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WVSU Holds Archaeological Field School In Malden

The historic Hale House in Malden is the site of WVSU’s archaeological field school.

West Virginia State University (WVSU) is having its archaeological field school at the historic Hale House in Malden in eastern Kanawha County. For four weeks, students have been digging up West Virginia history for their History 399 class.

“We do a field school which is a learning experience for the students,” said Michael Workman, class instructor. “They learn some of the basic techniques of archaeology. This is, however, historical archaeology and that we use not only what we can dig, but also historical records.”

Student Keyira Curtis (left) and field coordinator Carl Demuth look at plans for the day.

*Credit: Jack Bailey/West Virginia State University*

WVSU students and faculty sit down for a meeting about the dig site.

*Credit: Jack Bailey/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

The Hale House is believed to have once been the house of Kanawha Valley politician, Dr. John Hale. Hale was the owner of the largest salt works in North America, supplying salt to the thriving meat packing center of Cincinnati. After the collapse of the salt business in the 1870s, he ventured into brick making machinery, the Bank of the West in Charleston, which he helped organize, as well as the city’s first gas company.

The archaeological dig project came about after a chance meeting with Bob Maslowski, a consultant, and Lewis Payne at Dickinson Salt-Works.

“We came up with the idea of getting a field school started at Dickinson Salt Works and maybe, have it turn into a long-term project,” said Maslowski “As it turned out, this particular site came up and we decided to start the excavations here, at the Hale House. We thought originally that it was occupied by John Hale who was a famous historian and salt maker and we haven’t been able to substantiate that, but it is one of the early houses in Malden and in the Kanawha Valley.”

Hale helped initiate the move of the state capitol to Charleston in 1870 and headed a group of investors who built the capitol building in 1871. Hale also became the mayor of Charleston that same year.

Students search for lost items from Kanawha Valley history.

*Credit: Jack Bailey/West Virginia State University*

Carl Demuth is the field coordinator for the project and an adjunct professor at Marshall University. He said it is important for students to learn about the lives of people in history.

“There’s not many other opportunities you have to be the first person to hold something that no one else has touched in fifty, a hundred, two hundred, a thousand years, and that’s what a lot of these students are doing,” Demuth said. “Working with these students lets them have the chance to embrace their own heritage and history in a way that’s a little bit different and, you know, that’s really why I’m out here.”

How SNAP Has Changed Lives And An Archaeological Dig At WVSU, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, SNAP is a federal nutrition program – the name stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It used to be called food stamps. The program started as a pilot project in the 1960s in McDowell County. Trey Kay learns more about the program that some say has changed lives.

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia is one of the top recipients for food aid of any state. SNAP is a federal nutrition program – the name stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It used to be called food stamps. The program started as a pilot project in the 1960s in McDowell County.

Since then, it’s reduced poverty and hunger across the nation, but it gets caught up in political debates and election cycles. On the next Us & Them podcast, host Trey Kay learns more about a program that some say has changed lives.

Also, in this show, West Virginia State University (WVSU) is holding its archaeological field school at the historic Hale House in Malden. Delaney Wells reports.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Teresa Wills is our host.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

W.Va. Reptile Expo Returns

With more than 70 tables of reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, birds and exotic plants, organizers like Hunter Armstead hope to educate the public on proper care and appreciation of these unique pets.

Since 2014, the West Virginia Reptile Expo has brought animals, supplies, plants and related artwork to Charleston for its annual event.

“If you give people the chance to experience and learn something new, it’s interesting to see how they slowly open up to these types of animals that normally they may be afraid of,” Armstead said.

Armstead said keeping pets is an altruistic act that can be emotionally helpful for people.

“It really is emotionally helpful for a lot of different people, to have something that is accepting of them,” Armstead said. “It’s just a relationship where they take care of that animal, they make sure the animal is happy and well fed and well housed, and it can be therapeutic.”

While pets can make a great addition to the home, Armstead cautioned against bringing home a new pet without doing proper research.

“It’s just important for them to remember that if they are going to bring a new pet home, they need to do research on that pet before they bring it home,” Armstead said. “This can be done by talking to any of the experts at our show…and our guests will have the best success keeping a new pet.”

The expo will be located in the Wilson Student Union at West Virginia State University in Institute, West Virginia. Tickets are $5 per adult and free for kids under 10.

New West Virginia State University President Inaugurated

On his inauguration day, West Virginia State University President Ericke Cage spoke of preparing students for a new global economy.

