Parkersburg, W.Va. (June 30, 2023) – WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Torie Jackson announced today that the college’s foundation will be the recipient of the largest donation ever gifted to the institution.

The Ross Foundation is providing $10 million to the WVU at Parkersburg Foundation to create a WVUP Technology Center. The WVUP Foundation has signed an asset purchase agreement for the former OVU property in Wood County. After being approved by both the estate and bankruptcy courts, the WVUP Foundation will buy the property and use remaining funds to renovate it.

“While the path to today has taken a few turns, it is leading us to an opportunity to impact the future economic development of the Mid-Ohio Valley,” Jackson said at a press conference held at WVUP on Friday, June 30. She was joined by Tres Ross of The Ross Foundation, as well as several other dignitaries and board members.

“We’re happy to be part of this initiative that will help the WVU Parkersburg in an entrepreneurial way,” said Ross. “We look forward to helping to grow more programs for our youth, especially in information technology businesses that create entrepreneurial opportunities.”

The future WVUP Technology Center will be a place where the college will focus on growth of degrees in computer science, computer information technology, the bachelor of applied technology in cybersecurity and networking, as well as opportunities for growth in degrees like mechanical engineering.

In addition, the college hopes to add a space for 25 technology-based incubators to operate in the same facility as the collegiate education of our students. They plan to work with the Wood County Development Authority and the WV Office of Economic Development to attract companies to the Mid-Ohio Valley to begin incubating in the new facility and bring technology jobs with them. The college also will be incubating student businesses, with winners of the pitch competition – with the first competition held this spring by our Erickson Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship Professor Charles Almond – having a place to incubate their businesses as they move from a concept and business plan to an operating company.

“This project is about an ecosystem change in Wood County. It’s about a higher education institution having an opportunity to bring transformative change to the economy of the Mid-Ohio Valley by partnering to bring new technology businesses here. This project is about giving students a safe place to begin tech businesses alongside prospering companies in an incubator facility,” Jackson said. “What we have before us is opportunity. Thank you, again, to The Ross Foundation for this amazing gift. We are blessed and honored to receive it.”

WV Community and Technical College System Chancellor Dr. Sarah Tucker, who was unable to attend the press conference, shared the following: “I believe this is the single greatest donation ever given to a community college in West Virginia,” Chancellor Tucker said. “I am extremely proud of the work of our community colleges and WVU Parkersburg in particular. President Jackson and her team have worked very hard to secure this donation. I am so grateful for them and thankful for The Ross Foundation for their unwavering support.”

“This is a game changer in the sense that the opportunities for Parkersburg, Vienna, and the Wood County area are going to be on the forefront of the technology realm,” said WV Delegate Vernon Criss.

“If you look around, you can see that we live in a very special place. It’s a place where people will work together and help each other in order to better the community,” added WVU at Parkersburg Foundation Board Chair Becky Deem-McGinnis.

The former OVU property is in a unique situation. Signing the asset purchase agreement now means that attorneys will file motions in bankruptcy court and in estate court as the property is being held in a receivership. Then hearings will be held. After the courts make a ruling, an appeal process will be 14 days for bankruptcy court and 30 days for the estate in receivership court. WVUP will provide a timeline for completion of the new technology center after that process is complete.

“We’re about to embark on the July 4 weekend, where many of us will watch fireworks. Before that firework hits the sky, it is in a very plain, dense container made up of many parts. The people sitting in this room today are just some of the parts that have been gathered together to be launched into the air and it will light up the sky with beauty and energy and love for our community to see,” said WVU Parkersburg Board of Governors Chair Joe Oliverio. “On behalf of the Board of Governors, thank you for beinga part of the container and being able to see the vision that Sam Ross and the Ross Foundation had for this college, the community and our students.”

WVU Parkersburg and Constellium hold 2023 Skilled Trades Signing Ceremony for 13 students

 Parkersburg, W.Va. (June 23, 2023) — Public officials, students, and their loved ones gathered at Constellium in Ravenswood, W.Va., as 13 students received scholarships into the Skilled Trades Scholarship Program on Friday.

