Parkersburg, W.Va. (May 7, 2022) – WVU Parkersburg held its 51^st annual spring commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m., in its College Activities Center. Dr. E. Gordon Gee, West Virginia University president, served as the keynote speaker.

Gee reminded the spring class of 2022 that while success in life is important, failure creates an opportunity for self-growth.

“The possibility of failure is not a reason to resist change. Failure is, in fact, an inevitable and even mandatory detour on the road to any worthwhile goal,” Gee said. “If one is not failing, one is not learning. Your own journey…can lead a positive change if you commit to your unique purpose and make your choices serve that purpose.”

 

 

Gee has been a leader in higher education for more than 30 years. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the top 10 university presidents in the United States. Born in Vernal, Utah, Gee graduated from the University of Utah with an honors degree in History and earned his Juris Doctor and Doctorate in Education from Columbia University.

WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer also had words of encouragement for the graduating class, congratulating them on their accomplishments, which have been built on the sacrifice of family members who have come before them.

“Graduates hear this from me if you hear nothing else I say. You too are the accumulation of the dreams of generations,” Gilmer said. “While you have worked hard and should be duly proud of your accomplishments, no one comes to a moment like this alone. It is a milestone no one can ever take away from you – you have earned it, but you have earned it on the shoulders of generations of people you never even met.”

This is the last commencement Gilmer will preside over as WVU Parkersburg president. He will be assuming the interim campus presidency at WVU Potomac State College. Gilmer will be remembered as a student-focused leader, rebuilding strong relationships with area businesses, industries, nonprofits and schools.

Over 180 graduates crossed the stage, with a total of 350 students earning certificate, associate and bachelor’s degrees, pending final grades. The college also presented recognition awards to exceptional members of the campus and surrounding community, including:

Philanthropist of the Year: The Erickson Foundation, Laurie Erickson and Kathy Eddy

The Generations Award from the National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students: Dr. Donzell Lee and Family

The Governor of West Virginia’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteerism: Kiki Angelos

Alumni of the Year: Christie Willis

Business Partner of the Year: The Blennerhassett Hotel, Wayne Waldeck and Lee Rector

Innovator of the Year: The Ross Foundation, Tres and Melissa Ross

Nonprofit Partner of the Year: The United Way, Stacy DeCicco and Justin Raber

Also, during commencement, WVU Parkersburg recognized Christie Calvert, Child Development program coordinator, as the Bernard P. McDonough Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year. She has doubled program enrollment and received multiple rankings from Intelligent.com as having one of the nation’s best online Child Development degree programs.

To watch the Spring 2022 commencement ceremony, visit youtube.com/wvuparkersburg.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (May 5, 2022) – This is a reminder that the WVU Parkersburg Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremony may be streamed live at wvup.edu/youtube. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m., EST.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (May 3, 2022) – The West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors has announced the appointment of Dr. Torie Jackson to serve as interim president of WVU Parkersburg, based on the recently announced resignation of current president, Dr. Chris Gilmer, to assume a similar role at West Virginia University Potomac State College. The announcement was made by Steven Hardman, Chair of the Board, at the Board’s Tuesday, May 3, meeting. The transition is scheduled to occur July 1, 2022.

Dr. Jackson has served WVU Parkersburg in a variety of leadership roles since 2004 and is an alumna of the institution. Currently, she serves as Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement, President and CEO of the WVU at Parkersburg Foundation, and as an Associate Professor of Communication. In Jackson’s current role, she is second in charge at the college and assumes the day-to-day managerial role as designated by Dr. Gilmer in his absence.

“This is a period of amazing growth in new programs and partnerships at WVU Parkersburg, and we are confident that Dr. Jackson is the right person to keep the positive momentum moving forward. She is a valued member of Dr. Gilmer’s leadership team and is the person most closely involved in his major leadership decisions and in planning and implementing the exciting direction the college is going. She has also taken the leadership role in rebranding and marketing WVU Parkersburg with great success,” Hardman said.

“Dr. Gilmer’s strong positive presence at WVU Parkersburg and in the community will be missed, and we believe Dr. Jackson will continue that positivity, in close consultation with the Board, during this period of interim leadership. The Board believes appointing a strong internal candidate with a lifetime of deep roots in this community and at WVU Parkersburg will serve the institution well during transition, and Dr. Jackson has the confidence of the Board,” Hardman added.

According to Hardman, Dr. Jackson’s interim appointment must now be approved by the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, and further details of her contract will not be made public at this time pending state approval. The interim candidate will be allowed to be a candidate for the permanent presidency of WVU Parkersburg, and the process for hiring a permanent president will be announced by the Board at a later date.

