Parkersburg, W.Va. (May 2, 2023) – West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Phi Theta Kappa Sigma Omega chapter sponsored an Adopt a Highway cleanup that took place on Saturday, April 29, 2023.

“Fourteen volunteers (Brayden Boothe-Nelson, Adam Fox, Jonah Fox, Zack Burner, Candy Parsons, Kelly Digman, Colton Richards, Ayden Yost, Abby Moore, PTK chapter officer Caroline Northedge, PTK Alumni Victoria Poellot-Tauber, PTK chapter president Tiana Tauber, PTK advisors Andrew Walker and Marie Butler) came out to pick up litter from the edge of the roadways around campus, including Nicolette Road, Swisher Lane, Woodberry Lane, and Campus Drive,” said Marie Butler,  PTK Advisor.

“We had a very successful event with a total of 9 large bags of trash/aluminum cans/pop bottles/Styrofoam cups, 2 tires and a large piece of plastic as well as numerous cigarette butts picked up in 2 hours’ time.”

PTK is an invitation-only honor society on campus. To be eligible, students must have a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average and completed at least 12 credit hours of associate degree work.

However, the event is open to all members of the campus community to take a few hours to give back to the surrounding community.  The Adopt a Highway cleanup event also fulfills required community service hours for the WV Invests, Ascend, Elementary Education and Nursing programs.

For more information about PTK, contact advisors Marie Butler (mbutler1@wvup.edu) or Andrew Walker (wwalker1@wvup.edu).

Parkersburg, W.Va. (April 12, 2023) – WVU Parkersburg is hosting Making Connections with Family Resources, an event to provide families and caregivers with resources for those struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. The event will take place on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. in the College Activities Center.

A variety of mental health professionals will be speaking at the training. Exhibitors from several organizations will also be present to provide resources and talk to attendees. These exhibitors include, First Choice, WVU RTN, The Healthcare Plan, MSP-CAN, Disability Rights of WV, and Westbrook Health Services.

The event was funded by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, the Bureau for Behavioral Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Lunch and childcare will be provided. Visit https://forms.gle/hNHQej9A8vFDNbmh7 to register.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 23, 2023) – Rising inflation costs and recent legislation resulted in WVU Parkersburg’s administration requesting a tuition increase be considered for the 2023-24 academic year.

On Tuesday, March 21, the WVUP Board of Governors met to discuss six options for tuition increases. The increases considered were at 5%, 7.5% or 9%. With the first three options, employees would be given a $1,750 increase in pay. The second three options offered the full $2,300 increase in pay as discussed by the WV Legislature during the recent session. Also during the session, the Legislature agreed to large increases in PEIA health care premiums paid by both employers and employees. The $2,300 amount proposed by legislators would be to offset premium costs expected for employees beginning July 1, 2023.

“Our governors discussed the options of tuition and pay increases, considered the impact on students, and listened to the requests of our faculty and staff representatives before making a decision,” said Interim President Dr. Torie Jackson. “After much consideration for next year’s budget projections, they chose to assist employees with the $2,300 increase and to help students with only up to a 7.5% increase in tuition. This will allow us to have a balanced budget for next year provided we meet our enrollment projections.”

The increased costs to the college as a result of unfunded legislative mandates will be more than $400,000. Employer premiums are expected to increase by 25% this summer.

“It is expected that most institutions in the state will be making decisions for increased tuition as a result of increased costs from PEIA, state announced salary increases, and increasing inflation,” Jackson said.

For a student attending WVUP, this increase is calculated at $12 per credit hour for those pursuing an associate degree, a 7.15% increase. It will be an $17 per credit hour increase, a 7.32% increase, for those pursuing baccalaureate degrees. Students only pay for 12 hours of credits. Any credit pursued over 12 hours is at no cost to a student.

The amount of money students can receive if they are fully eligible for federal Pell grants increased to $7,395, which will still completely cover the tuition costs for students attending WVUP who are eligible for a full Pell award. The Promise scholarship award amount also increased to $5,200. In addition, students in all of WVUP’s associate of applied science degrees can be eligible for WV Invests, which means they will have tuition expenses covered by the state after accepting available aid.

“Even with this increase, the majority of our students will still graduate from WVUP debt free,” Jackson said. “We have many programs and scholarships that can make sure they benefit from the value of WVUP while making their big dreams come true in their educational endeavors.”

