Parkersburg, W.Va. – (November 16, 2020) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg – like other schools in the state and nation – transitioned Spring and Fall 2020 coursework to online and limited-contact classes. To continue to help students on their academic paths, WVU Parkersburg has invested in the latest version of Blackboard Learn, the college’s online learning management system.

WVU Parkersburg selected Blackboard as its learning management system based on its ability to meet instructional needs and provide reliable service to students and faculty. The system serves as an online environment where synchronous or asynchronous learning can take place with faculty holding class lectures and discussions, and students accessing class resources and submitting coursework.

“This significant upgrade to our learning management system could not come at a more important time as we continue with mostly remote and technology-enabled instruction,” said Dr. Chad Crumbaker, WVU Parkersburg provost. “We are always focused on the success of our students and that requires providing our faculty with the best teaching and learning resources possible.”

The new version of Blackboard Learn includes a new, streamlined landing page that allows students and instructors more easy access to important course information, including learning materials, grades, messages, calendars and relevant links arranged in an “Activity” feed. The new layout makes Blackboard Learn more accessible for students using mobile devices and provides a simple, consistent experience regardless of how it is accessed.

“Our goal is to provide the best tools possible to support the WVU Parkersburg community,” said Chris Fahey, WVU Parkersburg director of Instructional Innovation. “Significantly more students are using mobile devices to access their learning materials due to the COVID pandemic, and our current Blackboard Learn navigation does not adjust well to various devices. So, we made the decision to push ahead to the latest version of Blackboard so we could more effectively engage students.”

Blackboard’s new version also integrates seamlessly with WVU Parkersburg’s existing Zoom and Respondus test proctoring solutions. Zoom has enhanced the college’s web conferencing capabilities, allowing WVU Parkersburg to respond proactively to the pandemic by moving to remote learning and business operations in many cases.

For Blackboard and Zoom support resources, visit wvup.edu/distance-learning, or contact the Center for Instructional Innovation at cii@wvup.edu.

Parkersburg, W.Va. – (November 12, 2020) – WVU Parkersburg honored veterans, past and present, on November 11 with a virtual Veterans Day celebration and placing 13 flags in the college’s poorhouse cemetery.

Members of the WVU Parkersburg Veterans Corps and Art Club placed American flags on soldiers’ graves who fought from the Second World War to the Korean War. They also placed two flags at the cemetery entrance for unknown veterans.

The Wood County Poorhouse, which once stood on WVU Parkersburg’s property, served as a working farm and residence for the area’s needy. A fire in the poorhouse’s infirmary is believed to have destroyed many residents’ records from 1910 to 1920.

“I come from a military family,” said Traci Mills, WVU Parkersburg student, and Art Club member. “By placing flags on these graves, it is my way of saying ‘thank you.’ The ones buried here were once people too, and it is our job to make sure they are not forgotten.”

Veterans honored at the poorhouse cemetery include: Robert Edward Baker, PFC, US Army, WWII; Samuel Butcher, Patriot; Carl M. Caveney, PVT, US Army, WWII; Roy G. Dingler, PVT US Army, WWII; John A. Goudy Jr., PFC, US Army, Korea; Pearl Richard Harkin, US Army, WWII; Daniel Willard Leisure, SR, US Navy; Olin Rexroad, US Army, WWII; Olin T. Sayre, PVT, US Army, WWII; Renley Smith, PVT, US Army, WWII; Donald W. Watson, US Navy; Edward W. Waybright, PVT, US Army, WWII and Wesley Henry Waybright, PFC, US Army, WWII.

Veterans Advocate Darren Shearlock also shared the college’s thanks to veterans for their service and dedication during a virtual Veterans Day celebration. Shearlock gave a history of Veterans Day, the difference between the national holiday and Memorial Day and how the college serves its veteran students.

WVU Parkersburg is ranked eighth in the nation by Military Times as one of the best career and technical colleges for veterans. This is due to the support and resources offered to enable veterans to reach their educational, professional and career goals, including providing students assistance when applying for Veterans Assistance benefits, giving college credit for military experience, helping transition from military to civilian life and offering additional veteran-based scholarships.