Regarding the opportunity to lead her alma mater, Jackson said: “I am both honored and humbled to be chosen to lead the institution that built me. With a true love for WVU Parkersburg, we will move forward with a focus on student success and continue to establish this college as a true community partner. We are a place where big dreams are welcomed and accomplished, and we will continue to be WVU Parkersburg Proud.”

Prior to her current leadership roles, Jackson served as Dean of Public Affairs and Experiential Learning; Chair of the Division of Humanities, Fine Arts, and Social Sciences; and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at WVU Parkersburg. She has been elected by her peers to serve as Chair of the Faculty Senate and as the faculty member of the Board of Governors. Active in the community outside of WVU Parkersburg, she is President of the Ritchie County Board of Education, an Executive Committee Member of the West Virginia School Board Association, a Legislative Steering Committee Member of the West Virginia School Board Association, Past President of the Creed Collins Elementary School Parent Teachers Organization, a member of the West Virginia Press Association, Delta Kappa Gamma, and an active leader and volunteer in church and civic activities.

A first-generation college student, Jackson holds an earned doctoral degree in higher education administration (Ed.D.) from West Virginia University, a master’s degree in organizational communication from West Virginia University, and bachelor’s and associate degrees in journalism. Her first college degree was an associate degree in journalism from WVU Parkersburg. Additionally, she holds a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership from Salem International University and is licensed to serve as a school principal, district supervisor, or district superintendent. Her most recent educational credential is a Certificate of Current Affairs Fundraising in Crisis Leadership from the prestigious Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy.

Prior to her career in higher education, Jackson worked her way through college as a newspaper reporter and editor in the Mid-Ohio Valley. She was recently selected by WV Executive magazine as one of West Virginia’s Young Guns Class of 2021 members and has been recognized by her peers with the Bernard P. McDonough Faculty of the Year Award at WVU Parkersburg in 2015 and as Employee of the Year at WVU Parkersburg in 2014. Under Dr. Jackson’s leadership, the marketing division at WVU Parkersburg has won 23 national marketing awards in the past three years, the most of any college or university in West Virginia.

She is married to Todd Jackson, a deputy sheriff in Ritchie County, and they reside in Ritchie County with their three sons, Creed, Heath, and Ruger.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 29, 2022) – Never settle for less. That’s Molly Caldwell’s motto.

Caldwell is a WVU Parkersburg student earning her Associate of Applied Science in Child Development. Employed at childcare centers for more than three years, she has pre-educational experience working with infants and toddlers, ensuring they meet developmental milestones.

After one year in her career field, Caldwell decided to further her education, enrolling in the Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program to earn a Child Development Associate Certification (CDA). This program helps educators advance their careers by providing classes and training related to early childhood education.

CDA credentials are nationally recognized. However, to keep their CDA credentials, individuals must take a test and pay a certification cost every three years.

“After considering how often I would need to renew my certificate and how a CDA would limit me in my career, I reached out to Christi Calvert of the WVU Parkersburg Child Development program,” Caldwell said. “I found out that my CDA credentials would give me 13 credit hours towards an associate degree, and I would have more career options after graduation.”

WVU Parkersburg’s Child Development program is designed as a career ladder with multiple entry and exit points. Students can earn a certificate, associate or bachelor’s degree, obtaining just one or all three.

In addition to transferring CDA credentials, the program will also accept classes from the West Virginia Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist (ACDS), giving students college credit for their experience.

“It is wonderful that students can receive credit for prior learning and experience as they learn new skills and strategies to work with young children through WVU Parkersburg’s Child Development program,” said Christi Calvert, WVU Parkersburg Child Development program coordinator.

Caldwell will graduate with honors with the Associate in Applied Science in Child Development in May 2022.

“If you truly love what you do, you will work for what you want!” Caldwell said. “I am a non-traditional student, a wife and mother of three who decided to give herself another chance. I hope to inspire anyone to always believe in themselves and never settle for less than their best!”

To learn more about the WVU Parkersburg Child Development program, contact christ.calvert@wvup.edu or 304-424-8314.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 27, 2022) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors will meet Tuesday, May 3, 2022. The meeting will take place at 3 p.m. in the Francis & Nina Phares Board Room (Room 1300). Due to COVID-19, a virtual option to attend is also available.

For further details and instructions on how to attend the meeting, please contact brady.whipkey@wvup.edu.

Visit wvup.edu/about/board-of-governors/agendas/ to view the complete agenda.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 26, 2022) – Dr. Chris Gilmer, President of West Virginia University at Parkersburg, is resigning his post at WVUP effective June 30, 2022. On July 1, he will assume the interim campus presidency of West Virginia University Potomac State College. The announcement was made jointly by Dr. Gilmer and Steve Hardman, Chair of the WVUP Board of Governors.

