Parkersburg, W.Va. (Oct. 22, 2021) – Instead of lacing gowns, WVU Parkersburg Surgical Technology students laced up their tennis shoes for this year’s Relay for Life. The team joined cancer survivors, caregivers and families to help spread awareness and raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

“Cancer has impacted each of our lives in a certain way,” Rebecca Garrett, Student Surgical Technology Association president, said. “We wanted to reach out to our community and those who have encountered this terrible illness to show them they are not alone.”

The team walked 27 laps and raised $1,471 with the sponsorship of Kroger in Belpre, Ohio. For its efforts, the group received two awards from the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Wood County, including Best Rookie Team of the Year and 2^nd place for the Most Laps.

The team included:

Nicole Carsner

Rebecca Garrett

Katelyn Huck

Kat Jeffrey

Nina Kwok

Edith Powell-Hart

Bentley Singleton

“It was an absolute honor for my team to be presented these awards,” Garrett said. “I have lost several people in my life due to cancer, which is what sparked my interest in volunteering and creating a team to fund the American Cancer Society to one day find a cure.

 

 

I became mesmerized by the passion people have for organizing, planning and dedicating themselves to this event. Every person who attended this year’s Relay for Life was kind, caring and a privilege to be around. I personally encourage other students to attend the event and support those fighting cancer and in memory of those who have lost the battle.”

 

 

The Student Surgical Technology Association also participated in the spring 2021 Walk for Life for the Parkersburg Women’s Care Center.

“Getting together outside of the classroom helps us to create a stronger bond as students,” Garrett said. “Our class has a beautiful friendship that I believe will continue for years after we graduate. We are a team that helps to build each other up, and we are WVU Parkersburg Proud.”

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Oct. 18, 2021) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Art Club and their friends gathered on Saturday, Oct. 9, to honor those buried at the campus’ Poor Farm Cemetery.

“A poorhouse could serve as a hospital, nursing home, orphanage, halfway home, or even temporary prison. They were designed to aid widows who lost their husbands, children who lost their parents, injured soldiers and those affected by poverty or illness,” said Dr. Lauri Reidmiller, associate professor and advisor of the Art Club.

Poor farms were common in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Farms declined after the Social Security Act took effect in 1935, and, by 1950, poor farms had almost completely disappeared.

“Residents were expected to work the fields, tend the livestock, clean, cook and help maintain the property to the extent that their health or physical abilities would allow. In return, they were given food, clothing, shelter and medical care,” Reidmiller said.

The Poor Farm Cemetery honors over 1,000 residents, including veterans, ex-salves, infants and other residents from the Wood County Poorhouse.

“Learning about the poorhouse and the cemetery allows us to deepen our understanding and appreciation of those who came before us. Every grave marker holds valuable pieces of information about a community,” Reidmiller said.

This is the second Poor Farm Cemetery event. Volunteers at the cleanup fixed broken crosses, trimmed bushes and trees, uncovered and cleaned tombstones and straightened cross grave markers.

“The chance to take part in the project gives my students an interesting peek into our local history. Most students who attend WVU Parkersburg are not aware of the significance of the graveyard,” Reidmiller said. “Learning about historical events is not so abstract when they are tied to a specific person or family from our own community.”

Another Poor Farm Cemetery cleanup will take place in the Spring. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Dr. Lauri Reidmiller at lreidmil@wvup.edu.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Oct. 13, 2021) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg announced it will begin a $5 million fundraising campaign in January 2022 with the goal of raising the money in three years.

The campaign is an extension of the WVU Parkersburg Proud fundraising initiative, which doubled its $3 million goal in two years instead of the originally planned three-year timeline. Its success was due to private donations and successful grant writings.

Last year, the college received the largest donation in its history through Arnold Ventures. The $1.7 million grant kick-started the WVU Parkersburg Ascend program. Ascend provides academic, personal and financial supports to help students in certificate and associate programs complete their degrees on time.