“I chose WVU Parkersburg because it is best for vets,” said student veteran Sedonie Beckford. “I am proud to honor those who served and made it possible for those to follow behind them.”

To watch WVU Parkersburg’s Veterans Day Celebration, visit wvup.edu/live or youtube.com/wvuparkersburg. For more information on the college’s Veterans Resource Center, contact Veterans Advocate Darren Shearlock at darren.shearlock@wvup.edu or 304-424-8000 ext. 337.

Parkersburg, W.Va. – (November 10, 2020) – Students at WVU Parkersburg will soon have access to a new community-based health clinic scheduled to open on campus in the year 2021-2022.

Coplin Health Systems and WVU Parkersburg have formed a partnership to establish a clinic to serve the needs of the college and Mid-Ohio Valley for greater access to health care.

“I believe the greatest service we can give our students, faculty, staff, their families and the community at large is high quality, free or reduced-cost healthcare available to them right on our Parkersburg campus,” said Dr. Chris Gilmer, WVU Parkersburg president. “Coplin will be a wonderful partner because of our shared commitment to serve those who are currently underserved.”

Coplin Health Systems, established in 1978 as the Wirt County Health Services Association, currently services Wirt, Jackson and Wood counties in W.Va. and Meigs county in Ohio with nine different facilities, including three school clinics.

Services offered will include primary and acute (walk-in) care for all ages. The clinic will also have behavorial health and on-site laboratory services.

“WVU Parkersburg and Coplin Health have large goals for the campus and community,” said Rob Dudley, Coplin Health Systems chief executive officer. “It is our priority to offer quality, yet affordable, healthcare and advocate for children and families. We have wonderfully skilled providers and would like to grow our services with the needs of our community.”

Coplin Health Systems is a Federally Qualified Health Center. As such, providers will care for individuals and families with full, partial or no insurance coverage. The organization also offers a sliding scale payment model to make care affordable regardless of a person’s income.

“Our employees have health insurance they can use, and WVU Parkersburg plans to work through its Foundation to develop a fund to cover the cost for students who might not be able to afford healthcare so the WVU Parkersburg community is fully served,” Gilmer said. “Students and employees from our Jackson County Center will also be welcome at Coplin’s Jackson county clinics.”

Jackson County Center students, faculty and staff will be able to receive the same services at the Ripley Family Care, Jackson County School Wellness Center or River Valley Family Care in Ravenswood.

Beyond medical services, the clinic hopes to serve as a learning environment for WVU Parkersburg nursing and health sciences students. Coplin Health Systems offers practicums to aspiring medical students and will discuss arrangements with the college to provide clinical experiences for those pursuing their certificate or associate degree in a qualifying program.

“Our two Boards have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding which will hopefully culminate in the opening of this new facility,” said Gilmer. “We still have to work out the details, but we are very excited and optimistic about this partnership for our college family.”

Dudley is also hopeful about the opening of the clinic. “We are excited to fulfill the vision for a university-based clinic,” Dudley said. “There is still much work to do, but we are excited to know Coplin Health and WVU Parkersburg will offer quality health and wellness services to the campus and surrounding community.”

Parkersburg, W.Va. (November 6, 2020) – Good morning, Riverhawks,

This message is to inform you that the two-week break from all face-to-face instruction will end on Sunday, November 8, and that students and faculty are allowed to resume limited face-to-face instruction and clinical and field experiences on Monday, November 9. Only those classes and field and clinical experiences which were face-to-face before the two-week break may resume in a face-to-face manner. Those classes and field and clinical experiences which have been online only all semester will remain online only. If students or faculty have questions about implementing these instructions, please consult the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Chad Crumbaker. If students or faculty wish to petition for an exception of any kind, please contact the Vice President of Facilities and Chief of Staff to the President, Brady Whipkey.

To the best of our knowledge, all known cases of COVID-19 which were part of the very small outbreak on our campuses have been released by local health authorities, and no new cases have been reported to the Office of the President. Good job!

