WVU Parkersburg to host a visiting professor from Bulgaria.

CONTACT:  Linda Meyers, professor of health, physical education and recreation, 304-375-4668.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Virginia University at Parkersburg will host a visiting professor from Bulgaria this fall thanks to an international project begun five years ago. 

But there is more to the story than a faculty exchange.  A group of faculty on the Parkersburg campus has embraced "The Bulgaria Project" as an opportunity to extend international relations to a special, caring level.

During the upcoming academic year, Milena Popova from the University of Rousse will teach English and sociology courses at the Parkersburg campus.  Through the generosity of WVU Parkersburg's faculty, she and her son will have free accommodations during her tenure here.

"Ms. Popova will help our campus to further develop international programs, including English taught as a second language, and help our college representatives and administrators establish a student exchange system between Bulgaria and WVU-P," noted Emily Lamb, professor emerita of English and reading.

WVU Parkersburg faculty members are providing a house and car for Ms. Popova and her teenage son.   It is an indication of the commitment that faculty have made to the project.

In 2002 WVU Parkersburg received a Fulbright-Hays Group Study Abroad Project grant which made it possible for a delegation of WVU Parkersburg faculty to visit Rousse and exchange educational methods with the faculty of Rousse University. The WVU Parkersburg group spent four weeks in the country in close connection with Rousse’s university, city, and surrounding villages. During this time, the faculty members of Rousse University worked side by side with their American counterparts, sharing ideas and methods. Many of the local university families opened their homes to the Parkersburg campus visitors and escorted them on tours throughout Bulgaria.

A formal agreement was signed between the two institutions to continue the sharing and studying of each other’s cultures.

"Since that time, representatives of Rousse University have visited WVU-P, staying in host faculty homes and learning about education methods here and American society in general, and educators from WVU-P have traveled to Bulgaria to continue this process," noted Mrs. Lamb.

Funding to continue the international initiative is derived from fund-raising projects and personal financial commitments to the project by a group of dedicated Parkersburg faculty.  As a result, eight Bulgarian educators will visit WVU Parkersburg this month.

Faculty involved in the Bulgaria Project are seeking household items for Ms. Popova and her son, noted Linda Meyers, professor of health, physical education and recreation.  Bedroom and living room furniture is needed as well as kitchen appliances, a tv and dining room table and chairs. 

Anyone willing to donate or loan any such items should contact Mrs. Meyers at 304-375-4668.

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For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
WVU Parkersburg
Executive Director
Institutional Advancement
(304-424-8203, Office)
(304-424-8315, Fax)

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