The Skilled Trades Scholarship Program is a collaboration between Constellium and WVU Parkersburg, which provides scholarships to selected students to help them earn a college degree and gain employment in a skilled trades job. Students may choose to complete an Associate of Applied Science degree in Multi-Craft Technology or Reliability and Maintenance Technology offered through WVU Parkersburg. After completing their associate degree, students will commit to employment with Constellium for at least five years as part of the scholarship requirements.

Constellium CEO Buddy Stemple said the program helps Constellium retain future employees while also being beneficial to students.

“They’re going to have a two-year associate degree, totally paid for, with a job. And they get to stay in the state of West Virginia, we’re losing far too many young people,” said Stemple after the ceremony. “So I think it’s just a win-win all the way around.”

The 13 area students selected for the scholarship program are:

Austin Balis, Ripley High School

William Conrad, Wirt County High School

Joah Defren, Ripley High School

Tannar Ebos, Ravenswood High School

Ethan Fry, Ravenswood High School

Nicholas Hill, Ripley High School

David Moore Jr., Ripley High School

Drake Smith, Roane High School

Hunter Brown, Ripley High School

Isaiah Casto, Ripley High School

Alec Marshall, Parkersburg South High School

Austin Starcher, Wirt County High School

Alec Vance, Ripley High School

Scholarship recipients are selected based on criteria such as grade point average, school attendance, letters of recommendation, and an interview process.

During the ceremony, WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Torie Jackson gave thanks for the partnership between WVUP and Constellium, as well as encouraged students on their upcoming journey that lies ahead.

“We’re very excited for this partnership. Students, we have free tutoring, we have lots of supports for you as we go along this journey,” said Jackson. “In every educational journey, people look for the light at the end of the tunnel. You start yours knowing what job will be yours after you complete your education. And, along the way, you will have the support of WVUP and Constellium to allow you to get there successfully.”

Vice Chancellor at the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia Chris Treadway discussed why community college educations are better than a four-year degree. He said community colleges can uniquely form relationships with employers and meet their needs.

“You couldn’t have picked a better place than WVUP to start on this journey, it’s such a supportive team, and we’re so proud of them and the work they do,” said Treadway, during the ceremony. “If you ever need anything, if you ever feel like you’re stressed or overwhelmed, don’t let it get to you just ask one of the folks at WVUP — that’s what they specialize in.”

Other speakers included representatives from Governor Jim Justice, Senator Shelley Moore-Capito, Senator Joe Manchin — all expressing how the partnership should be a model for employment practices.

WV Secretary of Economic Development Mitch Carmichael also gave remarks, noting how special plants like Constellium are to a local economy and reminding the crowd that his journey began because of the wages his father made at a Jackson County plant.

Constellium supplies aluminum and operates in markets such as aerospace, automotive, construction, packaging, renewable energy and transportation worldwide. They have several government and military contracts and are instrumental in providing aluminum products for rockets built for the United States.

WVU Parkersburg announces faculty promotions

Parkersburg, W.Va. (June 13, 2023) — Sixteen West Virginia University at Parkersburg faculty members have been selected for promotions ahead of the 2023-2024 academic year. The promotions are effective August 2023.

Three faculty members earned the rank of full professor, seven more received promotions to associate professor, and six were promoted to assistant professor.

• Alicia Beeson — promoted to associate professor of English
• Pearley Brown — promoted to assistant professor of English
• Andrew Carpenter — promoted to assistant professor of Mathematics
• Mary Hetrick — promoted to professor of Biology
• Joseph Hunt — promoted to associate professor of Welding
• Torie Jackson — promoted to professor of Communications and Media Studies
• Kyle Lancaster — promoted to assistant professor of Education
• Kyle Maston — promoted to associate professor of Welding
• Melanie Matheny — promoted to assistant professor of Nursing
• Callix Miller — promoted to associate professor of Drafting
• Laurie Reidmiller — promoted to professor of Art
• Douglas Rhodes — promoted to associate professor of Computer and Information Technology
• William Stone — promoted to associate professor of Business
• Amy Strong — promoted to assistant professor of Criminal Justice
• Leslie Tingler — promoted to assistant professor of Nursing
• Andrew Walker — promoted to associate professor of Criminal Justice

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.

