Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 6, 2021) – The WVU Parkersburg OPEN Task Force will recognize National Poetry Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month for a two-event series addressing how to use creative writing to process emotionally challenging events.

Assistant Professor of English Danielle Kelly will host an interactive Zoom on Tuesday, April 12, from 12:15 p.m.-1:00 p.m., for participants to learn about the benefits of writing as means for accessing emotional life events. The Zoom will also teach creative writing techniques to begin the journey of healing.

The session will identify and teach participants techniques to process emotions that seem inaccessible when faced with emotionally trying times, events or situations. Participants will be given prompts throughout the session to generate material.

Those who participate in the masterclass can present original pieces to share with the campus community during an Open Mic event on Tuesday, April 19, at 12:15 p.m., in the courtyard on the main campus. Faculty, staff and students who did not participate in the masterclass but would like to share a favorite poem are also welcome.

Open Mic sign-ups will begin at 12 p.m. on the day of the event. Those wishing to participate can also email Danielle Kelly at danielle.kelly@wvup.edu.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 4, 2022) – WVU Parkersburg’s Nursing and Health Sciences Division was awarded $690,000 through West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program.

The program is designed to address the state’s nursing shortage and will fund nursing program expansion projects at colleges, universities, schools of nursing and career technical education centers across West Virginia.

With this award, the WVU Parkersburg Nursing and Health Sciences Division plans to offer an accelerated LPN to RN program. The investment is expected to support up to 20 to 30 new nursing students.

“The Nursing Workforce Expansion Grant award is a transformational opportunity for WVU Parkersburg,” said Kathy Frum, WVU Parkersburg Nursing and Health Sciences Division dean. “This grant would allow the program to provide an accelerated pathway for LPNs to complete an RN degree, increase the number of nursing students accepted into the program and support recruitment and retention efforts for qualified nursing students.”

She continued, “The grant monies will facilitate improvements to the existing ADN program. The division plans to collaborate with pipeline program for health care careers, provide excellent support for students and recruit and retain qualified nursing faculty.”

The nursing program expansion awards are administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and Community and Technical College System. Twenty-six funded projects across the state were announced by Gov. Justice on March 17. Approved projects were required to be focused on increasing enrollment in pre-licensure nursing programs through innovative approaches focused on timely degree completion and licensure for graduates.

“We are tremendously grateful to Gov. Justice for providing this historic funding to support the expansion of nursing education programs across West Virginia,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “Through these new projects, our postsecondary education community will be better positioned to help shore up West Virginia’s nursing workforce – which, in turn, will help support our nurses working tirelessly on the front lines right now.”

Governor Justice announced the West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program in December 2021 by dedicating $48 million to support new and expanded initiatives that will train new nurses, fully fund the West Virginia Nursing Scholarship Program, value nurses already practicing in the state, and recruit nurses into West Virginia.

“I echo the chancellor’s gratitude to Governor Justice for this funding,” said WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer. “We know how transformative this programming will be for the Mid-Ohio Valley.”

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 31, 2022) – Transgender Day of Visibility is an international event to recognize the accomplishments and resiliency of the transgender community. Today, WVU Parkersburg student Coleen Nicoles presents three original works expressing her transgender journey. View her readings now at https://youtu.be/_h6jAJHOn4s.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 30, 2022) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Fine Arts Committee and Art Club are hosting a Poorhouse Cemetery clean up. Participants will meet at the Poorhouse Cemetery to pick up trash, straighten existing crosses, plant new crosses, and spruce up veteran graves to celebrate Memorial Day. 

The event will take place on Saturday, April 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the cemetery on the main campus. The committee recommends that participants bring their tools for cutting back branches and working around fencing and trees.

The Fine Arts Committee and Art Club’s mission is to not only promote the arts and provide opportunities to explore the arts but also to promote community service. Although the pandemic has slowed past community service opportunities, the committee is looking forward to this year with its April clean-up.

“The Art Club did a little sprucing up [of the cemetery] in the fall, but we decided that if the world opened up again this April, we would plant some new crosses and spruce things up for Memorial Day,” said Fine Arts Committee member Dr. Sandra Kolankiewicz. “We are hoping life will stay open and that we can host all our usual events: the art show, reading, clean up, and for the first week in October, our Poorhouse Week.” 

