West Virginia University
(WVU) is a 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.
Enrollment for the fall 2007 semester was 28,113. The University
offers 185 majors in 15 colleges and has produced 25
Rhodes Scholars, 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 Scholarship winners.
WVU is ranked by
The Princeton
Review as one of the best 368 colleges in the nation.
History
Woodburn Hall is one of the oldest
buildings at West Virginia University and has long since been a
symbol of the university.
Nearby Martin Hall, home of the School of Journalism is the
University's oldest building.
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. On December 4, 1868,
lawmakers re-named it West Virginia University.
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 popular Student Recreation Center
was completed in July 2001.
WVU is designated as a Research University (High Research Activity)
by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Funding
from external sources for total sponsored programs is $138 million.
WVU is affiliated with the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences
Institute, dedicated to the study of Alzheimer's and other diseases
that affect the brain. WVU is also a leader in biometric technology
research and recently became the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
lead academic partner in biometrics research.
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. The Faculty Senate
voted to work with Garrison but approved a vote of no confidence in
the search. Garrison began work in July; his appointment officially
began September 1, 2007.
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. The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside
Higher Ed 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." C. Peter McGrath was named
interim president in August 2008.
James P. Clements became WVU's 23rd president on June 30, 2009. He
previously served as provost at Towson University.
On September 16, 2009
Michele G.
Wheatly was named Provost and
Vice President for Academic Affairs.
WVU has been listed as one of the top
party
schools in the United States.
Colleges and schools
Stalnaker Hall is the oldest residence
hall on campus.
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
- College of Physical Activity & Sports Sciences
- Potomac State College
- WVU Institute of Technology
- Honors College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Eberly College of Arts of Sciences was officially established in
1895. It is home to many academic disciplines including: social and
behavioral sciences, literature and the humanities, as well as
mathematics and natural resources. It is the largest and most
diverse college at WVU.
Forensics program
In addition to its 15 colleges and 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 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). 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.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.
Health Sciences
Health Sciences Campus
West Virginia University’s
Robert C.
Byrd Health Sciences Center is
located on the Evansdale Campus and houses the Schools of
Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. These schools grant
doctoral and professional degrees in 16 different fields, as well
as a variety of other
Master's and
Bachelor's degrees. For 2009,
U.S. News and World Report ranked
WVU’s Medical School ninth overall in the nation for rural
medicine.
Also located on the Health Sciences Campus is WVU's local teaching
hospital, Ruby Memorial Hospital, which is one of only two
designated Trauma I hospitals in the state and has also been
designated a magnet hospital for its ability to attract and retain
high quality nursing staff.
Libraries
Wise Library on the downtown campus is
West Virginia University's main library.
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.
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, 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
, over a ridge from the Evansdale
Campus.
Campus transportation
Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit
The PRT shuttles students to and from
WVU's Health Sciences, Evansdale, and Downtown Campuses.
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.. The
PRT handles 16,000 riders per day (as of 2005) and uses
approximately 70 cars.
The system has 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. 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, and in 1998
The New
Electric Railway Journal picked the WVU PRT as the best
people mover.
In 2006, the
U.S. Department of
Transportation and
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency dubbed WVU one of the best workplaces for
commuters.
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.
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.
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 North High Street,
North Spruce Street, and Belmar Avenue 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). In recent years, many of the houses,
as noted on the list, have been closed or condemned for various
reasons.
Recently, the University began purchasing some of the fraternity
houses near campus, which is a beginning step in a multi-year plan
that eventually 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 increasingly 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, which has long been a problem for
the University.
Student media
The Daily Athenaeum
The Daily Athenaeum, nicknamed the
DA, is the
9th-largest newspaper in West Virginia. Offered free around campus,
it generates income through advertisements and student fees. 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. The Daily Athenaeum is an affiliate of
UWIRE , which distributes and promotes its
content to their network.
WWVU-FM
WWVU-FM, called U92 or The Moose, 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.
Athletics
The Mountaineer Maniacs student
section perform the first down cheer at a home football game.
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 17 college sports and has won several
national championships, including 14
NCAA Rifle Championships as of
2009.
Notable athletes from West Virginia University include Stan "The
Man" Boskovich,
Jerry West,
Jim Braxton,
Marc
Bulger,
Avon Cobourne,
Mike Compton,
Noel Devine,
Cecil
Doggette,
Mike Gansey,
Major Harris,
Chris Henry,
Joe Herber,
Jeff
Hostetler,
Chuck Howley,
Sam Huff,
Darryl
Talley,
"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,
Owen Schmitt, and
Georgann Wells, the first female player to
register a dunk in a collegiate basketball game.
Sports traditions
Flying WV
The "Flying WV"
West Virginia University's logo is known as the "Flying WV." It
debuted in 1980 as a part of a football uniform redesign by Coach
Don Nehlen. It was adopted as the
official logo for the University in 1983.
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 have
been two women selected (
Natalie
Tennant, who is now the West Virginia Secretary of State) and
Rebecca Durst. 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.
Carpet roll
Carpet roll at a men's basketball
game
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.
Mountaineer Marching Band
The
West Virginia
University Mountaineer 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.
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, the university's largest donor. In the
resulting aftermath, the University determined that Bresch's degree
had been awarded without having the prerequisite requirements met
and rescinded it. This led to the resignation of president
Michael Garrison, provost
Gerald Lang, and business school dean
Steve Sears.
Notable alumni
References
- WVU.edu: Board of Governors - "Powers &
Duties"
- WVU.edu:
WVU Facts
- Morris K. Udall Foundation
- Princetonreview.com: 2009 Best 368 Colleges
Rankings
- 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.
- 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.
- Carnegie Classifications
- WVU
Facts
- Blanchette
Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute - Welcome
- About WVU | Recognition | West Virginia
University
- Daily Athenaeum (April 16, 2007):
"Garrison selected to be next WVU president", by Huong Le and Ry
Rivard
- Daily Athenaeum (May 23, 2007): "Faculty
Senate votes 'no confidence'", by Tricia Fulks
- The Charleston Gazette (July 18, 2007):
"WVU governors speed up takeover date for president"
- "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 Lobbyist as President," by Paul Fain, Chronicle of Higher
Education, February 15, 2008.
- "The Non-Traditional President,"
Insidehighered.com, March 14, 2008
- WVU
Admin
- "WVU's 23rd president officially takes
reins"
- "Wheatly named Provost at WVU"
- Nation & World | Top party school: West
Virginia | Seattle Times Newspaper
- SSAB WVU Chapter
- FBI Press
- CITeR
- usnews.com: Medical Specialty Rankings: Rural
medicine
- West Virginia Collection Welcome Page
- West Virginia Collection General
Information
- WVU News and Information Services (July 13, 2004 press
release): "WVU PRT Station to Bear Name of People-Mover's
Creator"
- "WVU Named One of 'Best Workplaces' for Commuters
by EPA, DOT
- WVU :: Undergraduate Student Recruitment -
Admissions FAQ: Student Activities
- Daily Athenaeum 2007-2008 Rate Card
- Princeton Review Homepage (Login Required)
- http://www.uwire.com/content/affiliates.html
- College Music Journal Press Release, Sept. 17,
2007
- NCAA Sports: Rifle History
- Morgantown Dominion Post (Dec. 23, 1984):
"Wells Encores With School Scoring Mark" (unbylined), via West
Virginia Division of Culture and History
- Sports Illustrated (month n.a.,
2006): "102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate"
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