Tag: West Virginia Univeristy

January 24, 1822: WVU's First President Alexander Marton Born

Educator and clergyman Alexander Martin was born in Scotland on January 24, 1822. When he was 14, he moved with his parents to Jefferson County, Ohio, adjoining the Northern Panhandle.

Martin became principal of Kingwood Academy in Preston County in 1846 and later taught at and served as principal of Clarksburg’s Northwestern Academy.

He also was a Methodist pastor in Charleston, Moundsville, and Wheeling. During the Civil War, Martin became the West Virginia president of the Christian Commission, a social services agency that relieved some of the war’s hardships.

In December 1863, Martin played a key role in getting the West Virginia Legislature to pass public schools legislation. In 1867, he became the first president of the Agricultural College of West Virginia, which became West Virginia University the next year. The core of WVU’s downtown campus took shape during Martin’s time as president, including construction of what would become known as Martin and Woodburn halls.

In 1875, Alexander Martin left WVU over a dispute regarding the school’s direction. He went on to help develop DePauw University and died in Indiana in 1893 at age 71.

October 19, 1949: Writer Richard Currey Born in Parkersburg

Writer Richard Currey was born in Parkersburg on October 19, 1949. He served as navy medical corpsman from 1968 to 1972 and also studied at West Virginia University and Howard University.

Currey’s first poem was published in 1974, His first book of poetry came out in 1980, earning him a Pulitzer Prize nomination. As a result of the anthology Crossing Over: A Vietnam Journal, Currey became the D.H Lawrence Fellow in Literature and writer in residence at the University of New Mexico. He founded the Santa Fe Writers Project and continues to live in New Mexico.

His first novel, Fatal Light, was published in 1987. It told the story of a West Virginia soldier in Vietnam. The Wars of Heaven, a collection of short stories, followed in 1990. The title story from the book was also included in the 1998 O. Herry Award prize story collection. His most recent novel, Lost Highway, came out in 1997 and followed the exploits of a West Virginia country-western singer.

Richard Currey’s writing often reflects his own family experiences and life in the hills of his native West Virginia.   

August 31, 1957: Historian Charles Ambler Dies at 81

Historian Charles Ambler died on August 31, 1957, at age 81. He was one of the most influential historians in West Virginia history.

The Ohio native grew up in St. Marys, West Virginia, and then taught in Pleasants County schools and served as the county sheriff. After earning degrees from West Virginia University and the University of Wisconsin, Ambler taught at Randolph-Macon College before returning to WVU in 1917, where he taught history for the next 30 years and served as chairman of the History Department. Among his enduring legacies was the creation of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection in the university library.

His research and writings explored many topics that had received minimal attention, such as the sectionalism that gradually divided West Virginia from Virginia and biographies of statehood leaders. He also wrote or cowrote histories of the state that would be staples of West Virginia Studies classes for decades.

Ambler was honored with the presidency of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association and numerous other recognitions. Capping off his distinguished career, he represented Monongalia County in the state legislature from 1951 to ’55.

Project in Preston County Brings Savings to Residents and Research for WVU

Four entities are teaming up to take on a nearly $8 million rehabilitation project — revamping the Upper Deckers Creek Site 1 dam in Preston County.

The West Virginia Conservation Agency, the Monongahela Conservation District, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and West Virginia University are involved in the project.

The collaboration will: 

  • Allow the depth of the water behind the dam to be increased by 10 feet, providing a reliable water supply  in the county for the Public Service District No. 1
  • Give WVU faculty and students the opportunity to conduct research on the migration practices used to replace the lost land that is used for the boundaries of the dam. 

Ground will be broken for the project at 11 a.m., Aug. 7. at the dam. 

West Virginia University Board Drafts New Employee Policy

The West Virginia University Board of Governors has begun establishing new employee policies under increased autonomy granted by the state Legislature.

Revisions will be posted for public comment for 30 days later this month.

According to the board, they would establish principles for classification, compensation and performance management.

They would require written performance evaluations and set detailed procedures should the university need to go through staff reductions.

The board last week approved a $1.07 billion budget for the new fiscal year with an average 5 percent tuition increase.

Its budget reflects an $8.7 million or 6.6 percent cut in state support from the West Virginia Legislature.

WVU President Gordon Gee has said the increased autonomy from the West Virginia’s Higher Education Policy Commission saves the school about $2.8 million.

WVU Recommends New 5-year Contract for President

West Virginia University is recommending a new five-year contract for President Gordon Gee.

A news release says school’s board of governors made the recommendation Thursday, May 26. The deal next goes to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, which has final approval authority.

The terms of the contract have not yet been disclosed.

Gee returned as president of WVU in March 2014. His two-year contract is worth $775,000 annually, including $125,000 from the WVU Foundation’s Milan Puskar President Chair Endowed Fund.

The contract expires June 30, and the new proposed deal would take effect July 1.

He was also president of the university from 1981-’85.

The Higher Education Policy Commission is slated to take up the contract on June 24.

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