Poorhouse Week celebrates the release of The Poorhouse Rag, the college’s annual literary magazine. Named after the Poorhouse Cemetery, the magazine publishes prose, poetry, children’s literature and artwork addressing themes of social justice. WVU Parkersburg also celebrates Poorhouse Week, remembering the Poorhouse of Wood County which once stood on college grounds.

The committee is currently accepting magazine submissions from WVU Parkersburg students, faculty, staff, alumni and their families. All entries will be considered for $50 genre prizes.

There is no fee to enter, and the deadline to submit is June 1, 2022. For submission guidelines, visit wvup.edu/poorhouserag.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 28, 2022) – Singing, dancing and art – WVUP’s Got Talent virtual variety show will take place on Thursday, April 7, at 6 p.m., on the college’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Six performers and seven fine arts contestants will present their talents to a panel of student judges for the chance to win a first-place trophy and $100 cash prize.

Audience members will have the opportunity to cast a People’s Choice Vote during the evening to show support for their favorite contestant. The winner of the People’s Choice will receive a $50 Barnes and Noble gift card.

WVUP’s Got Talent contestants, and their talents, include:

• Sarah Bowie, photography
• Morgan Cale, singing
• Julie Coberly, photography
• Christina Longfellow, playing piano
• Kimberly Matheny, drawing
• Autumn McKenna, drawing
• Michelle Ray, singer
• Kat Smarr, photography
• Savanah Snider, dancing
• Savanna Stopler, singing and photography
• Matt VanFossen, singing
• Joseph Whipkey, drawing

To watch the WVUP’s Got Talent show, visit wvup.edu/live or youtube.com/wvuparkersburg. Learn more about the WVUP’s Got Talent show and meet the performers at wvup.edu/talent.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 21, 2022) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Sigma Omega chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) was recently honored at the PTK Ohio Region Awards Convention on March 5, 2022. Sigma Omega was presented with numerous individual and chapter-wide awards during the ceremony. 

These chapter honors included achieving four-star status for the 2021-2022 academic year as well as the Catch a Shining Star Award for its Adopt-A-Highway college project. The chapter’s Adopt-A-Highway program was also recognized as the second runner-up in the region for overall college projects.  

Chapter member Allison Ezell was recognized for serving as the 2021-2022 Ohio Regional PTK president. Andrew Walker, Sigma Omega Chapter co-advisor, was given the Milestone award for his five years of service to the organization.  

“I am so very proud of this group and its sustained accomplishments,” said Marie Butler, WVU Parkersburg Sigma Omega Chapter co-advisor. “While we have been challenged by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this group has endured and continues to set and achieve its goals.”  

Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society that recognizes the academic achievements of college students. The society is represented in nearly 1,300 community colleges across 11 nations. Phi Theta Kappa also helps students grow as scholars and leaders through skill development, scholarship, and more. 

Membership to Phi Theta Kappa is by invitation only and extended to students meeting specific eligibility criteria. To be eligible for membership, currently enrolled students must have a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average and complete at least 12 credit hours of associate degree coursework. 

For more information about WVU Parkersburg’s Sigma Omega Chapter, contact Marie Butler (mbutler1@wvup.edu) or Andrew Walker (wwalker1@wvup.edu).

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 15, 2022) – WVU Parkersburg Elementary Education student Hayley Hufford is heading to the Happiest Place on Earth to be a part of the Disney College Program.

The Disney College Program is a paid internship operated by The Walt Disney Company, allowing students to become a part of Disney’s unique culture and earn college credit at Disney parks and resorts through a combination of on-the-job experience, job shadowing and seminars.

Hufford’s program will run from July 2022 to February 2023. While she has not been assigned an official role, she hopes to be a cast member at the Haunted Mansion ride or merchandise store.

“I am very excited and proud of myself for getting accepted,” Hufford said. “I have dreamt about going for years now. My grandma has always made sure the family had a love for Disney. My first unofficial trip to Walt Disney World was at eight months old, and as I am older, we go every two to three years.”

 

 

The Disney College Program will provide Hufford a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience, meet people from across the world and participate in personal and career development.