It is my hope if we diligently follow all of our public health protocols including required mask wearing, social distancing, and prompt self-reporting of any positive cases that we will be able to hold limited face-to-face classes until the Thanksgiving break, after which all remaining instruction will be online for the rest of the fall semester. If we are able to continue face-to-face instruction until the Thanksgiving break, it is our belief that no students will be impacted by not completing and receiving credit for any courses.

Offices which are student-facing and necessary to process spring enrollment will remain open. Employees with questions about remote versus face-to-face work assignments should consult the Vice President of their area.

Our weekly state-mandated random COVID-19 surveillance testing will continue until further notice. This process has been going very well. Thank you for your cooperation.

As always, these instructions are subject to change and update based on the trajectory of the pandemic.

Best regards,

President Chris Gilmer

Parkersburg, W.Va. – (November 4, 2020) – “A family legacy typically takes generations to build,” said Dr. Chris Gilmer, WVU Parkersburg president and founder of the National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students.

The Donato-Sapp family will be honored with this year’s Generations Award during the National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students Think Tank 2020 closing ceremony. The closing ceremony will take place Saturday, November 7, at 11 a.m., and be streamed live on WVU Parkersburg’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The Generations Award is given annually to multiple generations of the same family working to promote equity and inclusion. Educators, artists, activists and writers, Erwin, Jeff and Helena Donato-Sapp, use their talents to bring individuals of diverse backgrounds together to do as such.

“This year, the advisory council of the National Institutes is delighted to add the Donato-Sapp Family of California to the distinguished list of recipients of our Generations Award,” Gilmer said. “Two gay men of different races came together to build a family with an African-American daughter and have faced incredible odds in gaining respect for their family structure, and yet they have bravely blazed a trail for other people to define the term ‘family’ in many different ways.”

Gilmer continues, “Families represent love, and I have witnessed no greater love than these three have for each other. Their willingness to live their lives proudly in the light of day and their commitment to lift Helena up to reach her fullest potential is truly inspiring.”

Erwin arrived in the United States from the Philippines at the age of 12 in 1984. His identity and experiences as an immigrant shape much of his worldview. He has degrees in negotiation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

Jeff is a professor of Education at California State University – Dominquez Hills. He writes curriculum for major organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Civil Rights Memorial Museum, Simon Wiesenthal Center and Go for Broke National Education Center.

Helena, age 11, is an accomplished writer and artist with works in several national collections, including part of a mural project at the Brown v. Board of Education historical site in Topeka, Ka. She also has two published chapters in “Queer Families: An LGBTQ+ True Stories Anthology.” A second book, “Black Girls: Patchwork Stories of Remembrance, Resistance, and Reliance,” is in the works.

“Jeff is a son of West Virginia and still has strong family ties to our community,” Gilmer said. “I know that the many family members and friends the Donato-Sapps have in West Virginia are proud to share this moment with them, and the family and friends they have nationally and around the world are cheering with them as well.”

Former Generations Award recipients include the family of the Honorable Constance Slaughter-Harvey, Esquire, the first African-American judge in the State of Mississippi, noted attorney and Civil Rights icon; the family of Dr. Lionel Bordeaux, Sinte Gleska University president and the longest-serving American university president inducted into the inaugural class of the National Native American Hall of Fame; and the family of Anna Maria Pacheco, the matriarch of a prominent Colorado family who has spent her life as an advocate for human dignity and educational attainment.

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Parkersburg, W.Va. (November 2, 2020) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg is among 17 state higher education institutions awarded grant funds from West Virginia’s Higher Education Policy Commission and Community and Technical College System to support strengthened diversity efforts.

The Diversity for Equity Grants are designed to support campus-led initiatives that make higher education more accessible to people of all ages, races, genders and backgrounds. Each institution received funds between $2,000-$5,000 for their individual projects. WVU Parkersburg received $5,000 for the OPEN: Opening Pathways to Equity Now, Peer Facilitation Initiative.