About WVU Parkersburg

West Virginia University at Parkersburg, established in 1961, is a life-changing institution for the students and communities it serves. The college offers over 50 degree programs, workforce development, short-term career training programs and community education classes. WVU Parkersburg is also the only community and technical college in West Virginia to offer bachelor’s degrees, and it is home to WPKM 96.3 FM, the first community college radio station in the state.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 16, 2023) – WVU Parkersburg Business Policy Capstone students are nationally ranked for global market leadership competing in the international market simulation GLO-BUS. One of their student teams is currently tied for 29th place.

The competition promotes students to co-managers of a company – selling either wearable video cameras or sophisticated camera-equipped copter drones – where they must make major decisions in areas such as product design and performance, financing company operations, pricing and marketing.

A computer provides insight into how each decision will impact the company’s performance by calculating the potential sales, profit, and other key information. The companies are judged on five criteria, including earn per share, return on equity, stock prices, credit rating and brand image.

“At the beginning of the semester, Professor Holland mentioned how he previously had a team finish in the top 10 in the Glo-Bus competition,” said Jessika Doster, WVU Parkersburg student and team member of the Glo-Busters. “I honestly didn’t think or expect to even rank in the top 100. Now that we have, I can’t wait to see how far we can go with our company.”

The Glo-Busters are one of the teams tied for 29th place during the week March 6 – 12 in the overall game-to-date rankings scoring 107 out of a possible high score of 110. These rankings are based on a 50%-50% weighting for the Investor Expectations and the Best-in-Industry and are based on a maximum score of 110.

Students in this group include: Patrick Francis, Jessika Doster, Jackson Justice, James Malson, Shannon Reilly and Boston Caruthers.

“WVU Parkersburg business students perform at high levels in these competitions,” said Jeff Holland, professor. “Our students are beating students at large colleges and universities across the country. Our students are among the top-rated graduates in the country, and I’m proud of their accomplishments.”

The Business Policy Capstone students are joined by more than 2559 students worldwide from 119 colleges and universities. GLO-BUS combines all of the student’s previously learned concepts throughout the baccalaureate business programs and lets them create their own strategies for success. The competition is ongoing and the teams are planning for continued success.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 10, 2023) – WVU Parkersburg’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is celebrating this year’s Women’s History Month with an evening panel discussion with women from the community and the college as they share how their hard work and dedication have paid off in big dividends on March 30 at 7 p.m.

The panelists include Dr. Torie Jackson, Interim President, WVU Parkersburg; Alice Harris, Executive Vice President of Finance & Administration, WVU Parkersburg; Christie Willis, Superintendent, Wood County Schools; Wendy Shriver, Executive Director, Discovery World on Market; and Lindsey Piersol, Economic Development Director, Wood County.

“As part of the efforts of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, we felt the need to share with our students a program that could have a lasting impact on their career goals.  Each one of our distinguished panel members is a leader,” said Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair Nancy Harris.  They represent the college and our community, and they have broken the ‘Glass Ceiling.’”

A display in honor of International Women’s Day will also be present at the event. WVU Parkersburg Art Club and Psychology Club created a display that showcases women in art and psychology history.

“According to Forbes, leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others towards the achievement of a goal.  We have also invited the female leaders of many local non-profit organizations, service agencies and college leadership because they are true influencers and leaders who understand that hard work and dedication pays big dividends,” said Harris.

The event is free and open to the public and will act as an opportunity for students to network with community members. The Breaking the Glass Ceiling event will take place in the College Activities Center on Thursday, March 30, at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Nancy Harris at nancy.harris@wvup.edu.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 3, 2023) – Several WVU Parkersburg students and honorary members were inducted into WVU Parkersburg’s Omicron Pi Chapter of Delta Mu Delta at a ceremony that took place at the college on March 2.

The students inducted were Tyler Bumgarner, Jenny Dixon, Bradley Emerick, Alex Hendrickson, Adam Hoschar, Ryan Malson, Angel Spangler and Michael Yonis III.

“Serving as the faculty advisor for the chapter, I have witnessed the real-world significance of membership for our students at the beginning, and throughout their careers. Our chapter’s membership includes WVU Parkersburg alumni who hold positions in the federal government, law, and own prominent local businesses,” said Dr. Billy Stone, faculty advisor at WVU Parkersburg.