“I am hoping to improve my people skills,” Hufford said. “I am also hoping to learn more about other cultures. The Walt Disney Company hires many individuals from different countries. This is one of the best things about Disney – the way the company promotes inclusion and offers opportunities for us to learn the correct way to celebrate other countries and cultures.”

Hufford is a freshman in the WVU Parkersburg Elementary Education program with plans to graduate from the college in 2027 with her bachelor’s degree. After graduation, she hopes to teach second or third grade.

Dr. David Lancaster, WVU Parkersburg Division of Education dean, made sure Hufford knew the entire division is supportive of her pathway decision.

“Our division is proud to have a student offered this wonderful opportunity, thanks to the Disney College Program,” said Dr. Lancaster. “We wish Hayley the very best as she begins this exciting journey.”

For more information on the WVU Parkersburg Elementary Education program, visit wvup.edu/education.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 2, 2022) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors will meet Tuesday, March 8, 2022. The meeting will take place at 3:15 p.m. in the College Activities Center (Room 1536). 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. (March 1, 2022) – WVU Parkersburg is excited to announce that the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) has relocated its regional center to WVUP on Market in Downtown Parkersburg.

“This partnership with WVU Parkersburg and the WV Small Business Development Center illustrates our commitment to support the community’s economic development and foster entrepreneurship in the Mid-Ohio Valley,” said WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer. “Having the SBDC downtown will increase accessibility to their coach, workshops and training programs.”

The WVSBDC is a statewide network that provides tools, training and connections for successfully starting and growing a small business. It plays a vital role in West Virginia’s economic development initiatives by:

• Assisting entrepreneurs in every stage of the business cycle, from prospective entrepreneurs to mature businesses looking for growth opportunities and more.
• Working with firms in all industry sectors.
• Being a member of a nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers that share resources in our mission to start and grow small businesses.
• Following the Baldridge Principles of performance excellence in achieving accreditation by America’s SBDC, as required by Congressional mandate. These principles include managing for innovation, entrepreneurship, customer-driven excellence, integrity, visionary leadership, creating value, agility, societal responsibility and a focus on the future.

Marsa Myers, WVSBDC coach, serves the Mid-Ohio Valley and will be available to help the small businesses downtown and across the seven-county region, from her offices at WVUP on Market, 414 Market Street, Parkersburg, W.Va. She can be reached at marsa.c.myers@wv.gov.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Feb. 24, 2022) – As WVU Parkersburg’s literary magazine, The Poorhouse Rag serves as a written review for artists and writers to submit poetry, flash fiction, fiction, creative nonfiction, children’s stories and artwork. Artists and writers can use their voices to bring awareness to the broad and varied themes and topics of social justice.

This year, The Poorhouse Rag is asking for submitted pieces to address the college’s emphasis on social justice for all, including, but not limited to, race, poverty, religion, gender, age, social status, sexuality, disability, economics, and any topic the writer or artist wishes to speak up about.

The Poorhouse Rag is led by the WVU Parkersburg Editorial Collective, including Dr. Sandra Kolankiewicz, Dr. Lauri Reidmiller, Danielle Kelly, Joyce Stover, Dr. Alicia Matheny Beeson, and Dr. Woody Wilson. The Editorial Collective selects the pieces featured in the magazine; however, the goal is to transition into a student-led process.

“Students have the opportunity to practice getting a manuscript or artwork ready for submission, of knowing an editor has read or seen their work, and of seeing their efforts in print with other authors or, if they are visual artists, in a real show,” Dr. Kolankiewicz said. “Family members and friends are so proud of their published friends and family members too! Also, authors realize they are part of a community– and can come together in artistic expression.”

All works will be considered for a $50 prize in each genre as well as the Foundation Prize for best cover art, and the President’s Prize for best overall art or literary work.

“It was quite an honor and privilege to win the Foundation Prize last year,” said WVU Parkersburg alumni Kimberly Matheny. “I was congratulated over and over by Dr. Reidmiller and my fellow art students. They made me feel so proud to represent the college on the behalf of The Poorhouse Rag.”

To submit a piece of writing or artwork to The Poorhouse Rag, or to view submission guidelines, visit wvup.edu/poorhouserag. Submissions are open to WVU Parkersburg students, faculty, staff, alumni, and their family members. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2022, and there is no fee to enter.