“I saw an opportunity for WVU Parkersburg to exceed its own expectations in fundraising,” WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer said. “When I arrived in July 2018, we had never truly undertaken a systematic, goal-driven, long-term fundraising initiative to support WVU Parkersburg, but I believed this community wanted to support its college if invited to do so.

Successful grant writing has been a part of my advancement strategy for 25 years. Money follows purpose, so we had to start by recommitting to our purpose as a student-focused, community-serving institution. When we did that and started our outreach for funds in a deliberate way, we exceeded a goal many thought was too ambitious. Now, based on that success, we are setting an even more ambitious goal.”

In addition to grant writing, the college always accepts donations for student scholarships and activities, as well as for special projects and faculty and staff development.

“The WVU at Parkersburg Foundation provides an opportunity for our community to invest in itself by sharing its generosity in a way that helps so many students. As they improve their education, they take on local service and working roles to help it continue to be enriched and grow,” said WVU at Parkersburg Foundation President and CEO Dr. Torie Jackson. “Our alumni and our students surround the Mid-Ohio Valley and give us so many reasons to be WVU Parkersburg Proud.”

To learn how to be a part of the WVU Parkersburg Proud legacy by visiting wvup.edu/foundation.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (October 7, 2021) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors will meet Tuesday, October 12, 2021. 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, 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.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Oct. 6, 2021) – Leapfrog, hopscotch, bear crawling – these seem like popular playground games, but for area elementary schools, these are mindful activities.

WVU Parkersburg’s Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), an international honor society in education, has partnered with Criss and Franklin Elementary Schools in Wood County to provide sensory paths for youth. Sensory paths are a series of guided movements for children to follow, helping develop motor skills.

“These sensory paths can increase the number of minutes that students are physically active during the school day,” said Stephanie Stopiak, WVU Parkersburg Education instructor. “Sensory paths can also help students develop coordination skills and increase focus and attention. Teachers can use sensory paths for transitions, recess, brain breaks or a calming area.”

At Franklin, KDP members installed two sets of agility tires for children to count by fives as they hop through the obstacle, and they painted a Bigfoot walking path. At Criss, they painted a hula hoop hop path, ABC alphabet tree, moon boots hop path and a snake path that encourages counting by ones.

For KDP President Leah Harvey, this service project is an example of applying what she learns in the classroom to real life.

“As education majors, we are very fortunate to learn from and work side-by-side with some of the best teachers in Wood County,” Harvey said. “We were able to meet our possible future colleagues and students.”

She continued, “We were also able to gain the experience of painting these sensory paths, which will be a visually stimulating way for students to practice motor skills and can tie to different content skills practice. Every student can use and enjoy the sensory paths, and we cannot wait to see them in action.”

The project was funded by the SNAP-Ed grant, which aims to educate families on healthy choices and promotes active lifestyles.

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

Alicia Beeson, assistant professor, used time during the pandemic to combine three things she’s passionate about— West Virginia, women and narratives— into one project “Wild and Wonderful Women.”

“I grew up in West Virginia and moved away for graduate school when I was twenty-two. I was gone for six years and during that time, my already cultivated love for West Virginia grew even more… I had some extra time during the pandemic, so I took a short podcasting class, bought a mic and starting interviewing various women on important, relevant social issues for our state.”

Beeson’s educational background solidified her interest in narratives.

“While away, I pursued graduate degrees in English that really solidified my interest in narratives. They help us voice our experiences, humanize social issues, and understand others on a deeper, more connected level… Additionally, my scholarly work is really focused on women writers and characters, aiming to elevate individuals who have been forgotten and analyze social dynamics that impact womens’ experiences,” she said.

Beeson has interviewed several women from across the state to learn more about each of the topics they had to offer. Some interviewees include: Dr. Renate Pore about women’s history, Delegate Danielle Walker on the Black Lives Matter movement, Susie Mullens about substance use and recovery, and Councilperson Rosemary Ketchum regarding LGBTQ+ rights.

