WVU Parkersburg Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

WorkForce West Virginia, WVU Parkersburg To Help Chemical Plant Workers Earn Degrees

WorkForce West Virginia and the state’s Community and Technical College system are partnering to help hourly workers earn a higher education.

The two organizations are working with the chemical company Chemours to help 300 of their Wood County workers earn associate degrees. The degree program was developed by the company along with the nearby West Virginia University Parkersburg.

WVUP’s Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement Torie Jackson says the program is the growth of an ongoing partnership.

“The company wants to do something to make life better for all of their employees. So that means they’re making sure that they all have a college degree,” Jackson said. “And they’re offering to help pay them while they go through that process, helping it to be tailored to the individual needs of the work that they have.”

The program includes degrees for Production Technician, Area Maintenance Technician, Electrical and Instrumentation Technician, and Lab Technician. The workers participating will be rewarded with a pay increase after earning their degree.

“It’s a real opportunity for the students to learn and be able to apply that

directly to why they need to know it,” Jackson said.

A release from Gov. Jim Justice’s office says the program is predicted to cost $3.63 million. Chemours and WVUP have already secured $2.5 million, with WorkForce West Virginia also supplying $1.2 million in funding.

WVU Parkersburg Providing In-State Tuition in Three Programs

West Virginia University at Parkersburg will offer in-state tuition rates to all students in three online programs.

The Dominion Post reports that the programs include the Bachelor of Applied Science in Child Development, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervisory Management.

The Board of Governors in April voted to let students from any state enroll in the three programs at the in-state rate, starting with the 2017-2018 school year.

The in-state rate for the three programs will help reduce tuition costs for out-of-state students by almost 40 percent.

WVU-Parkersburg to Sell Downtown Center

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is putting its Downtown Center up for sale.

WVU-Parkersburg president Fletcher Lamkin tells the Parkersburg News and Sentinel that the property hasn’t generated enough student interest and program content to sustain it.

The school’s Board of Governors suspended a culinary program offered at the facility earlier this year due to low enrollment and costs.

Lamkin says facility’s annual operating cost is around $100,000. He says the school is working to reduce expenses and no longer can afford the facility.

The university planned to issue a public notice on Tuesday announcing it is looking for offers on the property. A price hasn’t been set.

The Erickson Foundation donated the property to the school in 2008.

WVU-Parkersburg Narrows Presidential Search to Five

West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s board has scheduled interviews with five finalists for the president’s job.

The candidates will visit the campus this week and next week. They are Paul Schreffler of Mill Creek; Harold Nolte of Brenham, Texas; Alan Roberts of Fort Pierce, Florida; James Conneely of Richmond, Kentucky.; and Fletcher Lamkin of Lane Osage Beach, Missouri.

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reports that the university’s Board of Governors is expected to name a new president at its Dec. 10 meeting.

The board named Rhonda Tracy as interim president in May after Marie Foster Gauge announced she was stepping down to become a regional president for Florida State College in Jacksonville.

WVU Parkersburg Preparing for Petrochemical Jobs

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is working to identify the major industries and staffing needs associated with the proposed ethane cracker plant in Wood County.

In November 2013, the Brazil-based Odebrecht Organization announced a location near Parkersburg, W.Va. for an ethane cracker and associated polyethylene plants. Appalachian Shale Cracker Enterprise, or project ASCENT, will use ethane produced in West Virginia as a result of the development of the Marcellus Shale gas drilling.

WVU Parkersburg hired Dr. Tom Witt, a former business researcher at West Virginia University to analyze the school’s current program offerings and the economic impact of this new development. Witt says his report can provide guidance as to the kinds of jobs associated with the overall growth of a petrochemical industry. He says WVU Parkersburg can use this information to prepare educational and workforce programs for students.

In an earlier report for the school, Witt outlined other industries in the region likely to see growth with the development of a petrochemical complex. These include such sectors as food services, wholesale trade businesses, real estate, healthcare, legal services, retail and others.

Exiting WVU Parkersburg President Honored with Emeritus Designation

The West Virginia University at Parkersburg Board of Governors has named Dr. Marie Foster Gnage president emeritus. Gnage is the sixth president of WVU Parkersburg and the college’s second president, after Dr. Eldon Miller, to receive this designation.

A news release issued Thursday says a resolution was presented to Gnage at the June 2014 board meeting.

The board recognized Gnage’s leadership in many non-profit organizations and local, state and national higher education initiatives.

The resolution states:

“Dr. Gnage has always been mindful of the population served by WVU at Parkersburg and has worked tirelessly to advance the institution’s mission. During her tenure as president, Dr. Gnage positioned WVU at Parkersburg to efficiently manage enrollment growth while maintaining the college’s fiscal stability.”

“Words can’t express what it means to have my time and accomplishments recognized in this way,” said Gnage in a written statement included in Thursday’s release.

“It has been wonderful working with the board, faculty, staff, students and the community to make WVU Parkersburg what it is today – the regional college of choice, the community’s college.”

Gnage became the first female and the first African-American president of WVU Parkersburg in 2004. She is the second-longest serving president for WVU Parkersburg.

In 2012, Gnage was elected to serve as board chair for the American Association of Community Colleges, becoming the first community college president from West Virginia to serve and to be elected to this national organization.

During her tenure as president, the college added five new buildings and acquired five new properties. The physical property saw tremendous improvement in infrastructure, functionality and aesthetics–without sacrificing academic programs and while maintaining some of the most affordable tuition rates in the country.