868, lawmakers re-named it West Virginia University.[Doherty, William T. Jr. and Festus P. Summers. (1982) West Virginia University: Symbol of Unity in a Sectionalized State. Morgantown, West Virginia: West Virginia University Press, page 11.]
In the 1990s, WVU developed several recreational activities for the students, such as FallFest, a concert that welcomes students back to classes. In 1998 WVUp All Night launched to offer free weekend entertainment to students. The Student Recreation Center was completed in July 2001. A popular Student Recreation Center opened in 2001.
WVU is designated as a Research University (High Research Activity) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[ Carnegie Classifications] Funding from external sources for total sponsored programs is $138 million.[ WVU Facts] WVU is affiliated with the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, dedicated to the study of Alzheimer's and other diseases that affect the brain.[Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute - Welcome] WVU is also a leader in biometric technology research and recently became the Federal Bureau of Investigation's lead academic partner in biometrics research.[About WVU | Recognition | West Virginia University]
On April 13, 2007, the Board of Governors voted 16-1 to elect Morgantown attorney Michael Garrison to succeed David Hardesty as the University's president.[Daily Athenaeum (April 16, 2007): "Garrison selected to be next WVU president", by Huong Le and Ry Rivard] The Faculty Senate voted to work with Garrison, but approved a vote of no confidence in the search.[Daily Athenaeum (May 23, 2007): "Faculty Senate votes 'no confidence'", by Tricia Fulks] Garrison began work in July; his appointment officially began September 1, 2007.[The Charleston Gazette (July 18, 2007): "WVU governors speed up takeover date for president"]
Garrison's early initiatives, including move forward to build a campus child care center after three decades of discussion on the subject and working with the Board of Governors to approve the largest salary increase since 1993 won him praise from many faculty and staff members.[ "W. Va. school leader quickly made grade: Highly criticized initially by faculty, he's popular now," by Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News, February 21, 2008] The Chronicle of Higher Education["The Lobbyist as President," by Paul Fain, Chronicle of Higher Education, February 15, 2008.] and Inside Higher Ed ["The Non-Traditional President," Insidehighered.com, March 14, 2008] profiled him as an example of a trend toward non-traditional university presidents.
In June 2008 Garrison announced plans to resign in September 2008. According to the Washington Post, Garrison sought to "end a scandal stemming from the university's awarding of an unearned degree to the governor's daughter."[WVU Admin]
WVU has been listed as one of the top "party" schools in the United States.[Nation & World | Top party school: West Virginia | Seattle Times Newspaper]
Colleges and schools
West Virginia University is organized into 15 degree-granting colleges or schools and also offers an Honors College.
 Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry, & Consumer Sciences
Eberly College of Arts & Sciences
College of Business & Economics
College of Creative Arts
College of Engineering & Mineral Resources
College of Human Resources & Education
Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism
College of Law
School of Dentistry
School of Medicine
School of Nursing
School of Pharmacy
School of Physical Education
Potomac State College
WVU Institute of Technology
Honors College
Forensics program
In addition to its 15 colleges/schools, WVU also has a nationally recognized forensic science program. Originally created through a partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the program is accredited by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and is the official library holdings repository for the International Association for Identification.
The program focuses on these aspects of forensics:
Forensic accounting and fraud
Forensic entomology
Bloodstain pattern analysis and Biological Evidence aging
Criminology and Investigative Science
Dactylography and Fractal Analysis of Fingerprints
Forensic toxicology
Forensic odontology
Computer forensics and Database Research
Forensic Textile Research
Forensic facilities include "crime-scene" houses and vehicles that can be altered and adapted to give students hands-on experience, as well as traditional laboratories and classrooms which are now housed in the recently renovated Ming Hsieh Hall adjacent to Oglebay Hall. A separate Criminology & Investigative Sciences major was later added.
Biometrics
West Virginia University was the first in the world to establish a bachelor of science degree in Biometric Systems. In 2003 the university also founded the initial chapter of the Student Society for the Advancement of Biometrics(SSAB).[SSAB WVU Chapter] The program, located in the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (LCSEE), provides a firm understanding of the underlying electrical engineering and computer engineering disciplines that support biometric applications.