“Being able to interview these women for the podcast has been so enriching for me, making me incredibly excited about the future of our state, and I hope that listeners feel some of that as they are listening as well,” she said. “The interviewees have been so gracious by giving their time to be interviewed and opening up about their experiences… I have learned from each of these women, and my pride for West Virginia just keeps growing.”

Season two of “Wild and Wonderful Women” will be released soon. To catch up or listen to new episodes, listeners can tune into Beeson’s Buzzsprout site, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. Updates and inside exclusives for the podcast can be found on Facebook or Instagram.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Sept. 22, 2021) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg is one of the most affordable business colleges in the United States, named by University HQ. The Business, Accounting and Public Service (BAPS) division ranks No. 34 out of hundreds of schools considered.

“We do everything possible to serve the needs of our students and region,” said Jeff Holland, BAPS division dean. “Costs are a barrier for many of our students, so we focus on ways to save our students money wherever possible while at the same time raising the level of program quality through assessment and accreditation processes.”

WVU Parkersburg’s BAPS division offers the following majors.

• Accounting (bachelor’s)
• Accounting and Financial Management (bachelor’s)
• Business Administration (certificate, associate and bachelor’s)
• Criminal Justice (certificate, associate and bachelor’s)
• General Business (bachelor’s)
• Management and Marketing (bachelor’s)
• Supervisory Management (fully-online bachelor’s)

The Supervisory Management program is completely online and allows students to pay in-state tuition no matter where they live. Any graduate of an Associate of Applied Science degree can enter the program to receive skills in managerial accounting, management processes and more.

Other division programs offer hands-on learning experiences to students. Recently, WVU Parkersburg students participated in the TD Ameritrade thinkorswim® Challenge, a national competition where undergraduate students use $500,000 in virtual dollars to trade stocks, options and exchange-traded funds.

Business students have also joined the West Virginia Collegiate Business Plan Competition, a unique opportunity to present business ideas and models to a panel of judges for the chance to win $20,000 to start up a new company.

Not to mention, Criminal Justice students receive hands-on practice in criminal investigations, court proceedings and bloodstain pattern analysis using on-campus simulation labs. Many students also participate in internships with local police departments.

For more information about BAPS majors or enrolling in a program, visit wvup.edu/business or call 304-424-8289.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (September 16, 2021) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s adjunct professor, Adam Stover, had his short film “Jason Pell’s Pinpricks” chosen as the winning animated film in the clever and creepy category at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival. The film can be viewed here.

“It’s always great to be recognized for artistic achievement, especially in one of the great American cities for film like San Francisco,” Stover said.

Inspired by Jason Pell, another West Virginian’s graphic novel, the science fiction/horror short film adds animation, narration, music and sound effects, bringing to life 20 of the 101 stories in the novel. Pell’s graphic novel, “Pinpricks,” can be purchased on Amazon.

“Being an anthology film with twenty stories, there’s not a single plot synopsis, but a theme does run throughout: Surviving West Virginia, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally,” he said. “That’s always been a challenge to the citizens of this state and is even more so now that we’re living in this post-pandemic time frame.  I hope everybody’s staying safe out there and taking care of each other.”

Stover recently learned that his film will be played before the feature film at the West Virginia International Film Festival Oct. 15 in Charleston.

“My advice is to get out there and do your thing. There’s going to be some kid out there that sees this film and decides to start their own band, or business, or whatever their dream is, and that will be a great thing. I hope a lot of people give it a chance. It’s one of those artworks that’s open to interpretation, so different people can draw different things from it and like it for their own personal reasons.”

Parkersburg, W.Va. (September 13, 2021) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s English faculty members are continuing their writing practice beyond what’s expected of them in the classroom.

