This year will mark the 18^th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In observance, West Virginia University at Parkersburg will hold its annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m., at the flagpole in front of the main building to commemorate of the events of 9/11 and to honor the men and women who served, or are currently serving, in the armed forces and as first responders.

“The Veterans Corps of West Virginia University at Parkersburg would like to invite the entire community to join us for this special event to remember all those who were so senselessly killed on that terrible day and to honor the sacrifices of our military and first responders who have dedicated their lives to our protection and defense,” said WVU Parkersburg Veteran Advocate Darren Shearlock.

Capt. David Ozeroff, Naval Junior Reserves Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) Senior Naval Science instructor at Parkersburg High School, will serve as the guest speaker for the special event. Capt. Ozeroff has a distinguished career in the United States Navy and secondary education, and he will provide a unique insight on how the tragic events of 9/11 impacted the nation.

After his service in the Navy, which included directing operations for a state-of-the-art Navy watch center, providing around-the-clock monitoring, electronic reach back, and response for Naval Special Warfare forces deployed worldwide in support of the Global War on Terror, Capt. Ozeroff began mentoring high school students as a NJROTC instructor.

The Parkersburg High School Navy JROTC will provide a color guard to raise the flag and ring the college bell 18 times, with each ring counting the total years since 9/11.

In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved to the college theater or College Activities Center.

For more information about this event, contact Darren Shearlock at darren.shearlock@wvup.edu or 304-424-8337.

West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Education Division is pleased to announce its fall 2019 student teachers:

Keely Ankrom

Marcia Buckley

Amy Clark

Sierra English

Jordan Matics

Madison Pierce-Meadows

Kayla Norman

Brittany Sheppard

Dani Sinnett

Lucinda Swartz

“We have trained our student teachers to focus on finding a way to inspire their students to many questions,” said Dr. David Lancaster, Education Division chairperson. “True learning is teaching students to think for themselves.”

In the elementary education program, students gain hands-on experience as early as their freshman year observing and practicing teaching skills in real school settings. This includes learning key decision-making skills, creating effective lesson plans, developing and assessing one-on-one and group instruction, integrating new technologies into the classroom and more.

“It is such a joy to witness our student teachers helping children be successful,” said Lancaster.

Visit wvup.edu/education to learn more about WVU Parkersburg’s accredited programs.

The 2019 West Virginia Teacher of the Year, Jada Reeves, is this year’s convocation keynote speaker. Her goal, to instill dedication and perseverance into the students to promote positivity in the classroom as well as life. WVU Parkersburg will hold its annual convocation ceremony on Monday, August 26, at 12:15 p.m., in the College Activities Center.

Reeves, a fifth-grade teacher at Bradley Elementary School in Mt. Hope, W.Va., received her undergraduate degree from Concord University and a master’s degree as a reading specialist from Marshall University. Currently pursuing her certification in administration, Reeves received her National Board Certification in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy in 2013. Reeves continues being active in her work, conducting trainings for Raleigh County’s Innovative Team for Professional Development and contributes to the Excess Levy Planning Committee.

As the lead coordinator for the Southern WV National Board Certification Cohort, she serves as one of the facilitators for awareness in certification through the West Virginia Department of Education. Reeves also is the author of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards blog called The Standard.

Staying active in her community, Reeves volunteers her time as an assistant Girl Scout troop leader and as a foster home mom for rescue dogs from Operation Underdog. As an encourager to young individuals, Reeves hopes to instill dedication, perseverance and persistence into each person by showing passion for her work and exuding exciting energy in her classroom.

WVU Parkersburg’s convocation ceremony is held at the beginning of each academic year to welcome new and returning students as well as reaffirm the institution’s eternal commitment to its values.

A formal procession of the college by members of the faculty and administration, and an invitation to faculty members to ring the official college bell will begin the ceremony. A welcome by WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Chris Gilmer will follow. Reeves will proceed with her keynote address, followed by the honor code recitation by members of the WVU Parkersburg student body conducted by Chad Crumbaker, provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs.