Based on broad stakeholder feedback, Dr. Gilmer received an excellent comprehensive evaluation from the Board and a five-year contract extension in 2020 with an option to withdraw from his contract with 60-days written notice. Both Dr. Gilmer and the WVUP Board emphasize that the parting is amicable and was initiated by Dr. Gilmer to pursue other professional opportunities. The WVUP Board will announce plans for interim leadership in the near future, and all parties have committed to work together for a seamless transition in leadership for WVUP.

“My family and I are very excited to join the WVU Mountaineer family and especially to make a new home in Keyser. We enjoyed our recent visit there with students, faculty, staff, and the community, and we are fully committed to give the same love and respect to the Potomac State and Keyser communities that we have given to WVUP and the Mid-Ohio Valley. We have so many friends who have really become an extension of our family at WVUP and in the greater Parkersburg area, so we have mixed emotions about leaving. Rarely an unexpected opportunity for service is simply too exciting to ignore,” Gilmer said.

“We are so happy to remain in West Virginia, and we will always be ambassadors for WVUP. It is my hope that I can be an advocate for WVUP and all of the state’s community colleges in their partnerships with the state’s flagship university system and that we can create new and mutually beneficial opportunities for collaboration to move this great state forward,” he said.

Gilmer welcomes the opportunity to lead another close-knit college community with a reputation for excellence in teaching and service to students, and he is looking forward to serving a residential college community. He is also excited to return to his roots since Keyser is a small rural community similar to the community in which he grew up.

“Obviously, the Board and the WVUP community are sorry to lose Chris and David. We have had them with us for four very productive years, and this community has come to love them as they have come to love this community. Our loss is the gain of Potomac State College and the WVU system, and we are delighted they are choosing to remain West Virginians and are committed to working with the state’s educational leadership to continue lifting up the Mountain State,” said Steve Hardman, WVUP’s Board Chair.

“As a testimony to Dr. Gilmer’s leadership and close partnership with the Board, we have a highly effective administrative team in place, and we will work together to create an interim leadership situation which allows WVUP to remain just as strong as it is now,” Hardman added.

Some highlights accomplished during Dr. Gilmer’s tenure at WVUP include receiving the largest single donation in the history of the university which is funding the ASCEND program to replicate the City University of New York’s research-based associate degree retention program; achieving a three-year five percent overall increase in enrollment and a nine percent increase in student retention compared to the same time period prior to his tenure; launching the WVU Parkersburg Proud campaign which doubled its goal by raising more than $6 million in grants and private donations in two years and was the first major goal-setting fundraising initiative in WVUP’s history; setting statewide records for the most Learn and Earn workforce development programs and the most national marketing awards; and maintaining balanced budgets while increasing the cash reserves of the college by more than 50 percent.

He will be remembered as a student-focused leader with the fulfillment of his dream to offer an on-campus primary care health clinic set to open this fall, for bringing the dormant Riverhawk Farm back into production through a partnership with Mister Bee Potato Chips, for opening 11 community-based learning sites in conjunction with area high schools and greatly increasing Early College options, for convening the Arts Collaborative of the Mid-Ohio Valley, and for opening the WVUP on Market Street location in downtown Parkersburg.

One of Dr. Gilmer’s greatest accomplishments has been rebuilding strong relationships with area schools and with the business, nonprofit, political, and industrial communities, for which he was named Business Person of the Year in 2019 by the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley.

“We didn’t do any of this alone and have only been successful because of the hard work of a devoted WVUP team and the vision of this community. I don’t see this move as leaving WVUP and the Mid-Ohio Valley, at least not in my heart. This is a place I will return frequently because nowhere else have I ever felt more at home, more a part of a progressive community, or more loved. I see this an opportunity for another grand adventure in the state I now proudly call home and a chance to grow as part of the WVU system. I will never miss an opportunity to speak well about WVUP and the MOV or to continue expanding the relationships and partnerships created with you here,” Gilmer said.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 20, 2022) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg will hold its annual spring commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m., in the College Activities Center. West Virginia University President Dr. E. Gordon Gee will serve as the keynote speaker.

Gee has been a leader in higher education for more than 30 years. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the top 10 university presidents in the United States. Born in Vernal, Utah, Gee graduated from the University of Utah with an honors degree in History and earned his Juris Doctor and Doctorate in Education from Columbia University.

“We look forward to an amazing commencement week at WVU Parkersburg,” said WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer. “Our graduates deserve the best, and they are getting it with Dr. Gee as their keynote speaker. Not only is Gordon the dean of West Virginia’s university presidents; he is the dean of America’s university presidents.”

“He is a role model and inspiration to us all and the spirit of the Mountaineers, and it will be our great honor to welcome him and Ms. Laurie Erickson to the Mid-Ohio Valley. Dr. Gee is not just WVU’s president; he is America’s preeminent university president, and our community is filled with excitement.”