On February 6, 2008, WVU became the national academic leader for the FBI's biometric research.[FBI Press]
WVU is also the founding site for the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR), focusing on biometrics and identification technology. The university maintains and develops collaborative relationships with other academic institutions to meet research needs.[CITeR]
Libraries
The University maintains seven libraries on its campuses (six of which are in Morgantown and the other in Charleston). These include the Downtown Campus Library, Evansdale Library, Health Sciences Library, Law Library, Math Library, Media Services, and the WVU Charleston Health Sciences Library. Collections include the Appalachian Collection, Book Depository, Digital Collections, Government Documents, West Virginia Historical Art Collection, Map Room, Myers Collection, Patent and Trademarks, Rare Books Collections, and Theses and Dissertations. West Virginia University libraries contain nearly 1.5 million printed volumes, 2.3 million microforms, more than 10,000 electronic journals, and computers with high speed Internet access.[West Virginia Collection Welcome Page]
In addition, the West Virginia and Regional History Collection, the world's largest collection of West Virginia related research material, is in the Wise Library on the Downtown Campus. According to the university[West Virginia Collection General Information], the collection includes over 4,500,000 manuscript documents, 30,000 books, 15,000 pamphlets, 1,200 newspapers, 100,000 photographs and prints, 5,000 maps, and 25,000 microfilms, oral histories, films and folk music recordings. It is often called simply the "West Virginia Collection."
In 2007, the Princeton Review ranked West Virginia University libraries 5th best of 366 college libraries surveyed.
The university co-publishes, with the United Association for Labor Education, Labor Studies Journal.
Campus
The Morgantown campus comprises three sub-campuses. The original main campus, typically called the Downtown Campus, is in the Monongahela River valley on the fringes of Morgantown. This part of campus includes eight academic buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The Downtown Campus comprises several architectural styles predominantly featuring red brick including Victorian Second Empire, Federal, Neoclassical, and Collegiate Gothic among others. The Evansdale Campus, a mile and a half north-northwest, on a rise above the flood plain of the Monongahela River, was developed in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate a growing student population, since space for expansion was limited at the Downtown Campus. The Health Sciences Campus, in the same outlying area (but on the other side of a ridge), includes the WVU Health Sciences Center, Ruby Memorial Hospital, Chestnut Ridge Hospital, Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, UHA Physicians Office Center, Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute and, WVU Eye Institute, WVU Center on Aging, and WVU Children's Hospital.
The Health Sciences Campus is located near Mountaineer Field on the Evansdale Campus of WVU.
Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit
Because of WVU's distributed campuses (Downtown, Evansdale, and Health Sciences), the Personal Rapid Transit system, which has become a local showpiece, was built to link them. Boeing began construction on the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in Morgantown, West Virginia in 1972. The unique aspect that makes the system "personal" is that a rider can tell the system which station is the destination and then he/she will be directed to a car that is bound only for that station.
WVU students, faculty and staff ride by paying a per-semester fee; they swipe their magnetically-encoded ID cards through the turnstiles when entering the stations. Others pay a cash fare of $0.50. The PRT began operation in 1973, with U.S. President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia, aboard one of five prototype cars for a demonstration ride.[WVU News and Information Services (July 13, 2004 press release): "WVU PRT Station to Bear Name of People-Mover's Creator"]. The PRT handles 16,000 riders per day (as of 2005) and uses approximately 70 cars. was an interruption in service during the 1978/1979 school year to allow system expansion from the Engineering station to new stations at the "Towers" dormitories and the WVU Medical Center. During this time, WVU provided bus service between campuses.
The system has 8.7 miles (approx. 14 km) of guideway track and five stations: Walnut, Beechurst, Engineering, Towers, and Medical/Health Sciences. The vehicles are rubber-tired, but the cars have constant contact with a separate electrified rail. Steam heating keeps the elevated guideway free of snow and ice. To board the PRT, a rider can pay a nominal fare at the station or swipe his/her Mountaineer Card, which also functions as a school debit card, library card, and unlimited transit pass. Although most students use the PRT, this technology has not been replicated at other sites for various reasons, including the high cost of maintaining the heated track system in winter.
The PRT cars are painted in the school colors (blue with gold trim) and feature the University name and logo on the front. Inside, the seats are light beige fiberglass and the carpeting is blue. Each car has eight seats with an overall capacity of 20 people, including standing room.
The National Society of Professional Engineers named the WVU PRT one of the top 10 engineering achievements of 1972,
In 2006, the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency dubbed WVU one of the best workplaces for commuters.["WVU Named One of 'Best Workplaces' for Commuters by EPA, DOT]
Buses and shuttles
In addition to the PRT system, students can utilize University-operated buses (during limited hours) or take advantage of the community's Mountain Line, which operates every day into the early morning hours. Students can use their Mountaineer Card to ride the Mountain Line bus for free.
The Health Science Center also operates a shuttle service to help students, visitors and patients to get to and from the Health Science Center campus. Many non-University, private student housing communities in the area also operate a shuttle to campus/town and back to the housing community.
Each autumn, during Mountaineer Week celebrations, a special PRT car is placed in front of the Mountainlair student union where groups of students participate in the "PRT Cram" with the objective of squeezing in as many people as possible. A record of 97 was set in 2000.