At WVUP, faculty often begin at the instructor level and remain at that level for four years before having the opportunity to apply for promotion to an assistant professor position, which lasts five years. The next level of promotion is associate professor, which is also held for five years before applying for the rank of professor.

“The promotions for this year’s faculty members are an example of great team players concerned about students. These faculty members make me WVUP-Proud and it is an honor to be part of their promotions,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. David Lancaster. “Great things at West Virginia University at Parkersburg are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of individuals that focus on serving students.”

WVU Parkersburg installs first EV charging station on campus

Parkersburg, W.Va. (June 1, 2023) — Students finished installing the campus’s first electric vehicle charging station on Friday, May 26.

Wood County Technical Center students held a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside of the Caperton Center with caution tape and an electric saw to inaugurate the opening of the new EV charging station at WVU Parkersburg. The students, who go by Amish Electric, were part of the Electrical Technology program, instructed by Mark Holbert. Mark Powell of Gexpro, and Phil Cunix of Astorg Auto came to show their support. Cunix brought an electric truck and van to test out the charger.

“The charging station the class just completed gave the students the opportunity to take ownership of the project from the design phase to the completion of the installation,” said Holbert.

Holbert said the electric tech program teaches students about various electrical fields including residential, commercial and industrial wiring.

“The students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with planning an electrical installation, installing electrical service, wiring a house, installing electrical devices, working with different switching configurations, conduit bending, wire pulling techniques, motors, motor controls and many other electrical skills,” said Holbert. “The electrical field is always expanding into new technologies, some of them being; green energy such as solar and wind, energy savings such as LED lighting and smart houses, and electric vehicles.”

Director of the Wood County Technical Center and Caperton Center for Applied Technology Dr. Jason Hughes applauded the students for their ingenuity.

“I’m very proud of Mr. Holbert and his students for taking on this innovative project,” said Hughes. “This project illustrates the power and importance of partnerships in education.”

Holbert said the charging station project has helped students prepare for a future career in the electric industry.

“Skilled electricians are in high demand,” said Holbert. “Hopefully, with this program and the opportunity for the students to gain hands-on experience, like this EV charging station project, the students will be ready to pursue a good paying career in the electrical industry after their education is complete.”

Brayden Allen, Nathan Buskirk, Owen Collins, Jayden Dearth, Colton Floyd, Levi Gribble, Hunter Landis, Eli Law, Shamus Mahaney, Austin Ritchie, Isaac Sullivan, Bowen Taylor, Alex Tawney, and Jeffery Waldron were among the students who attended the ceremony.

“It was a really great experience,” said Alex Tawney, Williamstown High School student. “We were able to do something new and learn a lot of new things.”

Jeffery Waldron, South Parkersburg High School student, added, “It was good for us to have the experience, and it is great that the public gets to use the EV charger.”

WVU Parkersburg President Torie Jackson said the college would observe the need for additional charging stations in the future.

“As the students explained, it is an exciting opportunity for them to learn a new technology and for the college to be able to provide a charging station for community use,” said Jackson. “The growth of electric vehicles in our area will result in additional EV charging stations in future years on the campus. We will monitor usage of this first station to know any necessary expansions of EV charging on the Parkersburg campus.”

The EV station is listed on EV charging maps for public use and is across from the Caperton Center near the Walking Trail and the Welding Tower on campus.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (May 16, 2023) — West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors named Dr. Torie Jackson as the university’s president Tuesday, May 16, during a 3 p.m. board meeting held in the Francis and Nina Phares Board Room.

Jackson will assume the presidency on July 1, 2023. She is currently the interim president and Chief Executive Officer at WVU Parkersburg. She has also served WVU Parkersburg in various leadership roles since her start in higher education in 2004.