Laurie Erickson is a leader of the Erickson Foundation, which focuses its philanthropic efforts on alumni centers on West Virginia colleges and university campuses. The foundation recently bestowed WVU Parkersburg with a $200,000 gift to fund the C.O. and Charles F. Erickson Distinguished Faculty Chair in Entrepreneurship. This position will benefit the college, students and community by building and supporting interest in aspiring entrepreneurs, providing them with a strong foundation in business skills, networking and mentorship.

“This gift from the Erickson Foundation is quite simply transformational,” said Gilmer. “Before it, we were a proud regional college. After it, and the culture shift it will precipitate in our academic programs, we remain a proud regional college with a community focus, but we enter the big leagues of higher education with the first endowed faculty chair in the history of WVU Parkersburg. There will be no sufficient words to thank the Erickson Foundation for this investment in our future.”

This semester, WVU Parkersburg plans to award 416 certificates and associate and bachelor’s degrees to 350 students. More than 180 students plan to participate in this ceremony. In addition, the college will announce its Alumni of the Year, Business Partner of the Year and the Bernard P. McDonough Faculty Member of the Year.

Graduation will be streamed live at youtube.com/wvuparkersburg.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 20, 2022) – WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer welcomes students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community to his free Concert of Healing on Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m. The event will take place in the College Theater on the main campus.

The concert will feature world-class violinist Dr. Tami Lee Hughes, who will present a program of healing developed specifically for WVU Parkersburg to welcome everyone back face-to-face as the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of abating and remember the millions lost to this disease.

“Never can I remember a time, as we come out of the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic and strive for a return to normalcy, when we as a people have needed healing more than we need it now,” said WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer. “We are delighted to present a concert built around that theme as the first large-scale face-to-face event at WVU Parkersburg since before the pandemic. As we continue to remain health conscious and take nothing for granted regarding COVID-19, still we are filled with hope that brighter days are ahead. This is a concert of healing and of hope for the entire community.”

Hughes is a native of Baton Rouge, La., and earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota and master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan.

She made her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra, touring the United States, Europe and Central America. In 2011, her solo album, Legacy: Violin Music of African-American Composers, received acclaim from audiences and critics, making it one of the top 10 albums by All Music Guide.

Hughes also has credits in popular music, film in television. She has recorded as studio violinist for Grammy Award-winning artists Aretha Franklin, Fred Hammond and Donnie McClurkin. She has also performed live in concert with Smokey Robinson and on television with Grammy Award-winning artists Kirk Franklin and Jonathan McReynolds.

The event is sponsored by the WVU at Parkersburg Foundation. Tickets are free, but limited. Please contact Abby Campbell at 304-424-8203 to reserve seats.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 12, 2022) – WVU Parkersburg business students in the Business Policy capstone course have earned Global Top 100 rankings in the Business Strategy Game (BSG), a worldwide marketplace competition.

The BSG is an online exercise where classrooms across the country run a company in a head-to-head competition. Like the real world, the companies compete in a global market arena, selling goods, analyzing revenue-cost-profit economics, assessing stock market prices and more.

“There are several lessons that can be learned from playing this game over the weeks,” said WVU Parkesburg student James White. “I learned a lot about projecting demand and predicting what the competition might do. However, the best thing I learned is how to adapt.”

White is pursuing an Associate of Science in Business Administration with the goal of continuing his education, earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting and Financial Management.

He is also the manager of his class’ company. The team is comprised of Jason Bechtle, Justine Smith, Rachel Snyder, Kailynn Taylor and Victoria Walls.

Companies are measured on four performance variables every week – Overall Score, Earnings Per Share (EPS), Return on Average Equity (ROE), and stock price. Currently, there are 45,366 students from 442 colleges and universities in 46 countries participating.

WVU Parkersburg students have earned a Global Top 100 ranking for their company’s BSG performance five weeks in a row. In addition, the company received 26^th for best Overall Score, 8^th for best EPS, 44^th for best ROE and 7^th for best Stock Price.

“I am so proud of our students and their excellent performance in the competition,” said Jeff Holland, WVU Parkersburg Business, Accounting and Public Service dean. “Their rankings reflect the quality instruction they have received at the college, and it shows they can apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios.”

For more information on WVU Parkersburg’s Business, Accounting and Public Service degree programs, visit wvup.edu/BAPS.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 11, 2022) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors will meet Tuesday, April 12, 2022. The meeting will take place at 3:15 p.m. in the Francis & Nina Phares Board Room (Room 1300). Due to COVID-19, a virtual option to attend is also available.

For further details and instructions on how to attend the meeting, please contact Brady Whipkey, WVU Parkersburg chief of staff, at brady.whipkey@wvup.edu.

Visit http://www.wvup.edu/about/board-of-governors/agendas/ to view the complete agenda.