Residential Education
The Residential Education Program (ResEd), enacted in 1995, promotes "student success by easing the transition from high school to college and to personalize the freshman experience."[WVU Admissions Dept.] During the Move-In or Welcome Weekend, returning upperclassmen volunteer to help the new students and are known as Residential Education HOTSHOTS. They help carry items, give directions, and answer questions.
ResEd and the WVU First-Year Experience (FYE) focus on the university's 14 residence halls. Each hall is assigned a resident faculty leader (RFL, pronounced "riffle") who oversees programming and lives in a house, usually next to the hall, where students hold Hall Council meetings and other events. Each hall is also assigned a residence hall coordinator (RHC) who works with the RFL and is responsible for daily operations, including enforcement of hall regulations. Along with these two positions are resident assistants (RAs) in most halls, graduate assistants (GAs)in some halls, and resident tutors (RTs) in Stalnaker and Lincoln Halls. All three groups comprise students who have lived in the residence halls for at least one year and are responsible for the daily operations of one floor or area. In addition to this 24-hour staff, WVU Police Department officers are stationed in or nearby the halls at certain hours to deter any criminal activity and to provide necessary resources and assistance to the students and staff.
All residence halls offer peer tutors or other tutoring programs to assist students having academic difficulties.
The university recently announced the construction of a new residence hall next to Summit Hall on its downtown campus. The residence hall will be similar in design and operation to the newly created Lincoln Hall.
Fraternity and sorority life
About 10-15 percent of West Virginia's students are involved in Greek life. Many of the fraternity houses are on High Street or North Spruce Street, while sorority houses are mainly on Spruce Street and Prospect Street.
According to the University, there are 17 fraternities and 8 sororities at WVU. Following is a list of those that belong to the Inter-Fraternity Council and the National Panhellenic Conference (sororities). [WVU :: Undergraduate Student Recruitment - Admissions FAQ: Student Activities] In recent years, many of the houses, as noted on the list, have been closed or condemned for various reasons.
Recently West Virginia University has begun purchasing some of the fraternity houses located near campus. This is a small step in a several year plan, which when complete, will leave the University in control of many of the Greek organizations. The plan has both pros and cons. The Greek organizations who are finding it more and more difficult to maintain their houses according to Morgantown City Code are getting the repairs and financial support they need. In return the University is able to govern their behavior.
The Daily Athenaeum
The Daily Athenaeum, nicknamed the DA, is the 9th-largest newspaper in West Virginia. [Daily Athenaeum 2007-2008 Rate Card] Offered free around campus, it generates income through advertisements. The paper began in 1887 as a weekly literary magazine, with writing, editing and production taken over by the newly formed School of Journalism in the 1920s. In 1970, the paper split from the School of Journalism and became an independent campus entity governed by the Student Publications Board. The DA was voted as the Princeton Review's 10th-best college newspaper in the United States in 2005, 15th in 2006, and 8th in 2007.[Princeton Review Homepage (Login Required)]
WWVU-FM
WWVU-FM, called U92, plays new music, talkshows, and newscasts. On the air since 1982, U92 can be heard in the Morgantown area at 91.7 FM and also streams live on the internet. In 2007, the station was one of four college radio stations nominated for College Music Journal's Station of the Year Award. [College Music Journal Press Release, Sept. 17, 2007]
Athletics
The school's sports teams are called the Mountaineers and compete in the Big East Conference, a member of the NCAA's Division I. The school has teams in 13 college sports and has won several national championships, including 13 NCAA Rifle Championships as of 2007.[NCAA Sports: Rifle History]
Notable athletes from West Virginia University include Stan "The Man" Boskovich, Jim Braxton, Marc Bulger, Avon Cobourne, Mike Compton, Noel Devine, Cecil Doggette, Mike Gansey, Major Harris, Chris Henry, Joe Herber, Jeff Hostetler, Sam Huff, "Hot Rod" Hundley, Adam "Pacman" Jones, Joe Stydahar, Dan Mozes, Kevin Pittsnogle, Jerry Porter, Todd Sauerbrun, Steve Slaton, Rod Thorn, Mike Vanderjagt,Jerry West, Pat White, Quincy Wilson, and Amos Zereoue; wrestlers Nate Carr, Greg Jones, Mike Mason, Joe Alexander; and Georgann Wells, the first female player to register a dunk in a collegiate basketball game.[Morgantown Dominion Post (Dec. 23, 1984): "Wells Encores With School Scoring Mark" (unbylined), via West Virginia Division of Culture and History]
Flying WV
West Virginia University's logo is known as the "Flying WV."