Also inducted as honorary members were Dr. Torie Jackson, Interim President, WVU Parkersburg; Wendy Shriver, Executive Director, Discovery World on Market; Amanda Stevens, Executive Director, Downtown PKB; Benjamin Poling, President, McDonough, Eddy, Poling & Baylous A.C.; Rachel Poling, Accountant, McDonough, Eddy, Poling & Baylous A.C.; Lauriel Rader, Administrative Associate, WVU Parkersburg; and Melody Hatfield, Instructor, WVU Parkersburg.

 “The beauty of Delta Mu Delta is that individual chapters celebrate the academic achievements of students while honoring exemplary, local professionals who are recognized as role models for the next generation of business leaders,” said Stone.

WVU Parkersburg’s Omicron Pi chapter of Delta Mu Delta was established in 2019. It fosters the well-being of its individual members and the business community through life-time membership.

Delta Mu Delta is an international business honor society that recognizes students with exceptional academic achievement in bachelor’s degree programs in Business Administration. It was founded in Nov. 18, 1913, by the Dean of Harvard University and four professors from Yale University and New York University and currently has almost 200 chapters worldwide.

For more information about Delta Mu Delta, visit their website https://deltamudelta.org. For more information about WVU Parkersburg’s chapter, Omicron Pi, contact Billy Stone at wstone1@wvup.edu.

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Feb. 28, 2023) – The WVU Parkersburg Professional Studies Division hosted a ceremony Feb. 27 to honor students being admitted into the education program, as well as induct new members into the honor society Kappa Delta Pi.

Students Chloe Blatt, Rebecca Burdette, Elizabeth Collie, Scott Gorby, Kensley Hager, Quentin Kennedy, Madeline Kitts, Kelsie Means, Kathryn Offenberger, Ariana Pagan, Mariah Parks, Kaeleigh Parsons, and Harley Saxton were admitted into the education program.

“The signing ceremony is a pivotal point for our education majors. Teacher candidates being accepted into the program must have a 3.0 GPA, pass three PRAXIS Core exams, successfully complete 60 hours of field placement and complete 50 hours of service learning,” said Dr. Bobbi Marshall, Dean of the Professional Studies Division.

“Teacher candidates have worked hard to get to this point in the program. We are very proud of their accomplishments and look forward to seeing great things from them as they move into the next phase of their education.”

Olivia Birkhimer, Rebecca Burdette, Lindsey Cross, Abigail Lathem, Kathryn Offenberger, Hannah Parsons, Vanessa Patton, Harley Saxton, and Elizabeth Weaver were all inducted into Kappa Delta Pi.

“Seeing new faces joining the education program and Kappa Delta Pi brings me joy. In today’s society, this profession is much needed. I can’t wait to see how these future teachers positively impact the lives of their students,” said KDP President Maggy Criser.

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

Parkersburg, W.Va. (Feb. 27, 2023) – WVU Parkersburg will host an Adult Mental Health First Aid course on Friday, March 3, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., in support of the West Virginia Green Bandana Initiative.

The Green Bandana Initiative, an effort spearheaded by members of the 2021-2022 State Advisory Council of Students, is a mental health awareness and training campaign aimed at encouraging students at West Virginia’s colleges and universities to receive peer-level mental health training and at increasing awareness of the importance of mental health. The Green Bandana Initiative is intended to be a student-led effort, calling on SGA members and other student leaders on campus to help spread the word about mental health trainings, such as Mental Health First Aid, QPR, SafeTALK or other evidence-based mental health/gatekeeper trainings to their fellow students.

Students who complete training will receive a green bandana to wear or tie to their book bag to signify to other students that they have been trained and can offer peer-level assistance. The green bandanas worn by the trained students also serve to raise awareness of the importance of mental health.

Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance use issues. The course gives tools for reaching out and providing help and support to someone experiencing a crisis or who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem.

The training is open to students, staff, and faculty. Registration is first come, first serve, with a limit of 30 people for the training session. This is a blended training with online coursework that must be completed prior to the in-person training session on March 3.

To register for the training, contact Andrew Walker at wwalker1@wvup.edu by Wednesday, March 1.