West Virginia University Institute of Technology Story Archives

January 27, 1933: Folk Artist Connard Wolfe Born in Kanawha County

Folk artist Connard Wolfe was born at Standard in Kanawha County on January 27, 1933. The self-taught sculptor started carving wood and stone after being discharged from the army about 1955. His first significant carvings were stones for a wall and two headstones. Other early works included a gigantic reclining nude carved from a boulder in the hills near his home and two life-sized sculptures in tree trunks: ‘‘Mountain Girl’’ and ‘‘Standing Christ.’’ Both tree sculptures were later destroyed. His most famous surviving works are a bear on the campus of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery, a beaver at Bluefield High School, and a madonna and child in a Kanawha Valley church.

In addition to his creative works of art, he was also known for his unusual tools, which he made from automobile leaf springs and engine valves. Wolfe played a major role in the craft revival of the 1960s and 1970s, giving demonstrations at fairs and festivals. One of his stone carvings, “The Kiss,” is on display in the West Virginia State Museum.

Connard Wolfe died in 2012 at age 79.

Beckley University Supports LGBTQ Protections in City Code

The West Virginia University-Institute of Technology in Beckley has announced its support for Mayor Rob Rappold’s request to add protections for LGBTQ people to the city’s code.

The Register-Herald reports the school’s dean of students, Richard Carpinelli, said Tuesday that the college supports all university members, regardless of sexual orientation.

Rappold asked the city’s Common Council Monday to consider an ordinance prohibiting housing and employment discrimination against those who identify as LGBTQ. A similar measure was proposed in 2014, but was tabled amid community opposition.

The current code aligns with federal law and prohibits housing and employment discrimination based on sex, race and religion.

Carpinelli says the school has a nondiscrimination policy, but he’d like to see everyone be welcome in the community, regardless of gender identification or sexual orientation

Students Get First Look at WVU Beckley Campus

Potential and current students at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology have gotten their first look at the school’s new campus in Beckley.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports dozens of students walked around campus and toured classroom buildings and residence halls at an open house on Saturday.

West Virginia University is moving WVU Tech’s operations from Montgomery. Some campus buildings in Beckley underwent complete makeovers while others have seen only a few changes.

WVU Tech President Carolyn Long says it’s anticipated that all the buildings should be ready for students as they arrive in August.

“I think it’s going quite well,” Long said. “We’re right on schedule with building, and we will start registering students in the first week of April. We’re quite excited.”

Incoming freshman Myah Adkins decided she wanted to go to WVU Tech in Beckley after the announcement. She lives with her mother 20 minutes away in Oak Hill, and she plans to live at home during the school year to save money.

Her mother, Kristen Adkins, attended school in Beckley when it was known as the College of West Virginia. She later taught at Mountain State University, which operated the Beckley campus before closing in 2013.

WVU Tech sophomore Jordan Bowen said she will miss a row of benches in Montgomery where she and her friends would sit for hours after classes let out in the evenings.

“They just hold a lot of meaning for us, but I think the move, overall, is good,” Bowen said. “I like the Montgomery campus a lot, but it’s old. The buildings are kind of rundown and they’re not maintaining it as well as they should because we’re moving. These new buildings just look really nice.”

Tomblin Signs Bill Allowing WVU Tech to Leave Montgomery

A 120 year-old institution will soon be relocating in southern West Virginia after receiving the go-ahead from Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

Tomblin has signed a bill that allows the West Virginia University Institute of Technology to move from Montgomery in Fayette County to Beckley in Raleigh County, taking over the campus of the former Mountain State University.

House Bill 4310 was approved by lawmakers in early March.

In August, the West Virginia University Board of Governors voted to approve the relocation, citing concerns over building infrastructure on the campus and its inability to attract new students. But state code required the headquarters be located in Montgomery.

The bill changes that requirement, taking effect in early June.

WVU has said they intend to offer freshmen courses at the Beckley campus in the fall of 2016, transitioning its entire academic offerings in the fall of 2017.

Lawmakers representing the Upper Kanawha Valley have argued the move would devastate the economy of the region, especially the city of Montgomery and its 1,700 residents.

WVU Tech Relocation Bill Approved in Senate

The West Virginia University Institute of Technology has been given the legislative go ahead to move its campus out of Montgomery to Beckley and the former campus of Mountain State University. Senators approved a bill Monday allowing for the relocation.

Senators voted 22 to 12 to allow WVU Tech to move from Montgomery in Fayette County where it’s been located for 120 years.

The move comes as a result of a vote from West Virginia University Board of Governor’s back in August. The board says the infrastructure on the Montgomery campus is in disrepair and the school is struggling financially to stay open after continuous losses of enrollment.

Senator Greg Boso from Nicholas County is a Tech graduate who supported the move.

“It hurts me to know what my Legislature has done to my college, to my West Virginia Tech, especially over the last several years,” said Boso.

“We have not increased any funding to West Virginia Tech. [Study} work done in 2007 and some additional work in 2011 said you’ve got to put some money in us to allow us to survive, to allow us–more importantly rather than surviving–to thrive. We didn’t do it…but I do believe we need to preserve the institution of West Virginia University Institute of Technology,” he continued.

Senator Jeff Mullins, who lives in Beckley and represents the district that will soon house the university, also spoke in favor of the bill. Mullins said the move will allow Tech to collaborate with other higher education institutions in the area, like New River Community College, Concord University and Bluefield state.

But Senator Bill Laird issued a word of warning to those institutions. Laird said the move to Beckley will increase competition for students and tuition dollars.

In addition, Laird said moving the campus will economically devastate the community of Montgomery which is made up of just 1700 residents.

Senator Ron Miller joined Laird in speaking against the legislation.

“This is a bill that should make all of us very sad for the history of a fine school. It’s a bill that should make all of us very sad for the history of a town. It should make all of us very sad for a region of the state,” said Miller.

“The outcome of this legislation–if it passes– is in some ways the story that’s taking place in all of southern West Virginia. By passing this bill we are saying we’ve forgotten the roles played by regions, particularly in the southern [part of the state], to create what was once a great economic engine of West Virginia. Passage of this bill is passage saying that the contributions of those folks of yesterday mean nothing to us today,” he added.

After a change in the Senate, the bill heads back to the House of Delegates.

Gee says WVU Won't Abandon Montgomery when Tech Leaves

West Virginia University President Gordon Gee says the school won’t abandon Montgomery after it moves the WVU Institute of Technology’s programs to Beckley in 2017.

Gee told The Register-Herald that the university is looking at other options for Tech’s facilities in Montgomery that are owned by WVU and the state.

Gee says WVU also will continue to develop programs for Montgomery through its Extension Service and community development services.

He says the university’s mission includes improving opportunities for West Virginia’s 1.8 million residents and creating communities that are valued.

Tech has been a regional WVU campus since 1996.