“The Peer Facilitation Initiative is a program in development to identify and train students in coaching, conflict resolution, mediation, identifying the signs of stress, anxiety and depression and knowing when and how to make referrals to mental health professionals,” said Kurt Klettner, WVU Parkersburg OPEN logistics coordinator and campus counselor. “The goal of the initiative is to have self-identified peers trained and available for fellow students to talk with in an effort to provide informal support in a compassionate and caring manner.”

The OPEN Task Force is a group of self-selected individuals who strive for equity and inclusion at WVU Parkersburg. The goal of the group is to make campus more equitable for all students.

“Communication, open and without fear, is the most essential foundation stone of a successful equity and inclusion program,” said President Chris Gilmer. “Our focus this year will be building and sustaining the skill sets needed for effective, non-prejudicial, inclusive conversation.”

Parkersburg, W.Va. (October 30, 2020) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg will continue technology-enhanced learning for the Spring 2021 semester, President Chris Gilmer announced on October 29.

“This decision was made after very careful consideration of the most current public health information and future public health predictions and consultation with the leadership of the WVU Parkersburg Board of Governors and Executive Team,” Gilmer explained.

As with the current semester, limited in-person classes will continue for technical programs, labs, clinicals and field placements, evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Regarding the current semester, all classes, including face-to-face instruction, will be online from November 23 to December 11. This means students will not physically return to campus after Thanksgiving break. However, campus facilities will remain open during this time to register, advise and serve students as they prepare for the Spring 2021 semester.

“Perhaps you might grow tired of hearing it, but I do not grow tired of repeating that I feel my first and most solemn duty is to do everything I can to keep this community safe and healthy. All other considerations, important as they may be, are secondary,” Gilmer said. “I long for the day when this moment in time is behind us, and I pledge to you that we will emerge from it stronger and even more WVUP Proud than we have ever been before.”

Spring 2021 classes begin Monday, January 11. Priority registration for current students begins Monday, November 2, and open registration begins Monday, November 9.

For support resources to help students participate in online courses, visit wvup.edu/distance-learning.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (October 27, 2020) – In response to the pandemic, the WVU Parkersburg Makerspace will offer distance services to continue community access to the center’s resources.

Through the Reverse Makerspace, the center will accept projects, and staff will complete them with client guidance. The cost is $15, plus an additional equipment usage fee. Makerspace staff will discuss project expectations, materials needed, cost and more with the client before the start of the project.

“To keep the Makerspace open, we still need people who want to learn or have projects they want to complete,” said Logan Mace, Workforce and Economic Development Program coordinator. “We need our community to understand that we are still here, and we are still a top-notch resource for exploration and education.”

At the start of the pandemic, WVU Parkersburg’s Workforce and Economic Development team used the makerspace to 3D print over 400 face shields for local and state healthcare facilities, nursing homes, businesses and organizations.

The Makerspace provides public access to tools and training in a creative and fun environment for the purposes of creative expression, exploration and skill advancement. The tools currently available are: 3D printers, laser cutter and engraver, CNC milling machine, vinyl plotter, metal lathe, and their appropri-ate creative software such as Autodesk Fusion 360, Inkscape, Easel, RetinaEngrave, etc.

“The main goal is to be valuable by providing education and resources that may otherwise go under-supported in the community,” Mace said.

For more information on the WVU Parkersburg Reverse Makerspace and how you can get started on your next project, contact Logan Mace at amace1@wvup.edu or 304.420.8606.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (October 26, 2020) – Good afternoon, WVU Parkersburg,

I have the unhappy news of reporting that during the last week WVUP has experienced its largest incidence of COVID-19, eight confirmed cases among students, faculty, and staff in a one-week period. A large residential university might consider this a more expected report, but at a community-based college of our profile where we are very close-knit and familial, this news distresses me greatly as I am sure it will distress you.

There are defining moments in leadership, and I believe this is one of those moments for me. Sometimes we get it right. Sometimes we get it wrong. Often, we don’t know the verdict until the passage of time. Always, a leader shares credit for the good and takes responsibility for the bad, and I will model this behavior with this decision.