Mountaineer mascot
The Mountaineer was adopted in 1890 as the official school mascot and unofficially began appearing at sporting events in 1927. The new Mountaineer is selected each year by the Mountain Honorary during the final two men's home basketball games. Candidates must have at least a 2.5 GPA, write an essay about why they want to be the Mountaineer, attend an extensive interview process and garner the most cheers during the home basketball game. The successful candidate is awarded the formal title of "The Mountaineer of West Virginia University." Although men typically are chosen, there has been one woman selected (Natalie Tennant). The new Mountaineer receives a scholarship, a tailor-made buckskin suit with coonskin hat, and a period rifle and powder horn for discharging when appropriate and safe. The mascot travels with most sports teams throughout the academic year. There is always a backup Mountaineer, to step in when needed.
"Take Me Home, Country Roads"
The John Denver song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is commonly played at most home sporting events as well as other occasions on campus. In 1980, Denver helped dedicate the new Mountaineer Field, and performed the song as a sing-along with the crowd. It then became a tradition, after a victory, for fans to stay in the stands and sing it along with the football team.[Sports Illustrated (month n.a., 2006): "102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate"]
Mountaineer Marching Band
The WVU Marching Band, nicknamed "The Pride of West Virginia," was formed in 1901 as an all-male ROTC band. It performs at every home football game and makes other appearances on- and off-campus throughout the year.
During its traditional pre-game performance, the band enters Mountaineer Field from end-zone tunnels to a spirited, 220-beats per minute "run on" cadence. The band plays several university songs and favorites including: "Fight, Mountaineers," "Mountain Dew," "Simple Gifts" (from Appalachian Spring), "West Virginia University's Alma Mater," "The Star Spangled Banner," "Country Roads," and "Hail West Virginia!" The band also forms several iconic images during its pre-game show including the Flying WV, WVU, expanding circles, and an outline of the state of West Virginia. Each season's pre-game show is unique.
WVU's marching band is one of the few to include a male baton twirler.[WVU news release on Mountaineer Band twirlers]
In 1997, the WVU band was awarded the Sudler Trophy by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
Fight song
"Hail, West Virginia", the university fight song, was composed by WVU alumni Earl Miller and Ed McWhorter in 1915. The lyrics were written by Fred B. Deem, who later became a lawyer in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
The Mountaineer Marching Band performs the second verse of "Hail, West Virginia" as part of its pre-game performance at Mountaineer football games.
Carpet roll
In 1955, Fred Schaus and Alex Mumford devised the idea of rolling out an elaborate gold and blue carpet for Mountaineer basketball players to use when taking the court for pre-game warm-ups. In addition, Mountaineer players warmed up with a special gold and blue basketball. The University continued this tradition until the late 1960s when it died out, but former Mountaineer player Gale Catlett reintroduced the carpet when he returned to West Virginia University in 1978 as head coach of the men's basketball team.
Heather Bresch degree scandal
On April 24, 2008, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the university had improperly granted an MBA degree to Heather Bresch, the daughter of the state's governor Joe Manchin and an employee of Mylan, Inc., the university's largest donor. Bresch was awarded a degree by having six grades changed from incomplete to "A", on the basis of her "work experience"; until that change, she had completed only 22 of the required 48 credits. Following release of a report written by a panel led by faculty members from WVU, the university announced in April 2008 that it would rescind Bresch's degree,[Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, "University revokes degree after scathing report on M.B.A. awarded to Bresch", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 24 April 2008, accessed 2008-04-26]
WVU Vice-President and Provost Dr. Gerald Lang announced his resignation["Provost Quits Over Degree to Governor’s Child", New York Times, 28 April 2008, accessed 2008-04-28] and shortly thereafter College of Business & Economics Dean Dr. Stephen Sears announced his resignation as well.["WVU dean 2nd to resign in degree scandal", The Charleston Gazette, 28 April 2008, accessed 2008-04-28] (Lang and Sears resigned from their administrative posts only and remain on the faculty.) In May 2008 the faculty senate voted 77-19 to call for President Michael Garrison's resignation[Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, "WVU faculty wants president's ouster", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6 May 2008, accessed 2008-05-06] - a demand repeated by a vote (565-39, with 11 abstentions) open to all WVU faculty at a mass meeting a week later.[Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, "WVU faculty: President Garrison must go", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 14 May 2008, accessed 2008-05-14] Three faculty members announced they were leaving for other jobs, citing the Bresch incident as a reason for moving on.["3 WVU profs cite M.B.A. scandal in deciding to leave", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 22 May 2008, accessed 2008-05-28] On June 6, University President Mike Garrison announced his resignation, effective in September 2008.
Notable alumni
See Alumni of WVU
References
West Virginia University Official school site
MSN Sports Net: West Virginia University Mountaineers Official Athletic Site
External links
The Daily Athenaeum student newspaper
Student Video Diary Project
WV Mountaineer Sports Your Source for WVU Football and Basketball
WVU Today WVU's news site
WVUTalk.com A WVU Sports Forum
WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
WVU Police Department
History of WVU West Virginia University's official history
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