Dr. Alicia Beeson, assistant professor, is one of four English faculty members to further her teaching skills by entering her writing into contests. Her piece “Wonder Woman’s Etta Candy: The Heroine We Need” will be published in Gender, Race and Beyond in Contemporary Superhero Cinema, an edited collection by Amherst College Press.

“Having English faculty who are published is beneficial for students because it demonstrates that we are actively participating in the field, keeping up with what’s current, and it also highlights that we’re passionate about what we do, which makes classes more engaging for everyone,” Dr. Beeson said.

Joyce Stover, associate professor, entered two pieces in the West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest— “Swinging Doors,” which placed first in the middle school books category, and “Simple Truths,” which was an honorable mention in the same category.

“[Swinging Doors] focuses on three teenagers, Mark, Hank and Will, who witness an oil boom in East Texas in the early 1930s when the nation was in the depths of the Great Depression,” Stover said. “I chose this location for the story based on tales related to my father and older men who lived in that era.”

Assistant Professor Danielle Kelly wrote a creative nonfiction essay, “Husband Material,” which was published in Hedge Apple Magazine, a student-run literary magazine out of Hagerstown Community College, in their May 2021 issue Feminism in Rural America. You can find her essay here.

Dr. Sandra Kolankiewicz, who has had nearly 500 various writing pieces published over the past 40 years, said that writing is a skill set that constantly needs practicing.

“Sticking in the game and not giving up, even when my work was rejected, is what makes success possible,” Dr. Sandra Kolankiewicz said. “For every accepted magazine, there are ten ‘no’ responses. A lot of success is based on continuing to try and improve at all stages of your writing life, even if you don’t get the feedback you want.”

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Sept. 7, 2021) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg is proud to announce its Fall 2021 student teacher candidates, teacher residents and Clinical Teachers of Record.

“It is always a pleasure to watch all our student teachers enter the field and begin their career,” said Dr. David Lancaster, Education division chairperson. “However, with two of our students going to Jackson and Wirt counties as Clinical Teachers of Record, it is extra special. This time, we will be supporting both counties due to the teacher shortage, and I’m very proud that our students can assist them during these challenging times.”

The WVU Parkersburg Elementary Education program provides field experience in the classroom as early as a student’s freshman year. However, during their final semester, student teacher candidates will enter the classroom, taking on increasing teaching responsibilities under the mentorship of an experienced teacher.

Student teacher candidates also can complete a year-long residency in lieu of one semester of student teaching. Under this model, student teacher candidates will have time to assume classroom responsibilities gradually.

Due to the teacher shortage in West Virginia, WVU Parkersburg has also placed two Clinical Teachers of Record (CTRS) in Jackson and Wirt counties. CTRS will student teach for one semester under the supervision of a university instructor and will receive pay and benefits. As a CTRS, the student teacher candidate will have complete responsibility of the classroom.

“I am so grateful to both WVU Parkersburg and Jackson County Schools for allowing me the opportunity to manage my own classroom before graduating in December,” said Nisha Holley, Jackson county CTRS. “I have tremendous confidence in the education and training I have received as a teacher candidate in the Education program. This opportunity means I will be able to take the strategies and skills learned and directly apply them to the classroom. I feel the best learning experiences are not found in textbooks. The best learning experiences come by doing, putting into practice what we have been taught.”

The Fall 2021 class of student teacher candidates includes:

Katie Carroll
Kinley Caudle
Greg Cochran
Britney Hersman
Camille Jones
 

 
The Fall 2021 class of teacher residents includes:

Lakyn Ankrom
Toni Cain
Meredith Davis
Leah Harvey
Alexandra Tennent
 

 
The Fall 2021 class of CTRS includes:

Nisha Holley
Shayla Griffey

 

 
To learn more about the Elementary Education program, please visit wvup.edu/programs. Contact Dr. David Lancaster at david.lancaster@wvup.edu or 304-424-8314 to start a career in Elementary Education or Child Development.