In consultation with the Board of Governors, executive team, and leadership of the faculty senate and staff, but accepting that the final decision is mine, I am announcing effective immediately that all face-to-face instruction is temporarily suspended on both campuses for a period of two weeks. Face-to-face clinical placements for our healthcare students are suspended for the same period. We will evaluate a return to the limited face-to-face instruction which we have been doing this semester to begin Monday, November 9, with updates prior to that date and further decisions based on the trajectory of the pandemic.

Instruction will continue, but for at least two weeks it will be all technology-enabled instruction. Students, your instructors will be in touch with you about how your classes will continue during this period, and the administration will be in touch with how to proceed with registration for the spring semester.

Furthermore, I am instructing the Vice Presidents of each area to reduce the face-to-face workforce for the same period as deeply as possible while maintaining essential academic and support services, especially services directly to students. Your Vice President or direct supervisor will be in touch by close of business Wednesday with instructions for your division or department.

While this outbreak at WVUP is small and hopefully containable, and while largely our public health protocols seem to be working, I simply am unwilling to expose you or your family to risk which I can mitigate. We were the first college in West Virginia to move to virtual instruction when Covid-19 hit, so it will not surprise you that I am acting on the side of caution. During this time we will complete very deep cleaning of all facilities and evaluate our protocols for any needed updates.

Please know that I make this decision with respect and concern for the temporary instructional challenges it will cause for both students and faculty and for other challenges it will cause for staff as we are already gearing up for the spring semester.

My foremost concern is for our students, like students across the nation, who have been asked to change almost everything about your college experience. To you, I say this: while technology-enabled instruction at the expense of face-to-face instruction is not an optimal longterm situation, we are doing our best in the short term to ensure the quality of the experience and to prepare you to shift back face-to-face as soon as it is safe to do so. Better days will come again, and please do not give up on your education or your dreams. These are hard times, but hard times build character. We are fully invested in your success, and I ask each of you to remain fully invested in your success.

Finally, to the entire community, I say this: when I wrestle with my conscience as I often do these days, I only win when I value the lives and the good health of you and your families above all other considerations. Enrollment is important. Budgets are important. Your happiness is important.

Your lives are more important, so please begin taking the necessary steps to implement this decision with all due speed even as we hope that it will only stand for two weeks. No doubt you have questions about implementation, and you may ask them of your supervisors and Vice Presidents. If you have more general questions or concerns about this or other leadership decisions, as always you may address them to me directly. If I may be of service to anyone during this challenging moment, please call on me and know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

President Chris Gilmer

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Oct. 23, 2020) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Associate Registrar Sandi Smith has been awarded the Anderson-Milam Award by the West Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (WVACRAO).

The award honors distinguished professionals in admissions, records or enrollment management who have made a significant contribution to WVACRAO and have been involved with the organization for a minimum of five years.

“Receiving the Anderson-Milam award is one of the most significant events of my professional career,” Smith said. “To be selected out of so many deserving individuals is truly an honor. I feel blessed to be a member of such an amazing organization.”

Smith assists the university’s registrar’s office with the overall operations of the records office. The management areas include student records, official and unofficial transcripts, grade petitions, the graduation process, monitoring academic guidelines, degree audits and other related manners. The associate registrar also supervises student workers, manages the records office in the absence of the registrar, determines undergraduate degree completion, issues all WVU Parkersburg diplomas and certificates and ensures the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act compliance at all times.

Serving approximately 12 years with the WVACRAO, Smith is currently the Constitution Committee chair and previously served on the executive committee for five years as the treasurer and president of the organization. She began working in the WVU Parkersburg records office in 1995 as a records assistant and promoted to transfer analyst before receiving an associate registrar title in 2008.

Smith received her associate degree from Fairmont State University and her bachelor’s from WVU Parkersburg. She has been the recipient of the WV Community College Association Outstanding Contributions Award, Staff Member of the Year by WVU Parkersburg and is the four-time recipient of WVU Parkersburg’s Employee of the Month.

The Anderson-Milam Award was established in 1976 to commemorate the services of Douglas Anderson, former West Virginia State College registrar, and Otis Milam, former Fairmont State College registrar. The individual who receives the award has made a significant contribution to WVACRAO and is presented it as a distinguished service award.