“Convocation is a special moment during which we welcome new students into both academic life as a whole and into this university in particular. It is a moment in time which marks the beginning of their journey toward the fulfillment of their dreams and toward enhanced service to their communities. We are so proud of our students, and we mark this moment with our new students who are joining the WVU Parkersburg family,” Gilmer said.

The ceremony is mandatory for new students, and there will be a live transmission to WVU Parkersburg’s Jackson County Center.

For questions or more information, please contact the Office of Academic and Student Affairs at appeals@wvup.edu or 304-434-8209.

If you are hungry, head on out to West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

Beginning this fall semester, the university will have new food service options available for students, faculty, and staff on the Parkersburg campus, and the community is invited to stop by and sample the cuisine.

Ricky’s Café, operated by the university, is expected to open by the end of August, serving full breakfast and lunch options. New vending machines provided by CRJ Vending are stocked around campus, and Chick-fil-A will be serving lunch Monday through Friday 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., or while supplies last, beginning August 19.

“We did a survey of our campus community about food preferences last semester and received about 300 responses. That’s an excellent cross section of our community. Respondents indicated that food quality and price are especially important concerns. We try always to be responsive to feedback, so we are building the menu at Ricky’s Café with these priorities in mind,” said WVU Parkersburg President Chris Gilmer.

“We also polled the community about food vendors they might like to see on campus, and Chick-fil-A polled especially high. It’s highly unusual for a small, rural college like ours to be able to attract a major restaurant chain to campus, and we are so pleased that our friends, the Angelos Family who own the local Chick-fil-A restaurants, answered our call. They have been upstanding citizens and business leaders in this community for decades, so we consider ourselves fortunate to affiliate with them,” Gilmer said.

He added that the university is also entertaining the possibility of a coffee kiosk or similar vendor to round out the options, but that they won’t move forward with any additional food vending options until Ricky’s Café is fully up and running. “First the cake, then the icing,” Gilmer said. “Our top priority is to provide lunch options for our students, faculty, and staff as quickly as we possibly can.”

While the university had been considering food service options for some time, the situation changed during the summer when the contract with its previous vendor ended unexpectedly. “I really want to commend our team for pulling together on short notice to provide economical and tasty dining options for our community,” Gilmer said. “We want people to be able to spend their money on choices that appeal to them for whatever reason, so it is important to have options. As always, our team put the needs of our community first and rose to the challenge.”

The West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors will meet Wednesday, August 14. The meeting will take place at 3:15 p.m. in the Francis and Nina Phares Board Room (room 1300A) on main campus. View the complete agenda here.

Nine West Virginia University at Parkersburg faculty members have been selected for promotions ahead of the 2019-2020 academic year. The promotions are effective Aug. 12.

Two faculty members earned the rank of full professor, five more received promotions to associate professor, and two were promoted to assistant professor.

Aaron Crites – promoted to professor of history

David Thompson – promoted to professor of psychology

Chad Crumbaker, J.D. – promoted to associate professor of legal studies

Joel Farkas – promoted to associate professor of biology

Holly Martin – promoted to associate professor of biology

Gerald Rowley – promoted to associate professor of electricity & instrumentation

Gary Thompson – promoted to associate professor of computer science

William Channell – promoted to assistant professor of chemical & polymer operator technology

Craig Giffin – promoted to assistant professor of industrial maintenance

To receive a promotion in rank, a faculty member must have demonstrated significant contributions in the areas of teaching and service to students, professional growth and development, and service to the institution and community.

“The faculty are vital to the success of students in every classroom,” said Chad Crumbaker, provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs, WVU Parkersburg. “Those promoted this year represent programs from all across WVU Parkersburg. We are proud of their hard work and look forward to their continuing contributions in serving our community and our students.”