President E. Gordon Gee Story Archives - Page 3 of 3 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Rockefeller Honored with School of Policy, Politics in His Name

Some 2,000 boxes of documents, 500 gigabytes of data and hundreds of pieces of memorabilia now have a new home at West Virginia University after President E. Gordon Gee and Senator Jay Rockefeller announced Saturday the university’s library will serve as Rockefeller’s official Senatorial archive.

During a presentation in the Wise Library on the university’s main campus, Gee also announced the creation of school in the Senator’s namesake. The political science program has separated from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and will join with a policy institute that’s in the works to create the John D. Rockefeller IV School of Policy and Politics.

“[The school] is going to cover a broad range of study. It’s going to do it openly, honestly and absolutely fearlessly. Some of it will be controversial and so be it,” Rockefeller said.

A view of the room in WVU’s Wise Library.

The senator said he plans to take an active role in shaping the education students of the school will receive, pushing the focus toward policy and public service.

“My vision, and one that President Gee and WVU shares,” Rockefeller said Saturday, “is a place that ignites the embers of service and scholarship in scores of young men and women for years and years to come, setting them on a path to utterly transforming West Virginia and maybe just a little bit the world.”

According to Dr. Scott Crichlow, who will lead the new school, the university hopes to have the policy institute in place by the summer of 2015.

Sen. Rockefeller spoke with reporters after the announcement Saturday.

As for the photos, awards, pottery and art the Rockefeller’s donated, many pieces are currently on display in a gallery in the Wise Library. The documents are in the process of being transferred to the school and will be available for study by students, faculty and, most importantly to the senator, the public.

“I hope when people read these volumes, they will better understand both the legislative issues, but also me,” Rockefeller said, :and why it is I fought so hard and continued to and will ever continue for those least able to fight for themselves.”

Rockefeller announced his retirement in January 2013. A transplant who originally came to the state as a VISTA volunteer, the senator also pledged to stay in West Virginia.

“West Virginia is where I found my life’s purpose, my spiritual calling,” he said, “and it is in West Virginia that I hope my legacy will be remembered and my journey as a public servant understood.”

Pearl S. Buck: Someone Every West Virginian Should Know, Why and How

West Virginia University announced a partnership with West Virginia Wesleyan College that will honor and celebrate, preserve and offer for research a collection of works by Pulitzer Prize winning author and Nobel Laureate Pearl S. Buck.

Message from WVU: In order to preserve and promote the legacy of Pearl S. Buck, West Virginia University and West Virginia Wesleyan College are collaborating with the Pearl S, Buck Birthplace Foundation to increase use of the Pearl S. Buck Collection and stimulate Pearl S. Buck studies in West Virginia and beyond. Goals of this partnership include archival preservation, the creation of a Pearl S. Buck Collection website, and the development of education and outreach initiatives including research grants, a biennial conference and award, and a new publication series through the WVU Press.

West Virginia’s Pearl

Pearl S. Buck was born in 1892 in Hillsboro, West Virginia. Three months later, her missionary parents moved with her to China where she spent the large majority of the first 40 years of her life. Can West Virginians claim her as one of their own? A resounding “yes” could be heard in the halls of the WVU library which will now be home to many of her writings.

WVU President Gordon Gee kicked off a recent event in Morgantown to celebrate the collection of the late author. Gee spoke about Buck’s connection to West Virginia.

Many of Pearl Buck’s life experiences and political views can be discovered in her writings. She covered a wide range of topics from immigration, adoption, and war, to women’s rights.

In fact, in a 1958 interview with Pearl Buck, Mike Wallace tried to pin her down as a militant, man-hating feminist. Buck was very reserved and rejected the title. She said she worried for men and women in a society trying to prepare them both for a manner of success defined in patriarchal terms. Then… she transcended the question completely and spoke on the lonely human condition in the West and the burdens of freedom:

A Rock Star

Buck began to write in the twenties and continued to write until her death in March of 1973, authoring some 100 works. Her first novel, East Wind, West Wind, appeared in 1930. Her second book The Good Earth stood on the American list of best sellers for a long time and earned her several awards, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1932. Then in 1938, Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature.

“She was sort of a rock star at that time, and so when she spoke there were always people listening,” said acting president of the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation, Kirk Judd. He said Pearl was truly a citizen of the globe. Armed with fame and considerable fortune, a global perspective, an education, and steeped in West Virginian morals, she became an outspoken humanitarian. Judd said she’s considered by many to have been wise beyond her years.

The Collection

The Buck collection of manuscripts and other documents which were housed for many years at WV Wesleyan found a new home at WVU. The collection is owned by the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation, and includes over 70 of her works including novels, short stories, and children’s books—all of which will also be made available online.

Jolie Lewis is a former board member of the foundation who came up to see the collection dedicated in Morgantown.

Lewis also echoed remarks uttered during the dedication, imparting that Pearl S. Buck’s work is a treasure and a source of inspiration for all West Virginians.

WVU Boosts Profile of Diversity Chief

West Virginia University is elevating the status of its top diversity official.

The university said Wednesday that David M. Fryson has been promoted to vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. He’s been chief diversity officer since 2012.

University President Gordon Gee made the announcement on the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. He says this isn’t just a title change, but a move to build on the progress made in the last five decades.

Gee says the goal is to ensure that the university is a welcoming place to learn, work and teach.

WVU President to Earn $775,000 Annually

West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee will earn a total $775,000 under his new contract.

Media outlets report that Gee’s earnings include $650,000 in base pay and a $125,000 supplement to be paid by the WVU Foundation. Gee also will be eligible for annual raises under the two-year contract.

Gee’s pay is the same as former WVU President Jim Clements. Gee was named interim president after Clements left for Clemson in November 2013. The Higher Education Policy Commission approved Gee’s appointment as permanent president in March.

As interim president, Gee was paid an annualized rate of $450,000. His new contract began this week.

The 70-year-old Gee earned about $2 million as Ohio State’s president before he returned to WVU, where he was president in the 1980s.