Cage joined the university in July 2021 as vice president and chief of staff and was subsequently appointed by the WVSU Board of Governors as the university’s chief operating officer on July 30, 2021.

Speaking before his Thursday investiture ceremony on WVSU’s Institute campus, Cage said he would double down on the historically black university’s history of excellence in education. He said a key was ensuring that curriculum aligns with the needs of an advancing workforce.

“We’re certainly going to be responsive to the needs of this new environment,” Cage said. “We’re going to look at how we’re delivering courses, what type of courses we’re delivering, ensuring that we’re meeting the needs of this workforce and the needs of our students.”

Representatives from universities throughout the state joined in the pomp and circumstance of the investiture. Marshall President Brad Smith described the bond among West Virginia’s institutions of higher education.

“Our universities are an ecosystem, we complement each other,” Smith said. “We all share the same common goal – to prepare our youth for the next chapter of the economy and the next chapter of society. So working with West Virginia State University has been Marshall University’s privilege.”

Leaders from universities around the state attended Cage’s inauguration. Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

WVSU was among the state institutions opposed to Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, also known as campus carry, allowing the concealed carry of firearms on school grounds. Cage said the school has comprehensive plans in place in terms of implementation.

“We are in the process of setting up a task force because we have a year to implement it,” he said. “The taskforce will include stakeholders from across the campus. We want folks to come to the table and talk about how we can best implement this, making sure that we have the tools in place to ensure that we’re keeping our community safe.”

Cage said when it comes to educating students for a productive future, he takes great pride in the school’s legacy as a historically black college or university (HBCU).

“It’s the basis upon which we were founded. It’s really about access and inclusion,” Cage said. “Since 1954, West Virginia State University has transitioned into what we fondly call a living laboratory of human relations. Our student body is wildly diverse, and we take great pride in that. I think our HBCU heritage will continue to inform our commitment to access and inclusion to a higher education degree.”

The new president is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in leadership studies. He holds a doctorate from the Rutgers University Law School and a masters of law degree in litigation and dispute resolution from George Washington University. He is also a graduate of the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College and the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.

A WVSU press release when Cage was named president noted that under his leadership, the university was able to obtain historic levels of state funding for its land-grant programs and Healthy Grandfamilies program during the 2022 state legislative session.

Cage becomes West Virginia State University’s 13th President.

Concord And WVSU Partner To Offer A Fast Path To Social Work

A partnership between two of West Virginia’s universities allows students pursuing their master’s degree in social work a seamless transition from undergraduate studies.

West Virginia State University’s (WVSU) Department of Social Work is partnering with Concord University’s Master of Social Work program to allow undergraduates to transfer to the graduate program easily.

WVSU advisors will counsel students to enroll in prerequisite social work courses at WVSU that have been accepted by Concord’s Master of Social Work program.

Kerri Steele, dean of the College of Professional Studies and chair of the Social Work Department at WVSU, is excited to offer students this route to higher education.

“We’re excited to partner with Concord University on this amazing opportunity for our students to continue their educational journey and become very capable and qualified master’s level social workers, which are so needed in West Virginia,” Steele said.

To assist students in their transfer, Concord will waive the application fee and reserve a set number of seats for qualifying WVSU Bachelor of Social Work graduates each year into its master’s program.

Qualifying students must have a grade point average of 2.75 or higher, with a 3.0 or higher in social work courses at WVSU to apply for admission to Concord’s Master of Social Work program.

Scott Inghram, director of Concord’s MSW program and chair of the Department of Social Work and Sociology, said the collaboration solidifies a long-standing partnership with WVSU.

“We are confident that this is just one among many steps in a joint venture to strengthen our communities through exemplary educational efforts,” Inghram said.

To apply, students must submit a transcript, three letters of reference, and a personal statement addressing the criteria requested for the program.

University Begins Taking Applications For New President

West Virginia State University has begun taking applications for its next president.

Interested parties have until Feb. 11 to apply “for full consideration,” according to a presidential search timeline, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

A 16-member search committee will evaluate applicants and choose three finalists, who will visit the historically Black college and meet with faculty, students and alumni, said university Board of Governors Chairman Chuck Jones.

Officials have said they hope to name a new president in March or April.

The school’s previous president resigned in July after cabinet members wrote a letter of no confidence to the board complaining of “condescending and abusive dialogue” and “retaliatory practices.”