“We are excited and honored that Dr. Torie Jackson has been selected as the new President of WVUP. Dr. Jackson’s experiences – both personally and professionally – and her outlook on life make her uniquely suited for this position,” said Steve Hardman, Chair of WVU Parkersburg’s Board of Governors. “Dr. Jackson received a doctorate in higher education from WVU. She has served WVUP in many capacities, including Faculty Member of the Year, Faculty Senate President, Department Chair, Vice President, and Interim President. Dr. Jackson has truly excelled in each of these positions.”

“We had a great Search Committee comprised of outstanding faculty. Staff, students and members of the community. They were focused and dedicated, and took their work very seriously,” Hardman added. “The result is the selection of a truly exceptional president. We are so pleased that Dr. Jackson has been selected to lead WVUP into a very bright future.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to lead the institution that first embraced me years ago. I appreciate the support of our board of governors, our faculty and staff, and our students,” said Jackson. “I will continue to work to make sure all of us are WVU Parkersburg Proud!”

Jackson succeeds herself as interim president. Since Dr. Chris Gilmer departed from the college, she has held the title since July 1, 2022, to become the president at West Virginia University Potomac State College.

“We recently have completed our strategic plan for the college, and it will take a team approach to reach those goals and outcomes,” said Jackson when asked about her plans for the presidency. “We will also continue to work with industry professionals to prepare a workforce for upcoming jobs and focus efforts on recruitment and retention of students in all programs.”

Jackson is a Ritchie County native who has been a member of WVU Parkersburg since 2008. She is an alum of WVUP with an associate of applied science in journalism. She has a Regents Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in journalism, a Master’s in corporate/organizational communication, and a doctorate in higher education administration, all from West Virginia University. Jackson is married to Todd Jackson, a deputy sheriff in Ritchie County, and is the mother to three sons, Creed, Heath, and Ruger.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (May 9, 2023) — WVU Parkersburg held its 52nd annual spring commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 6, at 2 p.m. J. Craig McAtee, executive director and CEO for the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers, served as the keynote speaker.

McAtee reflected on his life experiences and told the spring class of 2023 to strive for greatness because perfection doesn’t exist.

“If it ain’t broke, break it because everything can be done better,” said McAtee. “The bottom line is nothing can be considered perfect.”

McAtee serves as the principal of his consulting company, McAtee Ventures, LLC, and was a former director of Additive Manufacturing Technology for Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). He has spent over 25 years in engineering and senior leadership positions for Swagelok Company, an international manufacturing organization based in Cleveland. He is an alum of Parkersburg High School who attended Parkersburg Community College (now WVUP) before moving to Cleveland in 1973. He graduated from Tri-C in 1975, Kent State University with an Industrial Engineering BA in 1977, Malone College with a BA in 1997, and Cleveland State University with an Executive MBA in 2000.

WVU Parkersburg Interim President Dr. Torie Jackson also encouraged the graduating class, reminding them to believe in their talents and that they have a support system beyond their family and friends.

“My advice is very simple: think of new and innovative ways to do things and agree to get out of your comfort zone, and push yourself to accomplish those dreams, knowing you always have a support system in your alma mater,” said Jackson. “Today you show perseverance, and we celebrate your success with you.”

One hundred thirty graduates crossed the stage, with a total of 291 students earning certificate, associate, and bachelor’s degrees, pending final grades. The college also presented recognition awards and honorary degrees to exceptional members of the campus and surrounding community, including:

• Honorary degree recipients: Robert “Todd” Fox, venture leader, and ethics champion at Chemours; Jeff Matheny, former Board of Governors chair; and John Denbigh, former Board of Governors chair.
• Alumni of the Year: Amy West, Program Director, received the award posthumously for her work on the surgical technician program at WVU Parkersburg, and her role as a recruiter and teacher.

Also, during the commencement, WVU Parkersburg recognized Holly Dexter, assistant professor of business, as the Bernard P. McDonough Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year. She is leading the reaffirmation of accreditation of the business programs through the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs accreditation body.

To watch the Spring 2023 commencement ceremony, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtLHcNuLFU.